Current affairs- April 18,2016
Govt mulls sops to attract doctors to rural
postings
The union health ministry has come up with a new plan to attract
doctors to rural postings.
What’s the new plan?
The plan is to incentivise students and doctors, by making their
access to postgraduate courses easier or by offering them better pay.
Will it work?
Yes, say experts. According to them, easier PG admissions may
attract many doctors as there are limited seats in specialised courses and
securing admission is tough.
- Also, a rural stint will help doctors gain practical experience as the disease burden is increasing in non-urban settings.
Background:
- Back in 2013-14,
the UPA government had tried to make one year of rural posting mandatory
for MBBS graduates to seek admission in post-graduate courses. The move
met with severe opposition from resident doctors and MBBS students,
leading to strikes. Under pressure, Medical Council of India had kept the
notification on hold.
- Hence, the new
government, instead of forcing a village posting on MBBS students or
resident doctors, plans to work out lucrative incentive options.
Way ahead:
The ministry has already deliberated on the plan and it has
inprinciple approval from the health minister. However, a formal proposal with
details of incentives has to be drawn up before it is taken to the next level
in the government for approval.
Concerns:
At present, there is just one doctor for around 1,700 people in
India, whereas the WHO stipulates a minimum ratio of 1:1,000. Apart from
shortage of doctors, unwillingness to work in rural areas is a major obstacle.
- Though
government initiatives and participation from the private sector have
improved availability of health facilities, workforce shortages continue
to be a major cause for concern.
Chabahar Port Project Put On The Fast Track
India and Iran have agreed to move forward quickly on the crucial
Chabahar port project during foreign minister Sushma Swaraj’s ongoing trip to
Iran.
Why India is interested in this port?
- India believes the port is
critical to its interests and wants to develop it as a counter to
Pakistan’s Gwadar port which was built with Chinese assistance.
- The port will allow India
to bypass Pakistan to transport goods to Afghanistan and Central Asia
using a sea-land route.
- Chabahar Port lies outside
the Persian Gulf in Iran and will help India in expanding its maritime
commerce in the region.
- It also provides
opportunities to Indian companies to penetrate and enhance their footprint
in the region.
Background:
An MoU was signed between India and Iran in May 2015. As per the
MoU, India is to equip and operate two berths in Chabahar Port Phase-I with
capital investment of USD 85.21 million and annual revenue expenditure of USD
22.95 million on a ten year lease.
- Ownership of equipment
will be transferred to Iranian side on completion of 10 year period or for
an extended period, based on mutual agreement.
- The Iranian side had
requested for provision of a credit of USD 150 million in accordance with
the MoU.
- As per the MoU, operation
of two berths will commence within a period of maximum 18 months after the
signing of the Contract.
- The two berths will be operated
by the India Ports Global Private Limited, a Company promoted by the
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and Kandla Port Trust – two major ports
working under the Ministry of Shipping.
BRICS bank okays first loan of $811 mn
The New Development Bank (NDB), formed by the BRICS group of
emerging nations, has approved its first loans – $811 million for renewable
energy projects in Brazil, China, India and South Africa.
- The decision to
approve the first loans, which are to be handed out in tranches, was
approved by the NDB at the board of governors on the sidelines of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank spring meetings in
Washington DC.
About the New Development Bank:
It is a multilateral development bank operated by the BRICS states
(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
- The New Development Bank
was agreed to by BRICS leaders at the 5th BRICS summit held in Durban,
South Africa in 2013. The bank, with authorized capital of $100 billion,
started work last year.
- The bank will be
headquartered in Shanghai, China and its first President is Kundapur Vaman
Kamath.
- Unlike the World Bank,
which assigns votes based on capital share, in the New Development Bank
each participant country will be assigned one vote, and none of the
countries will have veto power.
Main role of the bank:
The New Development Bank will mobilise resources for
infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging
economies and developing countries, to supplement existing efforts of
multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and
development.
Benefits:
- The establishment of the
Bank will help India and other signatory countries to raise and avail
resources for their infrastructure and sustainable development projects.
- It would also reflect the
close relations among BRICS countries, while providing a powerful
instrument for increasing their economic cooperation.
- It is expected to allow
India to raise and obtain more resources for the much needed
infrastructure development, the lack of which is coming in the way of
inclusiveness and growth as of now.
- It will make available
additional resources thereby recycling the savings accumulated in emerging
countries which are presently being locked up in Treasury bonds having
much lower returns.
Buddhist inscription found in Gadag district
A new inscription that sheds more light on the history of Buddhism in
Karnataka has been discovered at Lakkundi village in Gadag district in
Karnataka.
- It is for the
first time that an inscription related to Buddhism has been found in
Lakkundi, a place of antiquarian interest with nearly 50 temples, 101
stepped wells and a large number of inscriptions spread over the Chalukya,
Kalachuri, Seuna and Hoysala periods.
About the inscription:
The inscription’s lower portion has been severed off. The
inscription makes salutations to Lord Buddha, ‘dhamma’, ‘sangha’ and Tara
Bhagavati. It also admires Hoysala ruler Veeraballala II and others.
- There is also a mention
about a merchant but that part has been lost. There are possibilities of
the inscription speaking about donations to a Buddhist monastery located
at Lakkundi.
- Besides, it was among a
handful of inscriptions making specific reference to the Tara
Bhagavati cult of the Vajrayana Buddhism which
was in vogue here till 12th century. The period of this inscription could
be assigned to the regime of Hoysala king Veeraballala II
(1173–1220 CE).
- Discovery of this
inscription establishes the existence and popularity of Buddhism in this
part of the State. In all possibility, a Buddhist monastery existed in
this village or in the vicinity.
Centre plans loss-making PSU land bank
The government is looking at creating a bank from the land
available at loss-making state-run enterprises as part of its efforts to sell
these entities and push the overall disinvestment programme.
What’s the plan?
The idea is to create a special purpose vehicle (SPV) which will
hold all the land resources from loss-making public sector enterprises. The SPV
then can give the land for other projects which may come up.
Background:
The government has accelerated efforts to wind up several
loss-making state-run firms and the NITI Aayog is drawing up a strategy on the
issue. Land available with state-run firms is seen as an asset and several
defunct PSUs have huge tracts of land available with them. Latest data shows there
are 77 CPSEs which incurred a loss of Rs 27,360 crore in 2014-15.
- The effort to monetize
land with government entities is not new. In 2012, a government panel
headed by former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar had backed the idea of
monetizing government’s unutilized and under-utilized land resources.
Benefits:
These resources can finance infrastructure needs, particularly in
urban areas. Such a policy has been effectively utilized in many countries,
including USA, France, Canada, Australia and China. For monetizing land
resources, the potential is considerable given the under-utilized prime lands
of PSU’s, port trusts, railways.
Way ahead:
The plan is at a preliminary stage and several rounds of
consultations are expected before a final decision is taken.
To push mineral hunt, Govt. to tweak 1967
data-sharing curbs
The Ministry of Defence has decided to alter the guidelines issued
in 1967 that bar putting in public domain geological and geospatial data
related to 40% of India’s landmass, in order to enable faster exploration of
mineral riches. This move is expected to boost mining in the country.
Significance of this move:
- This would speed
up mining operations in areas where exploration had been done in the past
by government agencies but the findings were not in the public domain and
thus, out of reach for private mining firms.
Why this move was necessary?
While the Geological Survey of India has a data sharing and
accessibility policy, the ministry of defence had imposed a number of
restrictions on the dissemination of maps, ground and aero geophysical data and
data pertaining to restricted areas, in August 1967.
- About 40% of the country
falls within the restricted area. An estimated 10% of territory with
obvious geological potential also falls in such restricted areas.
- Availability of
comprehensive data is critical for attracting the private sector into
exploration. Though India has digitised a lot of its baseline geo-science
data — including gravity contour maps, aeromagnetic, radiometric and
geo-chemical mapping — it cannot be put in the public domain or shared
without a defence ministry clearance for ‘restricted’ areas. The lack of
credible geological data had also dented investor interest so far.
Government revives talks to revamp Factories Act
The government is reviving talks on revamping the Factories Act of
1948 and has called a meeting of all state governments, central ministries,
trade unions and industry representatives to discuss a new legislation.
What’s there in the new proposed factories
act?
- Apart from speeding up
registration and compliance processes to help new entrepreneurs and
start-ups, the proposed new Factories Act seeks to do away with the
‘inspector raj.’
- To increase the level of
competency of the inspectors, the labour ministry has proposed that only
those with a minimum B.Tech degree can become inspectors and they can
enter factory premises after specific written directions of the Chief
Inspector.
- However, the inspection
could take place without prior consent if there is a complaint from any
worker or for carrying out investigation into a reported accident. This
has been proposed to remove the arbitrariness in inspection.
- However, existing
inspectors with five years of experience or more, and a degree or diploma
on industrial safety will continue to be eligible to inspect a factory.
- All factories that
manufactures or deals with “hazardous substance and processes and
dangerous operations will be covered under this Act even if they employ a
single worker.” The sectors that manufacture hazardous processes include
coal, gas, iron and steel, petroleum, cement and leather.
- For setting up factories
with hazardous activities, the site appraisal committee — a body with
representatives from environment, meteorological, town planning
departments — will have to convene a meeting within 15 days of receiving
an application.
- The committee will have to
compulsorily send its recommendations within the next 30 days to the state
government, from 90 days at present.
- The proposed law will
apply to all factories that employ at least 40 workers.
Background:
- The Factories
Act is a legislation that deals with safety, health and welfare of
workers. The present Factories Act is applicable on factories (with electricity
connection) with 20 workers and factories, without electricity, with 10
workers.
- The government
had introduced Factories (Amendment) Bill 2014 in Lok Sabha in August
2014. However, it did not come up for discussion as it was referred to a
standing committee which presented its report in December 2014.
Facts
With about 30,000 soldiers in action, the Indian Army recently
conducted a major Exercise called SHATRUJEET in deserts of Rajasthan. During the exercise, the capability to Strike deep in enemy
territory in an integrated Air-Land battle environment was tested. The
operationally oriented exercise is focusing on validating integrated
theatre battle fighting concept incorporating new age
technologies, weapon platforms and systems as well as long range precision
targeting vectors. Indian Army undertakes such exercises at regular intervals
at different levels to ensure forces are provided real war like situations and
are kept in high state of battle readiness.
- Built at a cost of over Rs
2 crore, northeast has got its fastest supercomputer with a peak computing power of 15 Teraflops. Housed at the National Institute of Technology Sikkim’s
campus, near Gangtok, the supercomputer, ‘PARAM
Kanchenjunga’ is a collaboration between Centre for Development of
Advanced Computing (C—DAC) and the Ministry of
Communications and IT.
