11 Mar 2018: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

A. GS1 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

B. GS2 Related

Context:

• Fresh logistical agreement to allow closer defence cooperation

Keypoints:

• India and France joined hands in ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region along with a new phase of cooperation in space security focussed on the maritime domain and a fresh logistics agreement.
• This move allows their defence forces to closely cooperate on mutually agreed operations.

Common concerns

• India and France share common concerns on freedom of navigation in the region and will tackle challenges to over-flight and threat of weapons of mass destruction. The agreement has a vast scope stretching from countering maritime terrorism and piracy to building maritime domain awareness.
• This is the second major maritime agreement India has signed in the last six months following the Quadrilateral agreement with Australia, Japan and the U.S. in October 2017.

Keypoints:

• India, a founding member of the International Solar Alliance said that membership of the body will be thrown open to all countries that want to join the grouping
• There will be no restrictions on duration of sunlight or geographical location
• PM Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron will be formally launching the International Solar Alliance on 11th March
• When the International Solar Alliance was announced in 2015, 121 nations situated between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and receiving 300 days of sunlight were deemed eligible for membership

Keypoints:

• According to the report, about a third of total 13.6 lakh anganwadi centres have neither toilets nor drinking water facilities
• It adds that nearly 25 per cent of anganwadi centres don’t have drinking water facilities and 36 per cent of these don’t have toilets
• The report mentions that the under the revised Anganwadi services, the ministry plans to build 70,000 toilets and provide drinking water facilities in 2,000 AWCs
• Funds to the tune of Rs 54.14 crore and Rs 13.24 crore, respectively, have been released to various states

Anganwadi centres

• Anganwadi centres are part of the Centre’s Integrated Child Development Scheme
• And provide a package of six services–supplementary nutrition, referral services, immunisation, health check-up, pre-school non-formal education and health and nutrition education– to women and children

Context

• A mechanism for implementation of the Minimum Support Price

Keypoints:

• Government think-tank NITI Aayog said it will work out a mechanism for implementation of the Minimum Support Price for different crops in the country
• The Aayog noted that the procurement by central and state agencies is limited to rice and wheat and some amount of coarse cereals

Three important ingredients to be discussed

• The first option related to market assurance scheme, which proposes procurement by states and compensation of losses up to a certain extent of MSP after the procurement and price realization out of the sale of the procured produce
• Second option related to price deficiency procurement scheme
• Under this scheme, if the sale price is below a modal price then the farmers may be compensated to the difference between MSP and actual price subject to a ceiling which may not exceed 25 percent of the MSP
• No compensation would be due if the modal price in neighboring states is above the MSP
• Third option related to private procurement and stockist scheme
• It relates to procurement by private entrepreneurs at MSP and government providing some policy and tax incentives and a commission to such private entities

Private procurement

• The option of private procurement and stockist scheme offered great promise as it reduces the fiscal implications for the government, involves private entities as partners in agriculture marketing and improves the competition in the market
• The government’s liabilities for storage and post-procurement management and disposal are also avoided

C. GS3 Related

Context:

• In Devala, illegal miners work overtime to strike it rich

Keypoints:

• It’s an illegal gold mine, deep in the heart of one of the hills surrounding the small town of Devala in the Nilgiris, around 70 km from Udhagamandalam.
• A group of eight local miners venture down an 80-foot-deep shaft, lit only by battery-powered torches tied to the miners’ heads with bits of cloth and rope.
• At the bottom of the vertical shaft are more tunnels that eventually lead to the “seam” layers of rock, hewn with pickaxes and rudimentary metal tools by the miners.
• The men work in two shifts, sometimes up to 10 to 12 hours at a stretch.
• Tasks are divided between the groups one for excavating the mine, while the other cooks a quick meal for the team before catching up on some sleep.
• Of the numerous mines that have been excavated, around 50-60 in the Devala-Pandalur region are still used regularly, the miners say, though older ones are also routinely prospected by neophytes.

D. GS4 Related

E. Editorials

F. Prelims Fact

G. Practice Questions for UPSC Prelims Exam

Question 1. Among the following, which is the oldest living animal in the world?

1. Chameleon
2. Gastrotrichs
3. Corals
4. Mayflies

See