TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)
2. Policy for Use of land acquired under CBA (Coal Bearing Areas) Act, 1957
3. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
4. Sensor-based Irrigation System

1. Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)

Syllabus: GS II, Welfare schemes by the Centre and the State and the performance of these schemes

Prelims: Salient features of RGSA, SDG, PRI

Mains: Efforts made by the government to empower the Panchayati Raj Institutions.

Context: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the continuation of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme scheme Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan.

An Overview of the Scheme:

• It was during the budget session of 2016-17 wherein an announcement was made to launch a new restructured scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan. 
• The major objective was to develop the governance capabilities of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) giving effect to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Read about SDGs in the linked article.

• Under the recommendations of the Committee chaired by the Vice-Chairman of the NITI Aayog the RGSA scheme was approved for implementation in 2018. 
• The major component of the scheme is to incentivise the Panchayats and Mission Mode Project on e-Panchayat including other activities at the central level.
• The scheme will have both Central and State components. The Central component will include national-level activities such as the National Plan of Technical Assistance, the Mission Mode project on e-Panchayat, their incentivisation, action research and media. 
• The state component will comprise capacity building & training of PRIs, institutional support for capacity building & training, distance learning facility, support for constructing Gram Panchayat Bhawan along with economic development & income enhancement support. 
• The elected representatives, functionaries and other stakeholders of PRIs have been receiving various and multiple trainings under the scheme. 

Key Priorities of the Scheme:

• Poverty free and enhanced livelihood in villages 
• Healthy Village
• Child-friendly village 
• Water Sufficient Village
• Clean and Green Village
• Self-sufficient infrastructure in Village
• Socially secured village
• Village with good governance
• Engendered Development in Village

Implementation Strategy and Targets: 

• The central and state governments will take action for completing the activities approved for their respective roles. 
• The State Government will formulate the Annual Action Plans for seeking assistance from the Central Government in accordance with their priorities and requirements. 
• The scheme will operate in a demand-driven mode. 

To know more about RGSA, follow the link.

2. Policy for Use of land acquired under CBA (Coal Bearing Areas) Act, 1957

Syllabus: GS III, Infrastructure: energy

Mains: Reforms to unlock non-minable land for infrastructure development of coal and energy sectors. 

Context: In order to make better use of the lands that are unsuitable for coal mining, the Cabinet approved the policy for the use of land acquired under the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition & Development) Act, 1957.

What does the Act say about the usage of acquired lands?

• The act offers the provision for the acquisition of coal-bearing lands and their vesting in government companies, free from impediments. 
• The approved policy has a framework for the utilisation of the following types of land acquired under the CBA Act:
  • Lands that are no longer suitable or economically viable for coal mining activities.
  • Lands from which coal has been mined out or de-coaled and such land has been reclaimed.
• The Government coal companies like Coal India Ltd. (CIL) and its subsidiaries shall remain owners of these lands acquired under the CBA Act.
• The policy will allow only leasing of the land for the specified purposes framed by it. 
• There is a provision that the government company which owns the land would lease such land for a specific period of time deploying private capital in joint projects for coal and energy-related activities. 
• Lands will be considered for the following purposes as per the policy:
  • To set up coal washeries
  • Setting up conveyor systems
  • To establish Coal Handling Plants
  • Construction of railway sidings
  • Rehabilitation and resettlement of Project Affected Families due to the acquisition of land under the CBA Act or other land acquisition laws
  • To set up thermal and renewable power projects
  • To provide coal development-related infrastructure including compensatory afforestation
  • To provide Right of Way
  • Coal gasification and coal to chemical plants
  • To set up or provide for energy-related infrastructure.

Expected outcomes of the policy:

• The lands that are no more suitable for coal mining activities have a tendency towards unauthorised encroachment and are difficult to be maintained. With this policy, these lands can be used for several infrastructure development projects in the coal and energy sector without the transfer of ownership from the government. 
• This will result in the generation of direct and indirect employment. 
• The approved policy is a welcoming step towards the realisation of the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat which intends to strengthen domestic manufacturing with reduced dependence on imports, job creation and development of industries. 

3. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Syllabus: GS I, The freedom Struggle – its various stages

Prelims: Facts related to The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Mains: Discussing the significant events and their contribution to the freedom struggle.

Context: The Prime Minister paid tribute to the martyrs of the heart-wrenching event of Jallianwala Bagh in 1919. 

Turn the chapters of history and read about Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in the linked article.

4. Sensor-based Irrigation System

Syllabus: GS III, Science and Technology – developments and their applications

Prelims: About Sensor-based Irrigation System

Mains: Advancements in the irrigation system of India

Context: A sensor-based irrigation system using riverbank filtration technology and controlled by a web/mobile application has been observed to prevent water wastage and help the farmers to monitor the irrigation progress remotely.

Who implemented it?

• The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) in collaboration with the National Institute of Technology, Goa along with the support of the Department of Science and Technology, has implemented this sensor-based irrigation system. 
• This technology was adopted at the Sal river near Navelim and Nauta lake at Cortalim in Goa. 

About River Bank Filtration:

• The riverbank filtration system is technologically coupled with a sensor-controlled irrigation system. 
• It operates by extracting the water from the wells located near rivers or lakes. 
• As the river water infiltrates into and passes through riverbed sediments, the contaminants like bacteria and toxic heavy metals are removed by overlapping biochemical processes. 
• The researchers installed affordable wells for the treatment of polluted water from the river and lakes and it has been powered by solar energy.
• This unique method offers a sustainable, clean technology that assists the farmers to access clean water for irrigation in off-the-grid areas. 
• The water that is filtered out is characterised by reduced turbidity, a systematic pipeline system and reduced bacterial loads. 
• This will result in the enhancement of crop production that would ultimately be in favour of increasing the income of the farmers.

Image Source: mdpi.com

Read previous PIB here.

April 13th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here