DAILY NEWS DIARY - sosinclasses.com

DAILY NEWS DIARY 24.08.2021

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DAILY NEWS DIARY

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FOR PRELIMS AND MAINS

24.08.2021

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Warm Greetings.

➢ DnD aims to provide every day news analysis in sync with the UPSC pattern.

➢ It is targeted at UPSC – Prelims & Mains.

➢ Daily articles are provided in the form of Question and Answers

• To have a bank of mains questions.

• And interesting to read.

• Providing precise information that can be carried straight to the exam, rather than over

dumping.

Enjoy reading.

THE HINDU - TH

INDIAN EXPRESS - IE

BUSINESS LINE - BL

ECONOMIC TIMES - ET

TIMES OF INDIA - TOI




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INDEX

Essay Paper

1. Questions arise over the Ujjwala scheme’s success........................................................................04

GS 3

1. Smog Tower function and its limitations……….………………………………………………………………………….06

2. Asset Monetisation Plan…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..07

3. Key features of the Russian Stealth Frigates……………………………………………………………………………..08




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ESSAY PAPER

Editorial

Q- As questions arise over the Ujjwala scheme’s success, it would be prudent to introduce

alternative clean sources of energy. Discuss?

INTRODUCTION = In India, many women in poor households who use firewood or dung cakes for cooking spend long hours collecting firewood and making dung cakes -

1. This is drudgery. It affects their health and puts the safety of women and girls in jeopardy.

2. Using firewood and dung cakes also leads to indoor pollution, as chulhas (firewood-based stoves) using these sources of energy release carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

3. Both these gases have an adverse impact on the health of the family members. They also impact the environment.

The earlier solution to this problem —

1. Smokeless or fuel-efficient chulhas for cooking — was introduced in the 1980s. The National Programme on Improved Chulha was launched in 1984. This was backed by training programmes for making and maintaining these chulhas. But these programmes failed when subsidies were withdrawn, governments lost interest, people could not be convinced to use the new chulhas and did not participate, target beneficiaries were not properly identified, and there was little quality control.

2. The Indian government then introduced Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in June 2013

a. Under the PAHAL scheme on an experimental basis. The scheme finally covered 291 districts. Access to this clean energy was expected to alleviate the public health burden posed by household air pollution on women. With rising incomes, the lower classes were expected to be covered by the scheme. The scheme, it was thought, would improve women’s access to education, leisure, and the labour market, and also improve the environment, climate, and human health.

b. In 2016, the Modi government launched the LPG scheme as the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMYU).

c. NITI Aayog laid out a road map for universal access to LPG by 2025. The subsidy for LPG increased from ₹12,000 crore in 2016-17 to ₹21,000 crore in 2017-18 (Petroleum Analysis and Planning Cell, 2018), and 94% of all households had an LPG connection as of September 2019, an increase from 56% in 2014-15.




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Challenges in Implementation -

However, as per evaluation studies –

1. Many LPG connection holders were found to still be using other fuels like firewood and dung cakes.

2. This is because men, who usually make the decision of buying the refill, often do not agree to a refill which is expensive for the poor.

3. Studies found that the poor use LPG mainly for making tea or snacks while they continue to use firewood or cow dung for their main cooking, as these sources of fuel are free of cost and easily available.

4. Usually, as low value is attached to women’s time in production, the opportunity cost of women’s labour is low even when a capital subsidy is available, and women have to depend on traditional fuels. LPG is used for cooking when the opportunity cost of women’s labour is considered high, such as in the peak season in farming.

5. On the other hand, urban households with reasonably high incomes and rural households belonging to upper income groups consider LPG refill a necessity for full cooking.

6. Official data show that 48% rural households used LPG (2018) but only partially. The other problems in accessing LPG are administrative and include the distance to LPG distribution centres, long waiting time, and rising costs of LPG cylinders.

Despite these findings, the Prime Minister recently introduced Ujjwala 2.0 under which one crore additional PMUY connections aim to provide deposit-free LPG connections to those low-income families who could not be covered under the earlier phase of PMUY.

▪ Under Ujjwala 2.0, migrants will not be required to submit ration cards or address proof. The amount allocated for this purpose is ₹14,073 crore this year.

It is clear that the planners have not looked at the evaluation studies of Ujjwala 1.0 and the official data on the performance of the scheme. LPG cylinders are not a priority for the poorest. They sometimes even sell the cylinder to meet their urgent needs.

Way Forward

There is no doubt that crores of poor and middle class women need better sources of cooking energy that are time saving, healthy, easily accessible and affordable. LPG works well, but only for non-poor households.




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▪ Others need affordable alternatives to choose from, such as solar energy and solar cookers, smokeless chulhas, biogas plants and electric cookers where electricity is cheap.

▪ Good research and development efforts need to be made in the public and private sectors to explore these alternatives.

▪ As one solution may not fit all, there is a need to offer a set of energy sources to households so that each of them finds a suitable energy for itself.

▪ Women in India can achieve energy security for cooking only through cheaper and efficient alternatives.

GS 3

❖ Environment

Q- How does a Smog Tower function and what are its limitations?

BACKGROUND = Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated a ‘smog tower’ in Connaught Place and said similar towers would be built across the city, if results of the current pilot project are satisfactory.

The smog tower is a 24 metre-high structure fitted with fans and air filters.

It will draw in polluted air from the top and release filtered air near the ground through fans fitted on the sides. The tower has 40 big fans and 5,000 filters to clean the air.




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“The tower will take in air from a radius of 1 km. It has a capacity of cleaning 1,000 cubic metres of air per second. It is estimated that the area will see a rapid change in air quality due to this smog tower.”

The Delhi pollution control committee was the nodal authority for building the tower. IIT-Bombay and IIT-Delhi were technical advisors and Tata Project Ltd. executed the project.

Once the monsoon season is over the tower will function at full capacity. Then IIT-Delhi and IIT-Bombay’s experts will start their research on its performance. The Delhi government is committed in its fight against pollution and this tower will deeply aid this fight and act as a technological foundation for our future projects.

❖ Economic Development

Q- What is the route map of the recently launched ‘Asset Monetisation Plan’ and what are its accrued benefits?

BACKGROUND = Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled an ambitious ₹6 lakh-crore National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) that included unlocking value by involving private firms across infrastructure sectors — from passenger trains and railway stations to airports.

As many as 25 Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports as well as 40 railway stations and an unidentified number of railway colonies have been identified for getting private investments.

Under the plan, private firms can invest in projects for a fixed return using the InvIT route as well as operate and develop the assets for a certain period before transferring them back to the government agency.




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Benefits -

“The asset monetisation pipeline takes the National Infrastructure Pipeline to the next phase where you are looking at public-private partnership,”

Stating there is no transfer of ownership or land,

The NMP talks about brownfield assets where there is a completed asset which is either languishing or remaining not fully monetised

The total indicative value for Centre’s core assets has been estimated at ₹6 lakh crore over the 4-year period from FY22 to FY25.

Snippets

❖ Security

Q- Make a note of some of the key features of the Russian Stealth Frigates for India? ▪ The first of two additional Krivak class stealth frigates being built by Russia is expected to

be delivered to India in the middle of 2023.

▪ Due to COVID we had delays in execution of some of the stages of construction. There was an approximately eight-month delay.

▪ In October 2016, India and Russia signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for four Krivak or Talwar class stealth frigates — two to be procured directly from Russia and two to be built by Goa Shipyard Ltd. (GSL) — after which a $1 billion deal was signed for the direct purchase.

▪ The frigates were being built to operate both Indian and Russian equipment




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▪ The keel for the first ship to be built at GSL was laid in January and for the second ship in June this year. Keel laying is a major milestone in shipbuilding symbolises the formal commencement of the construction process.

▪ The Navy currently operates six Krivak class frigates procured in two different batches.

Q- Consider the following statements regarding the Year-on-Year performance of the below

categories post 2nd wave performance?

1. The YoY performance of GST e-way bills, fuel consumption, electricity generation, output of Coal

India Limited (CIL), vehicle registrations and domestic passenger traffic improved in July 2021

from June 2021.

2. The worsening in the YoY performance of some indicators such as output of passenger vehicles

(PVs), scooters and motorcycles was primarily due to the base effect

Which of the above statements is/are CORRECT?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both

d. Neither

Q- With regard to India’s off the shelf defence procurement with the Russian Government. Consider the following statements –

1. India has signed a deal for 70,000 AK-203 utility helicopters and Kamov-226T assault rifles

2. An off the shelf purchase means buying a product that is commercially ready-made and

available for sale, lease, or license to the general public.

Which of the above statements is/are INCORRECT?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both

d. Neither

Ans – a




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NOTE: With repeated delays in deals for the procurement of AK-203 assault rifles and Kamov-226 utility

helicopters from Russia, India has signed a deal for 70,000 AK-203 assault rifles to be procured off the

shelf, while the Army is also looking at procuring a limited number of helicopters the same way to meet

an immediate shortage of light utility helicopters. Meanwhile, Russia has carried out upgrades of the

Ka-226T helicopter on offer.




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