Namami Gange Mission

Context

• Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates six mega projects in Uttarakhand under the Namami Gange Mission, on 29th September 2020 through video conference.

About

• The projects include construction of a 68 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP), up- gradation of the existing 27 MLD plant at Jagjeetpur in Haridwar and construction of an 18 MLD STP at Sarai in Haridwar.
• The inauguration of 68 MLD Jagjeetpur project also marks the completion of the first sewerage project taken up on hybrid annuity mode of public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
• The Haridwar-Rishikesh zone contributes about 80% waste water load into the River Ganga. Hence, inauguration of these STPs will play a significant role in keeping the River Ganga clean.
• In all 30 projects (100%) are now complete in Uttarakhand for taking care of pollution from 17 Ganga towns near river Ganga, which is a landmark achievement.
• The logo of Jal Jeevan Mission and ‘Margdarshika for Gram Panchayats and Paani Samitis under Jal Jeevan Mission’ also unveiled by Prime Minister.

Ganga Avalokan

• The Prime Minister will also inaugurate “Ganga Avalokan”, the first museum on Ganga dedicated to showcase the culture, biodiversity and rejuvenation activities done in Ganga river.
• The museum is located at Chandi Ghat, Haridwar.

Rowing down the Ganges

• A book, ‘Rowing down the Ganges’, co-published by National Mission for Clean Ganga & Wildlife Institute of India will be launched at the event.
• This colourful book is an attempt to merge the biodiversity and culture of the Ganga River.
• It conceptualizes the story of the Ganga as what one would see when one rows down from Gaumukh, its origin, to Ganga Sagar, the last point before entering the sea.

India’s first multi-wavelength Astronomical Observatory AstroSat

IN NEWS

• AstroSat, that detected the first extreme-UV rays in the Universe from the cosmic noon celebrated its 5th birthday on September 28, 2020.

About

• In the five years of its operation, it has achieved quite a feat. It has carried out 1166 observations of 800 unique celestial sources proposed by scientists both from India and abroad.
• It has explored stars, star clusters, mapping of the large and small satellite galaxies nearby to our own Milky Way galaxy called the Magellanic Clouds, an energetic phenomenon in the Universe such as the ultra-violet counterparts to gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, active galactic nuclei, and so on.
• Its superior spatial resolution capability has enabled astronomers to probe star formation in galaxies as well as resolve the cores of star clusters (3 times better than the last NASA mission, GALEX).
• Observations from UVIT has recently led to the discovery of a galaxy located at a distance of about 10 billion light-years from Earth and emitting extreme ultraviolet radiation that can ionize the intergalactic medium.

The Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope, or the UVIT

• It is a remarkable 3-in-1 imaging telescope simultaneously observing in the visible, the near-ultraviolet (NUV), and the far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectrum.
• Weighing all of 230 kg, the UVIT comprises of two separate telescopes. One of them works in the visible (320-550 nm) and the NUV (200-300 nm). The second works only in the FUV (130-180 nm).
• It is one of the five payloads onboard India’s first multi-wavelength astronomical observatory AstroSat and completed five years of operation in the sky by imaging astronomical objects on 28 September 2020.

About ASTROSAT

• ASTROSAT was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 28 September 2015 and has proved to be an important satellite capable of carrying out simultaneous observations over a range of wavelengths from the far ultraviolet to the hard X-ray band.
• ASTROSAT is India’s first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory. This scientific satellite mission endeavours for a more detailed understanding of our universe.
• ASTROSAT is designed to observe the universe in the Visible, Ultraviolet, low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum simultaneously with the help of its five payloads.
• Astrosat aims at understanding the high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes, to estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars, to study star birth regions and high energy processes in star systems lying beyond the Milky Way galaxy.
• This mission has put ISRO in a very exclusive club of nations that have space-based observatories. Only the United States, European Space Agency, Japan and Russia have such observatories in space.

Apprehension About Labour Codes As Misfounded

IN NEWS

• The Ministry of Labour and Employment has allayed all fears and doubts about historical game changer reforms bills known as Labour Codes passed by Parliament a few days ago

ABOUT

• The workers’ rights such as notice before retrenchment, compensation at the rate of 15 days wages per completed year of service and pay in lieu of notice period has not been compromised. Further, the IR Code envisages an additional monetary benefit equivalent to 15 days of wages under newly created Reskilling Fund. There has been no empirical evidence to suggest that higher threshold promotes hire and fire.
• The definition of inter-state migrant worker was very restrictive in the Inter-state Migrant Worker Act, 1979. It provided that a person who is recruited through a contractor in one state for employment in another state, to be an ‘Inter-state Migrant Worker’. The OSH Code expands the definition of migrant worker to include those workers who would be directly employed by the employer besides by contractor.
• However, sufficient safeguards for employing women at night have been provided. The consent of the women for employing them at night has been made mandatory. Further, the appropriate government shall prescribe conditions for safety, holidays and working hours or other conditions before permitting women to work at night.
• ​Refuting rumours that Fixed Term Employment introduces hire and fire, Ministry said that Fixed Term Employment has already been notified by Central Government and 14 other States.

NEW WELFARE PROVISIONS

• For establishment carrying on hazardous and life threatening occupations, the Government can notify coverage even on establishment having workers less than the threshold.
• ESIC has been extended to plantation workers.
• ​​Appointment letter has been made mandatory.
• ​​Free annual health checkup has been introduced.
• ​​Bipartite safety committee has been introduced for establishments in factory, mines and plantation in place of hazardous factories.
• Activities of the plantation worker dealing with like insecticides, pesticides have been included as hazardous processes.
• Strengthening of provisions relating to inter-state migrant worker and including provision of annual journey allowance to visit home- town.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION

Labour Jurisdiction

• Under the Constitution of India, Labour is a subject in the Concurrent List where both the Central & State Governments are competent to enact legislation subject to certain matters being reserved for the Centre.

Union List Concurrent List

• Entry No. 55 Regulation of labour and safety in mines and oil fields
• Entry No. 22 Trade Unions; industrial and labour disputes.
• Entry No. 61 Industrial disputes concerning Union employees
• Entry No. 23 Social Security and insurance, employment and unemployment.
• Entry No. 65 Union agencies and institutions for "Vocational ...training..."
• Entry No. 24 Welfare of labour including conditions of work, provident funds, employers "invalidity and old age pension and maternity

Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-SIIS) for 2020-21

IN NEWS

• The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), General Insurance Corporation of India and The New India Assurance Co have been identified as Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-SIIs) for 2020-21 by insurance regulator IRDAI.

ABOUT

• The constitution of the committee came in the backdrop of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) asking all member countries to have a regulatory framework to deal with Domestic- SIIs.
• According to the regulator, D-SIIs refer to insurers of such size, market importance and domestic and global inter connectedness whose distress or failure would cause a significant dislocation in the domestic financial system.
• Given the nature of operations and their systemic importance, the three public sector insurers have been asked to raise the level of corporate governance as well as identify all relevant risk and promote a sound risk management culture.

BENEFITS

• D-SIIs are perceived as insurers that are ‘too big or too important to fail’. This perception and the perceived expectation of government support may amplify risk taking, reduce market discipline, create competitive distortions, and increase the possibility of distress in future. These considerations require that D-SIIs should be subjected to additional regulatory measures to deal with the systemic risks and moral hazard issues.
• The regulator said it has developed a methodology for identification and supervision of D-SIIs. The parameters include the size of operations in terms of total revenue, including premium underwritten and the value of assets under management; and global activities across more than one jurisdiction.

CONCERN

• The insurance sector had grown exponentially in the last 15 years and a few of the insurers have a sizeable market share and interconnected with other financial institutions as well.
• The failure of D-SIIs has the potential to cause significant disruption to the essential services they provide to the policyholders and, in turn, to the overall economic activity of the country

Destination North East - 2020

IN NEWS

• Union Home Minister inaugurated the "Destination North East -2020" through video conferencing today.

AIM

• 'Destination North East-2020' aims to introduce various cultures of the country to each other along with the tourist destinations of the North East

ABOUT

• North East, rich in natural beauty, folk culture and art, is fully capable of becoming a major center of world tourism.
• ‘Destination North East-2020', which runs till 30 September, aims to introduce various cultures of the country to each other along with the tourist destinations of the North East and through this the whole of India will also get familiar with the vibrant and diverse culture of the North East.
• Development is not possible without proper funds. Earlier, plans were made for the development of north-east but the amount allocated for them was very less. The 14thfinance commission increased the allocation for the northeast by 251 per cent to Rs 3, 13,375 crore.
• Peace in the North East is very important for the economic development, promotion of tourism and employment in the region. The Northeast, which was once in the news due to terrorism, blockade, violence but now it is known for development, tourism, organic farming, industry and start-ups.
• The four-day programme will feature Audio Visual presentation of the tourist spots of the states and the region, messages from state icons and achievers, introduction to prominent local entrepreneurs and virtual exhibition of handicraft/ traditional fashion/ & local products.

THEME

• Destination North East 2020, the theme is “The Emerging Delightful Destinations” which speaks of the tourism destinations emerging stronger and more attractive when the Sector picks up momentum.

CONCLUSION

• Destination North East is a calendar event of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region conceptualized with the objective of taking the North East Region to other parts of the country and bringing them closer together in order to strengthen national integration.

75th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Session 2020

IN NEWS

• PM Modi gave speech at United Nations General Assembly 2020 .

THEME OF THE SESSION

• In 2020, the theme of the 75th UNGA is COVID-19 related: “The future we want, the United Nations we need, reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism – confronting the COVID-19 through effective multilateral action”.

ABOUT

• The world of 1945 was significantly different from today’s world. The global situation, sources-resources, problems-solutions; all were quite different. And as a result the form and the composition of the institution, established with the aim of global welfare, were in accordance with the prevailing situation of those times.
• But 21st century, The requirements and challenges of our present as well as our future are vastly different from those of the past.
• The ideals on which the United Nations was founded are quite similar to that of India and not different from its own fundamental philosophy. The words Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam, the whole world is a family, have often reverberated in the hall of the United Nations.

INDIA'S CONCERN

• India is a country, which is the largest democracy of the world, A country with more than 18% of the world population, A country, which has hundreds of languages, hundreds of dialects, many sects, many ideologies, A country, which was a leading global economy for centuries and also one which has seen hundreds of years of foreign rule is expecting a bigger role to play in UNGA.
• India focused on reforming the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) at the 75th UNGA in New York.
• India also questioned the role of UN in fight against COVID-19 pandemic and also asked for how long will India be kept out of decision making structures of the global body.

CONCLUSION

• India is proud of the fact that it is one of the founding members of the United Nations.
• India is moving forward with the vision of “Self-reliant India” in the changed circumstances of the post Pandemic era. A Self-reliant India will also be a Force Multiplier for the Global Economy.
• India is growing power and has potential to be the game changer in world politics and achieving future goal.