UPSC Key—28th December, 2023: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal and Non-Performing Asset

Secessionist: Centre bans Masarat Alam outfit in J&K under UAPA

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday banned the Masarat Alam faction of the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for five years.

• Why Ministry of Home Affairs banned the Masarat Alam faction of the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League?

• What is Muslim League Jammu Kashmir?

• Who is Masarat Alam

• How many J&K separatist organisations are banned?

• What is their link to Hurriyat Conference?

• Why is Masarat Alam in cross-hairs of govt?

• But why the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is invoked?

• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)-Key Highlights

• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Human Rights-Connect the dots

• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Article 22 of the Constitution-Connect the dot

• For Your Information-UAPA presents an alternate criminal law framework where the general principles of criminal law are reversed. By relaxing timelines for the state to file chargesheets and its stringent conditions for bail, the UAPA gives the state more powers compared with the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Enacted in 1967, the UAPA was strengthened by the Congress-led UPA government in 2008 and 2012. The test for denying bail under the UAPA is that the court must be satisfied that a “prima facie” case exists against the accused. In 2019, the SC defined prima facie narrowly to mean that the courts must not analyse evidence or circumstances, but look at the “totality of the case” presented by the state. In NIA v Zahoor Ahmed Watali, the SC read the bail provisions strictly, holding that courts must only be satisfied that a prima facie case can be made out to deny bail, and not consider the merit or the admissibility of the evidence.

Section 43D(5) reads: “Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code, no person accused of an offence punishable under Chapters IV and VI of this Act shall, if in custody, be released on bail or on his own bond unless the Public Prosecutor has been given an opportunity of being heard on the application for such release.”

It adds: “Provided that such accused person shall not be released on bail or on his own bond if the Court, on a perusal of the case diary or the report made under section 173 of the Code is of the opinion that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against such person is prima facie true.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Decode Politics: What is the banned Muslim League, who is Masarat Alam

PM-Kisan beneficiaries dwindling, Govt adds 34 lakhs in special drive

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story – WITH THE NUMBER of PM-Kisan beneficiaries dropping by over 20 per cent to 8.12 crore now from a peak of 10.47 crore in April-July 2022, the government has added back 34 lakh farmers under the “saturation drive” since the launch of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra on November 15.

• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)-Know about the schemes

• What are the objective and components of PM-KISAN?

• Who is Eligible for PM-Kisan Scheme?

• When did the PM-Kisan scheme come into effect?

• Definition of Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs)?

• PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana-Benefits and Eligibility conditions

• PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana- Who is not eligible for this scheme?

• What is Central Sponsored Scheme?

• What is Centrally Sponsored Scheme?

• What is the difference between central sector scheme and centrally sponsored scheme?

• Do You Know-The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-Kisan Yojana) is a central sector scheme for the families of farmers across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the third installment of the scheme to approximately 6 crore beneficiaries in Karnataka’s Tumakuru on Thursday.

The scheme defines family as husband, wife and minor children. The scheme, which came into effect from December 1, 2018, provides Rs 2,000 each in three installments for every four months to the farmer families.

The fund is directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The entire identification of the family rests with the state and Union Territory governments.

To enroll for the scheme, farmers are required to approach the local revenue officer or PM-KISAN Nodal Officer who has been nominated by the state government. Farmers can also self-register themselves through the Farmers Corner on the PM-Kisan website, pmkisan.gov.in.

The government has also set up Common Service Centres (CSCs) to help with the registration for the farmers.
According to the government website of PM-Kisan, farmers covered under the Exclusion Criteria of the Operational Guidelines are not eligible for the scheme.

The Exclusion Criteria of the Operational Guidelines say that members of the farmer family who are/were former or present holders of any constitutional posts, or former/present ministers/state ministers or former/present members of the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha or any legislative assembly/councils are not eligible to avail the scheme.

“All serving or retired officers and employees of Central/ State Government Ministries /Offices/Departments and its field units Central or State PSEs and Attached offices /Autonomous Institutions under Government as well as regular employees of the Local Bodies (Excluding Multi-Tasking Staff /Class IV/Group D employees) shall not be eligible for benefit under the scheme,” the guidelines add.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍What is PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana?

GOVT & POLITICS

SYL row: Union Minister to meet Punjab, Haryana CMs today

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will hold a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Haryana and Punjab on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link(SYL) canal issue in Chandigarh on Thursday, a Haryana government statement said Wednesday.

• What is the Sutlej Yamuna link canal dispute in India?

• Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal Project-Know the background of this issue

• Why has the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) come up again now?

• Map Work-Sutlej, Yamuna and Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal

• What is Punjab’s argument in this issue?

• What is Haryana’s argument in this issue?

• Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) and Central Government’s Stand-know in detail

• What are the Constitutional Provisions for interstate water disputes?

• What Article 262 of the Constitution says about interstate water disputes?

• For Your Information-The creation of Haryana from the old (undivided) Punjab in 1966 threw up the problem of giving Haryana its share of river waters. Punjab was opposed to sharing waters of the Ravi and Beas with Haryana, citing riparian principles, and arguing that it had no water to spare. At an inter-state meeting convened by the central government in 1955, the total calculated flow (read water) of the Ravi and Beas — 15.85 million acre feet (MAF) — had been divided among Rajasthan (8 MAF), undivided Punjab (7.20 MAF) and Jammu and Kashmir (0.65 MAF). In March 1976, a decade after the Punjab Reorganisation Act was implemented, and even as Punjab continued to protest, the Centre issued a notification allocating to Haryana 3.5 MAF out of undivided Punjab’s 7.2 MAF.

To enable Haryana to use its share of the waters of the Sutlej and its tributary Beas, a canal linking the Sutlej with the Yamuna, cutting across the state, was planned. On April 8, 1982, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ceremonially dug the ground at Kapoori village in Patiala district for the construction of the 214-km Sutlej-Yamuna Link (or SYL) canal, 122 km of which was to be in Punjab, and 92 km in Haryana. A year earlier, Indira Gandhi had negotiated a tripartite agreement between Punjab (where Darbara Singh of the Congress was Chief Minister), Haryana (where Bhajan Lal, who had defected to the Congress from the Janata Party with a number of MLAs, was CM), and Rajasthan (where again the Congress was in power, with Shiv Charan Mathur as CM).

Available supplies of the Beas and Ravi were recalculated to be 17.17 MAF, and Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan were allocated 4.22 MAF, 3.5 MAF and 8.6 MAF respectively. Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi got 0.65 MAF and 0.20 MAF. The Akali Dal, which was opposed to the agreement, started an agitation known as Kapoori Morcha to oppose the construction of the SYL canal.

On July 24, 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Akali Dal president Harchand Singh Longowal signed the Punjab Accord, agreeing that a tribunal would verify the claims of both Punjab and Haryana on river waters — following which the Akali Dal agreed to withdraw the agitation. The Eradi tribunal headed by Supreme Court Justice V Balakrishna Eradi in 1987 recommended an increase in the shares of Punjab and Haryana to 5 MAF and 3.83 MAF respectively, while taking into account utilisable supplies of surplus water at base stations.

The tribunal’s decision, however, could not be notified. Punjab was roiled by militancy, and even many Akali leaders were opposed to the deal. Longowal was assassinated in less than a month of signing the accord. In 1985, after Punjab emerged from nearly two years of President’s Rule and Surjit Singh Barnala became Chief Minister, work began on building the canal. But the opposition never died, and in subsequent years, even as some 90 per cent of the work was completed, kept exploding periodically in violent incidents. In 1990, a chief engineer and his assistant were killed by militants apparently to protest the construction; 30 labourers working at a project site near Chandigarh had been killed earlier. As the turmoil escalated, Punjab stopped work.

In March 2016, Supreme Court started hearings into a presidential reference to decide on the legality of the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004. The presidential reference was made by the Centre days after the Punjab Assembly passed the Act. As the hearings resumed, the Solicitor General, appearing on behalf of the Centre, took a pro-Haryana stance, saying the Centre stood by the SC’s orders asking Punjab to complete the work on SYL in its territory. The development has triggered a political storm in Punjab.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Capt Amarinder Singh — who was Chief Minister when the 2004 Act was passed — had launched a blistering attack on the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, the alliance partner of the BJP, which leads the government at the Centre, and had announced a march to protect Punjab’s waters. The Congress moved an adjournment motion in the Assembly on the issue, but the Akali Dal pre-empted the move, with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal moving a resolution against sharing any water, and the attempts to force Punjab to build the SYL canal.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Canal to nowhere — Why the SYL is a stalemate with no winners

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Taking on the drone

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Security challenges and their management in border areas – linkages of organized crime with terrorism.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Abhijit Singh Writes: In the early evening of December 23, the United Kingdom Merchant Traffic Organisation, the principal point of contact for merchant vessels and liaison with military forces in the Western Indian Ocean, reported a suspected armed drone strike on a merchant ship 200 miles off the Porbandar coast.

• Chemical tanker MV Chem Pluto-Know in detail

• What was the ship doing?

• Why was it attacked?

• Where it was attacked?

• Who is behind the attack?

• What explains the recent attacks?

• Who are the Houthis?

• Why are these attacks concerning?

• How has the world responded?

• How has India responded?

• ‘The incident caused a stir in India’s security establishment’-Comment

• “Maritime forces in the Indian Ocean are adept at fighting pirates, but many navies, including the IN, are unaccustomed to dealing with such radical militant tactics as those employed by the Houthis”-Discuss

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Suspected drone strike on cargo ship off Gujarat coast

ECONOMY

Banks’ gross NPAs drop to 3.2% in Sept-end helped by retail loans

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The gross non-performing asset (GNPA) ratio of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) fell to 3.2 per cent at end-September from 3.9 per cent at end-March, a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report said on Wednesday.

• What is a Non-Performing Asset (NPA)?

• What is bad loans?

• What are the causes of bad loan?

• What are the reasons for assets becoming non-performing assets?

• What are the impacts of High level of non-performing assets (NPAs) on India’s Economy?

• What is a Write-Off?

• What is the difference between write-off and loan waiver?

• Why do banks write off loans?

• What is the amount written off by private banks?

• Who is at the forefront of write-offs?

• How much did PSU banks write off?

• How serious is India’s NPA issue?

• What is the impact of NPAs?

• What are the various steps taken to tackle NPAs?

• For Your Information-The GNPA ratio remained the highest for the agricultural sector and the lowest for retail loans as at end-September, the report on Trends and Progress of Banking in India 2022-23 (FY23), released by the RBI, showed.

“The GNPA ratio of SCBs fell to a decadal low of 3.9 per cent at end-March 2023 and further to 3.2 per cent at end-September 2023,” the report said.

The asset quality of the industrial sector improved further, with its GNPA ratio at 4.2 per cent at end-September 2023. Within the industry, the reduction in the GNPA ratio of large industries from 22.9 per cent at end-March 2018 to 4.6 per cent at end-June 2023 was noteworthy.

The slippage ratio — which measures new accretions to NPAs as a share of standard advances at the beginning of the year — moderated during 2022-23 and further in the first half (H1) of FY24. A mix of write-offs, upgradations and recoveries contributed to reduction in NPAs, the report said.

The consolidated balance sheet of SCBs in 2022-23 expanded by 12.2 per cent, driven by credit to retail and services sectors. Deposit growth also picked up, although it trailed credit growth.

The acceleration in gross bank credit at 15 per cent during 2022-23 was led by personal loans, which grew by 20.6 per cent and credit extended to the services sector, which registered a growth of 19.8 per cent. Within the personal loans segment, the growth in credit card receivables, which are a form of unsecured lending, rose sharply to 30.9 per cent. On unsecured lending, which are characterised by absence or inadequacy of collateral, the report said such loans present a higher credit risk for banks in the event of defaults. The share of unsecured advances in total credit of banks has been increasing since end-March 2015, reaching 25.5 per cent by end-March 2023. More than 50 per cent of loans by foreign banks are unsecured, while the share is lower at 27.3 per cent and 22.6 per cent for private banks and public sector banks, respectively.

The report said non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) gross advances grew by 16.1 per cent in 2022-23 from 9 per cent in 2021-22. NBFCs’ double digit credit growth was driven by unsecured loans which grew more than twice as fast as secured loans. The growth of unsecured loans (28.1 per cent) was more than twice that of secured loans (11.5 per cent). The report further said that concerted efforts by all stakeholders are required to protect the banking system and the payments system from the risks of fraud and data breaches emanating from cyber threats.

“Banks and NBFCs need to further strengthen their balance sheets through robust governance and risk management practices to meet the growing aspirations of the Indian economy,” it said.

Going forward, banks need to better recognise and address these technologies and cyber security risks to minimise potential vulnerabilities, it said.

It highlighted the high level of interconnectedness between banks and non-banks and said it merits close attention.
“Given the increasing interconnectedness between banks and NBFCs, the latter should focus on broad-basing their funding sources and reduce overdependence on bank funding. Such concentrated linkages may create contagion risk,” the report said.

NBFCs are large net borrowers of funds from the financial system, with the highest exposure to banks. Several NBFCs maintain borrowing relationships with multiple banks simultaneously. Banks are also key subscribers to their debentures and commercial papers.

Although banks are well-capitalised, they need to constantly evaluate their exposure to NBFCs as well as the exposure of individual NBFCs to multiple banks, it said.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Bad assets of banks decline multi-year low to 0.8% in Sept: RBI report

EXPLAINED

How PM JANMAN can help Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: Social empowerment

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-On November 29, the Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN), aimed at providing PVTG households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

• PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan-Know key features

• Rs 24,000-crore scheme aimed at holistic development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG)-why?

• Who are PVTGs?

• What are the challenges in their development?

• How many particularly vulnerable tribal groups are there?

• Who declares PVTG in India?

• Dhebar Commission and Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs)-Know in detail

• Highest number Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) are found in which state?

• Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)-Know in detail

• Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups and Schedule Tribes-Compare and Contrast

• What schemes have been floated for them?

• What does PM-JANMAN do differently?

• For Your Information-Proper identification and recognition: The criteria for identifying PVTGs have been criticised for being outdated. Some PVTGs are not recognised as Scheduled Tribes in certain states, and the list containing repetitive names has led to confusion and exclusion.

A 2014 report by Dr. Hrusikesh Panda, Secretary of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and a 2015 report by Virginius Xaxa highlighted these concerns. The actual number of PVTGs is around 63, accounting for overlaps and repetitions, as per the publication ‘The Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of India — Privileges and Predicaments’ by the Anthropological Survey of India.

Baseline surveys have only been conducted for about 40 PVTG groups, emphasising the need for targeted development planning. The government’s initiative to create a Human Development Index for PVTGs is a significant step towards addressing these vulnerabilities.

Participatory bottom-up approach: To help PVTGs effectively, the scheme abandons the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach in favour of customised strategies that respect their unique needs and priorities. It actively involves PVTGs in decision-making, addressing land rights, social inclusion, and cultural preservation. This community-based strategy embraces their cultural practices, beliefs, and traditions, ensuring their participation in planning, implementing, and monitoring development projects.

Livelihood promotion: Providing skills training and resources, like land and credit, will help in sustainable livelihoods. Implementing the Forest Rights Act by granting land titles secures access to forest resources. Section 3(1)(e) of the FRA specifically supports the rights of primitive tribal groups and pre-agricultural communities. Additionally, encouraging traditional technologies and skill enhancement through industry partnerships will help maintain cultural heritage while promoting sustainable development.

Health, nutrition and education: Outreach strategies like Mobile Medical Health Units will be crucial for providing healthcare in remote areas. These strategies need to be tailored for specific health issues like teenage pregnancies and oral health, and overcoming language and cultural barriers through sensitised healthcare workers or hiring those from within the community. Collaboration with trusted traditional healers can also aid in addressing complex health issues.

Incorporating their culture and language into the curriculum, providing transportation, and training teachers about PVTG cultural contexts can enhance education accessibility. Additionally, incentives for personnel working in PVTG areas and special educational institutes focused on PVTG needs can further improve opportunities for these communities.

Infrastructure development: The habitations of PVTGs often don’t meet the criteria for schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission due to factors like population requirements or lack of surveys.

Guidelines for infrastructure schemes, thus, have been relaxed to improve access to housing, water, sanitation, electricity, and connectivity. Adopting a tola-based (habitation) approach rather than a Gram Panchayat-based approach for development planning will better address these communities’ specific needs.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Cabinet approves Rs 24,000-crore scheme for vulnerable tribal groups

For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com
The Indian Express UPSC Hub is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Updates.

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.