UPSC Key- February 16, 2023: Know about Air India’s mega orders, Vibrant Villages Programme, and more

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.

Mains GS-III:

• Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
• Security challenges and their management in border areas – linkages of organized crime with terrorism.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- In a concerted push to upgrade infrastructure along the country’s northern border amid the ongoing standoff with China, the Union Cabinet Wednesday approved the allocation of Rs 4,800 crore for the Centre’s Vibrant Villages Programme even as the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the induction of over 9,000 troops in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

• The Centrally sponsored village scheme will cover the border areas of which states?

• How will it be implemented and which institutions will implement it?

• How is it different from Border Area Development Program?

• What is ITBP? When did it come to existence?

• Where is ITBP’s headquarter and what is its role?

• For your information: The government’s decision to approve a financial package for border villages and upgrade security comes at a time when issues with China are still to be resolved along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. PLA troops are still squatting in the Depsang Plains and Demchok. China is also upgrading its infrastructure along the LAC.

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Assam child marriage action

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains GS-I:

• Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
• Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Assam crackdown on child marriages: 3,041 people, including 93 women, have been arrested since police action began on February 3. In the 4,074 cases registered, more than 8,000 were named as accused in FIRs.

• What are POSCO and PCMA Acts?

• What does Muslim Personal law and other religions say about the issue?

• Highlight Government of India’s stand.

• What is the UN Programme to end child marriage?

• Why is Jaya Jaitly Committee important?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 

📍Assam crackdown on child marriage: What does the law say?

GOVT & POLITICS

2 lakh PACS, dairy, fishery cooperatives in next 5 years

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.

Mains GS-III:

• Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
• Food processing and related industries in India- scope’ and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The Centre has cleared a plan for setting up 2 lakh Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), dairy, and fisheries cooperatives in the country in the next five years. A decision to this effect was taken during the meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The plan, mooted by the Ministry of Cooperation, is aimed at “strengthening cooperative movement in the country and deepening its reach up to the grassroots”. The Cabinet also approved the constitution of a “high level Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC)” headed by Minister of Home and Cooperation Amit Shah to oversee the rollout of the plan.

• What is the significance of the plan?

• For your information: PACS are the ground-level cooperative credit institutions that provide short-term, and medium-term agricultural loans to the farmers for the various agricultural and farming activities.

• What are the function of PACS and how have they performed?

• Why is ministry of cooperation needed?

• “In the villages itself no form of credit organization will be suitable except the cooperative society.” – All India Rural Credit Survey. Discuss this statement in the background of agricultural fi nance in India. What constraints and challenges do financial institutions supplying agricultural fi nance face? How can technology be used to better reach and serve rural clients? (UPSC CSE 2014)

Other Important Article Covering the same topic: 

📍Explained: Why a Ministry of Cooperation

EXPLAINED

Air India’s mega Airbus, Boeing order

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.

Mains GS-III:

• Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Tata Group-owned Air India (AI) placed two mega orders on Tuesday, adding up to a staggering 470 aircraft — for 250 planes with Europe’s Airbus consortium, and 220 with Boeing Co. of the United States. This is the largest order placed by an airline in one go anywhere in the world, beating the 2011 order by American Airlines for a combined 460 aircraft. The biggest order by an Indian carrier before this was IndiGo’s 300-aircraft order in 2019. Going by the list price, the AI order value is estimated between $70 billion and $80 billion. However, manufacturers usually offer heavy discounts on such large orders, so the actual deal size is likely to be considerably smaller.

• What is the Status of India’s Aviation Sector?

• What are NCAP, UDAAN and other initiatives in the aviation sector?

• Examine the development of Airports in India through joint ventures under Public–Private Partnership (PPP) model. What are the challenges faced by the authorities in this regard? (UPSC CSE 2017)

• Discuss the challenges in the aviation sector.

Other Important Article Covering the same topic: 

📍Financial health of airline sector is the real cause for concern, not overblown safety issues

Editorial

The price pinch

• What’s the ongoing story- Inflation is proving to be the Achilles heel of the Indian economy’s recovery from the pandemic and subsequent global disruptions. After softening for three consecutive months, it spiked again in January. The RBI has been playing the part of an inflation targeting central bank over the last few months, raising interest rates in an attempt to rein in inflation. However, the fight to bring down inflation is clearly far from over. The latest inflation data also raises the question if the RBI is doing enough. The inflation targeting framework mandates the RBI to achieve a CPI (consumer price index) inflation target of 4 per cent. During the pandemic period of March 2020 to September 2021, CPI inflation averaged 5.9 per cent. This was higher than the point target of 4 per cent but still within the inflation targeting band of 2-6 per cent. Since then, however, the inflation outlook has been worsening.