Daily Prelims Notes 29 August 2022

August 29, 2022
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

29 August 2022

Table Of Contents

1. Historian urges Delhi and Punjab to secure Bhagat Singh’s files from Pakistan

Subject: History

Section: Personality

Context: As the Governments of Punjab and Delhi have uniquely adopted the late legends Bhagat Singh and B.R. Ambedkar, respectively, as the official icons of their governments, Professor Chaman Lal, a former senate member of Panjab University and honorary advisor to the Bhagat Singh Archives and Resource Centre in Delhi, has urged both governments to acquire the 135 files related to Bhagat Singh’s court cases from the Punjab Archives at the Anarkali tomb in Lahore, Pakistan

Concept :

Bhagat Singh was born in Punjab, India (now Pakistan), on September 27, 1907, to a Sikh family deeply involved in political activities. He quit school at thirteen to devote his life to Indian independence.
He became involved in several violent demonstrations of political defiance and was arrested several times.
By the time Bhagat Singh was 13, he was well familiar with this family’s revolutionary activities. His father was a supporter of Mahatma Gandhi, and after Gandhi called for boycotting government-aided institutions, Singh left school and enrolled in the National College at Lahore, where he studied European revolutionary movements.
In time, he would become disenchanted with Gandhi’s non-violent crusade, believing that armed conflict was the only way to political freedom.
In 1926, Bhagat Singh founded the ‘Naujavan Bharat Sabha (Youth Society of India) and joined the Hindustan Republican Association (later known as Hindustan Socialist Republican Association), where he met several prominent revolutionaries.
In 1928, the British government held the Simon Commission to discuss autonomy for the Indian people. Several Indian political organizations boycotted the event because the Commission had no Indian representatives. In October, Bhagat Singh’s comrade, Lala Lajpat Rai led a march in protest against the Commission.
To avenge death, Bhagat Singh and two others plotted to kill the police superintendent, but instead shot and killed police officer John P. Saunders. Singh and his fellow conspirators escaped arrest despite a massive search to apprehend them.
In April 1929, Bhagat Singh and an associate bombed the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi to protest implementation of the Public Safety Bill and Trade Dispute Bill . The bombs they carried allegedly were not intended to kill but to scare (no one was killed, though there were some injuries). The bombers planned to get arrested and stand trial so they could further promote their cause.
The actions of the young revolutionaries were soundly condemned by followers of Gandhi, but Bhagat Singh was delighted to have a stage on which to promote his cause. He offered no defense during the trial but disrupted the proceedings with rants of political dogma. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
Through further investigation, the police discovered the connection between Bhagat Singh and the murder of Officer Saunders and he was rearrested. While awaiting trial, he led a hunger strike in prison. Eventually, Singh and his co-conspirators were tried and sentenced to hang. He was executed on March 23, 1931

2. There will be at least one Constitution Bench in Supreme Court throughout the year: CJI-designate U.U. Lalit.

Subject :Polity

Section: Judiciary

A constitution bench consists of at least five or more judges of the court which is set up to decide substantial questions of law with regard to the interpretation of the constitution in a case.
The provision for a constitution bench has been provided in the Constitution of India under Article 143.
It is the Chief Justice of India who is constitutionally authorized to constitute a constitution bench and refer cases to it.

Constitution benches are set up when the following circumstances exist:

1) When a case involves a substantial question of law pertaining to the interpretation of the Constitution [Article 145(3)].

Article 145(3) provides, “The minimum number of Judges who are to sit for the purpose of deciding any case involving a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of this Constitution or for the purpose of hearing any reference under Article 143 shall be five.”

2) When President of India has sought the Supreme Court’s opinion on a question of fact or law under Article 143 of the Constitution.

Article 143 of the Constitution provides for Advisory jurisdiction to the Supreme Court of India. As per the provision, the President of India has the power to address questions to the Supreme Court, which he deems important for public welfare. The Supreme Court upon reference advises the President by answering the query. However, such referral advice by the apex court is not binding on the President, nor is it ‘law declared by the Supreme Court’.

3) When two or more three-judge benches of the Supreme Court have delivered conflicting judgments on the same point of law, necessitating a definite understanding and interpretation of the law by a larger bench.

The Constitution benches are set up on ad hoc basis as and when the above-mentioned conditions exist.

3. What is a full court meeting- called by the new CJI soon after taking charge?

Subject :Polity

Section: Judiciary

Within hours of taking over, the new Chief Justice of India U U Lalit called a meeting of the ‘full court’ Saturday where the judges discussed how to deal with issues relating to listing and backlog of cases.

What is a full court meeting?

A full court meeting literally means one which is attended by all the judges of the court.

When is it held?

There are no written rules dealing with this.
As per convention, full-court meetings are called by the Chief Justice of India to discuss issues of importance to the judiciary. The senior designations of practising advocates in the Supreme Court and high courts are also decided during the full court meetings.

What is the significance of a full court meeting?

The basic idea is to take everyone along. Full court meetings are an ideal occasion to arrive at common solutions to deal with problems that beset the country’s legal system and to make any amends, if necessary, in the administrative practices of the court.

How frequently is it held?

As a full court meeting is convened at the discretion of the Chief Justice of India, it does not follow any particular calendar.

4. CJI tenure

Subject : Polity

Section: Judiciary

Context: Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, sworn in as the 49th Chief Justice of India on Saturday, will demit office on November 8 with a tenure of 74 days.

Article 124 of the Constitution of India, caps the age of retirement for Supreme Court judges at age 65.
So, each Chief Justice’s tenure begins from the date of his/her elevation to the date of his/her retirement.
As a result, the tenure of each CJI is predicated upon their age at the time of their appointment to the Supreme Court, their rank in seniority and their date of elevation as the Chief Justice.
In the US, Supreme Court judges leave office only by death, or when they themselves, alone and individually, resign.
In order to be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court, a person must be a citizen of India and must have been, for at least five years, a Judge of a High Court or of two or more such Courts in succession, or an Advocate of a High Court or of two or more such Courts in succession for at least 10 years or he must be, in the opinion of the President, a distinguished jurist.

Article 124 in The Constitution Of India 1949

Establishment and constitution of Supreme Court

(1) There shall be a Supreme Court of India constituting of a Chief Justice of India and, until Parliament by law prescribes a larger number, of not more than seven other Judges

(2) Every Judge of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal after consultation with such of the Judges of the Supreme Court and of the High Courts in the States as the President may deem necessary for the purpose and shall hold office until he attains the age of sixty five years.

Supreme Court judges retire on attaining the age of 65 while high court judges retire at 62.

CJI with tenure less than 100 days

Justice Kamal Narain Singh, who was the CJI between November 25, 1991 and December 12, 1991, had a tenure of 18 days.
Justice S Rajendra Babu had a tenure of 30 days as the chief justice of India between May 2, 2004 and May 31, 2004.
Justice J C Shah had a tenure of 36 days when he was the CJI between December 17, 1970 and January 21, 1971.
Justice G B Patnaik had a 41-day tenure as the head of the Indian judiciary when he held the office of the CJI from November 8, 2002 to December 18, 2002.
Justice L M Sharma had a tenure of 86 days as the CJI when he was in office between November 18, 1992 and February 11, 1993.

5. Fed Monetary Policy

Subject : Economy

Section: External sector

The US central bank will continue aggressive monetary tightening for as long as it takes to bring inflation towards the long-term goal of 2 per cent since the core PCE index — used by the Fed to measure inflation — continues to be at a three-decade high of 4.6 per cent.

Fed Reserve and the Monetary Policy:

Monetary policy in the United States comprises the Federal Reserve’s actions and communications to promote maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates--the economic goals the Congress has instructed the Federal Reserve to pursue.
The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 gave the Federal Reserve responsibility for setting monetary policy.
The Federal Open Market Committee FOMC’s primary means of adjusting the stance of monetary policy is by changing its target for the federal funds rate.
- The federal funds rate is the interest rate at which depository institutions lend balances at the Federal Reserve to other depository institutions overnight.
The FOMC has the ability to influence the federal funds rate--and thus the cost of short-term interbank credit–by changing the rate of interest the Fed pays on reserve balances that banks hold at the Fed.
- A bank is unlikely to lend to another bank (or to any of its customers) at an interest rate lower than the rate that the bank can earn on reserve balances held at the Fed.

How changes in the federal funds rate affect the broader economy?

Federal funds rate changes are rapidly reflected in the interest rates that banks and other lenders charge on short-term loans to one another, households, nonfinancial businesses, and government entities.
The rates of return on commercial paper and U.S. Treasury bills--which are short-term debt securities issued by private companies and the federal government, respectively, to raise funds–typically move closely with the federal funds rate.
The rates charged on longer-term loans are related to expectations of how monetary policy and the broader economy will evolve over the duration of the loans, not just to the current level of the federal funds rate.
Variations in interest rates in the United States also have a bearing on the attractiveness of U.S. bonds and related U.S. assets compared with similar investments in other countries
Changes in the relative attractiveness of U.S. assets will move exchange rates and affect the dollar value of corresponding foreign-currency-denominated assets (appreciation of dollar)
Have implications for a wide range of spending decisions made by households and businesses.
- The FOMC eases monetary policy resulting in lower interest rates on consumer loans elicit greater spending on goods and services along with investments, Thus, raises employment.

The PCE price index (PCEPI)

It is also referred to as the PCE deflator, PCE price deflator, or the Implicit Price Deflator for Personal Consumption Expenditures (IPD for PCE) by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and as the Chain-type Price Index for Personal Consumption Expenditures (CTPIPCE) by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC),
It is a United States-wide indicator of the average increase in prices for all domestic personal consumption.
It is benchmarked to a base of 2012 = 100.
The less volatile measure of the PCE price index is the core PCE (CPCE) price index, which excludes the more volatile and seasonal food and energy prices.
In comparison to the headline United States Consumer Price Index (CPI), which uses one set of expenditure weights for several years, this index uses a Fisher Price Index, which uses expenditure data from the current period and the preceding period.
This price index method assumes that the consumer has made allowances for changes in relative prices. That is to say, they have substituted from goods whose prices are rising to goods whose prices are stable or falling

6. Spartech waste post-demolition

Subject :Environment

Section: Pollution

Context: Spartech waste post-demolition

Details:

The Supertech Twin towers in Sector 93A of Noida, Uttar Pradesh were demolished by controlled implosion at 2.30 pm August 28, 2022. Their being located in a residential neighbourhood of Noida makes it even more essential to introduce interventions to mitigate pollution and waste, post-demolition.
This demolition has also produced large amounts of dust. Heavier dust particles will settle down soon but the light particulate matter (PM) will probably remain in the air for weeks.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) bulletin issued by the Central Pollution Control Board at 4 pm August 28 mentioned Noida’s AQI to be at 120. This is considered to be ‘moderate’.
There are various health effects that can befall people in the vicinity like respiratory issues, skin ailments, as well as allergic disorders. There is an increase in lead, silica and asbestos in the atmosphere and a tremendous amount of PM10 and PM2.5 particles.
Increased lead exposure may lead to headache, tiredness, irritability and constipation, silicosis, etc.
Silt accumulation in drainage systems can lead to problems like water-borne and parasite diseases.

National Air Quality Index (AQI)

Launched in 2014 with outline ‘One Number – One Color -One Description’ for the common man to judge the air quality within his vicinity.

The measurement of air quality is based on eight pollutants, namely: Particulate Matter (PM10), Particulate Matter (PM2.5), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Ammonia (NH3), and Lead (Pb).
AQI has six categories of air quality. These are: Good, Satisfactory, Moderately Polluted, Poor, Very Poor and Severe.
It has been developed by the CPCB in consultation with IIT-Kanpur and an expert group comprising medical and air-quality professionals.

The Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016

The Construction & Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016, were published on March 29, 2016, by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change.
The Rules applies to anybody who produces rubbish from building and destruction.
The basis of these Rules is to recover, recycle and reuse the waste generated through construction and demolition.
Segregating construction and demolition waste and depositing it to the collection centres for processing will now be the responsibility of every waste generator.
The local bodies will have to utilize 10-20% material from construction and demolition waste in municipal and government contracts.
Cities with a population of more than one million will commission processing and disposal facility within 18 months from the date of final notification of these rules, while cities with a population of 0.5 to 1 million and those with a population of less than 0.5 million will have to provide these facilities within two years and three years respectively.
Permission for construction will be given only when the complete construction and demolition waste management plan is presented
Large generators of waste will have to pay relevant charges for collection, transportation, processing and disposal, as notified by the concerned authorities.
The Central Pollution Control Board shall prepare operational guidelines related to environmental management of construction and demolition waste.
SPCB shall grant authorization to construction and demolition waste processing facility
The Bureau of Indian Standards need to prepare code of practices and standards for products of construction and demolition waste
Indian Roads Congress needs to prepare standards and practices pertaining to products of construction and demolition waste in roads construction.

7. 5G cells to piggyback on poles and hoardings

Subject : Science and Technology

Section: Awareness in IT

Context: To expedite the roll out of 5G, telecom operators in the country will leverage street furniture such as poles, advertisement hoardings and bus shelters for deploying low power base stations called ‘Small Cells’ that will help bring the network closer to the consumers.

Smart Cells

5G small cells are base stations that cater to a small segment of a macro site. They are usually deployed in dense urban areas such as downtown, stadiums, train stations, malls, and areas with high data capacity requirements and coverage.
Small Cells are needed for deploying 5G as opposed to earlier generations such as 4G, because of the frequency. The higher the frequency, the lower the wavelength, which means that the distance they travel is less.
Small Cells will play a critical role in success of 5G as these are needed to exploit features of 5G such as low latency (minimal delay times), ultra-high speeds, and massive connection densities.
For higher frequencies in the range of 3.3-3.6 GHz, which are expected to be used for offering 5G services, the waves will travel around 100-150 metres. At present, telecom towers, which are about 30 meters high, are placed at a distance of about 5 km apart.
Macro base stations have penetration issues indoors, significantly when metallic structures obstruct the network signals. Thus the need for coverage indoors and in large venues like stadiums is prevalent, where capacity is a significant issue – that’s where small cell systems play as the leading solution.
Under the 5G small cell umbrella, one will find the following cell types:
- Femtocells – 0.001-0.25 (W) output power & 0.010-0.1 (km) cell radius
- Picocells – 0.25-1 (W) output power & 0.1-0.2 (km) cell radius
- Microcells – 1-10 (W) output power & 0.2-2.0 (km) cell radius
- Macrocells – 10 to >50 (W) output power & 8-30 (km) cell radius

Right of Way Rules

The Department of Telecom last week also notified the amended Right of Way (RoW) Rules, which pave the way for deployment of 5G Small Cells on existing street infrastructure, and expects these reforms to enable launch of 5G services in the country by October 2022.
The amendments include rationalisation of charges, introduction of a single window clearance system and doing away with the need for consent from a government authority for installing infrastructure over private property.
To facilitate faster 5G roll-out, RoW application procedures for Small Cells have now been simplified and telecom licensees will be able to use street infrastructure to deploy telecom equipment at a cost of ₹150/annum in rural areas and ₹300/annum in urban areas.
As per the amended rules, telecom licensees can enter into agreement with private property owners and will not require any permission from any government authority for installing telecom infrastructure such as towers, poles or optical fibre.
Additionally, no administrative fee shall be charged by the Central government for the establishment of poles on land owned/controlled by it. For State/UTs, this fee will be limited to ₹1,000 per pole. The fee for laying overground optical fibre shall be limited to ₹1,000/ km.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was established on 20^th February, 1997 by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.

Objectives

TRAI’s mission is to create and nurture conditions for growth of telecommunications in the country.
TRAI regulates telecom services including fixation/revision of tariffs for telecom services which were earlier vested in the Central Government.
It also aims to provide a fair and transparent policy environment which promotes a level playing field and facilitates fair competition.

Composition of TRAI

The TRAI consists of a Chairperson, two whole-time members and two part-time members, all of which are appointed by the Government of India.
The Chairperson and other members shall hold their office for a term of three years or till the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
The Chairperson has the powers of general superintendence. He/She presides over the meetings of the TRAI.
The Central Government may appoint one of the members of the Authority as the Vice-Chairperson of TRAI.
The vice-chairperson exercises and discharges the powers and functions of the Chairperson in his/her absence.
The Chairperson has the power of organising the meetings at times. He/She presides over the meetings.
The decisions in the meetings are taken by the majority vote of the members present.
In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairperson (or the member presiding the meeting) gives a second or casting vote.
The recommendations of the TRAI are not binding upon the Central Government.

8. Data protection Bill likely in Budget Session

Subject :Science and Technology

Section: Awareness in computers

Context:

The draft of the revised data protection Bill will be released for consultation soon with the government planning to present it in Parliament during the Budget session next year, Minister for Telecom and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
Vaishnaw explained that the government’s policy vision for the entire digital economy had four different pieces — the new telecom Bill which is at an advanced stage of drafting, the data protection Bill and a comprehensive digital India Act that would replace the existing IT Act.
The whole technology stack for telecom services comprises four distinct parts: core network, radio network, telecom equipment and mobile handsets. C-DOT (The Centre for Development of Telematics) and a consortium of academic institutions have developed and tested a very robust core for 4G. On 4G core they have now built a 5G core, which is almost ready.
Once it is installed on let’s say 15,000-20,000 sites then technology is treated as proven. So, we will have those credentials and by next year we will be ready to export telecom technology to the world.

What is 5G Core?

5G Core (5GC) is the heart of a 5G mobile network. It establishes reliable, secure connectivity to the network for end users and provides access to its services. The core domain handles a wide variety of essential functions in the mobile network, such as connectivity and mobility management, authentication and authorization, subscriber data management and policy management, among others.
5G Core network functions are completely software-based and designed as cloud-native, meaning that they’re agnostic to the underlying cloud infrastructure, allowing higher deployment agility and flexibility.
With the advent of 5G, industry experts defined how the core network should evolve to support the needs of 5G New Radio (NR) and the advanced use cases enabled by it.
Together, they developed the new 3GPP standard for core networks known as 5G Core (5GC), which includes new network functions (NFs) to the Core Network. The figure below depicts the 5GC network architecture with some of its main NFs associated to the packet core and user data management domains.

3GPP 5G Core architecture

The new 5GC architecture is based on what is called a Service-Based Architecture (SBA), which implements IT network principles and a cloud-native design app
In this new architecture, each network function (NF) offers one or more services to other NFs via Application Programming Interfaces (API).
Each NF is formed by a combination of small pieces of software code called as microservices.
Some microservices can even be re-used for different NFs, making implementation more effective and facilitating independent life-cycle management – which allows upgrades and new functionalities to be deployed with zero impact on running services.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT)

C-DOT was established in 1984 as an autonomous Telecom R&D centre of DoT, Government of India.
It is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
It is a registered ‘public funded research institution’ with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology.

C-DOT Innovations for Digital India

Gyan Setu and MAXNG Technologies

‘GyanSetu’ is an internet based real-time ICT system designed by C-DOT, primarily to provide various e-services to the under privileged rural population of India.
MAX-NG, C-DOT’s Next Generaon Network (NGN) solution addresses the needs of the changing telecom scenario and enables a smooth transition from Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) to NGN based Voiceover-IP (VoIP).

Gram Net

The Government has reiterated its commitment to provide Wi-Fi in all the villages through GramNet with connectivity between 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps speed.
GramNet is a part of National Broadband Mission (Rashtriya Broadband Abhiyan) to secure universal broadband access. Apart from this, there are other initiatives being taken under the same. Few being:
BharatNet– Providing 1 Gbps to Gram Panchayats upgradeable to 10 Gbps
NagarNet– Establishing 1 Million public Wi-Fi Hotspots in urban areas
JanWiFi– Establishing 2 Million Wi-Fi Hotspots in rural areas

C-DOT other innovations

XGSPON (10 G Symmetrical Passive Optical Network)
- It can fulfil the increasing demands of high network speeds emanating from the new dimensions of user applications like IPTV, HD Video Streaming, Online Gaming.
- It can also be a host of other cloud-based services that necessitate the seamless availability of high bandwidth.
C-Sat-Fi (C-DOT Satellite WiFi)
- It is based on the optimal utilization of wireless and satellite communication to extend connectivity.
- It offers the ease of deployment, which is ideally suited to addressing disasters and emergencies when no other means of communication are available.
- It does not require the expensive Satellite Phones and can work on any WiFi-enabled phone.
CiSTB (C-DOT’s Interoperable Set-Top Box)
- Based on a portable smart card like a mobile SIM, this solution will revolutionize the experience of the Cable TV operators by offering them a high degree of choice, ease and convenience without having to replace the once installed STB.

9. 780 more defence sub-systems & components to be barred for imports

Subject: Schemes

Section: Defence

Context:

To minimise imports by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the third Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of 780 strategically important sub-systems and components, which will be strictly procured from the domestic industry with a timeline beginning from December 2023 to December 2028.

The Ministry stated that the indigenisation of these items will be taken up through different routes under ‘Make’ category, which aims to achieve self-reliance by involving greater participation of the Indian industry. Projects involving design and development of equipment, systems, major platforms or upgrades thereof by the industry can be taken up under this category.
The third PIL incorporates wide variety of components and sub-systems of equipment and different platforms, including Arjun tanks, Advanced Light Helicopters, Light Combat Helicopters, Jaguars and Sukhois.
Last month, Additional Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjay Jaju stated the export figure for defence items and technologies touched a record high of Rs 13,000 crores in the financial year of 2020-21. Of that, 70 percent was contributed by private indigenous companies and remaining by the DPSUs.

What is the ‘Make’ Category?

The ‘Make’ category of capital acquisition is the cornerstone of the Make in India initiative that seeks to build indigenous capabilities through the involvement of both public and private sector.
‘Make-I’ refers to government-funded projects while ‘Make-II’ covers industry-funded programmes.
- Make-I involved in development of big-ticket platforms such as light tank and communication equipment with Indian security protocols.
- Make-II category involves prototype development of military hardware or its upgrade for import substitution for which no government funding is provided.
  - The five projects approved under the industry-funded Make-II procedure are simulators for Apache attacks helicopters and Chinook multi-mission choppers, wearable robotic equipment for aircraft maintenance, autonomous combat vehicle and integrated surveillance and targeting system for mechanised forces.
Another sub-category under ‘Make’ is ‘Make-III’ that covers military hardware that may not be designed and developed indigenously, but can be manufactured in the country for import substitution, and Indian firms may manufacture these in collaboration with foreign partners.

Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020

It enables the notification of a List of Weapons or Platforms that will be banned for import.
It focuses on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in defence manufacturing and indigenization of the manufacturing prices.
It also introduces several new ideas such as the need to incorporate artificial intelligence in platforms and systems, use of indigenous software in defence equipment and ‘innovation’ by Start-ups and MSMEs as a new category of defence acquisition.
It includes following procurement categories: Buy (Indian – Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured), Buy (Indian), Buy and Make (Indian), Buy (Global – Manufacture in India) and Buy (Global).
- It increases the Indigenous Content (IC) requirement for all projects from 40% to 50% earlier, depending on the category, to 50% to 60%.
- Only under procurement through Buy (Global), foreign vendors can have 30% IC from Indian companies.

10. Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI)

Subject : Polity

Section: National Organization

Context: Four new facilities at Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur inaugurated by Union Minister

Concept:

The Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI) is one of the biggest research institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), an autonomous organization working under the aegis of the Department of Agriculture Research and Education (DARE) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of Government of India.
The institute made a humble beginning in 1952 when Government of India initiated Desert Afforestation Research Station at Jodhpur to carry out research on sand dune stabilization and for establishment of shelter belt plantations to arrest wind erosion.
It was reorganized as Desert Afforestation and Soil Conservation Station in 1957 and finally in its present form Central Arid Zone Research Institute in 1959 on recommendation of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) expert

Mandate:

Basic and applied research on sustainable farming systems in arid ecosystem
Repository of information on the state of natural resources and desertification processes
Livestock-based farming systems and range management practices for the chronically drought affected areas
Generation and transfer of location-specific technologies Infrastructure

11. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

Subject: Governance Scheme

Context: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) – National Mission for Financial Inclusion, completes eight years of successful implementation

Concept:

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.
PMJDY was announced by Prime Minister in his Independence Day address on 15th August 2014. While launching the programme on 28th August,

Objectives:

Ensure access of financial products & services at an affordable cost
Use of technology to lower cost & widen reach
Basic tenets of the scheme
Banking the unbanked – Opening of basic savings bank deposit (BSBD) account with minimal paperwork, relaxed KYC, e-KYC, account opening in camp mode, zero balance & zero charges
Securing the unsecured – Issuance of Indigenous Debit cards for cash withdrawals & payments at merchant locations, with free accident insurance coverage of Rs. 2 lakh
Funding the unfunded – Other financial products like micro-insurance, overdraft for consumption, micro-pension & micro-credit

6 pillars:

Universal access to banking services
Basic savings bank accounts with overdraft facility of Rs. 10,000/- to every eligible adult
Financial Literacy Programme
Creation of Credit Guarantee Fund
Insurance – Accident cover up to Rs. 1,00,000 and life cover of Rs. 30,000 on account opened between 15 Aug 2014 to 31 January 2015
Pension scheme for Unorganized sector