Daily Prelims Notes 31 August 2021

August 31, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

31 August 2021

Table Of Contents

1. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

Subject – Environment

Context – Even with all its challenges, India is setting a global example in meeting its Nationally Determined Contributions.

Concept –

Countries across the globe committed to create a new international climate agreement by the conclusion of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris in December 2015.
In preparation, countries have agreed to publicly outline what post-2020 climate actions they intend to take under a new international agreement, known as their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).
The INDCs will largely determine whether the world achieves an ambitious 2015 agreement and is put on a path toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.
Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of these long-term goals.
NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The Paris Agreement (Article 4, paragraph 2) requires each Party to prepare, communicate and maintain successive nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that it intends to achieve. Parties shall pursue domestic mitigation measures, with the aim of achieving the objectives of such contributions.
NDCs are submitted every five years to the UNFCCC secretariat.

India’s INDC –

The Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
To achieve this long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate-neutral world by mid-century.

2. Anti-Defection Law

Subject – Polity

Context – Almost seven months after the Babulal Marandi-led Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) merged with the BJP in February this year, the Jharkhand Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato has not yet taken any decision on granting status of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) to him under the anti-defection law pertaining to 10th Schedule of the Constitution

Concept –

The Tenth Schedule — popularly known as the Anti-Defection Act— was included in the Constitution via the 52^nd Amendment Act, 1985 and sets the provisions for disqualification of elected members on the grounds of defection to another political party.
The grounds for disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law are as follows:
- If an elected member voluntarily gives up his membership of a political party.
- If he votes or abstains from voting in such House contrary to any direction issued by his political party or anyone authorized to do so, without obtaining prior permission.
- If any independently elected member joins any political party.
- If any nominated member joins any political party after the expiry of six months.
As per the 1985 Act, a ‘defection’ by one-third of the elected members of a political party was considered a ‘merger’.
- But the 91^stConstitutional Amendment Act, 2003, changed this and now at least two-thirds of the members of a party have to be in favour of a “merger” for it to have validity in the eyes of the law.
The members so disqualified can stand for elections from any political party for a seat in the same House.
The decision on questions as to disqualification on ground of defection are referred to the Chairman or the Speaker of such House, which is subject to ‘Judicial review’.
There is no time limit as per the law within which the Presiding Officers should decide on a plea for disqualification. The courts also can intervene only after the officer has made a decision, and so the only option for the petitioner is to wait until the decision is made.
The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies.

3. Palestine Peace Process

Subject – IR

Context – India will support “all efforts” to restart the peace process between Israel and Palestine, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla conveyed to the UN Security Council meeting on Monday which also witnessed tabling of an important resolution on Afghanistan.

Concept –

History –

Britain took control of the area known as Palestine after the ruler of that part of the Middle East, the Ottoman Empire, was defeated in World War One.
The land was inhabited by a Jewish minority and Arab majority.
Tensions between the two peoples grew when the international community gave Britain the task of establishing a “national home” in Palestine for Jewish people.
For Jews it was their ancestral home, but Palestinian Arabs also claimed the land and opposed the move.
Between the 1920s and 1940s, the number of Jews arriving there grew, with many fleeing from persecution in Europe and seeking a homeland after the Holocaust of World War Two.
Violence between Jews and Arabs, and against British rule, also grew.
In 1947, the UN voted for Palestine to be split into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem becoming an international city.
That plan was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by the Arab side and never implemented.

The creation of Israel and the ‘Catastrophe’

In 1948, unable to solve the problem, British rulers left and Jewish leaders declared the creation of the state of Israel.
Many Palestinians objected and a war followed. Troops from neighbouring Arab countries invaded.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced out of their homes in what they call Al Nakba, or the “Catastrophe”.
By the time the fighting ended in a ceasefire the following year, Israel controlled most of the territory.
Jordan occupied land which became known as the West Bank, and Egypt occupied Gaza.
Jerusalem was divided between Israeli forces in the West, and Jordanian forces in the East.
Because there was never a peace agreement – with each side blaming the other – there were more wars and fighting in the following decades.
In another war in 1967, Israel occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, as well as most of the Syrian Golan Heights, Gaza and the Egyptian Sinai peninsula.
Most Palestinian refugees and their descendants live in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in neighbouring Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
Neither they nor their descendants have been allowed by Israel to return to their homes – Israel says this would overwhelm the country and threaten its existence as a Jewish state.
Israel still occupies the West Bank, and although it pulled out of Gaza the UN still regards that piece of land as occupied territory.
Israel claims the whole of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. The US is one of only a handful of countries to recognize the city as Israel’s capital.
In the past 50 years Israel has built settlements in these areas, where more than 600,000 Jews now live.
Palestinians say these are illegal under international law and are obstacles to peace, but Israel denies this.

The map today

4. Article 15 and 25 of Constitution

Subject – Polity

Context – Articles 15 and 25 ‘sold off ’, says Rahul

Concept –

Article 15 –
- Article 15 provides that the State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
- The two crucial words in this provision are ‘discrimination’ and ‘only’.
- The word ‘discrimination’ means ‘to make an adverse distinction with regard to’ or ‘to distinguish unfavourably from others’.
- The use of the word ‘only’ connotes that discrimination on other grounds is not prohibited.
- The second provision of Article 15 says that no citizen shall be subjected to any disability, liability, restriction or condition on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth with regard to
- (a) access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and places of public entertainment; or
- (b) the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, road and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly by State funds or dedicated to the use of general public.
- This provision prohibits discrimination both by the State and private individuals, while the former provision prohibits discrimination only by the State.
- There are three exceptions to this general rule of non-discrimination:
- (a) The state is permitted to make any special provision for women and children. For example, reservation of seats for women in local bodies or provision of free education for children.
- (b) The state is permitted to make any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. For example, reservation of seats or fee concessions in public educational institutions.
- (c) The state is empowered to make any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the scheduled castes or the scheduled tribes regarding their admission to educational institutions including private educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the state, except the minority educational institutions.
- The last provision was added by the 93 rd Amendment Act of 2005. In order to give effect to this provision, the Centre enacted the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, providing a quota of 27% for candidates belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in all central higher educational institutions including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). In April 2008, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of both, the Amendment Act and the OBC Quota Act. But, the Court directed the central government to exclude the ‘creamy layer’ (advanced sections) among the OBCs while implementing the law.
Article 25–
- Article 25 says that all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion. The implications of these are:
- (a) Freedom of conscience: Inner freedom of an individual to mould his relation with God or Creatures in whatever way he desires.
- (b) Right to profess: Declaration of one’s religious beliefs and faith openly and freely.
- (c) Right to practice: Performance of religious worship, rituals, ceremonies and exhibition of beliefs and ideas.
- (d) Right to propagate: Transmission and dissemination of one’s religious beliefs to others or exposition of the tenets of one’s religion. But, it does not include a right to convert another person to one’s own religion. Forcible conversions impinge on the ‘freedom of conscience’ guaranteed to all the persons alike.
- From the above, it is clear that Article 25 covers not only religious beliefs (doctrines) but also religious practices (rituals). Moreover, these rights are available to all persons—citizens as well as non-citizens.
- However, these rights are subject to public order, morality, health and other provisions relating to fundamental rights. Further, the State is permitted to:
- (a) regulate or restrict any economic, financial, political or other secular activity associated with religious practice; and
- (b) provide for social welfare and reform or throw open Hindu religious institutions of a public character to all classes and sections of Hindus. Article 25 also contains two explanations: one, wearing and carrying of kirpans is to be included in the profession of the Sikh religion; and two, the Hindus, in this context, include Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists

5. Externment Order

Subject – Polity

Context – The Supreme Court has held that the power of the State to pass an externment order or a direction barring certain people entry to specified areas should be exercised only in “exceptional cases”.

Concept –

Externment orders are laws for preventing a person from going in a certain area.
They are a coherent solution for deterring a criminal only to the extent where the discretion of the administrative authorities is not violating the fundamental rights of the citizens of India.
The assertion of it is done by the judiciary on a case-to-case basis.
The concept of externment pre-existed before the enactment of the Indian Constitution and many penal laws that prevails in our country.
In ancient India, the kings and the rulers throughout the territory used this method to deter criminals.
- Externment at that time purportedly served as a punishment and to rehabilitate a person like corrupt judges, dishonest statesmen, thief et al.
- The primary intent of imposing an externment on people was to keep them away from their familiar environment in which they committed the criminal activities.
In the case, Nawabkhan Abbaskhan v. the State of Gujarat, the court explicitly ruled out that any order of externment, where the affected party is not heard before concluding a decision, is null and void.
The provisions for providing the power of externment to the concerned authorities can be found in many statutes such as The Maharashtra Police Act (MPA) 1951, Punjab Security of State Act 1953, and Assam Maintenance of Public Order Act 1947, Karnataka Police Act et al.
As far as the concept of externment is concerned, the UK does not have any legislation for externment.

6. Vande Bharat Express

Subject – Infrastructure

Context – 102 Vande Bharat trains to be operational by 2024

Concept –

The Vande Bharat Express, also known as Train 18, is an Indian semi-high-speed, intercity, EMU train which was designed and manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Perambur, Chennai under the Indian government’s Make in India initiative, over a span of 18 months.
The unit cost of the first rake was estimated at ₹1 billion (US$14 million), although it is expected to go down with subsequent production.
At the original price, it is estimated to be 40% cheaper than a similar train imported from Europe.
As of Aug 2021, the Indian Railways operates two Vande Bharat trains, one from Delhi to Varanasi and the other from Delhi to Katra.
Vande Bharat Express is designed to be capable of running at a maximum speed of 200 km/h (120 mph), but the tracks on which the train operates are not capable of supporting such high speeds, hence the train is operated at a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).
This made it the fastest train to run in India and the second fastest operating train in India, behind the Gatimaan Express which operates at 160 km/h (99 mph).
Vande Bharat trains are self-propelled “engineless” train sets.
Its faster acceleration and deceleration results in reduced train travel time.
It is energy-efficient as its coaches will be fitted with LED lights. Coaches will have automatic doors and retractable footsteps.

7. Darjeeling Toy Train

Subject – Art and Culture

Context – A section of people in the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal are protesting against the Centre’s proposed monetisation of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR). They have staged protests at 10 stations of the heritage railway that connects New Jalpaiguri with Darjeeling, across 87.48 km.

Concept –

Built in the British era between 1879 and 1881, the Darjeeling toy train was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about 88 km (55 mi) long.
It climbs from about 100 m (328 ft) above sea level at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 m (7,218 ft) at Darjeeling, using six zig zags and five loops to gain altitude.
Six diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled service, with daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum – India’s highest railway station – and the steam-hauled Red Panda service from Darjeeling to Kurseong.
Steam-enthusiast specials are hauled by vintage British-built B-Class steam locomotives.
The railway’s headquarters are at Kurseong.

Mountain Railways of India

There are four fully functional and operational railways networks in mountains and hilly terrains in India —

the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway located in the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal;
the Nilgiris Mountain Railways located in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu;
the Kalka Shimla Railway located in the Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh; and
the Matheran Railway located in Maharashtra.

8. Pashmina Shawls

Subject – Art and Culture

Context – New initiative in J&K to restore lost glory of Pashmina shawls.

Concept –

Pashmina Shawls are a fine variant of shawls spun from cashmere wools.
A cashmere wool itself is obtained from the Changthangi goat (Capra aegagrushircus) native to the high plateau of Ladakh.
Known for its soft features, the Pashmina Shawls himself had been a status symbol not just for the wealthy in Indian but even across the world.
Pashmina shawls gained much prominence in the days of the Mughal Empire as objects of rank and nobility.
Through the enthusiastic use by Empress Joséphine – the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte – the pashmina shawl gained status as a fashion icon.
Traditional producers of pashmina wool are people known as the Changpa.

Changthangi or Pashmina goat:

It is a special breed of goat indigenous to the high altitude regions of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.
They are raised for ultra-fine cashmere wool, known as Pashmina once woven.
These goats are generally domesticated and reared by nomadic communities called the Changpa in the Changthang region of Greater Ladakh.
The Changthangi goats have revitalized the economy of Changthang, Leh and Ladakh region.

Transhumance

It is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures.
In montane regions (vertical transhumance), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower valleys in winter.
Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys.
Generally only the herds travel, with a certain number of people necessary to tend them, while the main population stays at the base.
In contrast, horizontal transhumance is more susceptible to being disrupted by climatic, economic, or political change.

9. Rights Issue

Subject – Economy

Context – The board of directors of Bharti Airtel has approved the company’s plan to raise up to Rs 21,000 crore by way of a rights issue.

Concept –

A rights issue is a mechanism by which companies can raise additional capital from existing shareholders.
While existing shareholders may not necessarily be able to participate in other fund-raising mechanisms like QIPs, preferential allotment etc, rights issue is a more democratic approach to raising funds as it allows the existing shareholders the right to invest first in the company.
Companies often offer shares in a rights issue at a discount on the market price.
Rights issues are used by companies seeking to raise capital without increasing debt.
Shareholders are not obliged to purchase shares offered in a rights issue.
For a rights issue, there is no requirement of shareholders’ meeting and an approval from the board of directors is sufficient and adequate.
Therefore, the turnaround time for raising this capital is short.
A company would offer a rights issue in order to raise capital which can be used to clear its debt obligations, acquire assets, or facilitate expansion without having to take out a loan from a bank.

10. Child Welfare Committee (CWC)

Subject – Governance

Context – Covid-19 has devastated many lives and it is “heart wrenching” that the survival of children who lost either or both parents during the pandemic is at stake, said the Supreme Court, but expressed satisfaction over the schemes announced by the Centre and States to provide succour.

Concept –

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 makes it mandatory to establish one Child Welfare Committee in each district as the final authority to dispose of cases for the care, protection, treatment, development and rehabilitation of children in need of care & protection and to provide for their basic needs and protection of human rights.
To facilitate the setting up of CWC’s in every district and to ensure their effective functioning, the scheme shall provide adequate infrastructure and financial support to the States/UTs.
This committee consists of a Chairperson and other four members who according to the State Government are fit to be appointed, at least one of whom should be a woman and the other should preferably be an expert on matters that are concerning the children.

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 replaced the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.
Change in Nomenclature:
- The Act changes the nomenclature from ‘juvenile’ to ‘child’ or ‘child in conflict with law’. Also, it removes the negative connotation associated with the word “juvenile”.
- It also includes several new and clear definitions such as orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children; and petty, serious and heinous offences committed by children.
Special Provisions for Age 16-18 years:
- Included special provisions to tackle child offenders committing heinous offences in the age group of 16-18 years.
Mandatory Constitution of the JJ Board:
- It mandates setting up Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committees in every district. Both must have at least one woman member each.
Adoption Related Clauses:
- A separate new chapter on Adoption to streamline adoption procedures for an orphan, abandoned and surrendered children.
- Also, the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) was granted the status of a statutory body to enable it to perform its function more effectively.
- The Act states that the adoption of a child is final on the issuance of an adoption order by the court. Currently, there are 629 adoption cases pending in various courts.
Child Care Institutions (CCI):
- All Child Care Institutions, whether run by State Government or by voluntary or non-governmental organizations are to be mandatorily registered under the Act within 6 months from the date of commencement of the Act.

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021

Adoption: Under the Act, once prospective adoptive parents accept a child, an adoption agency files an application in a civil court to obtain the adoption order. The adoption order issued by the court establishes that the child belongs to the adoptive parents. The Bill provides that instead of the court, the district magistrate (including additional district magistrate) will perform these duties and issue all such orders.
Appeals: The Bill provides that any person aggrieved by an adoption order passed by the district magistrate may file an appeal before the Divisional Commissioner, within 30 days of such order. Such appeals should be disposed within four weeks from the date of filing of the appeal.
The Act provides that there will be no appeal for any order made by a Child Welfare Committee concluding that a person is not a child in need of care and protection. The Bill removes this provision.
Serious offences: The Act provides that the Juvenile Justice Board will inquire about a child who is accused of a serious offence. Serious offences are those for which the punishment is imprisonment between three to seven years. The Bill adds that serious offences will also include offences for which maximum punishment is imprisonment of more than seven years, and minimum punishment is not prescribed or is less than seven years.
Designated Court: The Act provides that offences against children that are punishable with imprisonment of more than seven years, will be tried in the Children’s Court (equivalent to a Sessions Court). Other offences (punishable with imprisonment of less than seven years) will be tried by a Judicial Magistrate. The Bill amends this to provide that all offences under the Act will be tried in the Children’s Court.
Offences against children: The Act provides that an offence under the Act, which is punishable with imprisonment between three to seven years will be cognizable (where arrest is allowed without warrant) and non-bailable. The Bill provides that such offences will be non-cognizable and non-bailable.
Child Welfare Committees (CWCs): The Act provides that states must constitute one or more CWCs for each district for dealing with children in need of care and protection. It provides certain criteria for the appointment of members to CWC. For instance, a member should be: (i) involved in health, education, or welfare of children for at least seven years, or (ii) a practicing professional with a degree in child psychology, psychiatry, law, or social work. The Bill adds certain criteria for a person to be ineligible to be a member of the CWC. These include: (i) having any record of violation of human rights or child rights, or (ii) being a part of the management of a child care institution in a district.

11. Non-Fungible Token (NFT)

Subject – Economy

Context – Big B to launch own non-fungible token collection on BeyondLife.club

Concept –

A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unit of data stored on a digital ledger, called a blockchain, that certifies a digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable.
NFTs can be used to represent items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files.
Access to any copy of the original file, however, is not restricted to the buyer of the NFT. While copies of these digital items are available for anyone to obtain, NFTs are tracked on blockchains to provide the owner with a proof of ownership that is separate from copyright.
NFTs give a person proof of ownership. This means that they can monetise the right to own
However, since the internet is so porous, owning an NFT doesn’t necessarily mean that a person has exclusive rights since anything digital can be duplicated endlessly.
The most common currencies used for an NFT transaction, which happen entirely online, are Bitcoin and Ether.
Since NFTs live on the blockchain, they’re easy to track. Tracking allows for transparency and the verification of their authenticity. The blockchain contains the entire history of all of its owners, past and present.
The token you have created will be listed in the marketplace for other people to bid. However, if you don’t want to opt for an auction, you can also set a fixed price on the selling page — and the royalties you want to receive from the initial sale as well as subsequent sales.

What is the difference between fungible and non-fungible tokens (NFTs)?

Both fungible tokens — like Bitcoin, Ether, Doge and other cryptocurrencies — and NFTs are a form of digital assets.
While cryptocurrencies carry monetary value, NFTs are valued as per their uniqueness, akin to a collector’s item.

12. Leaded Petrol

Subject – Environment

Context – Leaded petrol eradicated, says UNEP.

Concept –

Globally, automotive fuel is completely lead-free now. Not a single fuel outlet sells leaded petrol anymore anywhere.
The campaign was led and supported by the UNEP and its Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV) in accomplishing the global objective.
It has taken 100 years to stop the use of leaded fuel finally.
The practice of adding tetraethyl lead to petrol had spread widely to all countries soon after its anti-knock and octane-boosting properties were discovered. This deadly neurotoxin has already done a great deal of harm since then.
Algeria — the last country to use the fuel — exhausted its supplies last month
India banned leaded petrol in March 2000.

Harmful effects of Leaded Petrol

Fumes from petrol vehicles using leaded petrol have been a significant source of lead exposures. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lead is toxic, affects multiple body systems and is particularly harmful to young children.
It affects the brain, liver, kidneys and bones.
Lead is measured in blood to understand exposure. Lead in bone is released into blood during pregnancy and becomes a source of exposure to the developing foetus.
More recent research has indicated that lead can damage the infant brain even at blood levels as low as 5 microunits per decilitre (μ/dl).
Lead exposure in childhood has long-lasting effects on mental health and personality in adulthood.
Yet another compelling reason for removing lead from petrol is its damaging impact on the emissions control systems of vehicles.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.
Major Reports: Emission Gap Report, Global Environment Outlook, Frontiers, Invest into Healthy Planet.
Major Campaigns: Beat Pollution, UN75, World Environment Day, Wild for Life.
Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya.
The UNEP engages in developing global conventions on the environment and related issues. It hosts the secretariats of various conventions such as:
- Minamata Convention
- United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
- Basel Convention
- Stockholm Convention
- Rotterdam Convention
- Montreal Protocol
- Vienna Convention
- Convention on Migratory Species
- Tehran Convention
- Bamako Convention
- Carpathian Convention
- Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)

13. One District One Product Scheme

Subject – Art and Culture

Context – One District One Product scheme to give India’s unique exports the extra edge.

Concept –

One District One Product (ODOP) is an initiative which is seen as a transformational step forward towards realizing the true potential of a district, fuel economic growth and generate employment and rural entrepreneurship, taking us to the goal of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
One District One Product (ODOP) initiative is operationally merged with ‘Districts as Export Hub’ initiative being implemented by DGFT, Department of Commerce, with Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as a major stakeholder.
This scheme is basically a Japanese business development concept, which gained prominence in 1979.
It is aimed at promoting a competitive and staple product from a specific area to push sales and improve the standard of living of the local population. Over time, it has been replicated in other Asian countries as well.
In India, Uttar Pradesh government was the first state of India to launch the concept of One District One Product in 2018.

Financial Assistance under the ODOP Programme

Common Facility Centre (CFC) Scheme: This scheme would provide financial assistance of up to 90 per cent of the project cost. It is provided by the state government.
Marketing Development Assistance Scheme: The financial assistance would be provided to all participants of national and international exhibitions and fairs. They can use it for displaying and selling their products selected under ODOP programme.
Finance Assistance Scheme (Margin Money Scheme):This scheme benefits with not whole but a margin of the project cost. The applicants receive it in the form of subsidy to set up the project.
Skill Development Scheme: In this, all skilled artisans would be trained through RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning). They would be certified through various Sector Skill Councils, SSCs, whereas the unskilled artisans would be trained for 10 days and provided with an advanced toolkit which will be free of cost.

14. Mural Paintings

Subject – Art and Culture

Context –Memorial to a massacre: Stark Jallianwala passage gets a mural makeover

Concept –

The word ‘mural’ derived from the Latin word ‘murus’ which means wall. It can be defined as any piece of artwork painted or applied directly onto a wall, ceiling or other larger permanent surfaces, flat, concave or convex, to be precise.
It is an oldest human art form, as cave paintings at numerous ancient human settlements suggest, and can be found all over globe.
India has a rich tradition of mural wealth. The treatises such as Vishnudharmottara, Silpashastra, Manasollasa, Shilparatna, Narada-shilpa-shastra and Kashyapa-shilpa, discuss at length all aspects of painting, including murals.

The characteristics of the Mural Painting are given below:

It depict the activities of a particular civilization‘s people, encapsulating a moment in time, and range from scenes of hunting, gathering, and family life, to religious and funerary scenes.
It is a combination of wide variety of artistic style, Realism with a dramatic sense of scale and amazing depth.
Artwork depicts the expression of emotions through hand postures.
It played an important role in reflecting changes in the political culture through the depiction of subjects ranging from religion to sex.
It often served the role of creating public awareness of certain issues and in decisive ways performed the function of socio-political critique, as well as reinforcing political and community identities.
It acts as a mediator between the public, the government, and artists. This relationship is complex and very prickly at times, especially when, as is so often the case in Iran, art is politicized and politics is aestheticized.
It is three-dimensional form of artwork.

15. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Ji

Subject – Important personalities

Context– PM to release a special commemorative coin on the occasion of 125th Birth Anniversary of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Ji on 1st September.

Concept –

Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami or Srila Prabhupada, born Abhay Charan De, was an Indian spiritual teacher and the founder-acharya (preceptor) of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the “Hare Krishna movement”.
Members of the ISKCON movement view Bhaktivedanta Swami as a representative and messenger of Krishna Chaitanya.
A number of memorial samadhis or shrines to Bhaktivedanta Swami were constructed by the members of ISKCON in his remembrance, the largest being in Mayapur and Vrindavan India as well as the larger sized temples in the United States.
Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold was designed and constructed by devotees of the New Vrindavan community and dedicated on 2 September 1979.
During the final twelve years of his life, Bhaktivedanta Swami translated over sixty volumes of classic Hindu scriptures (e.g. Bhagavad Gita, Chaitanya Charitamrita and SrimadBhagavatam) into the English language.
Beginning his public preaching mission in India, he founded the League of Devotees in Jhansi in 1953.
To promote the vedic education system within the modern Indian education structure, he introduced a chain of Gurukul in various part of India. The Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and International School is one of the most successful schools in the list.
He has been described as a charismatic leader who was successful in acquiring followers in many countries including the United States, Europe and India.
His mission was to propagate throughout the world Gaudiya Vaishnavism, a school of Vaishnavite Hinduism that had been taught to him by his guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvat.