Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 1th May 2022

NEWS : Ujjwala Diwas celebrated to commemorate launching of PM Ujjwala Yojana

PM UJJWALA

OBJECTIVES

• To empower women and protect their health.
• To minimize health issues arising from the use of unclean fossil fuel and other fuel while cooking.
• To control indoor pollution from the use of fossil fuel which causes respiratory issues.
• To prevent degradation of the purity of the environment that is compromised by widespread usage of unclean cooking fuel.

OTHER DETAILS

• Five crore LPG connections to families below the poverty line.
• Financial support of Rs 1600 is provided by the scheme for each LPG connection for BPL households. This subsidy is meant for the security fee for the cylinder, pressure regulator, booklet, safety hose, and other fitting charges.
• Administrative cost of this support is borne by the Government.
• Under the scheme, oil marketing companies also provide interest-free loans for refilling and purchasing stoves.
• The benefits of this scheme are also available for the people of all Hilly States including the NE States (who are treated as ‘Priority States’).

NEWS : Union Labour and Employment Ministry is working on a mechanism to process accident insurance claims by unorganised workers registered on the e-Shram portal

E-SHRAM

FOR MAINS

ISSUES WITH E SHRAM

• Tedious Process due gigantic nature of registering each worker
• Data Security issues
• By excluding workers covered by EPF and ESI, lakhs of contract and fixed-term contract workers will be excluded from the universe of UW. 
• Gig workers are included by the Labour ministry while they are excluded by the other three Labour Codes creating legal confusions over the classification of gig/platform workers.
• Union chalks out the plan but states have to implement it. Differences in state capacities can create hurdles in the implementation.
• Middle service agencies such as Internet providers might charge exorbitant charges to register and print the E-Shram cards

JUTE

• Known as golden fibre
• Soft, shiny, and relatively long fibre that has the ability to be spun into strong, coarse threads
• Considered to be one of the most inexpensive and economical plant fibres

SIGNIFICANCE OF JUTE

• Compared to rice, jute requires very little water and fertiliser
• It is largely pest-resistant, and its rapid growth spurt ensures that weeds don’t stand a chance
• Jute is the second most abundant natural fibre in the world
• It has high tensile strength, acoustic and thermal insulation, breathability, low extensibility, ease of blending with both synthetic and natural fibres, and antistatic properties
• Jute can be used: for insulation (replacing glass wool), geotextiles, activated carbon powder, wall coverings, flooring, garments, rugs, ropes, gunny bags, handicrafts, curtains, carpet backings, paper, sandals, carry bags, and furniture

JUTE PRODUCTION IN INDIA

• India is the world’s biggest producer of jute , followed by Bangladesh
• Primarily grown in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Andhra Pradesh
• There are about 70 jute mills in the country, of which about 60 are in West Bengal along both the banks of river Hooghly
• Jute production is a labour-intensive industry
• Employs about two lakh workers in the West Bengal alone and 4 lakh workers across the country

WHY IS JUTE INDUSTRY CONCENTRATED IN WEST BENGAL

• Water: Flowing water in abundant quantity is required, which is provided by Hoogly River. Water is also required for Retting, Washing, dyeing etc.
• Transportation: Hooghly River provides cheap transportation for the industry. A dense network of road and railways has also helped in flourishing jute industry in Eastern region.
• Raw material
  • Ganga Brahmaputra delta grows about 90% of India’s jute production India now tops the production of raw jute.
  • Shortage of raw jute due to political differences with Bangladesh led to a relentless campaign to increase production of raw jute by increasing area in Brahmaputra Valley, West Bengal, Tarai and E. Coastal Plains and all regions around Calcutta.
  • New hybrid varieties like JRO – 632, JRO – 753 are being grown, with better outputs.
• Labour
  • large man power is required for jute cultivation, processing, dyeing etc.
  • High density of population in west Bengal, Bihar and Eastern U.P provide cheap labour for industry.
  • 4 million farmers, mostly small and marginal and 2 lakh workers are engaged in jute cultivation and production.
• Coal
  • Raniganj field within 200 KM distance provide coal to the industry.
  • DVC also avails ready power to the industry.
  • Calcutta port serves this region for import of machinery and other material and export of finished material abroad.
  • The riverine nature of the port has facilitated easy mobility of various products.
• Market
  • Rich hinterland of Calcutta and industrial development around it provide a ready market for the jute industry.
  • Development of the sugar industry in neighboring U.P and Bihar also boosted demand for gunny bags. Export other countries through Calcutta port in the vicinity also provided a good market. India is second in the export of jute goods and tops the list in production.
  • Govt. Issues an order under jute packaging materials, 1987 under which a mandatory percentage of packaging of sugar (50%) and food grains (60%) in jute bags also helped the industry.
• Capital and banking
  • Big capitalists in and around Calcutta ensure the easy flow of capital in this industry.
  • Agglomeration has also ensured banking and insurance facilities in this region.

WHY IN NEWS NOW?

• Mills are now procuring raw jute at prices higher than what they are selling them at after processing.
• The government has a fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for raw jute procurement from farmers, which is ₹4,750 per quintal for the 2022-23 season.
• However, as the executive stated, this reached his mill at ₹7,200 per quintal, that is, ₹700 more than the ₹6,500 per quintal cap for the final product.

• Though the Union government has come up with several schemes to prevent de-hoarding, the executive believes the mechanism requires a certain “systematic regulation”.

WHAT HAPPENED TO SUPPLY

• What made the situation particularly worrisome recently was the occurrence of Cyclone Amphan in May 2020 and the subsequent rains in major jute producing States.
• These events led to lower acreage, which in turn led to lower production and yield compared to previous years.
• Additionally, as the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) stated in its report, this led to production of a lower quality of jute fibre in 2020-21 as water-logging in large fields resulted in farmers harvesting the crop prematurely.
• Acreage issues were accompanied by hoarding at all levels – right from the farmers to the traders

FUTURE PROSPECTS OF THE JUTE INDUSTRY

The future prospects of the Jute industry, however, is bright due to the following:

• Diversification of jute products
• Environmental awareness
• Ban on polythene and plastic bags
• Increasing use for oil conservation
• Construction of bunds, river embankments, landslide protection
• Along with cotton, jute is also being used for apparel manufacturing

WAY FORWARD

• Diversification of jute products such as clothing items, decorative items, matting of carpet improve durability, packing items, etc. has been done to increase the horizon of Jute Industry.
• Improve quality: Innovative ways of bleaching, dyeing, and finished goods processes the jute industry now provides finished jute products that are softer and have to luster with aesthetic appeal. Today Jute has been defined as eco-friendly natural fiber with utmost versatility ranging from low-value geo-textiles to high-value carpets, decorative, apparel, composites, upholstery furnishings, etc.
• Reduce cost: Efforts in R&D to strengthen the jute industry and implement newer technologies, diversified products, and improved machinery through intensive modernization. These will fetch more profit by reducing cost and has less market competition (synthetic counterpart) due to its eco-friendly property which has good prospects in the coming days.
• Jute cultivation is being expanded. There has been some dispersion, due to increasing demand from the sugar industry in UP and cement industry MP.
• Jute is environment friendly and renewable; hence its use must be encouraged e.g. by making it mandatory to use jute for packaging.
• Govt has issued orders like cement, sugar, fertilizer, have to strictly make use of jute production to packing the materials, Food Corporation of India, oilseeds, and tea sector also have to implement this order.
• National jute Manufactures Corporation has been formed to boost the jute industry.

NEWS : 16th Steering Committee meeting of Project Elephant recently held

DETAILS

• Centrally sponsored scheme
• Launched in 1992
• Objectives:
  • To protect elephants, their habitat & corridors
  • To address issues of man-animal conflict
  • Welfare of captive elephants
• It provide financial and technical support to major elephant bearing states in the country for protection of elephants, their habitats and corridors. It also seeks to address the issues of human-elephant conflict and welfare of domesticated elephants.
• Main activities of the Project are as follows:
  • Ecological restoration of existing natural habitats and migratory routes of elephants;
  • Development of scientific and planned management for conservation of elephant habitats and viable population of Wild Asiatic elephants in India;
  • Promotion of measures for mitigation of man elephant conflict in crucial habitats and moderating pressures of human and domestic stock activities in crucial elephant habitats;
  • Strengthening of measures for protection of Wild elephants form poachers and unnatural causes of death;
  • Eco-development and Veterinary care.

NEWS : India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) enters into force

WHAT IS CEPA

• Kind of free trade pact 
• Covers negotiation on the trade in services and investment, and other areas of economic partnership
• May even consider negotiation on areas such as trade facilitation and customs cooperation, competition, and Intellectual Property Rights
• Partnership agreements or cooperation agreements are more comprehensive than Free Trade Agreements
• Looks into the regulatory aspect of trade and encompasses an agreement covering the regulatory issues.

INDIA-UAE CEPA

• The CEPA is likely to benefit about $26 billion worth of Indian products that are currently subjected to 5% import duty by the UAE, India’s third-biggest trading partner behind the US and China.
• It is expected that the CEPA will lead to an increase in bilateral trade from the current $60 bn to $100 bn in the next 5 years.
• Through the pact, Indian exporters will also get access to the much larger Arab and African markets

INDIA-UAE

• Trade: From USD 180 million per annum in the 1970s, India-UAE bilateral trade has steadily increased to USD 60 billion in FY 2019-20 making the UAE, India’s third-largest trading partner.
• Investments: The UAE is also the eighth largest investor in India with an estimated investment of USD 18 billion.

• Karnataka signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israel–based ISMC Analog Fab Pvt. Ltd. for setting up semiconductor fab plant at a cost of ₹22,900 crore ($3 billion) in the State over the next seven years.
• Ischoolappa, a book to felicitate former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Justice M. Ramakrishna, was released in Bengaluru 
• Foundation Day of Gujarat & Maharashtra celebrated
• General Manoj Pande today took over as the new Chief of Army Staff. He succeeded General Manoj Mukund Naravane.
• Recognizing the quality content amalgamated with social awareness, DD Kisan’s ‘Apna Pashu Chikitsak’ has been conferred with Exchange4media News Broadcasting Awards (ENBA) Gold Award in the best campaign category for Social Cause (Hindi).
• May 1 is celebrated as May Day/ International Workers’ Day/ Labour Day in different parts of the world to commemorate the contributions of workers and the historic labour movement. In India, May Day was first celebrated on May 1, 1923, after the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan initiated and Comrade Singaravelar helmed the celebrations.