UPSC 2017: Comprehensive News Analysis - May 27

In news:

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified new rules- the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017- that seeks to ban the sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets across the country.

Sellers:

Those who wish to sell cattle — bulls, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers and camels — may do so only after they formally state that the animals have not been “brought to the market for sale for slaughter”.

Buyers at market:

• Needs to be an agriculturalists (must be verified by the concerned authority).
• Resale of the animal/s for a period of six months from the date of purchase is prohibited.
• Buyers should follow the State cattle protection and preservation laws” and “not sacrifice the animal for any religious purpose”.
• Prohibition of cattle purchased from animal markets being sold outside the State, without permission.

Implementing agency:

• Monitoring committees at the State and district levels will be set up to implement the rules and monitor the functioning of animal markets.
• Markets will be identified and registered
• Approval of the District Animal Market Monitoring Committee, chaired by the Collector or District Magistrate is needed to set up new markets.
• To inhibit smuggling, animal markets may not function within 25 kilometres of a State border and 50 kilometres of an international border.

Provisions to prevent cruel transport and treatment of animals:

• Notification prohibits practices that are cruel and harmful include sealing teats of the udder using any material such as adhesive tapes to prevent the calf from suckling, putting any ornaments or decorative materials on animals, using any type of muzzle to prevent animals from suckling or eating food and injecting oxytocin into milch animals. 

Present scenario:

• At present 90% of buffaloes are sourced from mandis by middlemen for sale in slaughterhouses
• A mere 10% of buffaloes are sourced directly from farmers.

In news:

• Supreme Court had earlier issued directive to the government to form an inter-ministerial committee to recommend ways of preventing cattle smuggling.
• Directive was in response to the 2014 writ petition filed by Gauri Mulekhi of People for Animals.
• The inter-ministerial committee recommended: rules to be framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 to regulate livestock markets. 

Impacts of the new rules framed: 

• Weeds out middlemen role from the supply chain linking farm-heads to slaughter houses.
• Improve traceability of zoonotic diseases
• Curb illegitimate slaughter and smuggling and
• Put the onus on cattle-owners to dispose of their animals responsibly.

In News:

According to data collated by NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, a platform that tracks the implementation of the workfare programme.

• Wage payment delays have mounted drastically in April-May 2017.
• Fund Transfer Orders (FTOs) worth ₹3,045 crore are yet to be processed by the central government’s National Electronic Fund Management System (NEFMS).
• Processing delay was highest in the cases of Kerala and Uttarakhand.
• On an average it takes up to 25 days for the payment to reach the worker even after the FTO has been signed.

What does the act say?

• As per Schedule II of the Act, an NREGA worker must be paid within 15 days of completing his allocated tasks.
• Compensation in case of delay: A delay in payment, for which the worker must be compensated, has to be calculated from the 16th day after task completion, till the time the money is credited in the worker’s account. 

Flaw in computing compensation:

• NREGA Management Information System (MIS) calculates the delay only till the second signature on the FTO from the state government, after which the pay order goes to the central government for processing.
• Systemic failure: These delays and other unexpected delays are not captured in MIS.

Way forward:

• The government must adopt a system for NREGA payments that is reliable and not vulnerable to gross irregularities such as repeated delays in the processing of FTOs.
• Tracking at each level should be adopted. 

Basic information:
The national electronic fund management system (NeFMS):

• The national electronic fund management system (NeFMS), project launched by the Central government in the State for direct and faster release of wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)
• It will enable direct and immediate credit of wages into the accounts within 48 hours of the issue of the order.

In news:

• Permits not required for commercial purpose electric vehicles such as taxis, auto-rickshaws and buses.
• The road transport ministry is working on this proposal in its bid to push electric vehicles across segments to check air pollution and high dependence on imported crude oil.
• The ministry has already set a similar model by allowing e-rickshaws to ply without getting permit, though they have to be registered and must meet minimum safety requirement.
• Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis launched the country’s first multi-modal electric vehicle project in Nagpur. The pilot project envisages a fleet of 200 electric-powered public transport vehicles which would be run on cab aggregator Ola’s app platform in Nagpur.

C. GS3 Related

Category: INTERNAL SECURITY / DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. DRDO’s aero test range to be inaugurated tomorrow

Category: MISCELLANEOUS

2. New bridge will spur a revolution: Modi

Nothing here for Today!!!

PIB Articles                                          

Question 1: The "Preservation, protection and improvement of stock and prevention of 
animal diseases, veterinary training and practice" comes under which list of Constitution 
of India?

Question 2: The State shall endeavour to organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern 
and scientific lines and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, 
and prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle is mentioned in 
which part of the constitution?

Question 3: As per NREGA, the minimum number of days within which the workers wage 
must be paid after due completion of tasks is

Question 4: Which bridge is expected to get the tag of the Longest Bridge in India in 
future?

Question 5: Where is the country’s first multi-modal electric vehicle project launched?