Comprehensive News Analysis - 31 March 2017

What’s in news?

• The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) prescribed to the Center to stretch out government managed savings advantages to more than 61 lakh laborers in unorganized sector.
• Recommended advantages to the volunteers of various schemes i.e. Anganwadi, ASHA, Mid-day Meal Workers under the ambit of EPFO.
• The EPFO has proposed to the Labour Ministry that a lower contributory rate of 10% of income towards the Employees’ Provident Fund be allowed for scheme workers as against 12% contribution stipulated for the organised workers.
• At present there are about 14 lakh Anganwadi workers, 12 lakh Anganwadi helpers, 25.5 lakh mid-day meal workers and 10 lakh ASHA workers in the country.

2. FSSAI performance comes under CAG scanner

• The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) is doing an extensive execution review of the nation’s sustenance controller, FSSAI.
• CAG’s review is taking a gander at issues, for example, how FSSAI fixes principles, settles directions, affirms items, guarantees consistence and behaviors observation.
• This is a genuinely exhaustive review and is being accomplished interestingly since the controller appeared.

Foundation:

• The review of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) comes against the scenery of the sustenance controller’s dubious choice to boycott assembling and offers of Maggi noodles—a mainstream nibble sold by Swiss organization Nestle in India—in 2015.

What was the issue?

• After the crackdown on Maggi, inquiries were raised on FSSAI’s abilities and operations including things like item endorsement handle, one of the essential things the controller used to do. The Bombay high court in July 2015 requested that FSSAI legitimize its activities against the noodle mark.
• On 13 August 2015, the Bombay high court put aside the boycott forced by FSSAI on Maggi noodles and asked Nestlé to retest tests at three labs confirmed by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
• On 5 November, Nestlé India said its Maggi noodles got freedom from three research facilities affirmed by NABL and relaunched the famous nibble on 9 November 2015.

Criticalness of this move:

• A review like this will in the long run help the association improve its execution. It would discover the escape clauses, highlight what the controller ought to do to conceal those.

About FSSAI:

• FSSAI was set up in August 2011 under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006.
• It has forces to set down benchmarks for nourishment articles and to manage their assembling, stockpiling, conveyance, deal and import.
• Some of its exercises incorporate permitting and observation of nourishment and drinks outlets, authorization of wellbeing directions crosswise over enlisted sustenance sellers and guaranteeing security of imported sustenance things, their benchmarks and naming.

C. GS3 Related

Category: ECONOMY
1. India becomes net exporter of power for the first time

• According to Central Electricity Authority, the Designated Authority of Government of India for Cross Border Trade of Electricity, first time India has pivoted from a net shipper of power to Net Exporter of power.
• Amid the present year 2016-17 (April to February 2017), India has sent out around 5,798 Million Units to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar which is 213 Million units more than the import of around 5,585 Million units from Bhutan. Fare to Nepal and Bangladesh expanded 2.5 and 2.8 times separately in most recent three years.

Import of energy:

• As far back as the cross fringe exchange of power began in mid-Eighties, India has been bringing in power from Bhutan and insignificantly trading to Nepal in spiral mode at 33 kV and 132 kV from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. On a normal Bhutan has been providing around 5,000-5500 Million units to India.

Fare of energy:

• India has been sending out around 190 MW energy to Nepal more than 12 cross outskirt interconnections at 11kV, 33kV and 132 kV level. The fare of energy to Nepal additionally expanded by around 145 MW with dispatching of Muzaffarpur (India)– Dhalkhebar(Nepal) 400kV line (being worked at 132 kV) in 2016.
• Fare of energy to Bangladesh from India got further lift with dispatching of first cross fringe Interconnection between Baharampur in India and Bheramara in Bangladesh at 400kV in September 2013. It was additionally increased by appointing of second cross fringe Interconnection between Surjyamaninagar (Tripura) in India and South Comilla in Bangladesh. At present around 600 MW power is being sent out to Bangladesh.
• Fare of energy to Nepal is relied upon to increment by around 145 MW in no time more than 132 kV Katiya (Bihar)– Kusaha (Nepal) and 132 kV Raxaul (Bihar)– Parwanipur (Nepal).

Basic Information:

About Central Electricity Authority:

• The Central Electricity Authority of India (CEA) is a statutory association constituted under segment 3(1) of Electricity Supply Act 1948, which has been superseded by segment 70(1) of the Electricity Act 2003. The CEA prompts the administration on matters identifying with the National Electricity Policy and figures here and now and viewpoint anticipates the advancement of power frameworks.
• Under the Electricity Act 2003, CEA endorses the benchmarks on matters, for example, development of electrical plants, electric lines and availability to the framework, establishment and operation of meters and wellbeing and matrix measures.
• The CEA is likewise in charge of simultaneousness of hydro power advancement plans of focal, state and private divisions thinking about the elements which will bring about proficient improvement of the waterway and its tributaries for power era, reliable with the necessity of drinking water, water system, route and surge control.

2. UDAY helps reduce subsidy dependence of power discoms 

What’s in news?

• Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, the most crowded and furthermore the biggest direct-controlled region, has declared another direction to rebuff unapproved Internet associations outside China’s Great Firewall (GF) utilizing VPNs by people in the locale.

Key realities:

• The new direction intends to reinforce China’s control of law and the internet security.
• Under the new standards, if an individual gets to global system secretly or by means of “unlawful channels,” or offers related administrations without authorisation, they could be fined up to 15,000 yuan ($2,178). The individuals who disregard the control to make benefits would be fined and their increases appropriated as needs be.

What is China’s Great Firewall?

• The GF is worked throughout the years by China to control the Internet content and confine access to all the restricted substance including access to worldwide online networking locales like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Google.

What required this move?

• There are 700 million Internet clients in China, the greater part of its populace, and Internet news coursed by web-based social networking stages like Weibo has turned out to be more prevalent than the state-controlled predominant press making the decision Communist Party of China (CPC) to reinforce controls on the Internet to guarantee that its syndication over power is not tested.
• While VPNs are utilized generally by strategic and remote media in China to get to overall Internet, the unique applications intended to beat the GF being advertised by a few Internet firms abroad are getting to be plainly mainstream among Chinese as well.
• Likewise, China pitches for “digital sway” moving far from worldwide Internet.

Category: DISASTER MANAGEMENT
1. IMD trains states to deal with heatwaves as temperatures rise

• Foreseeing a basic move in the nation’s climate, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is preparing state governments to enhance their moderation readiness to adapt to the constant heatwaves.

What’s being finished?

• IMD has tied up with state disaster management commissioners and health secretaries to detail arranges even with substantial setbacks from heatwave conditions. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), on its part, has arranged a standard working methodology layout and a succession of activities to be activated amid an extreme heatwave.

What requires this move?

• Temperatures crosswise over India have been ascending on a normal of 0.7 degrees consistently, as indicated by IMD, with 2016 the most sizzling up until now.
• Heatwave rules will encourage the partners in setting up a heatwave administration and activity arrange by giving understanding into the warmth related sicknesses and the essential mitigative and reaction moves to be made.
• It will help in preparing and planning different divisions, people and groups to ensure themselves against avoidable medical issues amid spells of exceptionally hot climate.

What are heatwaves?

• While there are subtleties and district particular contrasts, the IMD extensively characterizes a warmth wave as when a place’s temperature is 5-6 degrees above ordinary.
• They are generally characterized as conditions activated by the temperature ascending to more than 45 degrees Celsius. At the point when temperatures take off over 47 degrees Celsius, it is known as an extreme heatwave.

Who will be affected?

• The general population most influenced by heatwaves are the destitute, ranchers, policemen, development laborers, postmen and vegetable merchants—i.e, the individuals who live or work outside. Extreme heatwave conditions in the past have brought about school and school excursions being expanded.
• The wellbeing effects of Heat Waves regularly include drying out, warmth issues, warm fatigue or potentially warm stroke. The signs and side effects are as per the following:
• Warm Cramps: Ederna (swelling) and Syncope (Fainting) for the most part joined by fever beneath 39 degC i.e.102 degF.
• Warm Exhaustion: Fatigue, shortcoming, wooziness, cerebral pain, sickness, retching, muscle issues and sweating.
• Warm Stoke: Body temperatures of 40*C i.e. At least 104*f alongside incoherence, seizures or unconsciousness. This is a potential lethal condition.

Category: MISCELLANEOUS
1. New accident recording format  

What’s in news?

• Another Road Accident Data Recording and Reporting Format has been taken off by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) with a view to drawing nearer towards a precise, predictable, and target street mishap database.
• The far reaching recording and announcing organization, to be executed by all States and Union Territories, is gone for drawing out the fundamental genuine reason for the street mischance so partners can make remedial and preventive strides.

About the new configuration:

• The recording configuration, to be filled in by the police at the site of the mishap, has five segments particularly to record essential information on street mischances (and not to supplant the FIR), catching the real conditions of the mishap.
• The five segments are: mischance distinguishing proof subtle elements, street related points of interest, vehicles required in mishap, driver’s points of interest, and people other than drivers required in mishap.
• Upwards of 55 lists, including climate condition, GPS area, surface state of street, street sort, speed restrain, perceivability at the season of mischance, physical divider, progressing street works, and utilization of security gadget, have been consolidated in the new recording structure.
• The new organization will help in discovering genuine cause, help intensive examination and execute street wellbeing measures in mischance destinations.

Path ahead:

Chief Secretaries and State Police Chiefs have been made a request to find a way to outfit the street mishap points of interest in the new organization from this schedule year.

E. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn  

 
G. Practice Questions for UPSC Prelims Exam:)

Question 1: ‘MERCOSUR’ is an economic and political bloc with which India 
has signed a Preferential Trade Agreement, and is looking to expand the scope 
of this agreement now. This bloc’s ‘full members’ does NOT include which of below 
given country?

H. Archives