Sparsh plan
Why in News
• Pension Administration System – Defense (Sparsh) has achieved a significant milestone of successfully inducting about five lakh defense pensioners on this platform at present.
Key point
• In keeping with the Digital India vision of the Government of India, the Ministry of Defense implemented the SPARSH scheme as an integrated system for sanction and disbursement of Defense Pension to the pensioners of the Indian Armed Forces as well as Defense Civilian employees.
• Armed forces and other organizations were involved in this platform in various phases, starting with the Indian Army from August 2021.
• This web-based system settles pension claims and credits pension directly into the bank accounts of Defense pensioners without relying on any external intermediary.
• The scope of SPARSH has grown exponentially since its inception, disbursing more than Rs 11,600 crore in the financial year 2021-22, which was about Rs 57 crore in the financial year 2020-21. Some major updates have been done in the month of March 2022 in the Sparsh platform.
The main points are as follows:
• Incorporation of provision of ‘Non-financial intent’ data field correction in migrated records in SPARSH, which enables the migrated pensioners to submit their personal information, bank, communication and family details either on the Pensioners Portal on Profile Service Request (PSR) ) or through functionality for data rectification available to Record Offices and HOOs. The requested changes will be reflected in the corrigendum Pension Payment Order – PPO received after approval by the concerned authorities.
• The time limit for Pensioner Data Verification (PDV) window has been reduced from 10 days to just 5 days, thereby speeding up the approval of Pension Payment Order (PPO) and bringing more efficiency in the pension sanction process.
• Backend Process Re-engineering: Payment files are generated immediately after acceptance of PPO through SPARSH. This will ensure timely completion of verification by the disbursing agencies and timely payment of pension from the date of commencement.
• SPARSH has been updated to ensure timely processing of pension claims for direct entry of Indian Armed Forces Women Short Service Commissioned Officers (WSCOs) with NET qualifying service of more than or equal to 20 years, thereby providing them pension benefits. To be.
• Introduction of the provision of Single Sign-on login in Sparsh for Common Service Centers (CSCs), enabling them to access Sparsh Service Center accounts using existing CSC credentials. The Defense Ministry in February signed a MoU with CSC e-Governance Services India Limited to provide touch services in over 4 lakh CSCs across the country.
• Defense Accounts Department is playing the role of the nodal implementing agency for SPARSH, which is envisaged on a ‘Samagra Sarkari’ approach and carefully integrates over 3000 pension initialization, sanctioning and disbursing agencies and providing pension services. Delivers at the doorstep of the elderly – It also deals with the digital process of pensioner verification to real time tracking of grievance redressal.
GS PAPER II
World autism awareness day
Why in News
• World Autism Awareness Day is observed every year on 2nd April.
Key point
• It is an international day in which UN member states are encouraged to fight and diagnose autism.
• On this day, steps are taken to improve the lives of children and adults who suffer from autism and they are helped to lead a meaningful life. Blue color is considered a symbol of autism.
• World Autism Awareness Day is being celebrated since 2007. Let us tell you that from the year 2012, it started being celebrated with a special theme. The theme for this year 2022 is ‘Inclusive Education’.
Objective
• The purpose of International Autism Awareness Day is to take steps to improve the lives of children and adults with autism and help them lead meaningful lives.
• This resolution was adopted in the United Nations General Assembly without voting. It was adopted by the United Nations as a supplement to the reform of human rights. World Autism Day is one of the four health days observed by the United Nations.
Importance
• World Autism Awareness Day is one of the Health Special Days designated by the United Nations. They are celebrated every year. This day works to bring together organizations working around the world. To assist with research, treatment and essentials for people with autism.
What is Autism?
• Explain that autism is a disorder that hinders brain development. A person with autism is lost in himself apart from others.
• Autism ranks third among individual developmental problems. Autism is also responsible for the main reasons that hinder the development of a person.
• Autism patient may also have epileptic seizures. Autism is spread all over the world.
• The development of children in whom this disease occurs is abnormal from other children, as well as due to this, their neurosystem is adversely affected.
Background
• It was determined by the United Nations General Assembly under resolution 62/139. It was passed by the Council on 01 November 2007 and adopted on 18 December 2007.
• The United Nations General Assembly declared April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day in 2007.
GS PAPER II
Signing of ECTA between India and Australia
Why in News
• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles Mr. Piyush Goyal and Australian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Investment Mr. Dan Tehan, MP held a virtual ceremony in the presence of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Australia Mr. Scott Morrison I signed the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement today.
The salient features of the India-Australia ECTA are as follows:
• The India-Australia ECTA is India’s first trade agreement with a developed country after a decade. The agreement covers a wide range of bilateral economic and commercial relations between the two friendly countries and covers trade in goods, rules of production, technical barriers to trade (TBT), sanitation and plant hygiene (SPS) measures, dispute settlement, The neutrality covers areas such as movement of persons, telecommunications, customs procedures, pharmaceutical products and cooperation in other areas.
• Eight subject-specific side letters covering various aspects of bilateral economic cooperation were also signed as part of the agreement.
Effects or Benefits:
• ECTA provides an institutional mechanism to promote and improve trade between the two countries.
• ECTA between India and Australia covers almost all tariff lines managed by India and Australia.
• India will benefit from the preferential market access provided by Australia on 100% of its tariff lines.
• It includes all labour-intensive sectors of India’s export interest such as gems and jewellery, clothing, leather, footwear, furniture, food and agricultural products, engineering products, medical equipment and automobiles.
• India, on the other hand, would offer Australia preferential access to over 70 per cent of its tariff lines, including lines of exports to Australia, which are mainly raw materials and intermediates such as coal, mineral ores and wine, etc.
• As far as trade in services is concerned, Australia has made broad commitments in about 135 sub-sectors and Most Favored Nation (MFN) in 120 sub-sectors which include IT, ITeS, business services, healthcare, education and audio visuals.
• Some of the major offerings made in the service sector from Australia are: quota for chefs and yoga teachers, post-study work visas for two-four years for Indian students on an interactive basis; mutual recognition of professional services and other licensed/regulated businesses; Work and holiday visas for young professionals.
• India, on the other hand, has made Australia the most preferred nation among 31 sub-sectors with market access in about 103 sub-sectors and 11 broad service sectors such as ‘Business Services’, ‘Communication Services’, ‘Construction and Related Engineering Services’ etc has presented.
• Both sides have also agreed on a separate Addendum on Pharmaceutical Products under this Agreement that will enable faster approvals for patented, generic and biotype drugs.
Time limit:
• Negotiations for the India-Australia ECTA formally resumed on 30 September 2021 and were concluded on a fast-track basis by the end of March 2022.
Background:
• India and Australia enjoy close bilateral relations, which have undergone transformational changes in recent years and have now developed on a positive path into a friendly partnership.
• It is a special partnership characterized by the shared values of pluralistic, parliamentary democracies, nationalistic traditions, growing economic cooperation, long-term people-to-people ties and growing high-level interactions.
• The India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was launched on June 4, 2020, during the India Australia Leaders Virtual Summit between the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Scott Morrison MP, which is the cornerstone of our multilateral and bilateral relations.
Importance:
• Growing India-Australia and commercial ties contribute to the stability and strength of the increasingly diversified and growing bilateral relationship between the two countries.
• India and Australia continue to be each other’s important trading partners. Their close bilateral economic and commercial ties have deepened over time.
• Australia is India’s 17th largest trading partner and India is Australia’s ninth largest trading partner.
• India-Australia bilateral trade for both goods and services is estimated at $27.5 billion in 2021. India’s physical exports to Australia grew by 135 percent between 2019 and 2021.
• India’s exports mainly comprise a wide basket of refined products and were worth $6.9 billion in 2021.
• India’s commodity imports from Australia amounted to $15.1 billion, which mainly consisted of raw materials, mineral components and intermediate goods.
• India and Australia are partners in the Tripartite Supply Chain Friendly Initiative (SCRI) arrangement along with Japan which seeks to enhance the compatibility of supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region.
• In addition, India and Australia are also members of the recently created Quadrangle, which also includes the US and Japan, and aims to enhance cooperation and develop partnerships on a range of issues of common concern.
• The India-Australia ECTA will further strengthen the already deep, close, strategic ties between the two countries and significantly enhance bilateral trade in goods and services, create new employment opportunities, raise the standard of living and help people of both countries.
GS PAPER II
Anti-Human Trafficking Cell
Why in News
• The National Commission for Women aims to improve effective handling of human trafficking, raise awareness among women and girls, enhance capacity building and training of anti-human trafficking units, and enhance accountability of law enforcement agencies. launched an anti-human trafficking cell today for
Key point
• This cell has been set up with the objective of increasing awareness and capacity building among law enforcement officers.
• The cell will organize training and workshops at the regional, state and district levels to sensitize police officers and prosecutors to gender equality and to enable them to tackle human trafficking.
• Complaints related to human trafficking received by the Commission will be resolved by this cell.
• The National Commission for Women has found that the major problems in tackling human trafficking include lack of rehabilitation for the victims and insensitive attitude towards people and their families rescued from this trafficking.
• Therefore, this cell will improve the monitoring mechanism and encourage the government agencies regarding the measures being adopted for the prevention of human trafficking and rehabilitation of the victims.
• The cell will help in rebuilding lives of survivors of human trafficking by providing need-based training and organizing capacity building programs for them with an aim to prevent their wounds from re-greening.
GS PAPER III
Major achievements of Indian Railways in the financial year 2021-22
Why in News
• During the FY 2021-22, Indian Railways achieved historic achievements in various categories including freight transportation, electrification, new line/doubling/gauge conversion, loco production and integration of technology to ensure safety.
Following are the salient features of achievements of Indian Railways in the financial year 2021-22:
• Freight: Indian Railways has carried 1418.10 MT of freight during 2021-22, which is 15 percent higher than the freight traffic of 1233.24 MT (+184.99 MT) in 2020-21. This is the highest ever freight traffic for Indian Railways in any financial year and Indian Railways has achieved the highest ever monthly freight traffic in the respective 19 consecutive months from September ’20 to March ’22.
• A record electrification of 6,366 Route Kilometers has been achieved in the history of Indian Railways during 2021-22. The previous highest electrification during 2020-21 was 6,015 route kilometres. As on 31.03.2022, out of 65,141 Route Kilometers of BG network of Indian Railways (including KRCL), 52,247 BG Route Kilometers have been electrified, which is 80.20 percent of the total BG network.
• Against the target of 2400 kms in new line/doubling/gauge conversion, 2904 kms and 2361 kms in 2020-21 were achieved. This is 23 percent more than last year. This is also the highest ever commissioning (excluding DFC).
• Highest ever Electric Loco Production and Induction of 1,110 Locos (965 Railway PUs + 35 BHEL + 110 Madhepura) achieved in FY 2021-22.
• Scrap worth Rs 5316.1 crore was sold during the financial year, which is the highest ever. This is 16.2 percent higher than the scrap sales of Rs 4571.4 crore in 2020-21 against the target of sale of scrap worth Rs 4100 crore.
• Electronic interlocking of a total of 444 panels/stations has been carried out and Kavach system has been introduced in 850 Route Kilometers.