Daily Current Affairs for 19th August 2022

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Jal Jeevan Mission

GS Paper 2: Government policies and interventions
Important for
Prelims exam: Jal Jeevan mission,
Mains exam: Mission’s objective and achievement

Why in news

Goa and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (D&NH and D&D) became the first ‘Har Ghar Jal’ certified State and Union Territory in the country respectively.

About Jal Jeevan mission

Since August 2019, Government of India in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household by 2024.
Vision
Jal Jeevan mission has been rolled out with the vision that Every rural household has drinking water supply in adequate quantity of prescribed quality on regular and long-term basis at affordable service delivery charges leading to improvement in living standards of rural communities.
Mission

Jal Jeevan Mission is to assist, empower and facilitate:

• States/UTs in planning of participatory rural water supply strategy for ensuring potable drinking water security on a long-term basis to every rural household and public institution, viz. Gram Panchayat(GP) building, School, Anganwadi centre, Health centre, wellness centres, etc.
• States/ UTs for creation of water supply infrastructure so that every rural household has Functional Tap Connection (FHTC) by 2024 and water in adequate quantity of prescribed quality is made available on a regular basis.
• States/ UTs to plan for their drinking water security
• GPs/ rural communities to plan, implement, manage, own, operate and maintain their own in-village water supply systems
• States/ UTs to develop robust institutions having focus on service delivery and financial sustainability of the sector by promoting utility approach
• Capacity building of the stakeholders and create awareness in community on significance of water for improvement in quality of life
• In making provision and mobilization of financial assistance to States/ UTs for implementation of the mission.
Objectives

The broad objectives of the Mission are:

• To provide FHTC to every rural household.
• To prioritise provision of FHTCs in quality affected areas, villages in drought prone and desert areas, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) villages, etc.
• To provide functional tap connection to Schools, Anganwadi centres, GP buildings, Health centres, wellness centres and community buildings
• To monitor functionality of tap connections.
• To promote and ensure voluntary ownership among local community by way of contribution in cash, kind and/ or labour and voluntary labour (shramdaan)
• To assist in ensuring sustainability of water supply system, i.e. water source, water supply infrastructure, and funds for regular O&M
• To empower and develop human resources in the sector such that the demands of construction, plumbing, electrical, water quality management, water treatment, catchment protection, O&M, etc. are taken care of in the short and long term.
• To bring awareness on various aspects and significance of safe drinking water and involvement of stakeholders in a manner that makes water everyone’s business.
Components under JJM
The following components are supported under JJM
• Efforts should be made to source funds from different sources/ programmes and convergence is the key;
• Development of in-village piped water supply infrastructure to provide tap water connection to every rural household;
• Development of reliable drinking water sources and/ or augmentation of existing sources to provide long-term sustainability of water supply system;
• Wherever necessary, bulk water transfer, treatment plants and distribution network to cater to every rural household;
• Technological interventions for removal of contaminants where water quality is an issue;
• Retrofitting of completed and ongoing schemes to provide FHTCs at minimum service level of 55 lpcd;
• Greywater management;
• Support activities, i.e. IEC, HRD, training, development of utilities, water quality laboratories, water quality testing & surveillance, R&D, knowledge centre, capacity building of communities, etc;
• Any other unforeseen challenges/ issues emerging due to natural disasters/ calamities which affect the goal of FHTC to every household by 2024, as per guidelines of the Ministry of Finance on Flexi Funds.
Achievement of the Mission
• At the time of announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission, 3.23 Crore rural households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, 6.69 Crore households have been provided with tap water connections in the last 35 months.
• Thus, as on 1st August 2022, out of 19.11 Crore rural households in the country, around 9.92 Crore (51.93%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes and the remaining 9.19 Crore rural households are planned to be covered by 2024.

NAMASTE Scheme

GS Paper 2: Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services
Important for
Prelims exam: Provision of the scheme
Mains exam: Empowerment of deprived group
Why in news
The Union government has launched the NAMASTE Scheme for sanitation workers.

About NAMASTE Scheme

Namaste(National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem) is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) as a joint initiative of the MoSJE and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

Vision NAMASTE Scheme

• NAMASTE envisages safety and dignity of sanitation workers in urban India by creating an enabling ecosystem that recognizes sanitation workers as one of the key contributors in operations and maintenance of sanitation infrastructure thereby providing sustainable livelihood and enhancing their occupational safety through capacity building and improved access to safety gear and machines.
• NAMASTE would also aim at providing access to alternative livelihoods support and entitlements to reduce the vulnerabilities of sanitation workers and enable them to access self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities and break the intergenerationality in sanitation work.
• In addition, NAMASTE would bring about a behaviour change amongst citizens towards sanitation workers and enhance demand for safe sanitation services.

Aim of NAMASTE Scheme

• Zero fatalities in sanitation work in India.
• All sanitation work is performed by skilled workers.
• No sanitation workers come in direct contact with human faecal matter.
• Sanitation workers are collectivised into SHGs and are empowered to run sanitation enterprises.
• All Sewer and Septic tank sanitation workers (SSWs) have access to alternative livelihoods.
• Strengthened supervisory and monitoring systems at national, state and ULB levels to ensure enforcement and monitoring of safe sanitation work.
• Increased awareness amongst sanitation services seekers (individuals and institutions) to seek services from registered and skilled sanitation workers.
Coverage
Five hundred cities (converging with AMRUT cities) will be taken up under this phase of NAMASTE. The category of cities that will be eligible are given below:
• All Cities and Towns with a population of over one lakh with notified Municipalities, including Cantonment Boards (Civilian areas),
• All Capital Cities/Towns of States/ Union Territories (UTs), not covered in Annexure 4(i) of the scheme,
• Ten Cities from hill states, islands and tourist destinations (not more than one from each State).
Funding
The Scheme has been approved with an outlay of Rs. 360 crore for four years from 2022-23 to 2025-26.

Monetary Policy Committee(MPC)

GS Paper 3: Macroeconomics, Issues related to planning
Important for
Prelims exam: Monetary Policy Committee
Mains exam: Work and responsibilities of MPC and RBI
Why in news
The Reserve Bank of India will call a special meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to discuss a report it will have to submit to the Union government explaining the reasons for the average retail inflation remaining above the upper tolerance limit of 6 percent for three consecutive quarters.
The Monetary Policy Framework
In May 2016, the RBI Act, 1934 was amended to provide a statutory basis for the implementation of the flexible inflation targeting framework.

Inflation Target:

• The Central Government in consultation with the RBI, determines the inflation target in terms of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), once in five years.
• Accordingly, the Central Government notified 4 percent Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation as the target for the first five years(2016-21), with the upper tolerance limit of 6 percent and the lower tolerance limit of 2 per cent.
o On March 31, 2021, the Central Government retained the inflation target and the tolerance band for the next 5-year period of April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2026.
• Section 45ZB of the RBI Act provides for the constitution of a six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to determine the policy rate required to achieve the inflation target.

The Monetary Policy Committee

Section 45ZB of the amended RBI Act, 1934 provides for an empowered six-member monetary policy committee(3 members from RBI and 3 members are appointed by central government) constituted by the Central Government. Governor of the Reserve Bank of India works as ex officio Chairperson of MPC.
• Members appointed by the central government will hold office for a period of four years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
o These members of the MPC are not eligible for reappointment.
• The MPC determines the policy repo rate required to achieve the inflation target.
• The MPC is required to meet at least four times in a year. The quorum for the meeting of the MPC is four members.
• Each member of the MPC has one vote, and in the event of an equality of votes, the Governor has a second or casting vote.
• Each Member of the Monetary Policy Committee writes a statement specifying the reasons for voting in favour of, or against the proposed resolution.

What if Inflation Target does not met:

Central Government has notified the following as the factors that constitute failure to achieve the inflation target:
• The average inflation is more than the upper tolerance level of the inflation target for any three consecutive quarters;
• The average inflation is less than the lower tolerance level for any three consecutive quarters.
In case RBI fails to meet the inflation target, it need to submit a report to Central Government which contains:
• The reasons for failure to achieve the inflation target;
• Remedial actions proposed to be taken by the Bank; and
• An estimate of the time-period within which the inflation target shall be achieved pursuant to timely implementation of proposed remedial actions.
NOTE: In eight years, this will be the first time the RBI would have let retail inflation slip beyond the upper tolerance limit of 6 per cent for three straight quarters.

Military exercises

1. Ex UDARASHAKTI
• The first bilateral exercise, Ex UDARASHAKTI was conducted between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) at the RMAF Air Base Kuantan, Malaysia.
• It was a four-day long exercise hosted by the RMAF.
• The two Air Forces work in cohesion through a series of complex aerial combat drills in multiple domains and exercise settings.

2. VINBAX 2022
• Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise VINBAX 2022 concluded at Chandimandir with the display of Multi Agency Humanitarian Assistance in Disaster Relief (HADR) demonstration.
• The exercise commenced on 01 August and was focused on deployment of Army Engineer and Medical teams in UN Peacekeeping operations.
• It was the first time ever that the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) was undertaking a Field Training Exercise with any foreign Army.
• The next edition of VINBAX will be hosted in Vietnam in 2023.

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