Current Affair 1:

Schemes of Ministry of Minority Affairs

 

Ministry of Minority Affairs is implementing the following schemes:

Nai Roshni -Nai Roshni scheme is a Central Sector scheme which aims to empower and enhance confidence in women by providing knowledge, tools and techniques for Leadership Development of Women.  It is a six-day non-residential/five-day residential training programme conducted by selected Programme Implementing Agencies for the women belonging to minority community in the age group of 18 to 65 years. The training programme cover areas related to programmes for women, health and hygiene, legal rights of women, financial literacy, digital literacy, Swachh Bharat, Life Skills, and advocacy for social and behavioral changes, etc.

So far, around 4.35 Lakh women have been trained under the scheme.

Naya Savera - Free Coaching and Allied Scheme - The Scheme aims to provide free coaching to students/candidates belonging to six notified minority communities i.e.Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis for technical/professional courses and competitive examination for recruitment to Group ‘A’, ‘B’, & ‘C’ services and other equivalent posts under the Central and State Governments. The scheme is implemented across the country through empanelled project implementing agencies (PIAs).

So far, more than 1.19 lakh minority students / candidates have benefitted from Naya Savera.

Nai Udaan - Support is provided to minority candidates clearing Preliminary examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), State Public Service Commission (PSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC) etc.

So far financial support has been provided to around 9800 minority candidates.

Nai Manzil – The Scheme “Nai Manzil” aims to benefit the minority youth (both men & women) belonging to six notified minority communities of 17-35 years of age, who do not have formal school leaving certificate, i.e., those in the category of school – dropouts or educated in community education institutions like Madrasas. 30% of the beneficiary seats are earmarked for girl/women candidates and 5% of the beneficiary seats for persons with disability belonging to the minority community under the scheme. The scheme provides a combination of formal education (Class

VIII or X) and skills to enable beneficiaries seek better employment and livelihood. A total of 93485 beneficiaries have been trained so far under the scheme all over India.

Current Affair 2:

Diamond Reserves and Extraction in the Country

 

As per National Mineral Inventory, the State wise details of reserves and remaining resources of Diamond (in both freehold and lease hold area) in the country are as follows:

The government has taken various steps to increase extraction of minerals including diamond in the country. The Mines and Minerals Development & Regulation Act [MMDR] has been comprehensively amended through MMDR Amendment Act 2015 and Mineral Laws Amendment Act, 2020 to boost mineral sector, ease of doing business, enhanced exploration and exploitation, etc. In order to give further impetus to mineral production, the Central Government has further amended the MMDR Act in 2021 and undertaken other reforms.

The State-wise production and average daily employment in the Diamond mines, as per returns submitted under Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 2017, from 2018-19 to 2020-21, are as follows:

Current Affair 3:

Demand for Clean and Potable Drinking Water

 

To make provision of potable water supply inadequate quantity of prescribed quality on a regular and long-term basis to every rural household of the country, through tap water connection, by 2024, the Government of India in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal, since 2019.

Water is a state subject. The power to plan, design, approve, implement, operate and maintain the water supply scheme is vested with the States. The Government of India supplements the efforts of the States by providing technical and financial assistance. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation does not maintain the data on demand for clean and potable drinking water.

Projects for revival and renovation of traditional water bodies etc. are planned, funded, executed, and maintained by the State Governments themselves as per their own resources and priorities. The role of the Government of India is limited to being a catalytic, providing technical support, and in some cases, partial financial assistance in terms of the ongoing schemes of Govt. of India.

 

Some of the initiatives taken by the Government of India, to supplement the efforts of the State Governments in this regard, are as below:

Under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), financial assistance is being provided, inter-alia includes repair, renovation, and restoration of water bodies.

Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), is entrusted with the responsibilities of providing scientific inputs for the management, exploration, monitoring, assessment, augmentation, and regulation of groundwater resources of the country. Several guidelines and manuals have been prepared for rain water harvesting.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is implementing plantation/afforestation schemes in the forest areas with a participatory approach helping in conservation of water in the catchment areas;

 In 2019, Jal Shakti Abhiyan was launched by the Government. This was followed in 2021, by “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain” (JSA:CTR) campaign. Focused interventions under these annual campaigns taken up by the Government of India and the State Governments are the renovation of traditional and other water bodies, inter-alia.

Government has launched the first Census of Water bodies in convergence with the Sixth round of Minor Irrigation Census (the reference year 2017-18), under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme- “Irrigation Census”. The objective of the Census of Water bodies is to develop a national database of all water bodies in the country.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) has provisions for public works relating to natural resource management, water conservation, and water harvesting structures to augment and improve groundwater like underground dykes, earthen dams, stop dams, check dams, and roof top rainwater harvesting structures in public buildings.

Rejuvenation of water bodies, including traditional water bodies, is also a component under the Water Supply sector of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) Scheme under Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs. Further, AMRUT 2.0 launched in October, 2021, inter alia, to promote the circular economy of water through the development of a city water balance plan for each city focusing on recycling/reuse of treated sewage, rejuvenation of water bodies, and water conservation.

Current Affair 4:

Amendment In Easements Act, 1882

 

As per available information, the ground water levels in certain parts of the country are declining because of continuous withdrawal necessitated by increased demand of fresh water for various uses, vagaries of rainfall, increased population, industrialization & urbanization etc., Certain provision of Easements Act 1882 may have contributed to over-extraction of groundwater in certain places vis-à-vis extraction of groundwater by the landowners for domestic and agricultural purposes.

Though water is a State subject, Central Government has taken a number of important measures for conservation, management of ground water including effective implementation of rain water harvesting in the country.

 

Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been constituted under the ‘Environment (Protection) Act, 1986’ for the purpose of regulation and control of ground water extraction.

The Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation has issued latest guidelines for regulation and control of groundwater extraction on 24 Sept. 2020. These guidelines advocate a participatory approach for sustainable ground water management in agriculture sector including working towards crop rotation, diversification & other initiatives to reduce over-dependence on groundwater. CGWA is regulating ground water in 20 states/UTs and in remaining States/UTs, regulation is being carried out by respective State Governments/UT Administration.

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