{"id":12174,"date":"2021-07-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/23-07-2021\/facts-in-news-25\/"},"modified":"2021-07-23T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-23T00:00:00","slug":"facts-in-news-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/23-07-2021\/facts-in-news-25","title":{"rendered":"Facts in News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Facts in News<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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SMILE (Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) Scheme<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

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  • It is formulated by the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> which includes a subscheme – \u2018<\/span><\/span><\/span>Central Sector Scheme <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Key Points<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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    • The scheme covers several comprehensive measures including <\/span><\/span><\/span>welfare measures for persons<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> who are e<\/span><\/span><\/span>ngaged in the act of begging<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • The focus of the scheme is extensively on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, basic documentation, education, skill development, economic linkages and so on.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • The scheme would be<\/span><\/span><\/span> implemented<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> with the support of State\/UT Governments\/Local Urban Bodies, Voluntary Organizations, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) , institutions and others.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Inland Vessels Bill, 2021<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

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Recently, the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Inland Vessels Bill <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>has been introduced in Lok Sabha.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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  • The Bill seeks to bring in <\/span><\/span><\/span>transparency and accountability of administration <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>of inland water transportation.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • It will\u00a0 strengthen procedures governing inland vessels, their construction, survey, registration, manning and navigation.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Key Features<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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    • Unified law<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> for the country, instead of separate rules framed by the States.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • The <\/span><\/span><\/span>certificate of registration<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> granted under the proposed law will be deemed to be valid in all States and Union territories, and there will be <\/span><\/span><\/span>no need to seek separate permissions<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> from States.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • Central database<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> for recording the details of the vessels and their crew on an electronic portal.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • It requires all <\/span><\/span><\/span>mechanically propelled vessels to be mandatorily registered.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> All non-mechanically propelled vessels will also have to be enrolled at district, taluk or panchayat or village level.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Inland Water Transport (IWT) in India<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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      • India has about <\/span><\/span><\/span>14,500 km of navigable waterways<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> which consist of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, etc.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • They are found to be cost effective as well as an environmentally friendly means of transporting freight.\u00a0 In India, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Inland Water Transport (IWT) <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>has the potential to supplement the over-burdened railways and congested roadways.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • As per the National Waterways Act 2016, 111 waterways have been declared as National Waterways (NWs).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • The <\/span><\/span><\/span>Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> is implementing the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) for capacity augmentation of navigation on the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Haldia-Varanasi stretch of Ganga<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (part of NW-1) with the technical and <\/span><\/span><\/span>financial assistance of the World Bank.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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        • It came into existence on<\/span><\/span><\/span> 27th October 1986 for development and regulation of inland waterways<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> for shipping and navigation.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • The Authority primarily undertakes projects for <\/span><\/span><\/span>development and maintenance of IWT infrastructure<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> on national waterways through grants received from the Ministry of Shipping.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • The <\/span><\/span><\/span>head office<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> of the Authority is at<\/span><\/span><\/span> Noida.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Sela Tunnel<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

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Recently, the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Border Roads Organisation<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> (BRO) has conducted the last blast for the <\/span><\/span><\/span>under-construction Sela Tunnel<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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China-led South Asian Initiative<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

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Recently, the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Foreign Minister of Bangladesh<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> has clarified that\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

India can join the <\/span><\/span><\/span>China-led South Asian initiative<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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  • The <\/span><\/span><\/span>China-South Asian Countries Emergency Supplies Reserve<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and a <\/span><\/span><\/span>Poverty Alleviation and Cooperative Development Centre<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> were set up in China on<\/span><\/span><\/span> 8<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>th<\/sup><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> July 2021<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • The China-South Asia centre is being <\/span><\/span><\/span>established<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> in the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Southern Chinese city of Chongqing<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Genesis<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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    • When Bangladesh requested China for vaccines, China suggested setting up an <\/span><\/span><\/span>e-commerce economic cooperation forum<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and an <\/span><\/span><\/span>emergency storage facility for vaccines<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, which would also work as a poverty alleviation centre to deal with economic issues arising in South Asia due to Covid-19.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • So Foreign Ministers of <\/span><\/span><\/span>China<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Afghanistan<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Bangladesh<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Nepal<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Pakistan<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span><\/span>Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> held a meeting in April and set it up.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • At that time, it appeared to leave out only India, Bhutan and the Maldives.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • India<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> has <\/span><\/span><\/span>not given any official response<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> on being left out or plans to join the group.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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      • However, given the <\/span><\/span><\/span>border tensions in Ladakh<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and India\u2019s firm stand that <\/span><\/span><\/span>bilateral relations cannot move ahead without a resolution<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> of the issue.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • It is understood that India would be <\/span><\/span><\/span>unlikely to consider a new grouping<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> involving China, especially one that could be <\/span><\/span><\/span>seen to dilute its role in the SAARC region<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • Some experts suggest that this group was meant to be a \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span>Minus India<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span>initiative<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> seeing the exclusion of India from the grouping and consultations on Covid-19 relief different combinations of all SAARC member countries.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • India is the <\/span><\/span><\/span>only country of all eight SAARC nations<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> that has <\/span><\/span><\/span>not requested or accepted Chinese<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> Covid-19 vaccines.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • However, the membership has been kept open for India as the <\/span><\/span><\/span>issues<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> involved in the forum are <\/span><\/span><\/span>common to all South Asian countries <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>battling Covid-19 and its impact on the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Gross Domestic Product <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>(GDP) in the region.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Historic Urban Landscape Project<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

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Recently, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Gwalior<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span><\/span>Orchha<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (Madhya Pradesh) have been selected by <\/span><\/span><\/span>UNESCO<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> under the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Historic Urban Landscape Project<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n