Daily Current Affairs- 13th March 2025

Daily Current Affairs 13th March 2025

 

Parliamentary Standing Committee report on Farmer Welfare

In the News: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Food Processing has recently submitted a report proposing several measures to enhance the welfare of farm workers in India. The committee was chaired by Charanjit Singh Channi.

• Renaming the Ministry: Propose changing the name of the 'Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare' to 'Department of Agriculture, Farmers, and Farm Labourers Welfare' to acknowledge the vital role of farm laborers.
• National Commission for Minimum Living Wages: Establish a commission to determine and ensure fair wages for farm laborers, aiming to improve their living standards.
• Extension of PM-Kisan Benefits: Expand the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme to include farm laborers, providing them with direct financial support.
• Legally Binding Minimum Support Price (MSP): Implement a legal framework to guarantee MSP for all crops, including organic produce, to ensure farmers receive fair prices.
• Debt Waiver Scheme: Introduce a debt waiver program specifically for farmers and farm laborers to alleviate financial burdens and reduce distress.
• Increase in PM-Kisan Support: Recommend increasing the annual financial support under the PM-Kisan scheme from ₹6,000 to ₹12,000 per farmer.
• Incentives for Crop Residue Management: Provide financial assistance to farmers for managing crop residue to prevent stubble burning and promote environmental sustainability.
• Compulsory Crop Insurance: Implement mandatory free crop insurance for smallholder farmers with landholdings up to two hectares to protect against crop failures.
• Increased Budgetary Allocation: Address the decline in budgetary allocation for the agricultural sector, which decreased from 3.53% of the total Central outlay in 2020-21 to 2.54% in 2024-25, by urging the government to enhance funding.

 The alleged Rs 1,250 crore fraud at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital

In the News: Mumbai's renowned Lilavati Hospital is embroiled in a controversy involving allegations of financial misappropriation totaling ₹1,250 crore and claims of occult practices within its premises.

Key Allegations:

• Financial Misappropriation: The Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust (LKMMT) has filed an FIR against 17 individuals, including seven former trustees, accusing them of embezzling over ₹1,250 crore through fraudulent transactions over the past two decades.
• Black Magic Practices: Current trustees claim to have discovered evidence of occult rituals performed by former trustees. Eight urns containing human bones, skulls, hair, rice, and other ritualistic items were allegedly found buried beneath the office floor of the current trustees.

Legal Actions:

• Multiple FIRs: Three FIRs have been registered against former trustees, including Vijay Mehta and his associates, alleging financial misappropriation, tax evasion, and theft.
• Forensic Audit: A forensic audit commissioned by the current trustees uncovered significant financial irregularities, leading to the filing of the embezzlement case.
• Family Disputes: The Mehta family, founders of Lilavati Hospital, has a history of internal conflicts and legal battles, further complicating the current allegations.
• Denials and Counterclaims: Chetan Mehta, son of former trustee Vijay Mehta, has denied the allegations, labeling them as baseless and malicious. He asserts that these claims aim to malign his reputation amid ongoing legal disputes over trustee appointments.

 Great Nicobar Island

• In the News: During a recent Rajya Sabha session, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram stated that the government has not received any objections from the Tribal Council of Great Nicobar Islands regarding the Great Nicobar Infrastructure Project.

Key Points:

• Government's Position: Minister Oram emphasized that no individuals would be displaced due to the project. He clarified that only 7.144 sq km of tribal reserve land would be utilized, with the remaining area comprising forest land. He also noted that the Gram Sabha has approved the project.
• Alleged Objections: Contrary to the government's stance, reports indicate that the Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar withdrew its no-objection certificate in November 2022, which had been issued in August 2022 for the diversion of reserve forest land. The Council expressed concerns about not being informed that their tribal areas, including specific pre-tsunami villages, would be de-notified or that a port and township would be built on their traditional settlements.
• Anthropologist's Report: Anthropologist Vishvajit Pandya submitted a video report documenting opposition from the indigenous Shompen and Nicobarese communities to the development project. However, Minister Oram stated that the government has no record of receiving such a report.

 Great Nicobar Island Development Project:

• Launch and Objective: Initiated in 2021, the Great Nicobar Island Development Project is a ₹72,000 crore (approximately US$9 billion) mega infrastructure initiative under the Holistic Development of Islands program. The project aims to transform the southernmost island of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago into a hub of trade, tourism, and strategic military presence.
• Key Components:
  • International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT): A major port facility at Galathea Bay designed to handle large volumes of container cargo, enhancing India's maritime trade capabilities.
  • Greenfield International Airport: A new airport to improve connectivity and support both civilian and military operations.
  • Power Plant: A gas and solar-based power plant to ensure a stable and sustainable energy supply for the island's development needs.
  • Township and Tourism Infrastructure: Development of modern townships and high-end tourism facilities, including resorts and cruise terminals, to boost tourism and local economy.

On the APAAR student ID

In the News: The Ministry of Education, in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, has introduced the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) ID, aiming to provide every student in India with a unique identification number to streamline and digitize academic records.

Key Features of APAAR ID:

• Unique 12-Digit Identifier: Each student receives a permanent 12-digit APAAR ID, serving as a digital identity throughout their educational journey.
• Centralized Academic Records: The APAAR system consolidates all academic achievements, including degrees, diplomas, certificates, and co-curricular accomplishments, into a single digital repository.
• Integration with DigiLocker and ABC: APAAR IDs are linked to DigiLocker and the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), facilitating secure storage and management of academic credits and credentials.

 Funding cuts in MPLADS

In the News: Recent data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) indicates a significant reduction in funds released under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) during the 17th Lok Sabha (2019-2024) period, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Points:

• Reduction in Funds: During the 17th Lok Sabha (2019-2024), a total of ₹4,510 crore was released under MPLADS, marking a 65.2% decrease compared to the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-2019). This substantial decline is primarily attributed to the suspension of the scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Scheme Suspension: In April 2020, the Union Cabinet temporarily suspended MPLADS for two fiscal years (2020-21 and 2021-22) to reallocate funds towards managing the health and adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision was part of the government's broader strategy to address the financial challenges posed by the pandemic.
• Utilization Rates: Despite the reduction in funds, the utilization rates remained high. The 14th Lok Sabha saw a 102% utilization of MPLADS funds, while the 16th and 17th Lok Sabhas recorded 99% and 98% utilization rates, respectively.
• Regional Disparities: There were notable regional disparities in fund allocation. MPs from states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal received the highest MPLADS funds, whereas those from Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab received the lowest.
• Sectoral Allocation: During the 17th Lok Sabha, approximately ₹1,679 crore from MPLADS were allocated to infrastructure projects, including railways, roads, and bridges, followed by allocations to public facilities and education sectors.

Background on MPLADS:

Established in 1993, MPLADS is a central sector scheme that enables Members of Parliament (MPs) to recommend developmental works in their constituencies, focusing on creating durable community assets based on local needs. Each MP is allocated ₹5 crore annually, disbursed in two equal installments of ₹2.5 crore each, directly to the district authorities responsible for sanctioning and executing the recommended projects. 

 

NASA’s PUNCH Lift-off

In the News: NASA has successfully launched the Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission, aiming to study the Sun's outer atmosphere and the solar wind. The mission commenced on March 12, 2025, with the deployment of four microsatellites into low Earth orbit.

Mission Overview:

• Objective: PUNCH is designed to make global, 3D observations of the Sun's corona and its transformation into the solar wind, enhancing our understanding of solar phenomena and space weather.
• Spacecraft Configuration: The mission comprises four suitcase-sized satellites working in unison to image the entire inner solar system continuously.
• Instruments:
  • Narrow Field Imager (NFI): One satellite is equipped with an externally occulted visible-light coronagraph to image the corona.
  • Wide Field Imagers (WFIs): The remaining three satellites carry side-looking heliospheric imagers with planar-corral baffles to capture images of the heliosphere.

Scientific Goals:

• Understanding Solar Wind Formation: Investigate how coronal structures evolve into the ambient solar wind.
• Studying Transient Structures: Examine the dynamic evolution of transient structures in the young solar wind, such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

Technological Innovations:

• Polarization Measurements: PUNCH is the first mission specifically designed to utilize the polarization of light to measure the corona and solar wind in 3D.