25th November 2019 Prelims Sure Shot

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)

Why in news

• Manipur, J&K record maximum number of cases under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act

More about the news

• According to National Crime Records Data (NCRB) report, More than 35% cases registered under the

• stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were recorded in Manipur.
• The data reveals that though U.P. has recorded only 12% cases, it topped the States in the number of arrests made under the Act.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967

• It enables more effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations and for dealing with terrorist activities, and other related matters.
• The Act assigns absolute power to the central government, by way of which if the Centre deems an activity as unlawful then it may, by way of an Official Gazette, declare it so.

Definition of the Unlawful Activity in India

• Unlawful activity refers any action taken by individual or association (whether by committing an act or by words, either spoken or written, or by signs to questions, disclaims, disrupts or is intended to disrupt the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India.
• This act also prohibits the cession of a part of the territory of India or the secession of a part of the territory of India from the Union, or which provoke any individual or group of individuals to bring about such cession or secession.
• Following the 2004 amendment, terrorist act was added to the list of unlawful activities.

Extent and Application of this Act

• It is applicable across the entire country.
• Any Indian or foreign national charged under UAPA is liable for punishment under this Act, irrespective of the location of crime / offense committed.
• UAPA will be applicable to the offenders in the same manner, even if crime is committed on a foreign land, outside India.
• The provisions of this Act apply also to citizens of India and abroad.
• Persons on ships and aircrafts, registered in India, wherever they may be are also under the ambit of this act.

 

 Ken Betwa Interlink Project

Why in news

• Centre nudging M.P., U.P. on Ken-Betwa

Ken Betwa Interlink Project

• The Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the River interlinking project aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken river in MP to Betwa in UP to irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region spread across the districts of two states mainly Jhansi, Banda,Lalitpur and Mahoba districts of UP and Tikamgarh, Panna and Chhatarpur districts of MP.
• Ken-Betwa is one of the 30 river inter linking projects conceived across the country.
• Ken and Betwa rivers originate in MP and are the tributaries of Yamuna.
• Ken meets with Yamuna in Banda district of UP and with Betwa in Hamirpur district of UP.
• Rajghat, Paricha and Matatila dams are over Betwa River.
• Ken River passes through Panna tiger reserve.
• The project has been delayed due to political and environmental issues.

 

 

Population Control

Why in news

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), stated in the Lok Sabha about various steps taken by Government for population control.

More about:

• As a result of these efforts, the country is knocking on the door of replacement level fertility and is on track to achieve TFR 2.1 by 2025.

Achievements:

• The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined to 2.2 (SRS 2017).
• The Crude Birth Rate has declined from 23.8 to 20.2 from 2005 to 2017 (SRS).
• The Teenage birth rate has halved from 16% (NFHS III) to 8% (NFHS IV).

Steps being taken by the government for population control:

• Mission Parivar Vikas- the Government has launched Mission Parivar Vikas for substantially increasing access to contraceptives and family planning services in146 high fertility districts with Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 3 and above in seven

high focus states.

• Family Planning Logistic Management and Information System (FP-LMIS): dedicated software to ensure smooth forecasting, procurement and distribution of family planning commodities across all the levels of health facilities.
• National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme (NFPIS) under which clients are insured in the eventualities of death, complication and failure following sterilization.
• Ensuring quality of care in Family Planning services by establishing Quality Assurance Committees in all states and districts.
• Improved Demand generation activities through a 360 degree media campaign.

Total Fertility Rate: 

• The Total Fertility Rate(TFR) is a standard demographic indicator used internationally to estimate the average number of children that a woman would have over her childbearing years (i.e. age 15-49), based on current birth trends.

 

 

Steps taken to promote export

Why in news

• India’s overall exports (merchandise and services) register a positive growth of 7.91% as compared to the previous year.

More Information

• Government has taken following steps to increase exports and thereby earn foreign exchange for the country:
• A new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-20 was launched on 1^stApril 2015.
• The policy rationalised the earlier export promotion schemes and introduced two new schemes, namely Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) for improving export of goods   and Services Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) for increasing exports of services.
• Duty credit scrips issued under these schemes are fully transferable.
• A new Logistics Division was created in the Department of Commerce to coordinate integrated development of the logistics sector. 
• India’s rank in World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index moved up from 54 in 2014 to 44 in 2018.
• India’s rank in World Bank Ease of doing business ranking improved from 142 in 2014 to 63 in 2019 with the rank in trading across borders moving up from 122 to 80.
• A new scheme -Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) – was launched with effect from 1^stApril 2017 to address the export infrastructure gaps in the country.
• A comprehensive Agriculture Export Policy was launched in 2018 with an aim to double farmers’ income by 2022 and provides an impetus to agricultural exports.

Export Development Fund:

• There exists Export Development Fund (EDF) in Exim Bank under the provisions of the Export-Import Bank of India Act, 1981.