WEBINAR HANDOUT

Weekly Current Affairs

 CONTENT
MARCH 2021 (3rd WEEK)
S. No. TOPICS Page No.
01. Independent Environment Regulator 2-3
02. In Need of Full-Time Heads 4-5
03. Growing Nativism 6-8
04. Need to Revamp Food Subsidy Bill 9-11
05. Health First, Fiscal Prudence Later 12-13
06. Objective Type Questions 14-16
07. Subjective Type Questions 17-17

Note: Please open the recorded link using Google Chrome.

1. INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENT REGULATOR

Context
The Supreme Court‟s notice to the Centre on a public interest plea to set up a
national environmental regulator under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

About Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

Aims and Objectives of the EPA

The chief aims and objectives of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 are listed
below.
● Implementing the decisions made at the United Nations Conference on Human
Environment held in Stockholm.
● Creation of government authority to regulate an industry that can issue direct
orders including closure orders.
● Coordinating activities of different agencies that are operating under the existing
laws.
● Enacting regular laws for the protection of the environment.
● Imposing punishments and penalties on those who endanger the environment,
safety and health. For each failure or contravention, the punishment includes a
prison term of up to five years or a fine of up to Rs. 1 lakh, or both. This can also
be extended for up to seven years in cases.
● Engaging in the sustainable development of the environment.
● Attaining protection of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Background
In the „Lafarge mining case‟, the Supreme Court had ordered the setting up of a
national environment regulatory body to ensure independent oversight of green
clearances, in July 2011.

Details
● The court had asked the Centre to appoint a national regulator for:
○ Appraising projects
○ Enforcing environmental conditions for approvals
○ Imposing penalties on polluters
● The court had explained the need for an independent regulatory mechanism.
● It had stated that the identification of an area as a forest area is solely based on
the declaration to be filed by the user agency [project proponent]. The project
proponent was required to undertake EIA by an expert body/institution.
● The court had made it clear that till such mechanism was put in place, the
Environment Ministry (MoEF) should prepare a panel of accredited institutions
from which alone the project proponent should obtain the Rapid Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) and, that too, on the Terms of Reference to be
formulated by the MoEF.
Concerns with respect to setting up Environment Regulator
● Successive governments have preferred to ignore the Supreme Court‟s
observations on the need for a national environmental regulator.
● The current official policy seems to privilege ease of doing business over
environmental conservation.
○ There are major concerns with respect to the draft Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) Notification 2020.
■ The 2020 notification reduces civil society‟s role in the EIA process. It does
not encourage the public to voice its views and report violations.
■ The EIA seems to overlook the views of communities that would be
displaced, and are ill-equipped to assess the loss of biodiversity and
ecosystem services such as clean air, water and farm productivity.
■ The EIA process even as per the 2006 notification has been critiqued for
neglecting the inherent conflict of interest in its provisions given that the
proponent of a project is itself responsible for producing the EIA report.
■ There are serious questions being raised over the credibility of the EIA
process, given the increasing instances of the EIA report being produced
with the help of dubious expertise and manipulated data.
● The laggardly pace at which the multiple department‟s process project proposals
have not only resulted in the raising of transaction costs but also created a sense
of uncertainty among the investors. This has aided in the clamour to dispense
with regulation.

Conclusion
● The government must recognise the limits to extractive growth and work
towards preserving the integrity of the environment. India cannot afford to
degrade its forests, rivers, wetlands and air, whose health is vital for its large
population.
● The Centre and States must acknowledge the conflict between the need for
economic growth and environmental conservation.
● Administrative reforms can aid in sustainable environmental management and
the setting up of a neutral national environmental regulator could be the first step
in this direction.
2. IN NEED OF FULL-TIME HEADS

Context
● Many Central forces are functioning without regular chiefs.

Details
● Central armed police forces like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border
Security Force (BSF), National Security Guard (NSG) and important national
organizations like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Bureau of
Police Research and Development (BPR&D), have been either functioning
without a regular chief or such chiefs have been given additional in-charge
duties.

What is the role of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)?

Under the Constitution, police and public order are state subjects. However, the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) assists state governments by providing them the
support of the Central Armed Police Forces. The Ministry maintains seven CAPFs:
(i) the Central Reserve Police Force, which assists in internal security and
counterinsurgency, (ii) the Central Industrial Security Force, which protects vital
installations (like airports) and public sector undertakings, (iii) the National Security
Guards, which is a special counterterrorism force, and (iv) four border guarding
forces, which are the Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra
Seema Bal, and Assam Rifles.
Recently, a report of the 15-member committee, on the action taken by the Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) in respect of the functioning of the Border Guarding Forces,
was submitted in the Rajya Sabha.

Recommendations
● To boost the morale of the CAPFs, the committee insisted on limiting the
deputation of officers from the IPS and the armed forces to CAPFs at 25% and the
CAPFs cadres should be given the opportunity to become the Director-General of
respective forces.
● The committee insisted on paying paramilitary service pay to the CAPF on par
with the defence forces personnel.
● The Department Related Standing Committee on Home Affairs has strongly
reiterated its recommendations rejecting the government‟s explanation.
● The committee noted that the defence forces personnel are being paid Military
Service Pay in view of the risk to life and social and family isolation and argued
that the CAPF also deserves similar incentive in the form of Paramilitary Service
Pay as they also face similar risks and isolation. Noting the response of the MHA
that the 7th Pay Commission and the Committee on Allowance did not agree to
such special pay, the committee insisted on doing the needful.
Concerns related to no-chiefs

Adverse impact on the forces

● The process of appointments is marked by long delays. Since most appointees to
the top posts are at the fag end of their service, they are left with just a few
months or a year or so to head these organisations. There is little they can do
within their short tenures.
● The lack of seriousness in posting the right kind of officers with not only the
required skill and experience but also the time could have an adverse impact on
the efficiency of these forces.
● Officers holding provisional charge shy away from taking major policy decisions
and prefer to leave such matters to the next person in charge.

Impact on India’s internal security

● The fact that many Central Forces are functioning without regular chiefs, could
impact their efficiency which in turn could have a detrimental impact on India‟s
internal security scenario.
● The concerned agencies play a pivotal role in maintaining the internal security,
for example Border Security Force (BSF) is charged with guarding India‟s land
border with Pakistan and Bangladesh during peacetime and preventing
transnational crimes. NSG is also entrusted with the responsibility of providing
security to certain high-risk personalities.

What needs to be done?

● The following measures could be taken to speed up appointment decisions and
also to ensure effective personnel in the posts which could play a decisive role in
enhancing the efficiency of these forces.

Choosing from a reserve list:

● A panel of officers cleared by the Union Public Service Commission could be
always kept ready and the officers for the top posts could be chosen from this
panel.
● The government could consider announcing the next chief of these organisations
at least three months in advance which will help smoothen the transition process.

Mandating prior experience in the organization:

● Preferably, the officers being considered for the top posts should be from among
the officers who have served in these organisations earlier. This would help
ensure that the chiefs are aware of the organizational challenges before they take
up the top post. This would help augment their effectiveness.

Ensuring sufficient tenure:

● The government should consider providing a minimum tenure of two years or
till superannuation, whichever is later. This will help ensure sufficient tenure for
the chief to implement some reforms.
3. GROWING NATIVISM

Context
● Haryana Governor‟s assent to The Haryana State Employment of Local
Candidates Act of 2020.

Details
● The law regulates private-sector hiring in the state of Haryana by mandating that
75% of all jobs with gross monthly salaries of up to ₹ 50,000 are provided to the
State‟s own residents.
● The law would be applicable even to firms with as few as 10 employees.
● The law imposes responsibilities on key personnel of firms to register every
employee earning ₹ 50,000 on an official portal and employing 75% of locals in
such jobs. The law provides for severe monetary penalties for perceived non-
compliance.

Stats
● As per data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the
unemployment rate in Haryana is the highest of all states in India.
● A whopping 80% of women in Haryana who want to work cannot find a job.
● More than half of all graduates in Haryana are jobless.
● The jobs situation in Haryana is staggeringly dismal.

Which companies are covered under the law?

● According to the state government, the reservation law covers private companies,
societies, trusts, and partnership firms in the state.
● The Haryana reservation law also provides training to eligible local candidates
when qualified people are not available.
● The law defines local candidates as those domiciled in the state. For domicile
status, a person should be born in Haryana or have lived there for at least 15
years.

Similar examples
● The cabinet of the government of Jharkhand approved similar legislation to
reserve jobs for Jharkhand residents.
● The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu announced a similar
proposal to reserve jobs for Tamils in its manifesto.

When will a company invest in a State?

● If a company, for example, Amazon believes that the Indian economy is poised to
grow robustly, it may choose to expand its operations in India.

Who gets to decide in which State the company has to invest?

● It is the management of the company which decides where the company will
make its investments.
● It depends not only on the „ease of doing business‟ parameters provided by the
state government but also on multiple other factors.
● It includes:
○ Skilled manpower in the region.
■ It is a function of many decades of social progress of the State and cannot
be retooled immediately.
○ The existence of what economists term as the „agglomeration effect‟.
■ The most critical factor in the choice of a location for a large business is the
ecosystem of the supply chain, talent, good living conditions and so on.
■ A State with an already well-established network of suppliers, people,
schools, etc. are at a greater advantage to attract even more businesses
than the states that are left behind.

Concerns with respect to the decision

● Haryana‟s new law could have a detrimental impact on India‟s investment
climate and its socio-economic framework.
● Haryana‟s law goes against the provisions of the Indian Constitution, especially
Article 19(1)(g) and Article 16(2).
○ Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution enables an Indian citizen to practise any
profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.
○ Article 16(2) of the Constitution states that no citizen shall, on grounds only of
religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residence or any of them, be
ineligible for, or discriminated against in respect of, any employment or office
under the State.

Impact on ease of doing business:

● The employers could seek exemptions from the law provided that they are able
to prove that local candidates for the desired skill are not available.
● Also, the officials would have the power to enter firms‟ premises for inspections.
Such provisions resemble an „Inspector Raj‟ system.
● Such onerous regulations and processes would dissuade employers from
operating in the State due to decreased ease of doing business. This would
impact the investments flowing into the states.
● Given the integrated value chains, a single disruption in the Gurgaon back-office
operations of a global firm or the supplies of auto components, on account of the
new law, would also be damaging to India‟s reputation as a stable, trustworthy
investment destination with a talented workforce.

Impact on employment
● The new law when enacted might lead to removing existing non-Haryanvi
employees beyond the 25% limit.
● Also, reduced investments will only further accentuate the unemployment
problem in the Indian economy. Thus such local reservation laws defeat the idea
of boosting local jobs.
Impact on the unity of the nation
● The clamour for preserving economic activity for „sons of the soil‟ has become a
recurrent theme in many Indian states.
● Andhra Pradesh had passed a similar law in 2019, and the Madhya Pradesh CM
has promised to reserve 70% private-sector jobs for the locals.
● Rising unemployment could spur more states to follow suit. Such a trend
threatens to unleash a sort of „work visa‟ regime for Indians within the country.
● Such laws also damage crucial workplace diversity.
● Such laws rupture the social fabric given their push for insularity
4. NEED TO REVAMP FOOD SUBSIDY BILL

Context
● The recent Economic Survey has flagged the issue of the growing food subsidy
bill in India.
● As per the government‟s own admission the food subsidy bill is increasingly
becoming unmanageably large.

Background

National Food Security Act:

● The National Food Security Act (NFSA) came into force in July 2013.
● It extended entitlements of food grains to almost two-thirds of the country‟s
population.
● The law requires the authorities to provide to each beneficiary 5 kg of rice or
wheat per month.

Objectives of the National Food Security Act

The Act provides for food and nutritional security in the human life cycle approach,
by ensuring access to an adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices for
people to live a life with dignity and for matters connected therewith or incidental
thereto.

Salient Features of the NFSA

● The major features of the Act are described below:
● Coverage: The state-wise coverage was determined by the NITI Aayog based on
the 2011-12 Household Consumption Expenditure survey of NSSO.
● The Act legally entitled up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban
population to receive subsidized foodgrains under the Targeted Public
Distribution System (TPDS).
● About two-thirds of the population, therefore, is covered under the Act to receive
highly subsidized foodgrains.
● Entitlements:
○ The food grains would be provided at highly subsidized prices under the
Public Distribution System.
○ The Act ensures nutritional support to women and children. Pregnant and
lactating women would be entitled to nutritious meals, free of charge under
the MDM and ICDS schemes.
○ Children in the age group of 6-14 years would also be entitled to free
nutritious meals under the MDM and ICDS schemes.
○ Maternity benefit of not less than Rs.6000 is also provided to pregnant women
and lactating mothers.
○ The Act also empowers women by identifying the eldest woman of the
household as the head of the household to issue ration cards.
● The Central Government aids the States to meet the expenditure incurred by
them on transportation of foodgrains within the State and also handles the Fair
Price Shop (FPS) dealers‟ margins according to the norms.
● There is a provision of a food security allowance to the beneficiaries in the event
of non-supply of food grains.
● Transparency: Provisions have been made to disclose the records related to the
PDS to ensure transparency.

Who are the beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act?

The Act covers two-thirds of the entire population under two categories of
beneficiaries:
● Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households
● Priority Households (PHH)

Details
● The withdrawal of food grains by States from the central pool under various
schemes has increased over the years.
● During the last three years, the quantity of food grains annually drawn by States
has hovered around 60 million tonnes to 66 million tonnes.
● However, by December 2020, the Centre set apart 94.35 million tonnes to the
States under different schemes including the NFSA and additional allocation,
meant for distribution among the poor free of cost.

Concerns with Rising food subsidy

● During 2016-17 to 2019-20, the subsidy amount, clubbed with loans taken by the
Food Corporation of India (FCI) under the National Small Savings Fund (NSSF)
towards food subsidy, was in the range of Rs. 1.65-lakh crore to Rs. 2.2-lakh
crore. In future, the annual subsidy bill of the Centre is expected to be about Rs.
2.5-lakh crore.
● The COVID-19 pandemic has further expanded this with the revised estimate of
the food subsidy pegged at about ₹ 23-lakh crore, excluding the extra-budgetary
resource allocation of ₹ 84,636 crore.

Issue prices:
● Though the NFSA in 2013, envisaged a price revision after three years, the
Central Issue Price (CIP) has remained at Rs. 2 per kg for wheat and Rs. 3 per kg
for rice for years now.
● The issue price for wheat and rice has not been revised since the introduction of
the National Food Security Act in 2013, the survey observed and noted that the
economic cost to the Food Corp. of India (FCI) for wheat rose to ₹ 27 per kg in
2020-21 from ₹ 19 per kg in 2013-14, while for rice it increased to ₹ 37 per kg from
₹ 26 per kg in 2013-14.
○ This implies that the government bears a subsidy of ₹ 25 per kg of wheat and
₹ 34 per kg of rice it supplies to poor households under the food security
scheme.
○ India‟s annual food subsidy bill is pegged at ₹ 1.15 trillion-plus off-budget
borrowings by the FCI, which is estimated at ₹ 70,000 crore.
○ The Union government spent ₹ 80,000 crore in 2020-21 on food subsidy
towards different pandemic-related relief schemes, in addition to the regular
food subsidy bill, according to the survey.
Political compulsions:
● It would be extremely difficult to reduce the economic cost of food management
in view of rising commitment towards food security and the government‟s
reluctance to not disturb the NFSA norms or increase the prices owing to political
compulsions.

Financial viability:
● The insistence of keeping the retail prices of food grains at fair price shops at the
present low levels, even after the passage of nearly 50 years and achieving
substantial poverty reduction in the country goes against the financial
sustainability of the system.
● The mere increase in the CIPs of rice and wheat without a corresponding rise in
the issue prices by the State governments would only increase the burden of
States, which are already reeling under financial stress.

Way forward
● PDS is a useful tool to counter the challenge of extreme poverty and hunger and
hence the dismantling of it is not a solution.
● It helps to support the farmers through government procurement of their
produce, it might not be advisable to replace the in-kind provision of food
subsidy of the PDS system with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
● The Centre should have a relook at the overall food subsidy system.
● The centre should revisit NFSA norms and coverage. The government could look
at decreasing the quantum of coverage under the law, from the present 67% to
around 40%.
● For all ration cardholders drawing food grains, a “give-up” option, as done in the
case of cooking gas cylinders, can be made available.
● The Centre can play a critical role in nudging the states into pruning the number
of beneficiaries under the NFSA system.
● With respect to the pricing mechanism, the existing arrangement of flat rates
should be replaced with a slab system.
● Leaving the poor and needy sections, other beneficiaries can be made to pay a
little more for a higher quantum of food grains.

Conclusion
● A revamped, need-based PDS is required not just for cutting down the subsidy
bill but also for reducing the scope for leakages. There should be a political will
to take the necessary steps.
● Diversion of food grains and subsidy leakage is another serious cause of concern.
● Reforms implemented in the PDS through various steps, including end-to-end
computerisation of operations, digitisation of data of ration cardholders, seeding
of Aadhaar, and automation of fair price shops have helped address this concern
to an extent.
5. HEALTH FIRST, FISCAL PRUDENCE LATER

Context
● Subsidised LPG prices have increased by a massive 50% in the given financial
year.

Background

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY):

● Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched in 2016 to distribute LPG
connections to women of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. It provided an
upfront connection subsidy of ₹ 1,600 for eligible beneficiaries.
● Since 2016, PMUY has provided LPG connections to 80 million poor households
to reduce women‟s drudgery and indoor air pollution.
● PMUY has helped expand LPG coverage to more than 85% of households, in
comparison to less than a third of Indian households in 2011 who used LPG as
their main cooking fuel.
● The government is offering 1 crore new connections under Ujjwala 2.0 in
Financial Year 22.

Some of the major benefits provided by Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

● It provides five crore LPG connections to families below the poverty line.
● Financial support of Rs 1600 is provided by the scheme for each LPG connection
for BPL households. The administrative cost of this support is borne by the
Government. This subsidy is meant for the security fee for the cylinder, pressure
regulator, booklet, safety hose, and other fitting charges.
● Under the scheme, oil marketing companies also provide interest-free loans for
refilling and purchasing stoves.
● The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana covers all the BPL families that come under
all forms of distributorship and distributes various sizes of cylinders (14.2 kg, 5
kg, etc.) as per the field situation.
● The benefits of this scheme are also available for the people of all Hilly States
including the NE States (who are treated as „Priority States‟).
● The scheme effectively addresses several difficulties faced by the people in the
States of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Assam,
Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Tripura in
accessing LPG for cooking purposes.

Rising prices of LPG

● India determines domestic LPG prices based on imported LPG price as India
imports more than 50% of the total LPG consumption in India.
● As the pandemic set in, the LPG subsidised price began to rise, even when global
LPG prices plummeted, due to higher tax rates which were contributing to the
government finances.
● Currently, the LPG prices are rising globally and the government move to go in
for a 50% reduction in the LPG subsidy budget for FY22 (versus FY21) will only
further push LPG prices upwards.

Concerns
● The rising LPG prices could have a detrimental impact on the substantial gains
made under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.

Further reduce affordability

● Multiple studies assessing PMUY have concluded that while access has
increased, many new beneficiaries are not consuming LPG in a sustained
manner.
● On average, recent PMUY beneficiaries consumed only about half the LPG
compared to long-standing regular consumers.
● Limited uptake of LPG among poor households is due to the inability of the poor
households to afford LPG, despite the subsidy.

Impact on public health

● Limited uptake of LPG among poor households is also attributable to the easy
availability of biomass in rural areas, making it difficult for LPG to displace it.
● The rising LPG prices may push more users towards biomass usage which does
not augur well for the health of the users. Biomass is a major cause of indoor air
pollution. Biomass use for cooking contributes up to 30% to the ambient PM2.5 at
the national level.

Recommendations
● The Central government will have to work towards balancing LPG subsidies and
ensuring sustained clean fuel consumption in poorer households.

Better targeting of LPG subsidy

● The government should work towards better targeting of LPG subsidy.
● Currently, the government provides a uniform subsidy per cylinder to all LPG
consumers (PMUY or otherwise). The economically poor households need a
greater subsidy to make it affordable for them to use LPG as their main cooking
fuel.

Eliminating subsidy leakage

● The de-duplication efforts to weed out households with multiple LPG
connections must be accelerated to avoid subsidy leakages.

Conclusion
● The continued support to the economically poor for sustaining LPG use is not
merely a fiscal subsidy but also a social investment to free-up women‟s
productive time and reduce India‟s public health burden.
● This social investment will yield rich dividends in the years ahead through a
healthier and productive population
6. OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS

1. With reference to the provisions made under the National Food Security Act,
2013 consider the following statements:
1. The families coming under the category of „below poverty line (BPL)‟ only are
eligible to receive subsidised grains.
2. The eldest woman in a household, of age 18 years or above, shall be the head
of the household for the purpose of issuance of a ration card.
3. Pregnant women and lactating mothers are entitled to a take-home ration of
600 calories per day during pregnancy.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 3 only

Answer: (c)

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: In 2013, NFSA was enacted to provide food security to

67% of the population in the form of highly subsidized food grains at Rs. 2 and 3
per Kg for wheat and rice respectively. Beneficiaries are identified using Socio-
economic Caste Census (SECC) methodology so even non-BPL will also benefit.

Statement 2 is correct: Under the NFSA, for the purpose of issuing ration cards,
the eldest woman of a household aged 18 years or above would be considered as
the head. Hence, this statement is correct.

Statement 3 is correct: Pregnant women and lactating mothers are entitled to a

nutritious “take-home ration” of 600 Calories and a maternity benefit of at least
Rs 6,000 for six months, says the official act.

2. Consider the following statements regarding the Environment Protection Act -

1986.
1. Its genesis from Article 48-A (Directive Principle of State Policy) and Article
51-A(g) (Fundamental Duty) of the Indian Constitution.
2. Its aims to implement the decisions made at the United Nations Conference
on Human Environment held in Stockholm, 1992.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a)
 Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct. The genesis of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 is in

Article 48-A (Directive Principle of State Policy) and Article 51-A(g)
(Fundamental Duty) of the Indian Constitution.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The purpose of the Act is to implement the decisions of

the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment of 1972. The United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as
the 'Earth Summit, was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1992.

3. With reference to Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, consider the following

statements:
1. It aims to safeguard the health of women by providing them with clean
cooking fuel.
2. The scheme covers all SC/STs households‟ beneficiaries Pradhan Mantri
Awas Yojana (PMAY) (Gramin) and Antyoday Anna Yojana (AAY) having no
LPG connection.
3. An adult woman of any Below Poverty Line household, can avail the benefits
of a deposit free LPG connection under this scheme.
Which of the above given statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a)

Explanation:

The PMUY is a scheme to provide LPG (liquid petroleum gas) to households

below the poverty line. This is to have universal coverage of cooking gas in the
country.

Statement 1 is correct:
PMUY, launched in 2016, aims to safeguard the health of women and children by
providing them with LPG, so that they are protected from smoke while cooking
or from having to go into unsafe areas to collect firewood.

Statement 2 is correct:
All BPL families can get the benefit of this scheme. The identification of the BPL
families is done through Socio Economic Caste Census Data 2011.

The scheme also covers all SC/STs households‟ beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri
Awas Yojana (PMAY) (Gramin), Antyoday Anna Yojana (AAY), forest dwellers,
Most Backward Classes (MBC), tea and ex-tea garden tribes, and people residing
in Islands/river islands having no LPG connection.

Statement 3 is incorrect:
Any adult women from a BPL family can apply for a deposit free LPG gas
connection under the Ujjwala scheme, subject to the condition that no LPG
connection exists in the name of any member of her household.
7. SUBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS

1. The setting up of a national environmental regulator under the Environment

(Protection) Act, 1986 would be a critical step towards sustainable environmental
management in India. Analyze.
(10 Marks, 150 Words)
2. The long delays in the appointments to top posts in Central Armed Police Forces
are a serious cause of concern. Elucidate.
(10 Marks, 150 Words)
3. Haryana‟s new State Employment of Local Candidates Act of 2020 could have a
detrimental impact on India‟s investment climate and its socio-economic
framework. Comment.
(10 Marks, 150 Words)
4. Discuss the reasons for the same and suggest measures required for cutting down
the food subsidy bill.
(15 Marks, 250 Words)
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Of The Year 2016, 2018 Start-up of the year 2017 App in India – 2016

Google Design Deloitte Technology Fast 50 India

Award 2018 and Fast 500 Asia Award Year
NASSCOM Design4India Design
Award 2018 for the ‘Best Design’
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, Express IT Awards for IT newsmaker
Mobile Category – 2018
2017 of the year 2017