RO Mains classes will start after Lower PCS pre exam (23rd Nov):samveg ias dehradun

RO Mains classes will start after Lower PCS pre exam (23rd Nov)
Registration is open
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SAMPRITI-2016

The seventh edition of India-Bangladesh joint military exercise SAMPRITI-2016 has commenced to practise counter-terrorism and disaster-management operations. 
The 14-day (from 05 to 18 November 2016) joint military exercise will be held at Shaheed Salauddin Cantonment in Tangail, Dhaka (Bangladesh’s Capital). 
Key Facts 
The SAMPRITI 2016 will simulate a scenario where both nations are working together in a Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism environment under the UN Charter. The exercise curriculum is progressively planned in which the participants will initially get familiar with each other’s organizational structure and tactical drills. Subsequently, the training will advance to joint tactical exercises wherein the battle drills of both the armies will be practiced. It will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both armies will jointly practice a Counter Terrorist Operation in a controlled and simulated environment.

Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)

The Union Government launched Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) to provide free health check-ups to pregnant women at government health centres and hospitals. The Scheme was launched by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda in New Delhi. It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat in June 2016.

Key Features The national programme aims to provide pregnant ladies free ante-natal services (ANC) and required treatment for free on 9th of every month.
Objectives of the scheme are (i) Provide healthy life to the pregnant women. (ii) Lowering the maternity mortality rate. (iii) Making pregnant women aware of their health issues and diseases. (iv) Making sure safe delivery and healthy life of the baby. The scheme is applicable only for the pregnant women in their pregnancy period of 3 to 6 months. It will provide all kinds of medical checkups completely free to pregnant women. These checkups will take place at the medical centres, government and private hospitals and private clinics across the country. These free of cost tests will include blood pressure, sugar level, weight, haemoglobin test, blood test and screening. Women will be marked differently using different colour stickers based on their health problems so that doctors can easily detect the problem. Different colour stickers will be Red Sticker for Serious patients, Blue Sticker for High blood pressure and Yellow Sticker for Other diseases.

New Delhi Declaration, Asian Regional Plan adopted at AMCDRR 2016

New Delhi Declaration, Asian Regional Plan adopted at AMCDRR 2016

First World Tsunami Awareness Day commemorated

The three-day Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016 came to an end with the adoption of the ‘New Delhi Declaration’ and the ‘Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of the Sendai Framework’. The Closing ceremony was presided over by Union Home Minister ShriRajnath Singh.

This was the first Asian MinisterialConference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) after the advent of theSendai Framework for DRR (SFDRR).The SFDRR (2015-2030) was adopted by at the Third World Conference on DRRat Sendai in Japan in March, 2015. It identifies targets and priority action areastowards reducing disaster risk by ‘reducing the damage caused by naturalhazards like earthquakes, floods, droughts and cyclones, through an ethic of prevention’.

New Delhi Declaration

The ‘New Delhi Declaration’ is a political statement spelling out the commitment of participating governments towards preventing and reducingdisaster risk, and strengthening the resilience of communities, nations and the Asian region. Recognising the need to accelerate the implementation of global frameworks, it commits to a people-centred and whole-of-society approach towards DRR. It also emphasises the need to enhance the capacity of communities and ensure participation of all stakeholder groups towards achieving resilience.

Asian Regional Plan

The ‘Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of theSendai Framework’focuses on the ‘How to’ reduce disaster risk at national and local levels. It has arrived at a longer term road map of cooperation and collaboration, spanning the 15-year horizon of the Sendai Framework, as well as a two-year action plan to further disaster riskreduction with specific, actionable activities.

Voluntary action statements of stakeholder groups towards a ‘shared responsibility’ approach in implementation of theSFDRR were also made.

The Conference also commemorated the first World Tsunami Awareness Day to spread awareness ontsunami. The observance of the day stressed on the importance of early warning systems and preparedness of communities in order to mitigate damage fromthe often devastating natural hazard.

Winners of a short film competitionorganised during the Conference on themes related to DRR werefelicitated by ShriRajnath Singh.

Established in 2005, the AMCDRR is a biennial conference jointly organized by different Asian countries and the United Nations Office for Disaster RiskReduction (UNISDR).

The next AMCDRR will be held in Mongolia in 2018.

LOWER PCS EXAM -2016 ADMIT CARD IS OUT

LOWER PCS EXAM -2016 ADMIT CARD IS OUT
CHECK OUT YOUR EXAM CENTRE
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Speech of the President at Inauguration of Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of ECGC limited

Speech of the President at Inauguration of Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of ECGC limited

            It is indeed a pleasant occasion to me to be present amidst you on the inauguration of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of ECGC. As the then Commerce Minister, I have had the privilege and opportunity earlier of closely observing the functioning of ECGC which is completing 60 years.

2.                  The world is becoming steadily more complex, challenging, inter-linked and inter-dependent. The economic and political dominance of Europe and the USA is retreating with a great degree of multi-polarity arising in the global geo-political scenario. The world trade is now dependent on larger emerging economies including China and India. 

3.                  The developed world has been facing crisis such as that of 2008, Eurozone crisis and now there are current commercial and economic risks, the reality of BREXIT, an influx of refugees leading to a migrant’s crisis etc. The risk landscape has turned adverse with non- trade barriers being progressively imposed by trading nations. The dissipation of trust between trading partners has necessitated a real time assessment of the credit standing of overseas buyers. Geopolitical instability, economic downturn, war and terrorism have further hampered growth of world trade.

4.                  Inspite of these global headwinds, our economy is performing well. With GDP growth rising to 7.6 percent in 2015-16 from 7.2 percent in the previous year, we are ahead of the rest of the major economic powers. A normal monsoon this year is expected to provide fillip to this year’s growth, unlike the last two years when below normal rains created an agrarian crisis and caused much rural distress. Our external sector remains steady while we are committed to prudent fiscal consolidation. This augurs well for our macro-economy but we must remain cautious on the trend of food prices.

5.                  Weak global demand has adversely impacted our exports as reflected by a fall of 2.1 percent in the first quarter of 2016-17. However at the same time, imports have declined sharply, by 11.5 percent over this period. A lower trade deficit has helped in reducing the current account deficit to 0.1 percent of GDP in the first quarter of 2016-17 from 1.2 percent in the corresponding quarter of last year. Reviving exports in a scenario of sluggish demand worldwide will remain a serious challenge for us. We must overcome by improving competitiveness of the domestic industry through better infrastructure and regulation.

6.                  In this context the role of an Export Credit Agency [ ECA ]  is of central importance in international trade and investment flows. These institutions are, in a manner of speaking, akin to policy instruments at the disposal of the sovereign  to ensure adequate and timely support to national exports by way of extending credit, insurance and guarantees. They develop the platform upon which exporters and bankers sustain existing markets in addition to exploring new markets. Absence of an ECA adds to the underlying political, economic and financial uncertainty. ECAs offer more than just trade credit insurance. Their role in an economy is multifaceted with protection against risks, enabling access to bank finance, information and expertise in trade finance.

7.                  Asia contributes one third of Global Merchandise Trade (GMT) but 22% of Trade Credit Insurance (TCI). In the economic progress of a country, the Property and Casualty Insurance     (P & C) business matures first and then the TCI expands once the economy becomes fully developed.  In contradistinction to this general trend, TCI in China and India is significantly ahead of Property and Casualty Insurance (P & C). The main driver for this is export credit insurance and the high level of penetration ECAs have  made in both countries.

8.                  It is a matter of pride that ECGC has played such a pivotal role in the country’s trade sector. During my tenure as Commerce Minister, I became aware of the various schemes and customer initiatives of ECGC. I recall that huge claims due to foreign exchange transfer delays were being paid to hundreds of exporters on account of defaults in Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Nigeria. These compensations by ECGC came in very handy then to exporters who had big exposures on Africa. The organization has grown over the years significantly and has contributed to stability in our trade sector.

9.                  The attitude towards ECAs changed substantially after the global financial crisis. ECAs then expanded their operations to help the banking system provide liquidity and restore lending. In India, ECGC had already been supporting export lending by banks for a long time. The role of ECGC during the global financial crisis was important and its efforts well directed. Commercial banks at that point of time restrained themselves from financing trade, with exposure to international markets, mainly because of a heightened risk perception. It was at that point of time that the importance and the relevance of the ECGC came to the fore given that there was an enhanced need for guarantees and insurance to facilitate the release of trade credit. Export credit insurance and guarantees in the spectrum of trade financing are of critical importance in today’s scenario of continuing high systemic risk.

10.              I am particularly glad to note that ECGC today is insuring banks whose share is almost 70% of the export credit disbursed in the country. The covers offered at various stages of lending bring a certain degree of comfort for banks in today’s uncertain times. ECGC has paid out record claims to banks by way of compensations particularly since 2007.  Banks under ECGC cover also enjoy substantial relief in the capital allocation for their export credit  outstandings.

11.              Internationally, ECGC is one of the oldest members of the Berne Union which is an association of ECAs and credit insurers from 73 countries. It  is amongst the top 5 agencies in value of  commitments, business covered and premium and has been making an active contribution in various committees including the management committee and in multilateral interactions.

12.               We today observe that several developed countries have consciously introduced special concessions and stimulus packages to manage the present downturn. We in India also need to ensure that our exporters are adequately supported through appropriate policy interventions. In particular, we need to be focused on the SME sector which has the potential for accelerated growth but is at the same time considered a high risk venture by commercial lenders. The ECGC also needs to respond appropriately in the light of the overall macro situation and the business practices followed by its counterparts all over the world.

13.               The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce recently appreciated the commendable work and efforts undertaken by ECGC for overall growth of India’s exports. The Committee also recommended that for ECGC to play a greater role in export promotion, support in maximum liability and capital etc., needed to be extended by government. It also stated that in order to achieve the overall export target, the framework of export credit insurance and guarantee ought to be made more robust. I am confident that Government will examine these recommendations and take steps as are necessary to strengthen our institutional credit guarantee framework in the trade sector. 

14.               A robust, vibrant and well-functioning ECGC can be an enabler for putting the country back on a high export growth path. It is, therefore, necessary that all stakeholders in the ECGC provide the necessary leadership and direction for it to move forward.  With these words, I once again wish all of you the very best for your diamond jubilee celebrations and hope that you will continue to excel in the future also

Paris Agreement enters into force, but emissions continue to rise

UNEP says raising ambition before 2020 “is likely the last chance to keep the option of limiting global warming to 1.5C”.

As the Paris Agreement enters into force on Friday, November 4, a UN Environment Programme report released Thursday has shown that global emissions have continued to rise despite some signs of emissions from fossil fuels and industries stabilising. The “emissions gap” for 2030 is 12 to 14 GtCO2e (gigatonne CO2 equivalent) compared with 2°C scenarios, and for 1.5°C the gap is three GtCO2e larger, the report shows.

Emissions gap is the difference between the emissions levels in 2020 necessary to meet climate targets, and the levels expected that year if countries fulfil their promises to cut greenhouse gases. So, the emissions gap reveals how much more needs to be done by countries in order to meet the target of keeping global warming levels below the 2°C safe limit as agreed in the Paris climate accord last year.

The UNEP report further shows that even if fully implemented, the unconditional Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) - the voluntary climate action targets of countries - are only consistent with staying below an increase in temperature of 3.2°C by 2100, which can have disastrous consequences for the climate.

Pre-2020 action

The report has therefore emphasised on pre-2020 action by countries. Raising ambition before 2020 “is likely the last chance to keep the option of limiting global warming to 1.5°C,” the report notes. This means that in the next three years countries must take sufficient emissions reduction action to aim for the more ambitious target of keeping temperature rise below 1.5°C in the Paris Agreement.

Urging countries to act ahead of the UN climate summit in Morocco that begins next week, Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment said in a statement, “If we don’t start taking additional action now, beginning with the upcoming climate meeting in Marrakesh, we will grieve over the avoidable human tragedy. The growing numbers of climate refugees hit by hunger, poverty, illness and conflict will be a constant reminder of our failure to deliver. The science shows that we need to move much faster.”

G20 countries’ progress

Given the emphasis on pre-2020 action, the UNEP report takes a closer look at climate action by G20 countries, which contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. While the G20 countries are collectively on track to meet their Cancun climate pledges for 2020, these pledges fall short of creating a sufficiently ambitious starting point to align with the temperature target of the Paris Agreement, the UNEP report notes. In Cancun, Mexico, in 2011, nations had agreed to GHG emission cuts ahead of 2020.

Three of the G20 parties – China, the EU, and India – are on track to meet these pledges without purchasing offsets, according to available analyses, UNEP has said. Three more – Brazil, Japan, and Russia – are on track, according to most estimates, the report says.

Rulebook on climate action

With 94 countries of 197 UN member nations having ratified the Paris climate agreement till now, hopes are high that the treaty will be able to lead the way to a carbon neutral world. In a jointly authored editorial, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa and Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Morocco, have said that the Marrakech climate summit will accelerate work on creating a rulebook, which will measure, account for and review global climate action, and to see emerge a definable pathway for developed countries to materialise the flow of USD $100 billion per year by 2020 in support of climate action by developing ones.