Insights Daily Current Events, 12 February 2015
Revised Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar Scheme
The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has revised the Scheme of Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar.
It was introduced in 2009 to encourage and promote involvement of corporates, sports promotion boards etc., in the promotion and development of sports in the country.
Revised scheme:
In the revised scheme, Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar will be given in following four categories:
- Identification and nurturing of budding/young talent
- Encouragement of sports through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
- Employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures
- Sports for Development.
Details:
- In the revised Scheme, eligibility criteria for all four categories have been prescribed.
- Since, ‘Training to promote rural sports, nationally recognized sports, Paralympic sports and Olympic sports’ have been included in the Companies Act 2013, the companies can now spend on promotion and development of sports from the funds earmarked for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), a specific category for ‘Encouragement of sports through Corporate Social Responsibility’ has been provided for in the revised Scheme.
- As non-governmental organizations are also doing a lot of work in promotion and development of sports, a separate category ‘Sports for Development’ has been provided for exclusively for NGOs to recognize their contributions.
Sources: PIB.
Land bond to beat funds crunch
The Kerala state government has given in-principle nod for bond proposed by the Empowered Committee for the Capital Region Development Programme.
Why was it necessary?
Land bond has been mooted to overcome resource crunch and hurdles faced in land acquisition for development projects.
About the Bond:
- It is a secure monetary instrument issued by the government with assured returns and backed by State guarantee.
- The bond could be used to overcome opposition from landowners for projects such as four-laning of national highways.
- The ownership of land would remain with the landowner till it was actually surrendered, or alternative accommodation provided, or the bond value was provided to the owner.
- It is already being used in Maharashtra.
- The bond is transferable and can be traded in the secondary market for immediate money. It has the potential for premium in the secondary market.
- Each bond would carry additional stamp duty rights with special discount. The bonds would be acceptable as EMD and security by the government.
- Those needing immediate cash may redeem it at face value with the issuing agency.
- There would be no tax liability for rural/urban agricultural lands.
- Income tax on urban commercial land, payable only on redemption, would be reduced if it was used for stamp duty payment.
- Each bond could be used to pay stamp duty equal to the face value.
Sources: The Hindu.
Understanding the INO
The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project has been facing a barrage of questions from environmentalists, politicians and others ever since the project was cleared.
- One of the queries concerns the actual experiments planned and the nature of neutrinos themselves — whether the experiment will use artificially manufactured neutrino beams and on the safety to humans and the environment if such neutrinos are used.
- But, the experts and scientists have been saying that the project would not have any side effects on humans and on the environment.
About the project :
The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) Project is a multi-institutional effort aimed at building a world-class underground laboratory with a rock cover of approximately 1200 m for non-accelerator based high energy and nuclear physics research in India.
- It is anticipated to provide a precise measurement of neutrino mixing parameters.
- The project, expected to be completed in 2015 at an estimated cost of INR 1,500 crores, has been cleared by the Ministry of Environment for construction in the Bodi West Hills Reserved Forest in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu.
- The initial goal of INO is to study neutrinos. According to standard model of particle physics, they are mass less. However recent experiments indicate that these charge-neutral fundamental particles, have finite but small mass which is unknown.
- Over the years this underground facility is expected to develop into a full-fledged underground science laboratory for other studies in physics, biology, geology, hydrology etc.
- When completed, the INO will house the world’s most massive magnet, four times larger than the 12,500-tonne magnet in the Compact Muon Solenoid detector at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.
Impact on surroundings:
- Experts say that it will not affect the stability of the surrounding hills.
- If there are any impacts, they will be mainly during construction period; after construction ends within a few years it will have negligible environmental impact. The GOI has assured that all efforts will be made to minimise and manage the impact during construction.
Need for such a massive detector and for drilling underground:
- The neutrinos interact very weakly with the surroundings. We are all being washed by a stream of neutrinos every passing minute as they just pass through us without leaving a trace. It is impossible to detect them on the surface of earth.
- Since they interact so weakly, detecting them over other interactions is impossible. So, there is a need to have a barrier of at least 1 km of earth to block out other radiation and particles from cosmic rays. This is the reason scientists are going underground.
What are the benefits to local people from this project?
- The construction contract will specify that local labour should be used, based on the skill levels, to the maximum extent possible.
- Furthermore, gainful employment will be there for a small number of people by way of sourcing of services and daily needs for the INO facility and for the upkeep of buildings and landscapes.
- A major benefit will be for schools and colleges in the region as the students interested in science can benefit from the outreach activities as well as doing projects at the lab.
- Efforts are being made to improve the infrastructure and academic standards of the surrounding schools as permitted by governing rules. Exhibitions and other similar facilities will be arranged to enhance the scientific spirit of the local youngsters, etc.
What are neutrinos?
- Neutrinos are tiny, neutral, elementary particles which interact with matter via the weak force. The weakness of this force gives neutrinos the property that matter is almost transparent to them. The Sun, and all other stars produce neutrinos copiously due to nuclear fusion and decay processes within their core.
- Since they rarely interact, these neutrinos pass through the Sun, and even the Earth, unhindered. There are many other natural sources of neutrinos including exploding stars (supernovae), relic neutrinos, natural radioactivity, and cosmic ray interactions in the atmosphere of the Earth.
Sources: The Hindu, www.ino.tifr.res.in/, Wiki.
TAPI project
The government of India has called for early finalisation of the consortium leader for expeditious implementation of the 1,800-km Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline project in limbo for almost a decade.
About the Project:
- It is a 1,800-kilometre pipeline project which will export up to 33 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas a year from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, over 30 years.
- Turkmenistan has the world’s fourth-largest proven gas reserves, and the pipeline will allow the land-locked country to diversify its gas export markets to the southeast.
- The state gas companies of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India have established a company that will build, own and operate the pipeline.
- The TAPI project would contribute to building a national gas grid in India.
- It is expected to be completed around 2017.
Sources: The Hindu, Wiki.
Mock questions:
1)Consider the following statements regarding Revised Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar Scheme:
- It provides for involvement of corporates, sports promotion boards etc., in the promotion and development of sports in the country.
- Under the scheme, the companies can spend on promotion and development of sports from the funds earmarked for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
- Under the scheme, a separate category ‘Sports for Development’ has been provided for exclusively for NGOs to recognize their contributions.
Which of the above statements are true?
a)Only 1.
b)Only 1 & 2.
c)All of the above.
d)None of the above
2)Consider the following regarding Land bond, introduced in Kerala:
- It is a secure monetary instrument issued by the government with assured returns and backed by State guarantee.
- The bond is transferable and can be traded in the secondary market for immediate money.
- The centre has already introduced such bonds in all the Union Territories and North Eastern states.
Which of the above statements are true?
a)Only 1.
b)Only 1 & 2.
c)All of the above.
d)None of the above
3)Consider the following statements regarding the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project:
- The project is aimed at building a world-class underground laboratory in Madhya Pradesh
- When completed, the INO will house the world’s most massive magnet.
Which of the above statements are true?
a)Only 1.
b)Only 2.
c)Both.
d)None of the above.
4)Consider the following statements regarding Neutrinos:
- They are massless.
- Sun is the only sources of Neutrinos.
- The neutrinos interact very weakly with the surroundings.
Which of the above statements are true?
a)Only 3.
b)Only 2 & 3.
c)Only 1 & 3.
d)None of the above.
5)Consider the following regarding TAPI project:
- It is a pipeline project which will export natural gas from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
- The project is signed for a period of 30 years.
- Turkmenistan has the world’s fourth-largest proven gas reserves.
- Recently, China also joined the project.
Which of the above statements are true?
a)Only 1.
b)Only 1 & 2.
c)Only 1, 2 & 3.
d)All of the above.
