 Welcome to the Hindu News Analysis by Shankar Ayesakadmi. The news articles along with the page numbers are displayed here for your reference. The PDF link of the handwritten notes and the timestamping of the news articles is given in the description box as well as in the comment section. Now let us start our today's news analysis. This news article says that Tamil Nadu has emerged as the topo in the coverage of area under micro-irrigation under the program called Pradharmantri Krishishincha Yajna. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. So in this contest, we will be discussing about Pradharmantri Krishishincha Yajna and its major objectives, then the present status of implementation of this Krishishincha Yajna. Kindly notice that the net zone area in India is around 141 million hectares and only around 45% of this area is presently covered under irrigation. That means that more than 50% of the area under irrigation in India is unirrigated or still depends on rainfall. Because of rainfall dependency, it increases the risk of crop value and makes the agriculture a less productive business. Therefore, assured irrigation can reduce the crop value and also assured irrigation has other cascading benefits. That is assured irrigation encourages farmers to invest more in the farming technology and other inputs. Therefore, it leads to productivity enhancement and increased form income. So government of India has taken a serious note of it and in this regard Pradharmantri Krishishincha Yajna was launched in 2015. And it has two main objectives that is to expand the coverage of irrigation and to ensure to some means of productive irrigation to all agriculture farms in the country. And the next objective is to improve water use efficiency. Overall, the Pradharmantri Krishishincha Yajna can bring much desired rural prosperity in the country. Kindly notice that it has been formulated by merging then ongoing schemes of three different ministries. That is accelerated irrigation benefit program of the Ministry of Water Resources, then the integrated watershed management program of Department of Land Resources of Ministry of Rural Development, then the on-form water management of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. It means that Pradharmantri Krishishincha Yajna is implemented by three ministries. That is Ministry of Agriculture, then the Ministry of Water Resources including Ministry of Rural Development. The Ministry of Rural Development mainly undertakes rainwater conservation structures that is construction of farm ponds, construction of water harvesting structures, then the construction of small check dams. Now we will see the role of Ministry of Water Resources which undertakes various measures for the creation of assured irrigation sources that is construction of diversion canals, then the field or feeder canals including development of water distribution systems under Pradharmantri Krishishincha Yajna. Now we will see the role of Ministry of Agriculture which promotes the efficient water conveyance and precision water application devices like dripping instruments to the farmers, then the sprinklers and the other micro irrigation devices to the farmers under the Pradharmantri Krishishincha Yajna. Kindly notice that Pradharmantri Krishishincha Yajna is based on a decentralized state level planning. It would allow states to draw up their own irrigation development plans based on the district irrigation plans including their state irrigation plans. The scheme will also operate as a convergence platform for all water sector activities including drinking water and sanitation and other application of science and technology to promote efficiency of water usage. Micro irrigation is an integral component of Krishishincha Yajna to maximize water use efficiency. So a micro irrigation fund has been set up under this scheme under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and this fund aims to promote financial assistance to states at a concessional interest rate to promote micro irrigation. Now we will see about micro irrigation which is a modern method of irrigation and by this method farming lands are irrigated through sprinklers, then drippers, foggers and also by other methods of surface or subsurface irrigation of the land. The most important advantages of this method or the improvement in the efficiency of water usage then its suitability to almost all types of soils. As a result it would lead to higher yielding in agri activities. Then if you look at the news article it says that about 3.64 lakh hectares brought under micro irrigation in India. Then Tamil Nadu accounts for around 1.39 lakh hectares which accounts for about 38% of the total coverage in this country. Then the other states which performed better or Gujarat, then the state of Andhra Pradesh, then the state of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The news article also mentions that the central government had sanctioned installation of solar agriculture pumps to boost micro irrigation under PM Kusum scheme that is Pradhan Mantar Kisan Urja Suraksha Yevam Uttam Mahabayan scheme. This scheme is launched by the ministry of new and renewable energy which aims to add more solar and other renewable energy capacity of about 25,000 megawatt by 2022. And one of the components of this Kusum scheme is the installation of stand alone solar power agriculture pumps of individual pump capacity of up to 7.5 horsepower. So to conclude this news article we have discussed about micro irrigation, then about Pradhan Mantar Krish Sinha Yojna and its various components of the scheme and the different ministries associated with Krish Sinha Yojna and also we have discussed about PM Kusum scheme. So with this we have come to the end of discussion of this news article. The displayed practice question will be discussed at the end of this session. Now let us proceed to the next news article analysis. So this news article is related to the recent judgment by the National Company Law Appliate Tribunal in the Mystery vs. Tata Suns case. The National Company Law Appliate Tribunal has ordered to restore Cyrus Mystery as the chairman of the Tata Suns. The syllabus relevant to the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. Kindly notice that in our 19th December 2019 the Hindu News Analysis video we have discussed in detail about the verdict and the timeline of the issues. You can refer the video link which is given in the description box for better understanding of this news article. In today's news article we will discuss in detail about National Company Law Appliate Tribunal that is its composition then the qualifications of members and the procedure for appeal. Now let us understand NCLAT. National Company Law Appliate Tribunal is a statutory body constituted under the Section 410 of the Companies Act of 2013 and it was conceived as the dedicated appeals forum for resolving corporate law disputes and to speed up the resolution process. The important functions of NCLAT are to hear orders posted by the Insolvency Bank Cropsey Board of India under sections 202 and 211 of the Insolvency and Bank Cropsey Code of 2016. Then the other functions include to hear appeals against the orders of National Company Law Tribunal including in matters related to Insolvency and Bank Cropsey Code. Then the NCLAT also serves as the appellate body for those aggrieved by the decisions made by the Competition Commission of India. Now let us discuss the composition of NCLAT. At present it comprises of a chairperson, then 4 technical members and 4 judicial members. Then the chairperson shall be in a judge of Supreme Court of India or a Chief Justice of a High Court. The judicial member must have been a judge of a High Court or a judicial member of the NCLT for 5 years. The technical members shall be a person of proven ability with integrity and having special knowledge also professional experience of not less than 25 years in law or industrial finance or industrial management or administration or industrial reconstruction, investment or accountancy or any other matter which in the opinion of the central government is useful for NCLAT. These are the qualifications for to be appointed as a chairperson or judicial member or technical member to the NCLAT. Now let us discuss the Procedure for Appells. That is if a party is not satisfied with the ruling of National Company Law Tribunal then an appeal can be filed against the order of NCLT in NCLAT within 45 days of the receipt of the copy order of the NCLT. Only notice that further 45 days are allowed if the NCLAT is satisfied that the appellant had sufficient cause that prevented the filing of an appeal within the stipulated period. Then what if any party is not satisfied with the NCLAT order? Then it can be challenged in the Supreme Court within a 60 days window. Recently the NCLAT order related to Arcelor Mitter acquiring debt-ridden SO Steel was challenged in the Supreme Court. The NCLAT had placed secured financial creditors on par with the operational creditors. But this was overturned by the Supreme Court which appealed the primacy of financial creditors over the operational creditors. So this judgment and its significance has been explained in our 16th November analysis and the video link is also given in the description box and you can refer the video for better understanding. Now if you look at the news article it says that NCLAT has ordered to restore Cyrus Missery as the chairman of the Tata Sons. But one of the other news articles mentions that there is a possibility that Tata Sons may challenge the NCLAT judgment in the Supreme Court by citing that the decision to remove Mr. Missery was taken at shareholder meetings in a valid manner. Therefore let us wait for the further developments in this regard. So in this context of this news article we have discussed the complete details about NCLAT including its mandate and also the present order to restore Cyrus Missery as the chairman of the Tata Sons. With this we have come to the end of discussion of this news article. The displayed practice question will be discussed at the end of the session. Now let us proceed to the next news article analysis. This news article is based on the data provided by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in a response to a question by Rajisabha regarding manual scavenging. So in this context we will see about how to define manual scavenging based on year and definition, then how it is related to India's caste system, then the constitutional pros and cons in this regard, then the various statutory pros and cons, also the present status of manual scavengers in terms of their numbers based on recent national survey. The syllabus relevant to the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. Now if you look at the year and definition of manual scavenging, it is defined as the practice of manual cleaning or carrying or disposing or handling the human excreta from dry latrines and seaviors in any manner. Usually the person engaged in this practice is known as manual scavenger and they often use the most basic tools like buckets, brooms and baskets. According to United Nations, this practice of manual scavenging is linked to India's caste system where the so called lower caste were expected to perform this job. Therefore, this practice is usually carried out by the poorest and most disadvantaged communities in India. It is not only degrading practice, but it is also hampers the dignity of an individual. Now we will see the constitutional pros and cons with reference to manual scavenging. The constitution says that securing to all the citizens fraternity, that is by assuring the dignity of the individual, is enshrined as one of the goals in the preamble of the constitution. Then in addition, the right to live with the dignity is also implicit in the fundamental rights guaranteed in part 3 of the constitution. Moreover, protecting the weaker sections, that is protecting the scheduled caste and the scheduled tribes from the social injustice and all forms of exploitation is the constitutional duty of the state. This is as per article 46 of the constitution which comes under the direct principles of state policy. Therefore, to correct the historical injustice and indignity suffered by the manual scavengers and to rehabilitate them to lead a life of dignity, two important acts were enacted by the parliament. Now we will see about these two important legislations. The first such act is the employment of manual scavengers and construction of dry letterings prohibition act of 1993. This act primarily prohibited or banned the employment of manual scavenging and the construction of dry letterings. Many notice that dry lettering means a lettering other than a water seal lettering which is a water flush lettering or a sanitary lettering in which human excreta is pushed in or flushed by water. Now this act provided for imprisonment of up to one year and a fine for whoever engages in above work or whoever employ a person for the above such kind of work. It means putting another person into this degrading practice is punishable offence under this act of 1993. Now to further strengthen the ban and also to rehabilitate the persons involved in manual scavenging and another important act was enacted. It is called as the prohibition of employment as manual scavengers and the Rehabilitation Act of 2013. This act also provides for the prohibition of employment as manual scavengers and also rehabilitation of the existing manual scavengers and their families. According to this act, a manual scavenger means a person engaged or employed for manual cleaning or carrying or disposing of human excreta or handling human excreta in any manner. The person could be doing this work in an in sanitary latrine or in an open drain or in a pit into which the human excreta from the in sanitary latrines is disposed off or could be manually cleaning the human excreta on a railway track. So if the person is engaged in such a work then he or she is known as a manual scavenger and this act further increases the punishment. The punishment is imprisonment up to 1 year to 2 years and the fine is about 50,000 rupees to 1 lakh rupees. Now since we have legislations that prohibit the practice of manual scavenging you might be thinking that this practice would have been reduced but it is not so and this practice still exists and it is proven by the response to a question given by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in Rajasabha. According to the response as many as 282 people have died while cleaning severs and septic tanks in the country between 2016 to November 2019 and this is based on the basis of FIR filed by the respective state governments. So this means the practice of manual scavenging still exists and it is leading to the death of the persons involved in manual scavenging. So according to the data table in the Rajasabha about 50 deaths were reported in 2016 and about 83 deaths were reported in 2017 and about 66 deaths were reported in 2018 and about 83 deaths were reported till the date of November 2019. Then among the states Tamil Nadu has recorded about 40 deaths which is the highest in number and this is followed by Haryana with 31 deaths then Gujarat and Delhi with 30 deaths respectively. Now we will see the status of manual scavengers in terms of the total number of manual scavengers based on the national survey of manual scavengers of 2018. As per the survey of 2018 about 45,000 manual scavengers were there in 18 states and the highest in number of manual scavengers are there in the state of Uttar Pradesh which was followed by the state of Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Then some states even reported nil manual scavengers and these states are Bihar, Haryana, then the then state of Jamun Kashmir and Telangana state. So based on the survey details as well as based on the data submitted by Ministry of Social Justice and empowerment there is a greater need to ensure effective implementation of these legislations. To conclude this news article we have seen about manual scavenging and the definition of manual scavenging based on union definition and then how it was related to India's caste system then also constitutional provisions with reference to manual scavenging and the various statutory provisions to prohibit the manual scavenging and to rehabilitate the manual scavengers and their families. And also we discussed the present status of manual scavengers based on the recent survey and also the data submitted by Ministry of Social Justice and empowerment in the Rajasabha. With this we have come to the end of analysis of this news article. The displayed practice question will be discussed at the end of the session. Now let us proceed to the next news article analysis. This news article are about NPR, NRIC and sensors. So in this context we will see what is meant by sensors then NPR then NRIC and we will see certain similarities and differences between these three and finally we shall be seeing the current burning issues regarding NPR and NRIC. The syllabus relevant to the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. Let us see about sensors. The Indian sensors is the largest single source of a variety of information about the people of India. And it is conducted once in every 10 years. 2011 sensors was the last conducted sensors in India. In 2011 sensors about 29 questions were asked to every individual. So in this sensors apart from the usual details particular details were asked like age about sex then about marital status then details with reference to occupation then birthplace, mother tongue, their religion, disability and also whether they belongs to any schedule cast or schedule type. And these details were collected in the sensors. Now we will see about national population register that is NPR. It is a register of usual residents of the country. The objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country. A usual resident is defined as a person who has resided in a local area for the past 6 months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next 6 months or more. Kindly notice that NPR is generated through house to house enumeration during the house listing phase of sensors which is held once in 10 years. Once the basic details of the head of the family are taken by the enumerator and acknowledgement slip will be issued. This slip may be required for the enrollment in NPR. Therefore once the details are recorded in every local area that is at the village level then sub-district level then district level and the state level. Then there will be a population register at each of these levels and together they constitute the national population register. Now let us see about national register of Indian citizens that is NRIC. Kindly know that NRIC will be prepared based on the national population register. See NPR is the universal data set of usual residents. It may contain both the citizens of this country and also non-citizens. Then out of this universal data set the citizenship status of the individuals will be verified and included in the national register for Indian citizens. The NRIC will be prepared at the local level then sub-district level then district level and the state levels after verifying the citizenship status of the residents. So this is all about sensors then NPR and NRIC. Now let us see some similarities and differences between these three with the help of this table. See census is conducted in India as per the census act of 1948. The census details are maintained by office of the registrar general and census commissioner under Ministry of Home Affairs. Now if you see NPR which is outlined in a set of rules framed under the Citizenship Act of 1955. So it is called the Citizenship Rules or the registration of citizens on the issue of national identity clause rules of 2003. So based on these rules NPR is being prepared and NPR is also to be maintained by the registrar general and census commissioner of India. Now if you look at this table that is with reference to NRIC which also has a legal backing that is under section 14A which was inserted in Citizenship Act of 1955 in 2004 by an amendment. And this section 14A provided for the compulsory registration of every citizen of India and the issue of a national identity court. So it is also said that the central government may maintain a national register of Indian citizens. So for this purpose the central government shall establish a national registration authority. The amendment also mentioned that the registrar general of India shall act as the national registration authority and will also function as the register general of citizen registration. So to operationalize this section 14A the central government notified citizenship registration of citizens and issue of national identity court's rules of 2003. So based on this only NPR is being prepared. Now we shall see what kind of details will be collected in all these three forms. In case of census that is in 2011 census about 29 questions which contain usual details and particular details were asked to every individual. But in case of NPR database it would contain demographic as well as biometric particulars including all the details. In case of NRIC it will contain a set of tool details including a national identity number for every Indian citizen. Therefore the creation of the national population register is the first step towards the preparation of the NRIC. We saw that for the preparation of NRIC out of the universal data set of residents the subset of citizens would be derived after due verification of the citizenship status. So we can call NRIC as a subset of NPR. The citizenship rules of 2003 consists of the rules for operationalizing the idea of registering all citizens and issuing national identity courts for the every Indian citizen. But if you see that as of now there has been no decision on introducing a national identity court. So this is all about you should know about census then national population register and NRIC. Now we will see about the current issues that are related to NPR and NRIC. As per the government of India NPR was supposed to be prepared between April 2020 to September 2020 that is ahead of the 2021 census. The preliminary work on the NPR has begun in several states. Now the issue is that many state governments like Kerala and West Bengal have said that NPR would not be implemented. The legal position as per the census act of 1948 and the citizenship rules of 2003 is that while the center is in charge of the census but the state governments are expected to provide staff to conduct the census operation whenever required because the house to house enumeration is a part of the census operation. It is unlikely that the NPR process can go ahead without the state governments agreeing to deploying their staff for the purpose of enumeration. So legally the state governments have to cooperate but practically it may not be possible without the state government's cooperation at every levels of enumeration. Now we will see the issues with reference to NRIC consider that NPR has been completed and the NRIC has also been prepared and certain individuals have been excluded from the register. Now is this NRIC the final one? For this question the answer is no. We saw during the start that NRIC will be prepared at the local level then sub-district level then district and state levels. Here once the local register of Indian citizens is prepared a draft of this shall be published to invite objections or claims for inclusion or corrections. So any objection or request for inclusion must be made within 30 days of the publication of the draft. Then the sub-district or taluk register shall summarily dispose of the objections within 90 days. Then thereafter the entries in the local register will be transferred to the national register. If any person is agreed by an exclusion order they can appeal to the district register within 30 days and the appeal should be disposed within 90 days. So in this case the appeal succeeds then the names of those concerned would be added to the national register of Indian citizens. So there are some adequate provisions to ensure that an individual is not left out of NRIC in an abrupt manner. However the government is yet to notify a date for generation of the NRIC. It has noted prescribed rules for what kind of documentary proof is required to prove the citizenship. But generally the government is saying that any document that shows data birth or place of birth or both will be sufficient. The government also said that the common documents will be accepted and those unable to produce documents may produce witnesses or other proofs supported by members of the community. Therefore you can see that a concretization to implement NRIC has not had been taken by the government. So this is all you need to know about the issues with reference to NPR and NRIC. To summarize this news article we have seen about census then about NPR then about NRIC. We have discussed some similarities and differences between these three and also we discussed the burning issues regarding NPR and NRIC. With this we have come to the end of analysis of this news article. The displayed practice question will be discussed at the end of this session. Let us start our practice question session. Now consider this question. This question is with reference to Pradhanamantri Krishi Sincha Yevashenam. And they have given two statements and you have to choose the correct statements. Statement one says that its main objective is to expand the coverage of area under irrigation and to improve water use efficiency. Then second statement says that a micro irrigation fund has been set up under the scheme under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development to provide financial assistance to states. Pradhanamantri Krishi Sincha Yevashenam has been formulated by matching then ongoing schemes that is accelerated irrigation benefit program of the Ministry of Jalsakthi, then the integrated watershed management program of Department of Land Resources of Ministry of Rural Development and the on form water management of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Therefore, we can say that this Pradhanamantri Krishi Sincha Yevashenam is implemented by three different ministries and the major objectives of this scheme is to expand the coverage of irrigation and to ensure access to some means of protective irrigation to all agriculture farms in the country. The other objective of this Krishi Sincha Yevashenam includes to improve water use efficiency in order to bring in order to bring desired rural prosperity. Therefore, first statement is correct statement, kindly notice that micro irrigation is an integral component of Pradhanamantri Krishi Sincha Yevashenam to maximize water use efficiency. So, a micro irrigation fund has been set up under the scheme under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and this fund aims to provide financial assistance to states at a concessional interest rate to promote micro irrigation. Therefore, second statement is also correct statement. So, for this question, option C that is both 1 and 2 is the correct option. Now, look at this question. This question is with reference to National Company Law Applied Tribunal and they have given two statements and you have to choose the correct statements. Statement 1 says that its chairperson shall be a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court or a serving or retired Chief Justice of a High Court. Then second statement says that N-Clarke can hear appeal only against the orders posted by the National Company Law Tribunal. Kindly notice that at present National Company Law Applied Tribunal consists of chairperson and four judicial members and four other technical members. And to be appointed as chairperson of N-Clarke, the person shall be a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court or a serving or retired Chief Justice of a High Court. So statement 1 is correct statement. Then if you look at the functions of N-Clarke, it is having three major functions that is to hear appeals against the orders of National Company Law Tribunal including in matters related to insolvency and bankruptcy code of 2016. N-Clarke also serves as the Applied Body for those agreed by the decisions made by the Competition Commission of India and it is also have Applied Jurisdiction with reference to orders posted by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India under sections 202 and 211 of the IBC Code of 2016. If you look at the second statement, it says that N-Clarke can hear appeals only against the orders posted by the National Company Law Tribunal. So second statement is incorrect. So for this question, option A, one only is the correct option. Now consider the following statements. Here two statements are given and you have to choose the correct statements. Second one says that right to live with dignity is a fundamental right guaranteed in part three of the Constitution. Then the second statement says that protecting the schedule cast and the schedule tribes from social injustice and all forms of exploitation is the duty of the state. Here both the given statements are correct because right to live with dignity is a fundamental right under article 21 of the Constitution and this article deals with the protection of life and personal liberty. Many notice that in the Menaka Gandhi v Union of India case of 1978, the Supreme Court has said that right to life as Einstein in article 21 is not merely confined to animal existence or survival but it includes within its ambit that the right to live with human dignity and all those aspects of life which can make a person's life meaningful, complete and worth living. So we can say the rights such as right to live with human dignity, then right to decent environment including pollution free water and air and protection against hazardous industries, then right to livelihood, then right to privacy, then right to shelter etc are part of article 21. So statement one is correct statement. Now if you look at second statement which says that protecting the schedule cast and the schedule tribes from social injustice and all forms of exploitation is the duty of the state. This statement is also correct because as per article 46 under part 4 of the Indian Constitution which deals with direct to principles of state policy states that the state shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people and in particular of the schedule cast and the schedule tribes and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation. So for this question option C both 1 and 2 is the correct option. Now look at this question, this question is with reference to national register of Indian citizens. They have given two statements and we have to choose the correct statements. Second one says that the register general of India functions as register general of citizen registration. Then second statement says that the national identity number of every citizen shall be maintained in this register. Kindly notice that as per the section 14A of Citizenship Act of 1955 provides for the compulsory registration of every citizen of India and to issue national identity caught. It also says that the central government maintain a national register of Indian citizens. So for this purpose the central government shall establish a national registration authority and as per this section 14A the register general India shall act as the national registration authority and will also function as the register general of citizen registration. So the first statement is correct. Now look at the second statement which says that the national identity number of every citizen shall be maintained in this register. Kindly notice that national register of Indian citizens will contain a set of tool details including a national identity number for every citizen. So the second statement is also correct. So for this question option C that is both 1 and 2 is the correct option. After this question this question is with reference to national population register. They have given three statements and you have to choose the incorrect statements. Statement 1 says that NPR is a database of usual residents of the country. Then second statement says that NPR is a subset of NRIC that is national register of Indian citizens. Then third statement says that it is maintained by the register general and census commissioner of India. Kindly notice that national population register that is NPR is a register of usual residents of the country and the objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country. Here usual resident is identified or defined as a person who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next six months or more. The details are recorded in every local or at sub-district or district and state levels and there will be a population register at each of these levels. Therefore together they constitute the national population register. So the given statement 1 is correct. See NPR is the universal data set of usual residents. It may contain both the citizens and non-citizens and out of this universal data set the citizenship status of the individuals will be verified and will be included in the national register of Indian citizens. So it is actually NRIC which is a subset of NPR. Therefore second statement is incorrect statement. Kindly notice that this NPR is maintained by the register general and census commissioner of India. So for this question they are asking the incorrect statement. So option B to only is the correct option. Now look at the practice mains question. The question says NPR is the first step to NRIC. So in this context what do you mean by NPR and NRIC discuss the challenges in implementing them in India. So this is a practice mains question. You can post your written answers in the comment section. Your posted answers will be evaluated and suitable feedback or guidance will be given for the posted answers. With this we have come to the end of today's Hindu news analysis. If you like the video please do like, share, comment and subscribe Shankar Ayesh akarm YouTube channel for latest updates. Thank you.