Panchayati Raj Institutions
- Panchayati Raj is the bedrock of decentralized administration in India, it refers to the system of local self-government in India introduced by a constitutional amendment in 1992.
- In India, the Panchayati Raj now functions as a system of governance in which gram panchayats are the basic units of local administration.
- The three tiers of Panchayati Raj are:
- Gram Panchayat (village level),
- Mandal Parishad or Block Samiti or Panchayat Samiti (block level),
- Zila Parishad (district level).
- It was formalized in 1992 by the 73rd amendment to the Indian Constitution.
- Currently, the Panchayati Raj system exists in all states except Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Mizoram, and in all Union Territories except Delhi.
- The Panchayats receive funds from three sources:
- Local body grants, as recommended by the Central Finance Commission
- Funds for implementation of centrally sponsored schemes
- Funds released by the state governments on the recommendations of the State Finance Commissions
Second Narasimham Committee
- In early 1990s Finance Ministry had set up Narasimham Committee for analyzing India's banking sector and recommending legislation and regulations to make it more effective, competitive and efficient.
- Recently Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to divest its entire stake in the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) and National Housing Bank.
- The decision is based on the recommendations of the second Narasimham Committee.
NHB
- National Housing Bank is an All India Financial Institution (AIFl), set up in 1988, under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987.
- It is an apex agency established to operate as a principal agency to promote housing finance institutions both at local and regional levels and to provide financial and other support incidental to such institutions and for matters connected therewith.
NABARD
- It is an apex development and specialized bank established in 1982 to uplift rural India by increasing the credit flow for elevation of agriculture & rural non-farm sector.
- It replaced the Agricultural Credit Department (ACD) and Rural Planning and Credit Cell (RPCC) of Reserve Bank of India, and Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation (ARDC).
- It has been accredited with “matters concerning policy, planning and operations in the field of credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas in India”.
Vaccination
- Vaccination makes the immune system aware to recognize new diseases and stimulate the human body to make antibodies against antigens of pathogens.
- It also teaches the immune system to remember the antigens that cause infection, which leads to a faster response to the same disease in the future.
- A vaccine usually consists of two parts and is usually given through an injection.
- Antigen is a piece of disease one’s body must learn to recognize.
- Adjuvant sends a danger signal to the body and helps your immune system to respond strongly against the antigen.
Cell-based Meat
- Cell-based meat, also called clean meat or cultured meat, is nutritionally equivalent to conventional meat, and tastes, smells, looks and feels exactly the same.
- Rather than raising livestock and slaughtering them for meat, cell-based meat is produced through ‘cellular agriculture’, with animal cells being cultivated into the meat.
- Clean meats are grown in a sterile environment which will avoid bacteria found in traditional meats.
- Replacing livestock with lab-grown meats will cut down on the land needed by 99 per cent, and the water needed by 90 per cent.
Global Talent Competitiveness Index
- Global Talent Competitive Index (GTCI), is an annual benchmarking report that measures the ability of countries to compete for talent.
- It is released by INSEAD business school in partnership with Tata Communications and Adecco Group.
- The report measures levels of Global Talent Competitiveness by looking at 68 variables such as ease of hiring, gender earnings gap, and prevalence of training in firms.
Source: The Hindu, PIB, Down to earth