Prelim Bits 10-12-2019

Human Development Index

Human Development Report was recently released by UN Development Programme (UNDP).
It unveils Human Development Index (HDI) which measures average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development,

According to its recent report, India ranks 129 out of 189 countries on the 2019 HDI, up by one position (130) from last year.
Norway, Switzerland, Ireland occupied the top 3 positions followed by Germany & Hong Kong in 4^th and Australia in 5^th ranking.
Among India's neighbours, Sri Lanka (71) and China (85) are higher up the rank scale.
Bhutan (134), Bangladesh (135), Myanmar (145), Nepal (147), Pakistan (152) and Afghanistan (170) were ranked lower on the list.
Inequality-Adjusted HDI (IHDI) indicates percentage loss in HDI due to inequalities.
In IHDI, India’s position drops by one position to 130.
In the Gender Inequality Index (GII), India is at 122 out of 162 countries. Neighbours China (39), Sri Lanka (86), Bhutan (99), Myanmar (106) were placed above India.
Report Highlights - South Asia was the fastest growing region in human development progress followed by East Asia and the Pacific.
The world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030 as per the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
It forecasts that it may take 202 years to close the gender gap in economic opportunity.
It presents a new index indicating how prejudices and social beliefs obstruct gender equality.
It shows that only 14% of women and 10% of men worldwide have no gender bias.
It also highlights that new forms of inequalities will manifest in future through climate change and technological transformation.

126^th Constitution Amendment Bill

The 126^th Constitution Amendment Bill was recently introduced in the Lok Sabha.
The bill intends to extend the reservation of SC/STs in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by 10 years.
It removes the provision of nominating two members of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha.
The reservation given to SCs, STs and the Anglo-Indian community for the past 70 years is to end on January 25, 2020.
According to the 2011 census, there are 296 members of the Anglo-Indian community in the entire country.

Click here to know more about the reservation.

White Island Volcano

The White Island Volcano, also called Whakaari, in New Zealand has recently erupted.
It is the country's most active volcano situated in the east coast in the Bay of Plenty.
It has been built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past 1,50,000 years.
It is a privately owned island and tourist destination. The large eruption resulted in atleast 5 fatalities.

Piped Drinking Water

Jal Jeevan Mission was launched to provide functional household tap connections to every households by 2024.
Jal Shakti Ministry is the nodal ministry for this mission.
Water is the State subject. Thus, the implementation has to be done through the States.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is preparing the ground for enforcement of piped water quality standards with a workshop for State officials.
The BIS standard is available for bottled water which is mostly produced by private companies.
But the BIS standard is not yet mandatory for piped water which is largely supplied by government agencies.

Skills Build Platform

Skills Build is a digital platform developed by IBM along with Ministry of Skill Development.
India is the 4th country where this Skills Build platform has been launched after in UK, Germany and France.
The platform enables holistic learning and aligning it with Skills India initiative by Government of India.
It will be accessible online through bharat skills, a Learning Management System for ITI/NSTI Students and Teachers and free to use.
It will focus on personalised coaching and experiential learning. It also provides personal assessment for cognitive capabilities.

Source: PIB, The Hindu