• Union Minister for MSME has recently approved a unique employment generation program proposed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to make India Aatmanirbhar in Agarbatti production.
• The program named as “Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission” aims at creating employment for unemployed and migrant workers in different parts of the country while increasing domestic Agarbatti production substantially.

About the Scheme

• The scheme designed by KVIC on PPP mode is unique in the sense that in a very less investment, it will create sustainable employment and help private Agarbatti manufacturers to scale up Agarbatti production without any capital investment by them.
• Under the scheme, KVIC will provide Automatic Agarbatti making machines and powder mixing machines to the artisans through the successful private Agarbatti manufacturers who will sign the agreement as business partners.
• KVIC has decided to procure only locally made machines by Indian manufacturers which also aims at encouraging local production. 
• KVIC will provide 25% subsidy on the cost of the machines and will recover the remaining 75% of the cost from the artisans in easy installments every month.
• The business partner will provide the raw material to the artisans for making Agarbatti and will pay them wages on job work basis. ‘
• Cost of artisans’ training will be shared between KVIC and the private business partner wherein KVIC will bear 75% of the cost while 25% will be paid by the business partner.

• Union Minister of State for HRD, Electronics, Communication, and IT has recently inaugurated the “Bharat Air Fibre Services” at Akola in Maharashtra.
• With inauguration of Bharat Air Fibre services, residents of Akola & Washim district  will get Wireless Internet Connections on demand. 

Bharat Air Fibre services

• The Bharat Air Fibre services are introduced by BSNL as part of digital India initiates by the Government of India.
• It provides high speed broadband to subscribers of remote areas by bridging the gap of last mile connectivity through radio waves.
• A vast network of Optical Fibre has been laid by BSNL up to nearest Telephone Exchange or Mobile Tower and from there the connectivity is provided to subscribers over wireless.
• It provides Wireless Connectivity in the range of 20 KMs from the BSNL Locations.

Smart India Hackathon 2020

• SIH is a nationwide initiative that is being conducted every year since 2017, to provide students a platform to solve some of the pressing problems we face in our daily lives, and thus inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem solving.
• There are two formats for the Hackathon - SIH Software and SIH Hardware Editions.
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SIH Software Edition is being conducted in fully ONLINE mode.
• Student participants, coordinators and industry evaluators are coming together on a digital platform designed to facilitate the implementation of the event which is being managed centrally by MHRD’s Innovation Cell & All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). 

• Recently, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has granted an interim stay on felling of coconut trees on Agatti Island in Lakshadweep.
• The tree-felling is also violating the Union Territory’s (UT) Integrated Island Management Plan (IIMP).
• IIMP was formulated on the basis of a report submitted by the Supreme Court-appointed Expert Committee, headed by Justice R.V. Raveendran.
• It includes holistic island development plans prepared by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) for implementation by coastal States/ UTs.

Agatti Island

• It is located in the Union territory of Lakshadweep.
• It is at a distance of 459 km (248 nautical miles) from Kochi and is located to the west of Kavaratti Island.
• The lagoon area of this island is habitat of coral growth and multicolored coral fishes in the lagoons.
• Fishing is the most important industry which is perhaps the only island besides Minicoy getting surplus fish.
• Next to fishing, coir (coconut fibre) and copra (dried meat or kernel of the coconut) are the main industries.

Geo-Heritage Monument

• Geo-heritage refers to the geological features which are inherently or culturally significant offering insight to earth’s evolution or history to earth science or that can be utilized for education.
• Geological Survey of India (GSI) is the parent body which is making efforts towards identification and protection of geo-heritage sites.

• The Aarhus Convention was in news with regarding to Draft EIA notification.  
• The Aarhus Convention, 1998, which stipulates that environmental rights and human rights are linked.
• It states that the present generation owes an obligation to future generations.
• It establishes that sustainable development can be achieved only through the involvement of all stakeholders.
• It links government accountability and environmental protection.
• It focuses on interactions between the public and public authorities in a democratic context.
• It It etablishes a number of rights of the public, individuals and their associations with regard to the environment.  

• Recently, a petition was filed in the  Supreme Court against Contempt of Court Act.
• Article 129 of the Constitution conferred on the Supreme Court the power to punish contempt of itself.
• Article 215 conferred a corresponding power on the High Courts.
• The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, gives statutory backing to the idea.
• The law codifying contempt classifies it as civil and criminal.
• A person shall not be guilty of contempt of court for publishing any fair comment on the merits of any case which has been heard and finally decided.
• High Court can take action for contempt of subordinate court.   

• Recently, NASA astronauts in SpaceX Capsule make first water landing since 1975.
• The Crew Dragon Spacecraft splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico from International Space Station.
• It is the first private spacecraft to launch human into space by SpaceX.
• It is a part of the Dragon 2, a class of reusable spacecraft.
• This was the first launch and landing of American astronauts from American soil after nine years.

• Recently,  a Chinese fishing vessels called, a floating city was sighted near the Galapagos archipelago.
• So, Ecuador has officially expressed its discomfort to China over the fishing vessels.
• Galapagos Islands, island group of the eastern Pacific Ocean, administratively a province of Ecuador.
• The actively volcanic islands were designated UNESCO World Heritage site.

• Indian constitution is a synthesis of British parliament sovereignty and American Judicial supremacy.
• Absolute parliament sovereignty is not adopted in Indian constitution.
• The SC can declare the parliamentary laws as unconstitutional through its power of judicial review.
• Constitution has guaranteed social equality by abolishing untouchability in any form and lays down that no citizen may be deprived of access to any public place, of the enjoyment of any public amenity or privilege, only on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
• Indian constitution is more flexible than rigid. Its flexibility is evident in the power given by the Constitution itself to the Parliament to supplement the provisions of the Constitution by legislation.
• Though the makers of the Constitution aimed at exhaustiveness, they realized that it was not possible to anticipate all exigencies and to lay down detailed provisions in the Constitution to meet all situations and for all times.