UPSC Prelims News 9 December 2022

UPSC Prelims News of 9 December 2022

Implementation of PM-KUSUM

Context: An aggregate solar capacity of 73.45 MW has been installed under Component- A of the PM-KUSUM Scheme against total allocation of 4886 MW capacity.

Over 1.52 lakh agriculture pumps have been solarised against the allocation of 33.5 lakh pumps under the Scheme.
A total of 21499 farmers in the State of Maharashtra and 2242 farmers in the State of Tamil Nadu have been benefitted under the PM-KUSUM Scheme.

About PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) Scheme

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched PM KUSUM Scheme for farmers for installation of solar pumps and grid connected solar and other renewable power plants in the country.
It is aimed at ensuring energy security for farmers in India, along with honouring India’s commitment to increase the share of installed capacity of electric power from non-fossil-fuel sources.
PM-KUSUM Scheme was launched in 2019 with 3 components:

Component-A: For Setting up of 10,000 MW of Decentralized Grid Connected Renewable Energy Power Plants on barren land.

- These power plants can also be installed on cultivable land on stilts where crops can also be grown below the solar panels.
- The renewable energy power project will be installed within five km radius of the sub-stations in order to avoid high cost of sub-transmission lines and to reduce transmission losses.
- The power generated will be purchased by local DISCOM at pre-fixed tariff

Component-B: Individual farmers will be supported to install standalone solar Agriculture pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP for replacement of existing diesel Agriculture pumps / irrigation systems in off-grid areas, where grid supply is not available.
Component-C: For Solarisation of 10 Lakh Grid Connected Agriculture Pumps.

- Individual farmers having grid connected agriculture pump will be supported to solarise pumps.
- The farmer will be able to use the generated solar power to meet the irrigation needs and the excess solar power will be sold to DISCOMs at pre-fixed tariff

PM-KUSUM is a demand driven scheme and capacities are allocated based on demand received from the states.
Support to Vulnerable: Implementation agencies in the States/ UTs have to provide priority to the small and marginal farmers while selecting the beneficiaries.
- Separate budgetary allocations are made under the Scheme for the beneficiaries belonging to Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes and also those living in the North-Eastern States.

Drone Promotion in India

Context: Recently, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, and Information and Broadcasting inaugurated India’s first Drone Skilling and Training Virtual E-Learning Platform in Chennai.

Highlight

Potential: India will become a hub of drone technology and India will require at least 1 lakh drone pilots by next year.
- Annual sales turnover of the Indian drone manufacturing industry may grow from approximately INR 60 crore in 2020-21 to approximately INR 900 crore by 2024-25.
Application: Drone service providers for vaccine delivery, inspection of oil pipelines and power transmission lines, anti-locust operations, survey of mines, land mapping under SWAMITVA scheme for issuance of digital property cards, etc.
- Kisan Drones enables precision spray of pesticides and fertilisers and also help with crop health monitoring, surveillance, industrial inspection, yield measurement, and crop loss mitigation.

Garuda Aerospace

It is India’s largest Drone Manufacturing Facility.
It is Situated at Chennai.

Steps taken by government to Promote Usage of Drone in India

Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to promote the growth of drone manufacturing by private companies.
It provides for an incentive of Rs 120 crores, spread over three financial years.
The PLI rate is 20% of the value addition over three financial years.
Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022: It abolished the requirement of a drone pilot license.
Drones Rules, 2021: It provide the necessary regulatory framework for commercial use of drones. It cover various aspects like type certification, registration and operation of drones, airspace restrictions, research, development and testing of drones, training and licensing, offences and penalties etc.
Drone Airspace Map: It has opened nearly 90% of Indian airspace as a green zone for drone flying up to 400 feet.
Drone certification scheme, making it easier to obtain type certificate by drone manufacturers.
Drone import policy: It banned import of foreign drones and freeing up import of drone components.

Election Security Deposit

Context: In the recently concluded state Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, many contestants lose their security deposit – an indicator of clear rejection at the hands of the voters.

About Election Security Deposit

It is an amount that is to be deposited with the Returning Officer when a candidate files their nomination.
It is to be submitted either in cash, or a receipt must be enclosed with the nomination paper, showing that the said sum has been deposited on the candidate’s behalf in the Reserve Bank of India or in a Government Treasury.
Objective: To ensure that only genuinely intending candidates end up filing the nomination to be a part of the electoral process.

Types of Election Security Deposit

Representation of the People Act of 1951 mentions different amounts depending on the level of election:

In the case of an election from a Parliamentary constituency, meaning a Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seat, the amount is Rs 25,000 and Rs 12,500 for a Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidate.
In the case of an election from an Assembly or Council constituency, meaning at the level of legislative bodies in the states, it is Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 for an SC/ST candidate.
In the case of Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections, a deposit of Rs 15,000 is to be made.

Cases When Security Deposit Is Forfeited

As per Representation of the People Act of 1951, the deposit has to be forfeited at an election if the number of valid votes polled by the candidate is less than 1/6th of the total number of valid votes polled.
In Case Of Proportional Representation Method: It would be 1/6th of the total number of valid votes so polled divided by the number of members to be elected.

Krishi Udan Scheme 2.0

Context: According to a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, a total of 58 airports were covered under Krishi Udan Scheme 2.0

About the Krishi Udan Scheme 2.0

It was announced in October 2021 enhancing the existing provisions, mainly focusing on transporting perishable food products from the hilly areas, North-Eastern States and tribal areas.
Main objective: To increase share of air carriage in the modal mix for transportation of Agri-produce, which includes horticulture, fishery, livestock and processed products.
It lays out the vision of improving value realization for farmers through better integration and optimization of Agri-harvesting and air transportation.
Coverage: Initially 53 Airports were covered in the pilot project for 06 months. Thereafter, during the review, 05 more Airports were added thus total covered are 58 Airports.

About the Krishi UDAN Scheme

It was launched in August 2020, on international and national routes to assist farmers in transporting agricultural products so that it improves their value realization.
The scheme aims to ensure seamless, cost-effective, time-bound air transportation and associated logistics for all Agri-produce originating especially from Northeast, hilly and tribal regions of the country.
It was formulated with support from AAICLAS – a 100% subsidiary of the Airports Authority of India and Invest India, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

About UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) Scheme

It was launched as a regional connectivity scheme under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016.
It offers a unique opportunity to a common man to fly at an affordable price.
It has played a major role in adding new airports and routes to the aviation landscape of the country.