Prelim Bits 12-10-17

Sewage Treatment Plants in PPP

• Government has approved setting up of India’s first ever Sewage Treatment Plants under Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) at Haridwar and Varanasi.
• It will ensure that untreated sewage from the cities does not flow into the Ganga, giving a boost to Namami Gange Programme.
• As per HAM, the government will contribute to 40% of the project cost to the Private entity in the first five years through annual payments.
• The remaining payment will be made on the basis of the assets created and the performance of the developer.
• Thus the annuity payment based on performance of the sewage infrastructure assets will ensure the continued performance of the sewage plants.
• It also allows the financial risk to be shared between the government and private entity.

Nirmal Ganga Sahbhagita

• Nirmal Ganga Sahbhagita is an initiative of Ministry of water resources.
• It is mainly to assist the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) located on the banks of the river Ganga for achieving the objective of Clean Ganga.
• It aims at sensitizing the ULBs about the pollution arising primarily due to dumping of solid waste in the river and involving them in stoppage of such dumping.

SANKALP and STRIVE

• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has recently approved SANKALP and STRIVE schemes.
• Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) aimed at providing market relevant training to youths across the country.
• Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) aimed at improving the quality and the market relevance of vocational training provided in ITIs.
• The project will also strengthen the apprenticeship programme through industry-cluster approach.
• Both Schemes are under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and supported by World Bank loan assistance.
• The two schemes will help in setting up national body for vocational education – Vocational Education and Training (VET).
• VET shall regulate accreditation and certification in both long and short term thereby bringing about uniformity in vocational training.
• SANKALP is a centrally sponsored scheme and STRIVE is a central sector scheme.

Central sector schemes and Centrally Sponsored Scheme

• Central sector schemes are 100% funded by the Union government and implemented by the Central Government machinery.
• Central sector schemes are mainly formulated on subjects from the Union List.
• They account for 11% of the Central Government's expenditure.
• In Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) a certain percentage of the funding is borne by the States and the implementation is by the State Governments.
• Centrally Sponsored Schemes are formulated in subjects from the State List to encourage States to prioritise in areas that require more attention.
• They account for 10% of Central governments expenditure.

Film and Television Institute of India

• Shri Anupam Kher, veteran cine star, has been appointed as Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
• FTII is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• It is registered under Societies' Registration Act of 1860.
• It is a member of the International Liaison Centre of Schools of Cinema and Television (CILECT), an organisation of the world's leading schools of film and television.

Survey in Arabian Sea Region

• The first ever assessment of the conservation status of Sharks, rays and Chimaeras in the Arabian Sea Region (ASR) was recently carried out.
• The assessment revealed that 3 marine species viz Pondicherry shark, the red sea torpedo and the tentacle butterfly ray might be possibly extinct in the ASR.
• The guitar fish found in coastal waters of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the Ganges shark were classified as “Critically Endangered”.
• The ASR covers the waters of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Sea of Oman, and the Gulf.

Chondrichthyans

• Chondrichthyes is a class that contains the cartilaginous fishes.
• Sharks, rays and chimaeras are collectively called as chondrichthyans.
• Cartilaginous fishes are jawed vertebrates with paired fins and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone.
• They paired nares, scales, a heart with its chambers in series.
• India banned the exploitation and trade of sharks fins of all species and rays.

Source: PIB, The Hindu, BusinessLine.