IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Jan 24, 2017

ANSWER: Both 1 and 2

Explanation:

• The Union Cabinet has approved the Indian Institute of Management(IIM) Bill, 2017, under which the IIMs would be declared as Institutions of National Importance which will enable them to grant degrees to their students.

Following are the salient features of the Bill:


• IIMs can grant degrees to their students
• The Bill provides for complete autonomy to the Institutions, combined with adequate accountability.
• Management of these Institutions would be Board driven, with the Chairperson and Director of an Institution which will be selected by the Board.
• A greater participation of experts and alumni in the Board is amongst other important features of the Bill.
• Provision has also been made for inclusion of women and members from Scheduled Castes/Tribes in the Board.
• The Bill also provides for periodic review of the performance of Institutions by independent agencies, and placing the results of the same on public domain.
• The Annual Report of the Institutions will be placed in the Parliament and CAG will be auditing their accounts.
• There is also a provision of Coordination Forum of IIMs as an advisory body.

Background -


• Indian Institutes of Management are the country's premier institutions imparting best quality education in management on globally benchmarked processes of education and training in management.
• IIMs are recognized as world-class management Institutions and Centers of Excellence and have brought laurels to the country.
• All IIMs are separate autonomous bodies registered under the Societies Act.
• Being societies, IIMs are not authorized to award degrees and, hence, they have been awarding Post Graduate Diploma and Fellow Programme in Management.
• While these awards are treated as equivalent to MBAs and Ph.D, respectively, the equivalence is not universally acceptable, especially for the Fellow Programme.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• The National Action Plan for Children, 2016 (NPAC) has been developed by the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
• The NPAC 2016 is based on the principles embedded in the National Policy for Children 2013(NPC 2013) and provides a road-map that links the policy objectives to actionable programmes and strategies as well as indicators for monitoring the progress.

It seeks to ensure the following -


• The Action Plan has four key priority areas - survival, health and nutrition; education and development; protection and participation.
• The NPAC defines objectives, sub-objectives, strategies, action points and indicators for measuring progress under the four key priority areas and also identifies key stakeholders for the implementation of different strategies.
• The plan also puts focus on new and emerging concerns for children such as online child abuse, children affected by natural and man-made disasters and climate change, etc.
• The strategies and action points largely draw upon the existing programmes and schemes of various Ministries/Departments.
• However, for new and emerging issues related to children; it also suggests formulation of new programmes and strategies, as required.
• The plan takes into account the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provides a roadmap towards achieving them though co-ordination and convergence with different stakeholders.
• The National Policy for Children (2013) provides for formation of a National Co-ordination and Action Group (NCAG) under the Ministry of Women and Child Development to coordinate and implement the plan and monitor the progress with other Ministries concerned as its members.
• The NPAC 2016 takes into account data disaggregated by rural and urban areas for key indicators.
• Reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates are key outcomes envisaged under Key Priority Area: Survival, Health and Nutrition.

ANSWER: Coastal Regulation

Explanation:

• The Report of the Committee to Review the Issues relating to the Coastal Regulation Zone, 2011 was submitted to the government.
• Shailesh Nayak Committee has recently relaxed norms under coastal regulation zones.
• It has proposed for allowing housing infrastructure and slum redevelopment activities, tourism, ports and harbor and fisheries-related activities in coastal regulation zone.
• On development and construction, the report recommends that all activities except those requiring environmental clearances should fall under the ambit of the state and local planning bodies instead of being regulated by central policy.
• The areas affected by this amendment would be coastal towns, rural areas and waters up to 12 nautical miles from the coast.
• For rural areas with a population density of over 2,161 persons/sq km, the committee has recommended that the “no-development buffer zone” be limited to 50m from the High Tide Line (HTL).
• For other areas, the buffer has been recommended at 200m from the HTL.
• This HTL, though has not been determined for the country’s coastline yet and is currently being put together by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management.
• The report has also called for allowing reclamation of lands for specific infrastructure such as ports, bridges and fisheries-related structures for the “larger public interest”.
• The recommendations make a case for allowing temporary tourist facilities in no-development zones in coastal areas as well as permanent structures on the landward sides of national/state highways when these pass through these zones.
• Further, especially considering the plea from the government of Maharashtra, the panel has suggested that urban planning rules prepared by local authorities be prioritised for slum development and rehabilitation instead of the 2011 regulations which were deemed restrictive by states.
• States would also be able to decide the Floor Area Ratio for construction activity in coastal areas if the recommendations are implemented.
• The committee has suggested that the central government’s role in coastal areas be limited to environmental clearances and regulating environmentally-sensitive areas.