Contents
- Kisan Rail
- India’s first-ever driverless train
- Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme
- Monpa Handmade Paper of Arunachal Pradesh
KISAN RAIL
Focus: GS 3;Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Why in News?
PM to flag off 100th Kisan Rail on 28 December
About Kisan Rail
- It was announced in the Union Budget 2020-21
- This train will help in bringing perishable agricultural produce like vegetables and fruits to the market in a short period of time.
- The train with frozen containers is expected to build a seamless national cold supply chain for perishables.
- This train is a step towards realizing the goal of doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022 (Ashok Dalwai Committee on Doubling of Farmers’ Income.)
- The first Kisan Rail was introduced from Devlali (Maharashtra) to Danapur (Bihar) on 7th August 2020, which was further extended up to Muzaffarpur.
- The introduction of Kisan Rail is conceptualized to provide priority to the farming sector and facilitate transportation of perishable agricultural products to various market places across the country.
- Efforts have been made in every budget to make provisions for strengthening the agricultural economy and doubling of farmers’ income, which is now beginning to bear fruit.
INDIA’S FIRST EVER DRIVERLESS TRAIN
Focus: GS 3;Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Why in News?
PM to inaugurate India’s first-ever driverless train operations on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line on 28 December
About India’s First Ever Driverless Train
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate India’s first-ever driverless train operations on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line (Janakpuri West – Botanical Garden) along with the fully operational National Common Mobility Card service on the Airport Express Line.
- The National Common Mobility Card, which will be fully operationalised on the Airport Express Line, will enable anyone carrying a RuPay-Debit Card issued from any part of the country to travel on the Airport Express Line using that card. This facility will become available on the entire Delhi Metro network by 2022.
Advantages of Driverless Technology
- These innovations will herald a new era of travelling comfort and enhanced mobility.
- The driverless trains will be fully automated, which will eliminate the possibility of human error.
- Driverless technology can improve punctuality & reduce ongoing operating costs.
- The benefits associated with Automatic Train Operation (ATO) stem are consistent control of train speed profiles and greater potential for traffic management strategies to be implemented directly.
- can increase the frequency of trains, it offers a better recovery from delays, essentially an increase in the capacity of the system.
- minimizes energy consumption for a given journey time by controlling the speed, including real-time optimization to take delays into account, smoother changes of acceleration compared to manual control may increase the lifespan of wheelsets and traction/braking equipment, and can also improve passenger comfort.
Dis-Advantages of Driverless Technology
- Expensive
- Safety and security concerns
- Prone to Hacking
- Fewer job opportunities for others
- Non-functional sensors
SOVERIGN GOLD BOND SCHEME
Focus: GS 3;Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Why in News?
Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2020-21 (Series IX) – Issue Price
About Soverign Gold Bond Scheme (SGB)
- The Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme was introduced in the Union Budget 2015-16 by the Union Cabinet which was chaired by PM Narendra Modi.
- It was launched to reduce the demand for physical gold and with an aim to invest a part of these physicals gold bars and coins that are purchased every year into financial savings in the form of gold bonds.
- Investors have to pay the issue price in cash and the bonds will be redeemed in cash on maturity.
- The Bond is issued by Reserve Bank on behalf of Government of India.
- Government introduced these bonds to help reduce India’s over dependence on gold imports.
- The move was also aimed at changing the habits of Indians from saving in physical form of gold to a paper form with Sovereign backing.
- The bonds will be restricted for sale to resident Indian entities, including individuals, Hindu Undivided Family (HUFs), trusts, universities and charitable institutions.
- The bonds will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of 1 gram.
- The tenor will be for a period of 8 years with exit option from the 5th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.
- The minimum permissible investment limit will be 1 gram of gold, while the maximum limit will be 4 kg for individual, 4 kg for HUF and 20 kg for trusts and similar entities per fiscal (April-March) notified by the government from time to time.
- In case of joint holding, the investment limit of 4 kg will be applied to the first applicant only.
- Bonds can be used as collateral for loans.
- The loan-to-value (LTV) ratio is to be set equal to ordinary gold loan mandated by the Reserve Bank from time to time.
About Benefits of Soverign Gold Bond
- As a low-risk investment, it is perfect for investors with a low-risk appetite.
- Compared to physical gold, the cost to purchase or sell SGBs is quite low.
- The expense of buying or selling the SGB is also nominal in comparison to the physical gold.
- The gold bonds can be availed either in paper or in Demat form as per the convenience of an individual.
- The gold bonds invested by the Investors can be gifted or transferred to others who are eligible under the scheme.
- They can also trade these bonds on stock exchanges subject to notifications of the Reserve Bank of India.
- These Gold bonds can be purchased through multiple payment modes such as cheques, cash, DDs, or electronic transfer.
MONPA HANDMADE PAPER OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH
Focus: GS 2;Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Why in News?
KVIC Brings Alive 1000-yrs Old Monpa Handmade Paper Industry in Tawang to Revive the Heritage Art; a Historic Feat for North East
About Monpa Handmade Paper of Arunachal Pradesh
- The Monpa Handmade paper is from Arunachal Pradesh.
- The 1000-year old heritage art the Monpa Handmade Paper of Arunachal Pradesh which was driven to the extinction, has come to life once again, with the committed efforts of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
- In western Arunachal Pradesh the Nissi (Nishi or Dafla), Sherdukpen, Aka, Monpa, Apa Tani, and Hill Miri are among the main tribes.
- The Adi, who constitute the largest tribal group in the state, live in the central region.
- The Monpa or Mönpa is a major tribe of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India.
- Most Monpas live in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, with a population of around 60,000, centered in the districts of Tawang and West Kameng.
