Daily News Simplified - DNS

02 07 19
Notes
THE HINDU
SL. NO. TOPICS
PAGE NO.

1 Lessons from Bhutan 10

1 Report sought on Fly ash management 05

3 Core sector growth slows to 5.1%. 15

4 Locust outbreak in Rajasthan’s Barmer 05

5 Finally, aircraft carrier INS Viraat to be scrapped 22

Dated: 02. July 2019 DNS Notes

Title Lessons from Bhutan (The Hindu Page 10)

Syllabus Mains GS paper II: Social issues

Theme Education
Highlights Context of the news

Bhutan has recently announced a policy wherein Bhutan’s teachers, doctors and other
medical staff will earn more than civil servants of corresponding grades
This is a novel move as no other country has accorded teachers and doctors such pride of
place in its government service, both in terms of remuneration and symbolism.

About the policy

• The policy’s has been refereed in Bhutan’s 12th Five Year Plan (2018-23), published by its Gross
National Happiness Commission, the country’s highest policy-making body.
• The commission’s strategy is to achieve desired national outcomes through
education. The strategy opens with the notation, “making teaching a profession of
choice”. Therefore the proposal aims to achieve the country’s human developmental
objectives.
• The decision also comes in the wake of high levels of teacher attrition. Clearly, the
government has formulated the policy to put a stop to such fall in numbers of
teachers.
• But will improving the status of the teaching profession positively influences
educational outcomes?
• As per The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme
for International Student Assessment (PISA) there is distinct correlation between
student outcomes in a country and the status that its teachers enjoy. Hence it says
that higher wages does improve teacher’s status.
• Further already Bhutan spends about 7.5% of its GDP on education. The fiscal
implications of the new salary structure are unclear now.

Can India afford a similar policy?

• India currently spends about 3% of its GDP on education, accounting for about 10%
of the Centre’s and States’ budgetary expenses and salaries of teachers and other
staff constitute a large portion of this expenditure.
• The NITI Aayog in its report last year recommended that India raise this to 6% of GDP
by 2022.
• Paying teachers significantly higher salaries may seem like a difficult task, but the
Central and State governments could consider rationalising both teacher recruitment
and allocation of funds to existing programmes.
• Some programmes may have outlived their purpose, while others could be better
directed. In fact, improving accountability in the system could lead to reduction in
cost.
• A World Bank study found that teacher absenteeism in India was nearly 24%, which
costs the country about $1.5 billion annually.
• Absenteeism could be the result of many factors, including teachers taking up a
second job or farming to boost incomes, providing parental or nursing care in the
absence of support systems, or lacking motivation.
• Hence, the incentive of a desirable income with strong accountability, can help
mitigate many ills that plague the system, free fiscal space and help meet important
national developmental objectives.

• Further, implementing a policy may be easier in a smaller State, say Delhi.

• Education is a key focus area for the Delhi government; the State invests 26% of its
annual budget in the sector (much more than the national average). The
Dated: 02. July 2019 DNS Notes

administration has also worked on improving teacher motivation as a strategy for

better educational outcomes. The base has been set. Moreover, since the State is
highly urban and well-connected, it would be easier to enforce accountability
measures.

conclusion
• No investment that enables an educated, healthy, responsible and happy community
can be deemed too high by any society.
• Improving teacher status by offering top notch salaries to attract the best to the
profession could be that revolutionary policy-step forward, which Bhutan has shown
a willingness to take.
Dated: 02. July 2019 DNS Notes

Personal
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Dated: 02. July 2019 DNS Notes

Title Report sought on Fly ash management (The Hindu -Page.05)

Syllabus Mains GS paper III: Environment
Theme Pollution
Highlights Fly ash utilization

Background
India also has a vast coal reserve of 211 billion tones making coal one of the most extensively used
fossil fuel for generating power. With 40 % to 50% ash content in Indian, coal this presents an
inherent problem of ash disposal.
Large quantity of ash is being generated at Composition of Fly Ash
coal/lignite based Thermal Power Stations in the
country, which not only requires large area of Fly ash includes substantial amounts of oxides of
precious land for its disposal but is also one of the silica, aluminum and calcium. Element like
sources of pollution of both air and water. Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, lead etc. are also
Initiatives taken to promote Fly Ash Utilization – found in trace concentrations.
• A 2016 notification by Ministry of Environment,
Forests and Climate Change (MOEFCC) on Fly Ash
Utilization mandates -
➢ Mandatory uploading of details of fly ash available on Thermal Power Station’s (TPS)
website and updating of stock position at least once in every month;
➢ Increase in mandatory jurisdiction of area of application from 100 km to 300 km;
➢ Cost of transportation of fly ash to be borne entirely by TPS up to 100 km and equally shared
between user and TPS for more than 100 km and up to 300 km;
➢ Mandatory use of fly ash-based products in all Government schemes or programmes e.g.
Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act, 2005, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, etc.
• Further to above, a government notification, released in February 2019 states that -
➢ The existing red clay brick kilns located within 300 km shall be converted into fly ash-based
bricks or blocks or tiles
manufacturing unit within one year
from the date of publication of this
notification.
➢ In order to encourage the
conversion, TPS should provide fly
ash at the rate of Re 1 per tonne
and bear the full transportation
cost up to 300 km to such units.
➢ Central Electricity Authority (CEA)
on behalf of Ministry of Power has
been monitoring since 1996-97 the
fly ash generation and its
utilization in the country at coal/
lignite based thermal power
stations.
➢ Through the sustained initiatives of
various agencies of government
and industry body, Fly Ash
utilization level has reached to about 67% (132 MT) in 2017-18 as compared to about only
10% during 1996-97.
Fly ash utilisation benefits ranges from pollution prevention, resource preservation to resource
utilisation -
➢ Prevent Contamination of Water Resources- by preventing contamination of surface water
through erosion, runoff, airborne particles landing on the water surface; of ground water
moving into surface waters, flooding drainage, or discharge from a coal ash pond.
➢ Prevents Soil Erosion- Helps restrict usage of topsoil for manufacturing of bricks.
Dated: 02. July 2019 DNS Notes

➢ Used in variety of construction works- Fly ash is a proven resource material for many
applications of construction industries and currently is being utilized in manufacturing of
portland cement, bricks/blocks/tiles manufacturing, road embankment construction and
low-lying area development, etc. Flyash bricks have been found to show better strength.
➢ Usage in Agriculture- for acidic soils, as soil conditioner and helps in improving upon some
important physio-chemical properties of the soil such as hydraulic conductivity, bulk
density, porosity, water holding capacity, etc.

Personal
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Dated: 02. July 2019 DNS Notes

Title Core sector growth slows to 5.1%. (The Hindu -Page. 15)
Syllabus Mains: GS Paper III : Economy
Theme Industrial Growth
Highlights Context:

The growth in eight core industries has reduced to 5.1% in May 2019 from the nine month high of
6.3% registered in month of April 2019.This slowdown is attributed to slowdown in coal and refinery
products.

Details about Index of Eight Core Industries

• In India there are eight core sectors comprising of coal, crude oil, natural gas, petroleum
refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity.
• The eight core industries constitute 40.27% of the total index of industrial production (IIP).
• This index is prepared by Office of the Economic Advisor, Ministry of commerce of and
Industry and is published monthly with the base year as 2011-12.
• Highest Weightage: Petroleum Refinery production.
• Lowest Weightage: Fertilizers production.

Note: It is to be noted that IIP is prepared by National Statistical Office (earlier CSO) under the
Ministry of Statistics and Programme implementation.
Dated: 02. July 2019 DNS Notes

Personal
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Dated: 02. July 2019 DNS Notes

Title Locust outbreak in Rajasthan’s Barmer. (The Hindu -Page.05)

Syllabus Prelims : environment
Mains: GS Paper III: environment
Theme Pests
Highlights Why in News?

An outbreak of desert locusts in the villages of Rajasthan's Barmer district, adjoining the India-
Pakistan border, has posed a threat to the crops. Swarms of locusts were detected in the villages of
Tamlor, Gadra Road, Gudamalani and Sheo regions of the district over the weekend.

Details
• The Union Agriculture Ministry’s Locust Warning Organisation (LWO), headquartered in
Jodhpur, has launched efforts on a war footing to control locusts
• The last major outbreak of locusts took place in Rajasthan in 1993, according to the LWO.
• The tropical grasshoppers emerged in January this year from Sudan and Eritrea on Africa's
Red Sea Coast and travelled through Saudi Arabia and Iran to enter Pakistan, where they
invaded the cotton-producing belt of Sindh. The swarms of locusts are now entering the
Thar desert, threatening the crops in western Rajasthan.
• The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation has warned that more hatching and formation
of hopper groups were expected in the coming weeks in Rajasthan
Dated: 02. July 2019 DNS Notes

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Dated: 02. July 2019 DNS Notes

Title Finally, aircraft carrier INS Viraat to be scrapped (The Hindu Page 22)

Syllabus Science & technology

Theme Defence
Highlights Context: Over two years after it was decommissioned from service, aircraft carrier Viraat is going to be
scrapped.

About INS Viraart

• INS Viraat was a Centaur-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. INS Viraat was
the flagship of the Indian Navy before INS Vikramaditya was commissioned in 2013.
• The ship was completed and commissioned in 1959 as the Royal Navy's HMS Hermes, and
decommissioned in 1984.
• It was sold to India in 1987. INS Viraat was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 12 May 1987,
and served for almost 30 years.

Personal
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