Public Accounts Committee

Context: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has pulled up the Directorate of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) for not conforming to its recommendations to improve its services.

• Concerns were raised over the supply of outdated drugs to beneficiaries, delays in the settlement of claims, and the absence of coverage for the latest medical procedures under the scheme. 

About Public Accounts Committee (PAC)

• PAC is a parliamentary committee constituted for the purpose of auditing the revenue and the expenditure of the Government of India.
• Established: The PAC  was first established in 1921 under the Government of India Act, 1919.
• Composition: The Public Accounts Committee consists of a maximum of twenty-two (22) members with 1 year term.
  • Fifteen members elected by Lok Sabha and seven members are elected from the Rajya Sabha.
• Election: The members are elected every year through the principle of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote
• Chairperson: The chairman is appointed by the Lok Sabha speaker and as per convention belongs to the opposition party.
• Functions: 
  • Auditing Government Accounts: The PAC scrutinizes the appropriation accounts, finance accounts etc of the government to ensure proper utilization of public funds.
  • To examine the audit report of Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) after it is laid in Parliament.
    • C&AG assists the committee during the course of the investigation. 
  • To ascertain whether the money granted by parliament has been spent by the government within the scope of the demand.

Community Forest Resource Management Plans

Context: The Chhattisgarh Forest Department has halted the implementation of Community Forest Resource (CFR) management plans, citing the need for model plans to be approved first.

Community Forest Resource (CFR) Management Plans 

• They are meant to be created by forest-dwelling communities whose rights are recognised under the Forest Rights Act (FRA).
• These plans aim to sustainably use forest resources for livelihoods and forest conservation, benefiting the community.

Community Forest Resources (CFR) means customary common forest, (including reserved forests, protected forests and protected areas):

• land within the customary or traditional boundary of the village or 
• seasonal use of landscape in the case of pastoral communities.

Community Forest Resource rights

• The Community Forest Resource rights are provided under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act.
• It provides for recognition of the right to “protect, regenerate or conserve or manage” the community forest resource. 
• It allows the community to formulate rules for forest use by itself and others and thereby discharge its responsibilities.
• CFR rights, along with Community Rights which include nistar rights and rights over non-timber forest products ensure sustainable livelihoods of the community.
• Jurisdiction of Gram Sabha: These rights give the authority to the Gram Sabha to adopt local traditional practices of forest conservation and management.

What are Nistar Rights ? 

Nistar Rights are a concession granted to the forest dwelling communities to access and use the forest produce for their bonafide domestic  use (not for sale).

Kulsi River

Context: Protests have erupted against a proposed joint 55 MW hydropower project by Assam and Meghalaya on the ecologically sensitive Kulsi River

Reasons for the Protests

• The newly constructed dam’s regulation of river flow will affect at least 12 wetlands, including Chandubi—the world’s fifth-largest tectonic lake.
• Natural vegetation and crops rely on the Kulsi River, which drops significantly in the dry season. 
  • The proposed 55 MW Kulsi Hydropower Project at Ukiam would impact areas from Ukiam to Nagarbera in southern Kamrup district.

About Kulsi River

• South-bank tributary of the Brahmaputra River
• The river system originates from the West Khasi Hill ranges of Meghalaya at an elevation of over 1800 metres.
• It is formed by the confluence of three rivers: Khri, Krishniya and Umsiri.
• In its upper reaches, it is known as the Khri River.
• After merging with Krishniya and Umsiri in the Khasi Hills, it flows northwest and merges with the Brahmaputra near Nagarbera in Assam.
• The Kulsi River is considered one of the last refuges of the endangered Gangetic river dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) in Assam.
  • Locally known as “sihu”.

The species is listed in the IUCN Red List, and it has been designated:

• State Aquatic Animal of Assam (2009)
• National Aquatic Animal of India (2010)

Annual Bonalu Festival

Context: Bonalu festival is celebrated annually in Telangana, especially in Hyderabad and Secunderabad, during Ashada Masam (July/August) at Sri Ujjaini Mahakali Devasthanam.

About Bonalu Festival 

• “Bonam” in Telugu means meal, an offering made by women to the Mother Goddess
• Bonalu is a Hindu festival dedicated to the worship of Goddess Mahakali.
• Celebrated annually in Telangana, especially in Hyderabad and Secunderabad, during Ashada Masam (July/August).
• The festival is a Thanksgiving offering to the Goddess for the fulfillment of vows.
• It involves ritualistic worship of Goddess Kali in her many forms:
  • Yellamma, Pochamma, Poleramma, Maremma, Nookalamma, among others.

Banakacherla Project

Context: Andhra Pradesh’s proposed Banakacherla reservoir project to divert Godavari water has sparked a major political and legal dispute with Telangana over water-sharing rights and federal violations.

What is the Banakacherla reservoir project?

The Project aims to; 

• Link the Godavari River with the Penna River through the Krishna River.
• Transform drought-prone Rayalaseema (especially Nandyal district) into fertile agricultural land.

About Krishna River

• The Krishna River in the Deccan plateau is the third-longest river in India, after the Ganga and Godavari.
• It is the fourth-largest in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India
• Origin: The Krishna River originates in Western Ghats at an elevation of about 1337m north of Mahabaleshwar hills in Maharashtra.

Godavari River

• The Godavari river is the largest river in Peninsular India. It is known as the Dakshin Ganga or Vridha Ganga (old Ganga) because of its age, size, and length. It is navigable in the delta region.
• Origin: It rises from a place called Trimbak located in the Western Ghats in Nashik district in the state of Maharashtra.

International Potato Centre: Agra

Context: The Centre has approved the establishment of a regional potato research hub in Agra, Uttar Pradesh to boost tuber crop productivity and support farmers across South Asia.

• This will be India’s second major international agricultural research institution
  • The first was the International Rice Research Institute – South Asia Regional Centre (IRRI-SARC), established in Varanasi in 2017.

Objective

• To boost food and nutrition security, farmers’ income, and job creation through:
  • Enhanced potato and sweet potato productivity
  • Post-harvest management
  • Value addition

Potato Production

• India is the second-largest producer and consumer of potatoes globally, producing 51.30 million tonnes in 2020, while China leads with 78.24 million tonnes.
  • Top-producing states: Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal (15 MT each), followed by Bihar (9 MT), Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab
• Potatoes are not native to India and were introduced by Portuguese traders in the early 17th century.

About International Potato Centre (CIP)

• Founded in 1971 and based in Lima, Peru, the International Potato Center focuses on research and development in potatoes, sweet potatoes, and Andean tubers.

Other Research Centres

• ICAR-CPRI, Shimla – Central Potato Research Institute.
• ICAR-CTCRI, Thiruvananthapuram – Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (focused on sweetpotato).

DOWNLOAD PDF