Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA)
What to study?
For Prelims and Mains: EPCA- objectives, composition and significance.
Context: Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has reconstituted Supreme Court-empowered Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA).
About Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA):
EPCA was constituted with the objective of ‘protecting and improving’ the quality of the environment and ‘controlling environmental pollution’ in the National Capital Region. The EPCA also assists the apex court in various environment-related matters in the region.
EPCA is Supreme Court mandated body tasked with taking various measures to tackle air pollution in the National Capital Region. It was notified in 1998 by Environment Ministry under Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Composition:
Besides the chairman, the EPCA has 14 members, some of whom are the environment secretary of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), chairperson of the New Delhi Municipal Council, transport commissioner of the NCT, the commissioners of various municipal corporations of Delhi and professors at IIT Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Functions:
To protect and improve quality of environment and prevent and control environmental pollution in National Capital Region.
To enforce Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in NCR as per the pollution levels.
Sources: pib.
Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.
‘Nirman Kusuma’ programme
Features and significance of the scheme.
Context: Odisha government has launched the ‘Nirman Kusuma’ programme to help the children of construction workers get trained in Industrial Training Institutes and polytechnics.
Key facts:
Under the scheme, the children of construction workers would get financial assistance for their education in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and polytechnics.
While an ITI student will be entitled to get financial assistance of Rs. 23,600, a diploma student to get Rs. 26,300 per annum.
Outreach:
Under the scheme, an ITI student will get assistance of Rs. 23,600 a year and a diploma student will get Rs. 26,300.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
NRC for Tripura
Need for updation of NRC and related issues.
Context: The Supreme Court has issued notice to the government to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Tripura, as is being done in Assam, in order to detect and deport the “illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh.
Need:
A petition has been filed in the court contending that the “influx” of illegal immigrants into Tripura amounted to ‘external aggression’ under Article 355 of the Constitution. Also, the presence of illegal immigrants violates the political rights of the citizens of Tripura said the PIL.
Concerns:
Tripura was a predominantly tribal State, but now it has become a non-tribal State. Indigenous people who were once the majority has now become a minority in their own land claimed the PIL. Uncontrolled influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh to Tripura has caused huge demographic changes in Tripura.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.
· International Social Security Association
· About ISSA and its role, about ‘Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific’.
Context: The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) was awarded the ‘ISSA Good Practice Award’ for administrative solution for coverage extension at the ‘Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific’ held recently at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The award recognizes the measures taken by ESIC for extension of coverage of the Scheme for Promoting Registration of Employers and Employees (SPREE), reducing the rate of contribution rates for 24 months in newly implemented areas and raising the wage limit for coverage under the ESI Act.
About International Social Security Association:
The ISSA is the principal international organization for Social Security Organizations, Govts. and Departments of Social Security.
The ISSA was founded in 1927 under the auspices of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva.
It promotes excellence in social security administration through professional guidelines, expert knowledge, services and support to enable its Members to develop dynamic social security systems.
The ESI Corporation hosts ISSA Liaison Office for South Asia at New Delhi. The Liasion Office coordinates with the Member countries and Social Security Institutions in Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Iran on activities of ISSA related to social security.
The regional social security forum for Asia and the Pacific is a triennial Forum, which is the most important social security event in the region.
The International Social Security Association (ISSA) invites submissions for the ISSA Good Practices award for Asia and the Pacific regions, on the occasion of the triennial regional forum. The Forum provides unique opportunities to CEOs and Managers of ISSA Member Institutions to discuss key social security challenges and share their experiences.