ENLIGHTENED MINDS_Inspiring Excellence

  Climate change and its impact on water cycle What is water stress? The water stress refers to a  twofold situation: when the demand for water exceeds the current available resource; when the poor quality of water restricts its use. It frequently occurs in areas with low rainfall and high population density or in areas where agricultural or industrial activities are intense. Even where sufficient long-term freshwater resources exist, seasonal or annual variations in the availability of freshwater may at times cause stress. Water stress causes deterioration of fresh water resources in terms of quantity (aquifer over exploitation, dry rivers, etc.) and quality (eutrophication, organic matter pollution, saline intrusion, etc.). Such deterioration can result in health problems and have a negative influence on ecosystems. The industries are also concerned, for the availability of water proves to be crucial within the industrial process, especially for water-intensive industries. Water scar

  Prime minister employment generation programme (PMEGP) About the scheme: It is a  central sector credit linked subsidy scheme  being implemented by the Ministry of MSME since 2008-09. It  assists first generation entrepreneurs for setting up micro enterprises  across the country. The entire process of application and fund flow right from receipt of application to sanction and release of loan by banks to the applicants has been made online through only  one Government portal run by Khadi and Village Industries Commission.  The whole process is  totally free of cost. No private agency, middlemen or franchise is engaged or authorized for promoting and sanctioning PMEGP projects or providing any financial assistance under PMEGP scheme

  Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) L iquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been converted to a liquid form  for the ease and safety of natural gas transport .  Natural gas is cooled to  approximately -260˚ F , creating a  clear, colorless, and non-toxic  liquid that can be transported from areas with a large supply of natural gas to areas that demand more natural gas. It is more cost effective as far as large volume of transportation to long distances is concerned. Natural Gas supply sources in India: Domestic Gas Sources: The domestic gas in the country is being supplied from the oil & gas fields located at western and southeastern areas viz. Hazira basin, Mumbai offshore & KG basin as well as North East Region (Assam & Tripura).  Import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): In order to meet the gas demand, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is imported through Open General License (OGL) in the country and it is imported by the gas marketer under various Long Term, Medium Term

  About the report: The main report is titled “ Finance Commission in Covid Times ” which depicts a set of scales on its cover to denote balance between the Union and the States. Along with it,  two more volumes as part of its submissions  have been presented. The first one focuses on the State of the Union government’s finances, with an in-depth scrutiny of key departments, the medium-term challenges facing the Centre and a roadmap for the future. The second volume is entirely dedicated to States, with the finances of each analysed in great depth. The panel has come up with  State-specific considerations  to address the key challenges that individual States face. All  terms of reference (ToR)  such as considering a new non-lapsable fund for financing national security and defence spending and offering performance incentives for States that deliver on reforms are considered. Apart from the vertical and horizontal tax devolution, local government grants, disaster management grant, the C