Indian Army uses GOCO model to improve efficiency
Context : The Indian Army began its work based on the Government Owned Contractor Operated (GOCO) model.
In news :
- The model will identify the potential industry partners for its base workshops and ordnance depots intended to improve operational efficiency.
- Army also issued a Request For Information (RFI) to shortlist service providers with experience in warehousing, logistics and supply chain management for Central Ordnance Depot (COD), Kanpur.
- Also, the Army’s Master General of Ordnance (MGO) started to evaluate the GOCO model for Army Base Workshops (ABWs) to drive higher operational efficiencies.
- Indian Army has hired Price water house Coopers Pvt. Ltd. (PwC) as a consultant to run the process and to hold conferences & consultations with the industry.
GOCO Model :
- The GOCO model was recommended by the Lt. Gen. DB Shekatkar (Retd.) committee.
- The model aims to enhance combat capability and re-balancing defence expenditure.
- As per the committee’s recommendations, the government has decided to disband two advance base workshops, one static workshop and four ordnance depots and eight ABWs are recommended to be corporatized on the GOCO model.
- The 8 ABWs that are identified by the army are located in Allahabad, Agra, Delhi, Kankinara of West Bengal, Jabalpur of Madhya Pradesh, and Meerut of Uttar Pradesh, Kirkee near Pune and Bengaluru.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) Report
Context : IMD reported that 2019 is recorded as the seventh warmest year since 1901. It also said that the heating was substantially lower than the highest warming observed in 2016.
Report Highlights :
- The reports stated that 1,562 people died due to extreme weather events including heatwave, avalanches floods, and thunderstorms.
- It highlighted that the average temperature over India during the year 2019 was above normal.
- The average annual mean surface air temperature in India during 2019 was 0.36 degree Celsius above average recorded between 1981 and 2010 period.
- It records the warming during 2019 was substantially lower than the highest warming which was observed over India with 0.71 degree Celsius during 2016.
- The five warmest years recorded by IMD are 2016 with 0.71 degree Celsius, 2009 with 0.541 degree Celsius, 2017 with 0.539 degree Celsius, 2010 with 0.54 degree Celsius and 2015 with 0.42 degree Celsius.
World Day of War Orphans
Context : The World Day of War Orphans was celebrated on 6 January 2020. The day is observed every year. The day enables the global Communities to recognize the plight of a, particularly vulnerable group.
Aim :
The day aims to address the war orphans as it has become a growing worldwide humanitarian and social crisis. The day ensures to voice out the predicament of war orphans. It highlights that children growing up in orphanage experience emotional, social and physical handicaps.
War orphans :
The World Day of War Orphans was initiated by the French organization, SOS Enfants en Detresses. UNICEF estimated that there are nearly 9,00,000 children in the Northeast, all of whom have been seriously affected by the war, either through a lack of education, food, shelter or a direct injury.
In the developed countries orphans are relatively less in number but in countries that have been and are subjected to wars and great epidemics such as AIDS, there are significant numbers of orphans. An estimate said that World War II created millions of orphans in Europe, with 300,000 orphans in Poland and 200,000 in Yugoslavia alone. The children are most often neglected. The day aims to remember these children and reminds the responsibility to work hard to diminish the shadow of war so that no one would be an orphan within the motherland.
Balshashtri Jambhekar
Context : Journalists Day was celebrated on 6 January in Maharashtra, The day is observed in the memory of late thespian journalist Balshashtri Jambhekar.
Balshastri Jambhekar :
Balshastri Jambhekar is also known as The Father of Marathi Journalism. He was born on 6 January 1812 in Pombhurle in Devgad taluka in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. He is recognized for his efforts in starting journalism in the Marathi language. He dealt with the issues of widow re-marriage in his newspaper. He fought to develop a scientific set of minds in the masses of uneducated India. The first newspaper in the Marathi language named Darpan was published on 6 January 1832. The release date also marks his birth anniversary. He was the editor of Darpan during British Rule in India. He died on 18 May 1846.
National Pension System (NPS)
In News :
- 7,000 corporates in the country are currently registered with PFRDA, but only 10 lakh employees from this corporate sector are covered under the NPS.
- NPS currently has a total subscriber base of 3.25 crore, (with ₹4 lakh crore under investment as on December 31)
About NPS :
- National Pension System (NPS) is a government-sponsored pension scheme launched in January 2004 for government employees. However, in 2009, it was opened to all sections.
- Implementation Agency: NPS is being implemented and regulated by PFRDA(Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority) – a statutory body established by PFRDA Act, 2013
Who can join NPS :
- Any Indian citizen (Both Resident and Non-Resident) between 18 and 60 years can join NPS. The only condition is that the person must comply with know your customer (KYC) norms.
- However, OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) and PIO (Person of Indian Origin) card holders and Hindu Undivided Family (HUFs) are not eligible for opening of NPS account.
GDP growth rate for 2019-20 expected to be 5% (previous fiscal 6.8%)
In News :
- GDP decline in 2019-20 s attributed to slowdown in Manufacturing (2%) and Construction sector (3.2%)
- Gross Domestic product(GDP) is the total monetary or market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period.
- Gross value Addition (GVA) is the sum of a country’s GDP and net of subsidies and taxes in the economy (GVA=GDP+ Subsidies on Products−Taxes on Products)
- GVA gives a picture of the state of economy from the producers’ side or supply side, the GDP gives the picture from the consumers’ side or demand perspective