About AHIDF

The fund is part of the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus packages to help people affected by the lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The AHIDF would promote infrastructure investments in dairy, meat processing and animal feed plants.
Farmer producer organizations (FPOs), MSMEs, Section 8 companies, private companies and individual entrepreneurs would be eligible to benefit from the fund.
It will ensure the availability of capital to meet upfront investment required for these projects and also help enhance overall returns/ payback for investors.
Provisions of the AHIDF

The beneficiaries will have to contribute 10 per cent margin towards the proposed infra project and the rest 90 per cent would be a loan component to be made available to them by scheduled banks.
The balance 90% would be the loan component to be made available by scheduled banks.
Government of India will provide 3% interest subvention to eligible beneficiaries.
There will be 2 years moratorium period for the principal loan amount and 6 years repayment period thereafter.

What is NCBC?

102nd Constitution Amendment Act, 2018 provides constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
It has the authority to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding socially and educationally backward classes.
Previously NCBC was a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Background

Two Backward Class Commissions were appointed in 1950s and 1970s under Kaka Kalelkar and B.P. Mandal respectively.
In Indra Sawhney case of 1992, Supreme Court had directed the government to create a permanent body to entertain, examine and recommend the inclusion and exclusion of various Backward Classes for the purpose of benefits and protection.
In pursuant to these directions parliament passed National Commission for Backward Classes Act in 1993 and constituted the NCBC.
123rd Constitution Amendment bill of 2017 was introduced in Parliament to safeguard the interests of backward classes more effectively.
Parliament has also passed a separate bill to repeal the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993, thus 1993 act became irrelevant after passing the bill.
The bill got the President assent in August 2018 and provided the constitutional status to NCBC.

Structure of NCBC

The Commission consists of five members including a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and three other Members appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.
The conditions of service and tenure of office of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and other Members is determined by President.

Constitutional Provisions
Article 340 deals with the need to, inter alia, identify those “socially and educationally backward classes”, understand the conditions of their backwardness, and make recommendations to remove the difficulties they face.
102nd Constitution Amendment Act inserted new Articles 338 B and 342 A.
The amendment also brings about changes in Article 366.
Article 338B provides authority to NCBC to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding socially and educationally backward classes.
Article 342 A empowers President to specify socially and educationally backward classes in various states and union territories. He can do this in consultation with Governor of concerned State. However, law enacted by Parliament will be required if list of backward classes is to be amended.

Explanation:

Significance of PPP
Purchasing Power Parities are vital for converting measures of economic activities to be comparable across economies.
It is calculated based on the price of a common basket of goods and services in each participating economy and is a measure of what an economy’s local currency can buy in another economy.
Market exchange rate-based conversions reflect both price and volume differences in expenditures and are thus inappropriate for volume comparisons.
PPP-based conversions of expenditures eliminate the effect of price level differences between economies and reflect only differences in the volume of economies.

Explanation:

A Co-operative bank is a financial entity which belongs to its members, who are at the same time the owners and the customers of their bank.
They are registered under the States Cooperative Societies Act.
They are also regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and governed by the Banking Regulations Act 1949 and Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1955.
All primary (urban) co-operative banks (UCBs) (scheduled as well as non-scheduled) are required to maintain the stipulated level of cash reserve ratio (CRR) and statutory liquidity ratio (SLR).

Explanation:

Ministry of Commerce has implemented the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) since 2001.
India Organic is a certification mark for organically farmed food products manufactured in India. The certification is issued by testing centres accredited by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

Sikkim has become India’s first fully organic state by converting around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land into sustainable cultivation. Sikkim produces around 80,000 million tonnes of farm products. The total organic production in the country is estimated to be around 1.24 million tonnes while the total area under organic farming is 0.723 million hectares. A number of other states in India like Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala are now trying to become organic.