ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS

1.    Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.  It was amended in 1987

2.     Biological Diversity Act, 2002 National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)is a statutory autonomous body, headquartered in Chennai, under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India established in 2003 to implement the provisions under the Act

3.    Environment Protection Act, 1986. The purpose of the Act is to implement the decisions of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environments they relate to the protection and improvement of the human environment and the prevention of hazards to human beings, other living creatures, plants and property.

4.     Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980

5.     National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 to provide for the establishment of a National Green Tribunal for the effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

6.    Public Liability Insurance Act 1991 is to provide for damages to victims of an accident which occurs as a result of handling any hazardous substance. The Act applies to all owners associated with the production or handling of any hazardous chemicals.

7.    The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was enacted in 1974 to provide for the prevention and control of water pollution, and for the maintaining or restoring of wholesomeness of water in the country. The Act was amended in 1988.

8.    The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act was enacted in 1977, to provide for the levy and collection of a cess on water consumed by persons operating and carrying on certain types of industrial activities. This cess is collected with a view to augment the resources of the Central Board and the State Boards for the prevention and control of water pollution constituted under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. The Act was last amended in 2003.

Exploration of Mars

Starting in 1960 the Soviets launched a series of probes to Mars including the intended first flybys and hard (impact) landing (Mars 1962B).The first successful fly-by of Mars was on July 14–15, 1965, by NASA's Mariner 4. On November 14, 1971 Mariner 9 became the first space probe to orbit another planet when it entered into orbit around Mars. 

The first to contact the surface were two Soviet probes: Mars 2 lander on November 27 and Mars 3 lander on December 2, 1971—Mars 2 failed during descent and Mars 3 about twenty seconds after the first Martian soft landing. Mars 6 failed during descent but did return some corrupted atmospheric data in 1974. The 1975 NASA launches of the Viking program consisted of two orbiters, each with a lander that successfully soft landed in 1976. Viking 1 remained operational for six years, Viking 2 for three. The Viking landers relayed the first color panoramas of Mars and the Viking orbiters mapped the surface so well that the images remain in use.

The Soviet probes Phobos 1 and 2 were sent to Mars in 1988 to study Mars and its two moons, with a focus on Phobos. Phobos 1 lost contact on the way to Mars. Phobos 2, while successfully photographing Mars and Phobos, failed before it was set to release two landers to the surface of Phobos.

Roughly two-thirds of all spacecraft destined for Mars have failed without completing their missions, and it has a reputation as difficult space exploration target.^[16] Missions that ended prematurely after Phobos 1 & 2 (1988) include Mars Observer (Launched in 1992), Mars 96 (1996), Mars Climate Orbiter (1999), Mars Polar Lander with Deep Space 2 (1999), Nozomi (2003), Beagle 2 (2003), andFobos-Grunt with Yinghuo-1 (2011).

Following the 1993 failure of the Mars Observer orbiter, the NASA Mars Global Surveyor achieved Mars orbit in 1997. This mission was a complete success, having finished its primary mapping mission in early 2001. Contact was lost with the probe in November 2006 during its third extended program, spending exactly 10 operational years in space. The NASA Mars Pathfinder, carrying a robotic exploration vehicle Sojourner, landed in the Ares Vallis on Mars in the summer of 1997, returning many images.

Phoenix landed on the north polar region of Mars on May 25, 2008. Its robotic arm dug into the Martian soil and the presence of water ice was confirmed on June 20, 2008.

Rosetta came within 250 km of Mars during its 2007 flyby.  Dawn flew by Mars in February 2009 for a gravity assist on its way to investigate Vesta and Ceres. 

NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter entered Mars orbit in 2001. Odyssey's Gamma Ray Spectrometer detected significant amounts of hydrogen in the upper metre or so of regolith on Mars. This hydrogen is thought to be contained in large deposits of water ice.

The Mars Express mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) reached Mars in 2003. It carried the Beagle 2 lander, which was not heard from after being released and was declared lost in February 2004. Beagle 2 was located in January 2015 by HiRise camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) having landed safely but failed to fully deploy its solar panels and antenna. In early 2004 the Mars Express Planetary Fourier Spectrometer team announced the orbiter had detected methane in the Martian atmosphere. ESA announced in June 2006 the discovery of aurorae on Mars.

In January 2004, the NASA twin Mars Exploration Rovers named Spirit (MER-A) and Opportunity (MER-B) landed on the surface of Mars. Both have met or exceeded all their targets. Among the most significant scientific returns has been conclusive evidence that liquid water existed at some time in the past at both landing sites. Martian dust devils and windstorms have occasionally cleaned both rovers' solar panels, and thus increased their lifespan.

Spirit Rover (MER-A) was active until 2010, when it stopped sending data.

On March 10, 2006, the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) probe arrived in orbit to conduct a two-year science survey. The orbiter began mapping the Martian terrain and weather to find suitable landing sites for upcoming lander missions. The MRO snapped the first image of a series of active avalanches near the planet's north pole, scientists said March 3, 2008.

The Mars Science Laboratory mission was launched on November 26, 2011 and it delivered the Curiosity rover, on the surface of Mars on August 6, 2012 UTC. It is larger and more advanced than the Mars Exploration Rovers, with a velocity of up to 90 meters per hour (295 feet per hour). Experiments include a laser chemical sampler that can deduce the make-up of rocks at a distance of 7 meters.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) on November 5, 2013. It was successfully inserted into Mars orbit on 24 September 2014. India's ISRO is the fourth space agency to reach Mars, after the Soviet space program, NASA and ESA. India became the first country to successfully get a spacecraft into the Martian orbit on its maiden attempt.

 

Mars Orbiter Mission

The Mars Orbiter Mission, also called Mangalyaan, was launched on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was successfully inserted into Martian orbit on 24 September 2014. The mission is a technology demonstrator, and as secondary objective, it will also study the Martian atmosphere. This is India's first mission to Mars, and with it, ISRO became the fourth space agency to successfully reach Mars after the Soviet Union, NASA (USA) and ESA (Europe). It also made India the first country to reach Mars orbit on its first attempt and also the first Asian country to successfully send an orbiter to Mars. It was completed in a record low budget of $71 million, making it the least-expensive Mars mission to date.

MAVEN

NASA's MAVEN is an orbiter mission to study the atmosphere of Mars. It will also serve as a communications relay satellite for robotic landers and rovers on the surface of Mars. MAVEN was launched 18 November 2013 and reached Mars on 22 September 2014.

Curiosity rover

The NASA Mars Science Laboratory mission with its rover named Curiosity, was launched on November 26, 2011.The rover carries instruments designed to look for past or present conditions relevant to the past or present habitability of Mars. The Curiosity rover landed on Mars on Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater, between Peace Vallis and Aeolis Mons (informally known as Mount Sharp),on August 6, 2012 at 05:14:39 UTC.The coordinates of the landing site (named "Bradbury Landing") are: (4.5895°S 137.4417°E)

Fobos-Grunt

In November 8, 2011, Russia's Roscosmos launched an ambitious mission called Fobos-Grunt. It was a lander aimed to retrieve a sample back to Earth from Mars' moon Phobos, and place the Chinese Yinghuo-1 probe in Mars' orbit. The Fobos-Grunt mission suffered a complete control and communications failure shortly after launch and was left stranded in low Earth orbit, later falling back to Earth. The Yinghuo-1 satellite and Fobos-Grunt underwent destructive re-entry on January 15, 2012, finally disintegrating over the Pacific Ocean.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2011

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2011

Statement of Objects and Reasons

India has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities   (UNCRPD) and has undertaken the obligation to ensure and promote the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all Persons with Disabilities without discrimination of any kind on the basis of disability. In fulfillment of this international commitment, the country is obligated to enact suitable legislation in furtherance of the rights recognized in the UN Convention.

India enacted the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act of 1995 in fulfillment of its obligation as a signatory to the proclamation on the full participation and equality of People with Disabilities in Asia Pacific region. This legislation has been on the statute book for nearly 15 years and has been the basis of a largely empowering jurisprudence on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Whilst the need to retain the empowering jurisprudence is unequivocally acknowledged; it is also recognized that the present Persons with Disabilities Act does not incorporate a number of rights recognized in the UNCRPD. Even the rights that are recognized are not in total harmony with the principles of the Convention.

Furthermore, the UNCRPD recognizes that disability is an evolving concept and that disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. The Persons with Disabilities Act on the other hand has provided for an impairment based exhaustive definition of disability. Consequently, people with impairments not mentioned in the Act have been denied the rights and entitlements recognized in the Act.

Insofar as the present Disability Act at no place mandates the right to equality and non-discrimination for persons with disabilities and only selectively recognizes some rights for some persons with disabilities, it is proposed to replace the current disability legislation with a comprehensive law which recognizes all rights of all persons with disabilities.

To this end, it is proposed that the new Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act shall:

a. Guarantee equality and non-discrimination to all persons with disabilities;

b. Recognize legal capacity of all persons with disabilities and make provision for support where required to exercise such legal capacity;

c. Recognize the multiple and aggravated discrimination faced by women with disabilities and induct a gendered understanding in both the rights and the programmatic interventions;

d. Recognize the special vulnerabilities of children with disabilities and ensure that they are treated on an equal basis with other children;

e. Mandate special programmatic interventions for home bound persons with disabilities; persons with disabilities in institutions as also persons with disabilities with high support needs;

f. Establish a Disability Rights Authority which facilitates the formulation of disability policy and law with active participation of persons with disabilities; dismantles structural discrimination existing against persons with disabilities and regulates the due observance of regulations promulgated under this Act for the protection, promotion and enjoyment of all rights guaranteed in this Act;

g. Specify civil and criminal sanctions for acts and conduct deemed to be wrongful;

THE RANI LAKSHMI BAI CENTRAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY ACT, 2014

An Act to provide for the establishment and incorporation of a University in the Bundelkhand region for the development of agriculture and for the furtherance of the advancement of learning and pursuit of research in agriculture and allied sciences and declare it to be an institution of national importance.

The headquarters of the University shall be at Jhansi in the State of Uttar Pradesh and it may also establish campuses at such other places within its jurisdiction as it may deem fit:

Bundelkhand” means the area covering six districts, namely Chhatarpur, Damoh, Datia, Panna, Sagar and Tikamgarh of Madhya Pradesh and seven districts, namely Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur and Mahoba of Uttar Pradesh

THE BLACK MONEY (UNDISCLOSED FOREIGN INCOME AND ASSETS) AND IMPOSITION OF TAX ACT, 2015

An Act to make provisions to deal with the problem of the Black money that is undisclosed foreign income and assets, the procedure for dealing with such income and assets and to provide for imposition of tax on any undisclosed foreign income and asset held outside India and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto

Types of Bills

Types of Bills introduced in the Parliament

Bills may be classified into Government Bills and private members' Bills accordingly as they are sponsored by a Minister or a private member. Depending upon their contents, Bills may further be classified broadly into

(a) Original Bills which embody new proposals, ideas or policies,

(b) Amending Bills which seek to modify, amend or revise existing Acts,

(c) Consolidating Bills which seek to consolidate existing laws/enactments on a particular subject,

(d) Expiring Laws (Continuance) Bills which seek to continue Acts which, otherwise, would expire on a specified date,

(e) Repealing and amending Bills to cleanse the Statute Book,

(f) Validating Acts to give validity to certain actions,

(g) Bills to replace Ordinances,

(h) Money and Financial Bills, and

(i) Constitution Amendment Bills.

THE NATIONAL JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS COMMISSION ACT, 2014

An Act to regulate the procedure to be followed by the National Judicial Appointments Commission for recommending persons for appointment as the Chief Justice of India and other Judges of the Supreme Court and Chief Justices and other Judges of High Courts and for their transfers and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto

THE LOKPAL AND LOKAYUKTAS ACT, 2013

An Act to provide for the establishment of a body of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for States to inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

The Lokpal shall consist of— 

(a) a Chairperson, who is or has been a Chief Justice of India or is or has been a Judge of the Supreme Court or an eminent person who fulfils the eligibility specified in clause (b) of sub-section 

(3); and

(b) such number of Members, not exceeding eight out of whom fifty per cent. shall be Judicial Members: 

Provided that not less than fifty per cent. of the Members of the Lokpal shall be from amongst the persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Minorities and women. 

sub-section (3) 

A person shall be eligible to be appointed,— 

(a) as a Judicial Member if he is or has been a Judge of the Supreme Court or is or has been a Chief Justice of a High Court; 

(b) as a Member other than a Judicial Member, if he is a person of impeccable integrity and outstanding ability having special knowledge and expertise of not less than twenty-five years in the matters relating to anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance, finance including insurance and banking, law and management.

THE CONSTITUTION (ONE HUNDREDTH AMENDMENT) ACT, 2015

An Act further to amend the Constitution of India to give effect to the acquiring of territories by India and transfer of certain territories to Bangladesh in pursuance of the agreement and its protocol entered into between the Governments of India and Bangladesh.

111 Indian Enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladesh Enclaves in India as per the jointly verified cadastral enclave maps and signed at the level of DGLR&S, Bangladesh and DLR&S, West Bengal (India) in April, 1997, shall be exchanged without claim to compensation for the additional areas going to Bangladesh.

Juvenile Justice System

Article 15 of the Constitution, inter alia, confers upon the State powers to make special provision for children. Articles 39 (e) and (f), 45 and 47 further makes the State responsible for ensuring that all needs of children are met and their basic human rights are protected.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, ratified by India on 11th December, 1992, requires the State Parties to undertake all appropriate measures in case of a child alleged as, or accused of, violating any penal law, including

(a) Treatment of the child in a manner consistent with the promotion of the child's sense of dignity and       worth

(b) Reinforcing the child's respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of others

(c) Taking into account the child's age and the desirability of promoting the child's reintegration and the child's assuming a constructive role in society.

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act was enacted in 2000 to provide for the protection of children. The Act was amended twice in 2006 and 2011 to address gaps in its implementation and make the law more child-friendly. During the course of the implementation of the Act, several issues arose such as increasing incidents of abuse of children in institutions, inadequate facilities, quality of care and rehabilitation measures in Homes, high pendency of cases, delays in adoption due to faulty and incomplete processing, lack of clarity regarding roles, responsibilities and accountability of institutions and, inadequate provisions to counter offences against children such as corporal punishment, sale of children for adoption purposes, etc. have highlighted the need to review the existing law.

Further, increasing cases of crimes committed by children in the age group of 16-18 years in recent years makes it evident that the current provisions and system under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, are ill equipped to tackle child offenders in this age group. The data collected by the National Crime Records Bureau establishes that crimes by children in the age group of 16-18 years have increased especially in certain categories of heinous offences.

Numerous changes are required in the existing Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 to address the above mentioned issues and therefore, it is proposed to repeal existing Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and re-enact a comprehensive legislation inter alia to provide for general principles of care and protection of children, procedures in case of children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law, rehabilitation and social re-integration measures for such children, adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children, and offences committed against children. This legislation would thus ensure proper care, protection, development, treatment and social re-integration of children in difficult circumstance by adopting a child-friendly approach keeping in view the best interest of the child in mind.

Rajya Sabha in Financial Matters

Rajya Sabha in Financial Matters

Money Bill can be introduced only in Lok Sabha.  After it is passed by that House, it is transmitted to Rajya Sabha for its concurrence or recommendation.  The power of Rajya Sabha in respect of such a Bill is limited.   Rajya Sabha has to return such a Bill to Lok Sabha within a period of fourteen days from its receipt.  If it is not returned to Lok Sabha within that time, the Bill is deemed to have been passed by both Houses at the expiration of the said period in the form in which it was passed by Lok Sabha.  Again, Rajya Sabha cannot amend a Money Bill; it can only recommend amendments and Lok Sabha may either accept or reject all or any of the recommendations made by Rajya Sabha.

Apart from a Money Bill, certain other categories of Financial Bills also cannot be introduced in Rajya Sabha.  There are, however, some other types of Financial Bills on which there is no limitation on the powers of the Rajya Sabha.  These Bills may be initiated in either House and Rajya Sabha has powers to reject or amend such Financial Bills like any other Bill.  Of course, such Bills cannot be passed by either House of Parliament unless the President has recommended to that House the consideration thereof.

From all this, however, it does not follow that Rajya Sabha has nothing to do in matters relating to finance.  The Budget of the Government of India is laid every year before Rajya Sabha also and its members discuss it.  Though Rajya Sabha does not vote on Demands for Grants of various Ministries - a matter exclusively reserved for Lok Sabha - no money, however, can be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India unless the Appropriation Bill has been passed by both the Houses.  Similarly, the Finance Bill is also brought before Rajya Sabha.  Besides, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees that examine the annual Demands for Grants of the Ministries/Departments are joint committees having ten members from Rajya Sabha. 

Special Powers of Rajya Sabha

 Special Powers of Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha being a federal chamber enjoys certain special powers under the Constitution.  All the subjects/areas regarding legislation have been divided into three Lists - Union List, State List and concurrent List.

Union and State Lists are mutually exclusive - one cannot legislate on a matter placed in the sphere of the other.  However, if Rajya Sabha passes a resolution by a majority of not less than two-thirds of members present and voting saying that it is “necessary or expedient in the national interest” that Parliament should make a law on a matter enumerated in the State List, Parliament becomes empowered to make a law on the subject specified in the resolution, for the whole or any part of the territory of India.  Such a resolution remains in force for a maximum period of one year but this period can be extended by one year at a time by passing a similar resolution further.

If Rajya Sabha passes a resolution by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting declaring that it is necessary or expedient in the national interest to create one or more All India Services common to the Union and the States, Parliament becomes empowered to create by law such services.

Under the Constitution, the President is empowered to issue Proclamations in the event of national emergency, in the event of failure of constitutional machinery in a State, or in the case of financial emergency.  Every such proclamation has to be approved by both Houses of Parliament within a stipulated period.  Under certain circumstances, however, Rajya Sabha enjoys special powers in this regard.  If a Proclamation is issued at a time when Lok Sabha has been dissolved or the dissolution of Lok Sabha takes place within the period allowed for its approval, then the proclamation remains effective, if the resolution approving it is passed by Rajya Sabha within the period specified in the Constitution under articles 352, 356 and 360.

Half-an-Hour Discussion (Lok Sabha)

Half-an-Hour Discussion.

A Half-an-Hour Discussion can be raised on a matter of sufficient public importance which has been the subject of a recent question in Lok Sabha irrespective of the fact whether the question was answered orally or the answer was laid on the Table of the House and the answer which needs elucidation on a matter of fact. Normally not more than half an hour is allowed for such a discussion. 

Usually, half-an-hour discussion is listed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only, In one session, a member is allowed to raise not more than two half-an-hour discussions. 

During the discussion, the member who has given notice makes a short statement and not more than four members who have intimated earlier and have secured one of the four places in the ballot are permitted to ask a question each for further elucidating any matter of fact. Thereafter, the Minister concerned replies. There is no formal motion before the House nor voting. 

Question Hour

Question Hour 

The first hour of every sitting of Lok Sabha is called the Question hour. Asking of questions in Parliament is the free and unfettered right of members. It is during the Question hour that they may ask questions on different aspects of administration and Government policy in the national as well as international spheres. Every Minister whose turn it is to answer to questions has to stand up and answer for his Ministry's acts of omission or commission. 

Questions are of three types - Starred, Unstarred and Short Notice.

A Starred Question is one to which a member desires an oral answer in the House and which is distinguished by an asterisk mark.

An Unstarred Quesion is one which is not called for oral answer in the house and on which no supplementary questions can consequently be asked. An answer to such a question is given in writing. Minimum period of notice for starred/ unstarred question is 10 clear days. 

If the questions given notice of are admitted by the Speaker, they are listed and printed for answer on the dates allotted to the Ministries to which the subject matter of the question pertains. 

The normal period of notice does not apply to Short Notice Questions which relate to matters of urgent public importance. However, a Short Notice Question may only be answered on short notice if so permitted by the Speaker and the Minister concerned is prepared to answer it at shorter notice. A Short Notice Question is taken up for answer immediately after the Question Hour. 

Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)

Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)

Agriculture Mechanization is an essential input to modern agriculture to increase the productivity and for making judicious use of other inputs like seeds, fertilizers, chemicals & pesticides and natural resources like water, soil nutrients etc. besides reducing the human drudgery and cost of cultivation. 

Agriculture Mechanization also helps in improving safety and comfort of the agricultural worker, improvements in the quality and value addition of the farm produce and also enabling the farmers to take second and subsequent crops making Indian agriculture more attractive and profitable. It also helps the Indian farming to become commercial instead of subsistence. There is a linear relationship between availability of farm power and farm yield. 

Therefore, there is a need to increase the availability of farm power from 1.73 kW per ha to 2.0 kW per ha by the end of 12th FY Plan to cope up with increasing demand of food grains

 Sub Mission on Agriculture Mechanization (SMAM) was launched in the year 2014-15 with the following objectives:

• Increasing the reach of farm mechanization to small and marginal farmers and to the regions where availability of farm power is low;
• Promoting ‘Custom Hiring Centres’ to offset the adverse economies of scale arising due to small landholding and high cost of individual ownership;
• Creating hubs for hi-tech & high value farm equipments;
• Creating awareness among stakeholders through demonstration and capacity building activities;
• Ensuring performance testing and certification at designated testing centers located all over the country.

“Soil Health Card”

A new scheme “Soil Health Card” has been approved for implementation during the remaining period of 12th Plan to provide 14 crore Soil Health Cards to the farmers in the country. 

Soil Health Card will provide information to farmers on soil nutrient status of their soil and recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrient to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility. 

Soil health card will be issued every 3 years for all land holdings in the country so as to promote balanced and integrated use of plant nutrients.

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is one of the eight Missions outlined under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The Mission aims at promoting sustainable agriculture through seventeen deliverables focusing on ten key dimensions of Indian Agriculture. 

During 12th Five Year Plan, these measures have been embedded and mainstreamed into Missions/Progammes/ Schemes of Department of Agriculture & Cooperation (DAC) through a process of restructuring and convergence. 

NMSA as a programmatic intervention made operational from the year 2014-15 aims at making agriculture more productive, sustainable, and remunerative and climate resilient by promoting location specific integrated/composite farming systems; soil and moisture conservation measures; comprehensive soil health management; efficient water management practices and mainstreaming rainfed technologies

CACP

Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices’ (CACP), set up with a view to evolve a balanced and integrated price structure, recommends MSPs of 23 crops.These include seven cereal crops (paddy, wheat, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi and barley), five pulse crops (gram, tur, moong, urad and lentil), seven oilseeds (groundnut, sunflower seed, soybean, rapeseed-mustard, safflower, nigerseed and seasmum), copra (dried coconut), cotton, jute and Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of Sugarcane

CACP is called upon to ensure that the production patterns are broadly in line with the overall needs (demand) of the economy. CACP submits its recommendations to the government in the form of Price Policy Reports every year, separately for five groups of commodities namely Kharif crops, Rabi crops, Sugarcane, Raw Jute and Copra

Directorate of Economics & Statistics (DES) 

The Directorate of Economics and Statistics, an attached office of Department of Agriculture and Co-operation(DAC), is guided by the vision of enriching economic and statistical data and analytical inputs required by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation for providing better agricultural economic development policy. 

Its mission is to provide important statistics on area, production and yield of principal crops, Minimum Support Prices(MSP), and implement schemes related to improvement of agricultural statistics, and carrying out agro-economic research. 

The main objectives of the Directorate are generation and dissemination of agricultural statistics and research and analysis. The Directorate provides inputs to DAC, CACP and also places a large volume of data and information in the public domain for use of all stakeholders

UPSC Civil Service Topics

Department of Agriculture & Cooperation

http://agricoop.nic.in/RFD%20_2013-14_14052013.pdf

1. Vision 

To enhance productivity and production of agricultural commodities to ensure the food, nutritional and livelihood security of the nation and also to make agriculture a sustainable and viable vocation for livelihood support by 2020.   

2. Mission 

To achieve 4 percent growth rate for agriculture sector during the 12th Plan, with the help of various State Governments and other Departments concerned in the Government of India by enhancing agriculture production & productivity and improving income level of all farmers by successful implementation of various new initiatives and agriculture missions/schemes such as National Food Security Mission, National Horticulture Mission, National Mission on Oil Seeds and Oil Palm, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture,   National Mission on Agricultural Extension & Technology, Integrated Scheme for Farmers Income Security, Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Marketing, etc. to thus ensure food, nutritional and livelihood security. 

3. Objectives 

1. Increasing Crop production and Productivity thereby ensuring food security and enhanced income level to farmers 

2. Incentivizing states to enhance public investment in Agriculture & allied sectors   to sustain and maintain capital formation and agriculture infrastructure 

3. Diversification in Agriculture for increased income generation 

4. Ensuring supply of agricultural inputs for enhanced production and productivity 

5. Facilitate Plant Protection, Quarantine and Residue Management 

6. Dissemination of technology / information to farmers 

7. Enhancing Soil health and promotion of resource conservation technology for sustainable     agriculture   

8. Improving credit flow, market infrastructure, and risk mitigation 

9. Maintaining Agricultural statistics to aid policy development 

10. Drought Preparedness and Grant of relief under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)     /National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) 

11. Encouraging private investment in Agriculture through PPP mode