August 4 - August 20 Flashcards
What is the new mission on health ID cards
National digital health mission
Who is the administrative authority of national digital health mission
National health authority
What is the committee for criminalisation of parliament
Vohra Committee report, 1993
But in directly, Padmanabhaiah Committee on police reforms, 2000 also said due to criminalisation of politicians, police are also getting as criminals
What is the percentage of 2019 Lok sabha have criminal cases
43%
As per Association of Democratic Reforms
What are the some of the probiotic bacteria
E-coli
Bifido-bacteria
74th Independence Day
Why India celebrates Independence Day on 15 August?
Pre- Independence- the call for Poorna Swaraj:
In 1929, when Jawaharlal Nehru as Congress President gave the call for ‘Poorna Swaraj’ or total independence from British colonial rule, January 26 was chosen as the Independence Day.
Congress party continued to celebrate it 1930 onwards, till India attained independence and January 26, 1950, was chosen as the Republic Day – the day India formally became a sovereign country and was no longer a British Dominion.
How did August 15 become India’s Independence Day?
Lord Mountbatten had been given a mandate by the British parliament to transfer the power by June 30, 1948.
If he had waited till June 1948, in C Rajagopalachari’s memorable words, there would have been no power left to transfer.
Mountbatten thus advanced the date to August 1947. By advancing the date, he said he was ensuring that there will be no bloodshed or riot.
Based on Mountbatten’s inputs the Indian Independence Bill was introduced in the British House of Commons on July 4, 1947, and passed within a fortnight.
It provided for the end of the British rule in India, on August 15, 1947, and the establishment of the Dominions of India and Pakistan, which were allowed to secede from the British Commonwealth.
Why Mountbatten chose August 15, 1947?
Because it was the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender.
Ashok Gehlot-led govt wins trust vote in Rajasthan
Context:
The Congress government in Rajasthan led by chief minister Ashok Gehlot has ended the month-long uncertainty in the state by winning the trust vote in the assembly.
Implications:
The development brings an end to the rebellion by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs that had threatened the survival of the state government.
Trust vote
A confidence motion, or a vote of confidence, or a trust vote, is sought by the government in power on the floor of the House.
It enables the elected representatives to determine if the Council of Ministers commanded the confidence of the House.
Floor test:
Floor test is a term used for the test of the majority.
If there are doubts against the chief minister, the governor can ask him to prove his majority in the House.
In case of a coalition government, the chief minister may be asked to move a vote of confidence and win a majority.
What happens in the absence of majority?
In the absence of a clear majority, when there is more than one individual staking claim to form the government, the governor may call for a special session to see who has the majority to form the government.
Some legislators may be absent or choose not to vote.
The numbers are then considered based only on those MLAs who were present to vote.
What is No- confidence motion?
A no-confidence motion, or vote of no-confidence, or a no-trust vote, can be sought by any House member to express that they no longer have confidence in the government.
Constitutional provisions for no confidence motion
According to Article 75 (3) and Article 164 of the Constitution, the Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to the House of the People.
SC holds Prashant Bhushan guilty of Contempt
Context:
The Supreme Court has found lawyer Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court for two tweets which it said had shaken the “very foundation of constitutional democracy”.
The hearing on the quantum of punishment will be held on 20 August.
What were the tweets about?
Bhushan’s first tweet pertained to a picture of Chief Justice SA Bobde in which he is seen sitting on a high-end motorcycle.
In the second tweet, Bhushan gave an opinion on the role of last four chief justices of India in the context of the state of affairs in the country.
What was the rationale behind Supreme Court’s verdict? What necessitated this?
The Court made the following observations:
It may be better in many cases for the judiciary to adopt a magnanimously charitable attitude even when utterly uncharitable and unfair criticism of its operations is made out of bona fide concern for improvement.
However, when there appears some scheme and design to bring about results which have the tendency of damaging the confidence in our judicial system and demoralize the Judges of the highest court by making malicious attacks, those interested in maintaining high standards of fearless, impartial and unbending justice will have to stand firmly.
If such an attack is not dealt with, with the requisite degree of firmness, it may affect the national honour and prestige in the comity of nations.
Why is the contempt law seen as problematic?
The judge himself acts as prosecutor and victim, and starts with the presumption of guilt rather than innocence.
Contempt proceedings or quasi-criminal and summary in nature.
How have other democracies dealt with the question of contempt?
British judges often take no notice of personal insults if uttered without malice.
US and Canada punish people for contempt only when there is imminent or clear danger to the administration of justice.
Need to amend the Official Languages Act for good governance: CJI
Context:
Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde has said that the government should consider amending the Official Languages Act of 1963 to include more vernacular languages in governance, and not just confine it to Hindi and English.
Background:
The court was hearing an appeal filed by the Union of India challenging the legality of a Delhi High Court judgment of June 30 to translate the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 2020 into all 22 vernacular languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
What the Constitution says?
About official language
Article 348 (1) of the Constitution of India provides that all proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every High court shall be in English Language until Parliament by law otherwise provides.
Under Article 348 (2), the Governor of the State may, with the previous consent of the President, authorize the use of the Hindi language or any other language used for any official purpose of the State, in the proceedings of the High Court having its principal seat in that State provided that decrees, judgments or orders passed by such High Courts shall be in English.
Other legal provisions for official languages
Section 7 of the Official Languages Act, 1963, provides that the use of Hindi or official language of a State in addition to the English language may be authorized, with the consent of the President of India, by the Governor of the State for purpose of judgments etc. made by the High Court for that State.
Israel- UAE agreement
Context:
Israel and the United Arab Emirates have announced an agreement that will lead to a full normalisation of diplomatic relations between the two states, a move that reshapes the order of West Asia politics from the Palestinian issue to Iran.
The agreement will be known as the Abraham Accords.
Overview of the agreement
Israel- UAE agreement
Trilateral agreement: The agreement was the product of lengthy discussions between Israel, the UAE and the US that accelerated recently.
Under the accord, Israel has agreed to suspend annexing areas of the occupied West Bank as it had been planning to do.
It also firms up opposition to regional power Iran, which the UAE, Israel and the US view as the main threat in the region.
Background
Israel- UAE agreement
Israel had signed peace agreements with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.
But the UAE, along with most other Arab nations, did not recognise Israel and had no formal diplomatic or economic relations with it until now.
Where is West Bank?
It is a landlocked territory near the Mediterranean coast of Western Asia, bordered by Jordan to the east and by the Green Line separating it and Israel on the south, west and north.
The West Bank also contains a significant section of the western Dead Sea shore.
What is the dispute settlements here? Who lives there?
West Bank
The West Bank was captured by Jordan after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Israel snatched it back during the Six Day War of 1967, and has occupied it ever since. During this war, the country defeated the combined forces of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.
It has built some 130 formal settlements in the West Bank, and a similar number of smaller, informal settlements have mushroomed over the last 20-25 years.
Over 4 lakh Israeli settlers — many of them religious Zionistswho claim a Biblical birthright over this land — now live here, along with some 26 lakh Palestinians.
The territory is still a point of contention due to a large number of Palestinians who live there and hope to see the land become a part of their future state.
When Israel took control of the land in 1967 it allowed Jewish people to move in, but Palestinians consider the West Bank illegally occupied Palestinian land.
Vikram Sarabhai
Context:
ISRO pays tribute to Dr Vikram Sarabhai by announcing that Chandrayaan 2 Orbiter has captured the Moon images of “Sarabhai” Crater.
About Vikram Sarabhai and his contributions:
Vikram Sarabhai was born on August 12, 1919.
Sarabhai was instrumental in forming India’s future in astronomy and setting up the country’s space research facilities.
Key contributions
Vikram Sarabhai
Based on his persuasion, the Indian government agreed to set up the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR)in 1962.
He was the first chairman of the committee.
The INCOSPAR was restructured and renamed as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969.
Sarabhai founded the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad in the year 1947. The laboratory started its operation from RETREAT, Sarabhai’s residence in Ahmedabad.
Its first topic of research was cosmic rays.
He also set up India’s first rocket launch site in Thumba, a small village near the Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala.
Vikram Sarabhai was also responsible for bringing cable television to India.
His constant contact with NASA paved a way for the establishment of Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) in 1975.
Sarabhai was the mastermind behind building India’s first satellite, Aryabhata.
He was one of the founding members of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA).
Vikram Sarabhai received the Padma Bhushan in 1966for his contribution to India’s progress.
He was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1972, posthumously.
SRIJAN
SRIJAN is the Ministry of Defence’s portal which acts as a one-stop-shop online portal that provides access to the vendors to take up items that can be taken up for indigenization.
Swasthya Portal
Launched by Tribal Affairs Minister recently.
The online portal will act as a one-stop solution presenting all information pertaining to tribal health and nutrition-related to Scheduled Tribes.
The portal will be managed by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs’ Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Knowledge Management in Health and Nutrition.
National Health Authority
It is the apex body responsible for implementing India’s flagship public health insurance/assurance scheme ‘Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’.
National Health Authority is the successor of National Health Agency, which was functioning as a registered society since 23rd May, 2018.
NHA is governed by a Governing Board chaired by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare.
What are called Rainforest of sea
Coral reefs
Because they protects coastline from storms and erosion
Removing oil from the sea during oil spills is called
Skimming
Other techniques are
- In situ burning
- Releasing chemical dispersants
Indian home rule society
It was an indian organisation founded in London in 1905 that sought to promote the cause of self rule in British india
The organisation is founded by shyamji krishna Varma
What is the largest high altitude zoo park in india
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan zoological park
Its in West Bengal not in Ladakh
What is the style of architecture seen in Lingaraj temple
Kalinga style of Architecture
It is dedicated to lord shiva and is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar
Who is the prominent person died recently belonged to mewati gharana
Pandit Jasraj
Right to know — what are the SC judgments
State of UP vs Raj Narain
S.P. Gupta vs President of India — 1981
What is back channel diplomacy
Its having talks in secrecy
Election commissioner term
6 years or until he attains age of 65 years
Election commission address his resignation to the
President of India
Not chief election commissioner
For we hat appointment does the person must be a distinguished jurist to president
Judge of SC
For Judge of HC this is not needed
Corsica and Sardinia are belongs to
Corsica is in France
And
Sardinia is in Italy
See in Map
How does contempt of court take action
Suo Motu
On a petition made by attorney general, or solicitor general
On a petition made by any person in the case of criminal contempt with the consent on writing of attorney general or solicitor general
Who are the trustees of the PMCARES
PM, Defence Minister, Home minister, Finance ,minister
Swach survekshan Being an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation is launched under
Swachh Bharath abhiyan (urban)
Here urban is imp
The first survey was seen in 2016
Nuclear energy agreement, which india done with Srilanka is in the year
2015
Facility of crèche as per maternity benefit act 2017, is applicable to which entities
Entities having more than 50 employees
Indian guar is state animal of
Goa
Its IUCN status is Vulnerable
Balarampuram sarees got GI tag recently
It belongs to which state
Kerala
Gadwal saree belongs to which state
Telangana
It got GI tag also
Alchi temple complex is in
Ladakh
No Audit of PM-CARES Fund: SC
Context:
Supreme Court has delivered its judgement on PM CARES funds.
What’s the issue?
The petition was filed by an NGO named Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) had sought a direction to the Centre to transfer the funds of PM Cares Fund to the NDRF.
Highlights of the judgment
No Audit of PM-CARES Fund: SC
The Court has “refused” to order transfer of funds from the PM CARES Fund to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). They “are two entirely different funds with different object and purpose”.
PM CARES Fund, being a public charitable trust, “there is no occasion for audit by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India”.
The Court also rejected the request for a new National Plan under the National Disaster Management Act, 2005, to deal with Covid-19 situation.
The court held that there is “no statutory prohibition on individuals to make voluntary contributions to NDRF” under Section 46(1)(b) of the DM Act.
The court also declined to intervene with the “minimum standards of relief” and the necessary guidelines issued by the government under Section 12 of the DM Act.
About PM CARES Fund
Set up on March 28, the PM CARES Fund is a charitable trust registered under the Registration Act, 1908.
The trust does not receive any Budgetary support or any Government money.
It was constituted with an objective to extend assistance in the wake of public health emergency that is pandemic COVID-19”.
Who administers the fund?
Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairman of the PM CARES Fund and Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Finance, Government of India are ex-officio Trustees of the Fund.
Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal
Context:
At a recent meeting, the Punjab Chief Minister asked the Central government to be cautious on the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue, saying it has the potential to disturb the nation’s security.
The meeting was convened following the Supreme Court’s direction to the Centre on July 28 to mediate between the two States to resolve the issue.
How this issue could disturb nation’s security?
Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal:
Pakistan has been making continuous attempts to foment trouble and to try and revive the separatist movement through the banned Sikhs for Justice organisation. The water issue could further destabilise the State.
Punjab’s demands
Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal
Suitable amendments should be made to the proposed Inter State River Water Disputes Act to set up a new tribunal, to ensure that Punjab gets adequate water “in a just and equitable manner in keeping with its total demand and securing livelihood of the future generations.”
What is the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, and the controversy over it?
Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal
Historical background:
The creation of Haryana from the old (undivided) Punjab in 1966 threw up the problem of giving Haryana its share of river waters.
Punjab was opposed to sharing waters of the Ravi and Beaswith Haryana, citing riparian principles, and arguing that it had no water to spare.
However, Centre, in 1976, issued a notification allocating to Haryana 3.5 million acre feet (MAF) out of undivided Punjab’s 7.2 MAF.
The Eradi Tribunal headed by Supreme Court Judge V Balakrishna Eradi was set up to reassess availability and sharing of water.
The Tribunal, in 1987, recommended an increase in the shares of Punjab and Haryana to 5 MAF and 3.83 MAF, respectively.
The canal:
To enable Haryana to use its share of the waters of the Sutlej and its tributary Beas, a canal linking the Sutlej with the Yamuna, cutting across the state, was planned.
A tripartite agreement was also negotiated between Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan in this regard.
The Satluj Yamuna Link Canal is a proposed 214-kilometer long canal to connect the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers. However, the proposal met obstacles and was referred to the Supreme Court.
What is Haryana’s demand?
Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal
Haryana has been seeking the completion of the SYL canal to get its share of 3.5 million acre-feet of river waters. It has maintained that Punjab should comply with the 2002 and 2004 Supreme Court orders in this regard.
Haryana is getting 1.62 million acre-feet of the Ravi-Beas waters.
Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020
Context:
The Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020 has been released.
What is it?
Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) is an initiative of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) (Now, it is the Ministry of Education), Govt. of India to systematically rank all major higher educational institutions and universities in India.
ARIIA ranking will primarily focus on 6 main parameters
Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020
Programs and Activities on IPR, Innovation, Start-up and Entrepreneurship.
Pre Incubation & Incubation Infrastructure & Facilities to Support I&E.
Annual Budget Spent on Promoting and Supporting I&E Activities.
Courses on Innovation, IPR and Entrepreneurship Development.
Intellectual Property (IP), Technology Transfer and Commercialization.
Successful Innovation and Start-ups & Funding Innovation & start-ups.
Rank Categorisation- Two Broad Categories
Publicly Funded Institutions:
Sub Categories:
Institute of National Importance, Central Universities and Centrally Funded Technical Institutes.
State University & Deemed Universities (Government & Government. Aided)
Government and Government/Aided College/Institutes.
Private or Self- Financed Institutions:
Sub categories:
Private or Self- Financed Universities.
Private or Self- Financed College/Institutes.
For the first time, ARIIA 2020 has a special prize category for women only higher educational institutions.
This will be the 6th sub- category.
Top Performing of various institutions
Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020
IIT Madras under the category of Institutes of National Importance, Central Universities, and Centrally Funded Technical Institutes;
Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai got the top position under Government and Government Aided Universities;
College of Engineering, Pune under Government and Government Aided Colleges;
Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology,
Bhubaneswar under Private or Self-Financed Universities.
S R Engineering College, Warangal under Private or Self-Financed Colleges.
Avinashilingam Institute For Home Science And Higher Education For Women, Tamil Nadu got the first rank in Higher Educational Institutions Exclusively for Women.
Digital Quality of Life Index 2020
Context:
The report was released recently.
The index is prepared by Surfshark, a virtual private network (VPN) provider based in the British Virgin Islands.
It seeks to rank countries on internet affordability and quality, and electronic infrastructure, security and government. All parameters have equal weightage.
Performance of other countries
Digital Quality of Life Index 2020
Top 3: Scandinavian countries Denmark and Sweden topped the index, with Canada rounding up the top three.
Israel offered the cheapest internet — calculated by considering how much time one must work to be able to afford the cheapest mobile internet and broadband.
Of the total countries, 75% of them have to work more than the global average to afford the internet.
Singapore, the UK and the US performed the best on the e-government indicator — arrived at by checking the state of government’s online presence and readiness to employ artificial intelligence technology and help “minimise bureaucracy, reduce corruption and increase transparency of the public sector”.
The UK, France and Lithuania offer the most security — cybersecurity and status of personal data protection.
Best Internet Quality- Singapore, Sweden and the Netherlands.
The UAE, Sweden and Denmark have the most developed e-infrastructure.
India’s performance
Digital Quality of Life Index 2020
Of 85 countries, India ranked 9th on the internet affordability indicator, and 15th on e-government.
Overall, India is ranked 57th.
Internet cost- India scored the best on this parameter, leading countries like the UK, US and China.
e-government indicator- India secured 15th position on this, ahead of the Netherlands, China and Belgium.
Security- India performed poorly here, standing at 57th position.
Internet quality- With a rank of 78, it fell behind countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria and the Philippines.
On electronic infrastructure — focusing on active internet users and information and communications technology adoption rate — India ranked 79th, behind neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
‘No-Go’ forests cleared for coal mining, says report
Context:
As per the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE):
Since 2015, of the 49 blocks cleared for coal mining, 9 were in ‘No-Go’ areas, or regions that were once classified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change as containing very dense forests and hence closed to coal mining.
In 2020, of the 41 blocks put up for auction, 21 feature in the original No-Go list.
Currently India is not utilising its existing capacity fully: 67% of the mines auctioned since 2015 are were not operational yet.
What’s the issue?
The environment ministry‘s ban on mining in areas of thick forest cover has locked away millions of tonnes of coal reserves.
According to the power ministry, coal shortage is likely to hold up new power projects of over 17,000 mw aggregate capacity.
This has triggered debate among the ministries of coal, power and steel on the ‘Go, No-Go’ concept’s merits.
What are ‘No Go’ areas in coal mining?
In 2009, the environment and coal ministries had jointly placed the country’s forested areas under two categories – Go and No-Go – and imposed a ban on mining in the ‘No-Go’ zones on environmental grounds.
‘No Go’ areas are those having either more than 10 per cent weighted forest cover (WFC) or more than 30 per cent gross forest cover (GFC).
Is there a need for classifying ‘Go’ and ‘No Go’ areas?
The exercise is aimed at prioritising forest areas under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.
Besides, Diversion of forest land for coal mining in these areas, which are rich in flora and fauna, will have “avoidable serious adverse impact on forests and wildlife”.
If mining were to continue, even with afforestation and reclamation, it would not be possible to restore the regions biodiversity.
Criticisms of this policy
‘No-Go’ forests cleared for coal mining, says report
The concept has no legal standing– They are mandated neither under Forest Conservation Rules, 2003 nor under any circular issued by the ministry of environment and forests.
Ayuraksha
All India Institute of Ayurveda under Ministry of AYUSH and Delhi Police have jointly launched ‘AYURAKSHA’ for police personnel.
Ayurveda medicines will be provided to nearly 80000 personnel of Delhi Police.
Mysuru zoo receives three African hunting cheetahs from South Africa
Mysuru zoo has received three Cheetahs from Ann Van Dyke Cheetah Centre, South Africa.
Mysuru is the second zoo to house hunting cheetah in India. Hyderabad zoo has a pair of big cats.
About Cheetah:
The cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus,is one of the oldest of the big cat species, with ancestors that can be traced back more than five million years to the Miocene era.
The cheetah is also the world’s fastest land mammal.
It is listed as vulnerablein IUCN red listed species.
It was declared extinct in India in 1952.
The Asiatic cheetah is classified as a “critically endangered” speciesby the IUCN Red List, and is believed to survive only in Iran.
Ninja UAVs
Indian Railways has started deploying “Ninja UAVs” (unmanned aerial vehicles) for establishing a drone-based surveillance system in a bid to intensify its security mechanism across its network.
A drone camera can cover a large area, which may require up 10 RPF personnel.
The exercise may lead to a substantial improvement in utilisation of scarce manpower, said a note on drone surveillance issued by the ministry.
Advocates appointed as High Court Judges
Supreme Court collegium elevates 6 advocates as Delhi High Court judges.
The criteria for appointment of a person as Judge of High Court are provided under Article 217 of Constitution, which are: – has for at least ten years held a judicial office in the territory of India; or has for at least ten years been an advocate of a High Court or of two or more such Courts in succession.
Appointment:
On approval by the Supreme Court Collegium, the names of the proposed candidates will be sent to the Ministry of Law & Justice, which will send the names to the President of India.
The President under his sign and seal would issue the warrant of appointment.
Madhya Pradesh govt jobs to be reserved for state citizens
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that government jobs in the State would now be reserved for its youth only.
Necessary legal provisions will be introduced shortly.
Odisha to give facelift to 11th century Lingaraj Temple
Context:
The Odisha government has announced to give a facelift to the 11th century Lingaraj Temple, akin to its pre-350-year structural status.
The efforts will be to create a spiritual and ecological ambience in and around the Lingaraj Temple.
About
Lingaraja Temple is a temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the oldest and largest temples in Odisha.
Built by king Jajati Keshari of Soma Vansh.
It is built in red stone and is a classic example of Kalinga style of architecture.
Located to the north of the temple is Bindusagar Lake.
The temple is believed to be built by the kings from the Somavamsi dynasty, with later additions from the Ganga rulers.
The temple has images of Vishnu, possibly because of the rising prominence of Jagannath sect emanating from the Ganga rulers who built the Jagannath Temple in Puri in the 12th century.
Deula style
The temple is Lingaraj Temple built in the Deula style that has four components namely, vimana (structure containing the sanctum), jagamohana (assembly hall), natamandira (festival hall) and bhoga-mandapa (hall of offerings), each increasing in the height to its predecessor.
What is Curative Petition?
Context:
Recently, the Supreme Court held Prashant Bhushan guilty of criminal contempt of court for his tweets against the CJI S.A. Bobde and against the judiciary.
Now, Prashant Bhushan has asked the Court to defer the punishment till the review petition is filed and decided.
He also submitted that the remedy of curative petition is also available.
About Curative Petition:
The concept was first evolved by the Supreme Court of India in Rupa Ashok Hurra vs. Ashok Hurra and another case (2002) on the question whether an aggrieved person is entitled to any relief against the final judgement/order of the Supreme Court, even after the dismissal of a review petition.
The court used the Latin maxim “actus curiae neminem gravabit”,which means that an act of the court shall prejudice no one.
It’s objectives are twofolds- avoid miscarriage of justice and to prevent abuse of process.
Related Constitutional provisions
Curative petition
The concept of the curative petition is supported by Article 137 of the Indian Constitution.
It provides that in the matter of laws and rules made under Article 145, the Supreme Court has the power to review any judgement pronounced (or order made) by it.
Procedure
A curative petition may be filed after a review plea against the final conviction is dismissed.
It can be entertained if the petitioner establishes that there was a violation of the principles of natural justice, and that he was not heard by the court before passing an order.
It must be rare rather than regular.
A curative petition must be first circulated to a Bench of the three senior-most judges, and the judges who passed the concerned judgment, if available.
Only when a majority of the judges conclude that the matter needs hearing should it be listed before the same Bench.
The Bench at any stage of consideration of the curative petition can ask a senior counsel to assist it as amicus curiae (Friend of the court).
A curative petition is usually decided by judges in the chamber unless a specific request for an open-court hearing is allowed.
Domicile-based job quota
Context:
The Madhya Pradesh government’s recent decision to reserve all government jobs for “children of the state” raises questions relating to the fundamental right to equality.
What’s the issue now?
Reservation solely based on place of birth would raise constitutional questions.
What does the Constitution say?
Domicile Based Job Quota
Article 16 of the Constitution, which guarantees equal treatment under law in matters of public employment, prohibits the state from discriminating on grounds of place of birth or residence.
Article 16(2) states that “no citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residence or any of them, be ineligible for, or discriminated against in respect or, any employment or office under the State”.
The provision is supplemented by the other clauses in the Constitution that guarantee equality.
Enabling provisions
Domicile based job quota
However, Article 16(3) of the Constitution provides an exception by saying that Parliament may make a law “prescribing” a requirement of residence for jobs in a particular state.
This power vests solely in the Parliament, not state legislatures.
Why does the Constitution prohibit reservation based on domicile?
When the Constitution came into force, India turned itself into one nation from a geographical unit of individual principalities and the idea of the universality of Indian citizenship took root.
As India has common citizenship, which gives citizens the liberty to move around freely in any part of the country, the requirement of a place of birth or residence cannot be qualifications for granting public employment in any state.
What has the Supreme Court said on reserving jobs for locals?
The Supreme Court has ruled against reservation based on place of birth or residence.
In 1984, ruling in Dr Pradeep Jain v Union of India, the issue of legislation for “sons of the soil” was discussed.
The court expressed an opinion that such policies would be unconstitutional but did not expressly rule on it as the case was on different aspects of the right to equality.
In a subsequent ruling in Sunanda Reddy v State of Andhra Pradesh (1995), the Supreme Court affirmed the observation in Pradeep Jain to strike down a state government policy that gave 5% extra weightage to candidates who had studied with Telugu as the medium of instruction.
In 2002, the Supreme Court invalidated appointment of government teachers in Rajasthan in which the state selection board gave preference to “applicants belonging to the district or the rural areas of the district concerned”.
In 2019, the Allahabad High Court struck down a recruitment notification by the UP Subordinate Service Selection Commission which prescribed preference for women who are “original residents” of the UP alone.
How do some states then have laws that reserve jobs for locals?
Exercising the powers it has under Article 16(3), Parliament enacted the Public Employment (Requirement as to Residence) Act, aimed at abolishing all existing residence requirements in the states and enacting exceptions only in the case of the special instances of Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh.
Constitutionally, some states also have special protections under Article 371.
Andhra Pradesh under Section 371(d) has powers to have “direct recruitment of local cadre” in specified areas.
In Uttarakhand, class III and class IV jobs are reserved for locals.
Some states have gone around the mandate of Article 16(2) by using language
States that conduct official business in their regional languages prescribe knowledge of the language as a criterion.
This ensures that local citizens are preferred for jobs.
For example, states including Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu require a language test.
National Recruitment Agency (NRA)
Context:
The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of National Recruitment Agency, an independent body to conduct examination for government jobs.
Initially, it will organise a CET to screen/shortlist candidates for the Group B and C (non -technical) posts, which are now being conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railways Recruitment Board (RRBs) and Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). Later on, more exams may be brought under it.
When was it first announced?
National Recruitment Agency (NRA)
The setting up of such an agency to conduct a common eligibility test (CET) was announced in the Union Budget by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in February.
Composition
National Recruitment Agency (NRA)
It will be headed by a Chairman of the rank of the Secretary to the Government of India.
It will have representatives of the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Finance/Department of Financial Services, the SSC, RRB & IBPS.
Functions of the proposed NRA
National Recruitment Agency (NRA)
It will conduct a common preliminary examination for various recruitments in the central government.
Based on the common eligibility test (CET) score a candidate can apply for a vacancy with the respective agency.
How the test will be conducted?
National Recruitment Agency (NRA)
The Common Eligibility Test will be held twice a year.
The test will be conducted for three levels: graduate, higher secondary (12th pass) and the matriculate (10th pass) candidates.
However, the present recruitment agencies– IBPS, RRB and SCC — will remain in place.
Based on the screening done at the CET score level, final selection for recruitment shall be made through separate specialised Tiers (II, III, etc.) of examination which shall be conducted by the respective recruitment agencies.
Other details
National Recruitment Agency (NRA)
The CET score of a candidate shall be valid for a period of three years from the date of declaration of the result.
To make it easier for candidates, examination centres would be set up in every district of the country.
While there will be no restriction on the number of attempts to be taken by a candidate to appear in the CET, it will be subject to the upper age limit.
The examinations will be conducted in 12 languages.
Why is the NRA needed? What are the challenges faced by students and agencies?
National Recruitment Agency (NRA)
As of now, aspirants have to take different exams that are conducted by various agencies for central government jobs.
Candidates have to pay fees to multiple recruiting agencies and also travel long distances for appearing in various exams.
On an average 2.5 crore to 3 crore aspirants appear for about 1.25 lakh vacancies in the central government every year.
What is Vaccine Nationalism?
Context:
Even before the end of final stage human trials or regulatory approval, several wealthier countries like Britain, France, Germany and the US have entered into pre-purchase agreements with Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers, a development that has come to be known as “vaccine nationalism”.
There are fears that such advance agreements will make the initial few vaccines unaffordable and inaccessible to everyone apart from the rich countries in a world of roughly 8 billion people.
What is Vaccine Nationalism? How it works?
Vaccine nationalism occurs when a country manages to secure doses of vaccine for its own citizens or residents before they are made available in other countries.
This is done through pre-purchase agreements between a government and a vaccine manufacturer.
How was it used in the past?
What is vaccine nationalism
Vaccine nationalism is not new. During the early stages of the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, some of the wealthiest countries entered into pre-purchase agreements with several pharmaceutical companies working on H1N1 vaccines.
At that time, it was estimated that, in the best-case scenario, the maximum number of vaccine doses that could be produced globally was two billion.
The US alone negotiated and obtained the right to buy 600,000 doses. All the countries that negotiated pre-purchase orders were developed economies.
Why its not good? What are the associated concerns?
Vaccine nationalism
Vaccine nationalism is harmful for equitable access to vaccines.
It further disadvantages countries with fewer resources and bargaining power.
It deprives populations in the Global South from timely access to vital public health goods.
Taken to its extreme, it allocates vaccines to moderately at-risk populations in wealthy countries over populations at higher risk in developing economies.
What needs to be done?
Vaccine nationalism
International institutions — including the WHO — should coordinate negotiations ahead of the next pandemic to produce a framework for equitable access to vaccines during public health crises.
Equity entails both, affordability of vaccines and access opportunities for populations across the world, irrespective of geography and geopolitics.
What is being done now?
Vaccine nationalism
To bring about equitable and broad access, WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and Gavi have come up with an initiative known as “Covax Facility”.
The facility aims to procure at least two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of next year for deployment and distribution mainly in the low- and middle-income countries.
Cabinet Approves Proposal For Leasing Out 3 Airports
Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports of Airports Authority of India (AAI) will be leased out through Public Private Partnership (PPP) to Adani Enterprises Ltd. The lease is for a period of fifty years.
Hamas
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist political organization and militant group that has waged war on Israel since the group’s 1987 founding, most notably through suicide bombings and rocket attacks.
It seeks to replace Israel with a Palestinian state.
It also governs Gaza independently of the Palestinian Authority.
Millennium Alliance
Context:
Millennium Alliance Round 6 & COVID19 Innovation Challenge-Award Ceremony was recently held. 49 innovations in 5 focus areas were recognised.
What is Millennium Alliance?
It is an innovation-driven and impact-focused initiative leveraging collaborative resources to identify test and scale Indian innovations that address global development solutions.
It is a consortium of partners (Public-Private Partnership) including the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID), Facebook and Marico Innovation Foundation.
Science and Technology Indicators (STI), 2018
Context:
Science and Technology Indicators (STI), 2018 is a periodic compendium of the state of scientific research in India. It was released recently.
Who prepares the report?
The STI is prepared by National Science and Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS), a division of Department of Science and Technology (DST).
It is based on data provided by a range of scientific establishments across the country.
Key findings of science and technology indicators
India’s private sector research companies appear to employ a larger proportion of women in core research and development activities than government-funded major scientific agencies do.
The 2018 indicators reiterate the historic trend of India’s scientists being overwhelmingly men.
Key takeaways from science and technology indicators
On the whole, private sector companies had a greater commitment to ensuring that women scientists were fairly represented in recruitment, promotions and appraisal processes than in many scientific organisations.
The large drop in the number of women between the doctoral and professional stages appears to be due to:
Social pressure on women to have a family which is seen as incompatible with a professional career.
Patriarchal attitudes in hiring practices, so many women are discriminated against at this stage as well, with administrators deciding that women ‘should’ be opting for family over a career.
Swachh Survekshan 2020 report
Context:
Swachh Survekshan 2020 report was recently released by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.
Swachh Survekshan 2020 covered 4,242 cities, 62 cantonment boards and 92 Ganga towns.
This survey was carried out in 28 days.
This year the Ministry has released rankings based on the categorisation of cities on population, instead of releasing overall rankings.
Performance of various cities
Swachh Survekshan 2020
Indore was ranked the cleanest city in the overall category this year followed by Surat and Navi Mumbai.
Chhattisgarh is the cleanest state in the category of states with more than 100 urban local bodies (ULBs).
Ahmedabad is India’s the cleanest Mega city.
New Delhi is the cleanest capital city.
Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur is the cleanest smallest city.
Bengaluru wins the Best Self Sustainability award in the Mega city category.
Jharkhand is the cleanest state in the category of state with less than 100 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
Cleanest Cantonment: Jalandhar Cantt, Punjab.
Cleanest Town along the banks of river Ganga:
In cities with population less than one lakh, Karad in Mahrashtra is cleanest city.
Maximum citizen participation in keeping city areas clean – Shahjahanpur.
Cleanest megacity with more than 40 lac population – Ahmedabad (Gujarat).
Fastest-moving city in terms of cleanliness – Jodhpur (Rajasthan).
Self-sustainable city in terms of cleanliness
(more than 10 lakh population) – Rajkot (Gujarat).
Mysuru (Karnataka) is ranked cleanest among the medium-sized cities with a population ranging between 3 lakh and 10 lakh.
What is Swachh Survekshan?
Launched by PM Modi in 2016.
It is meant to monitor the performance of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which was launched on October 2, 2014, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
It was also aimed at inculcating a spirit of healthy competition among cities towards becoming India’s cleanest cities.
Who conducts the survey?
Swachh Survekshan
The Quality Council of India (QCI) is in charge of evaluating the performance of the participating cities.
This is an autonomous accreditation body which was set up by the Government of India in 1997 for quality assurance in all fields, including governance.
Parliamentary standing committees
Context:
The parliamentary standing committee on Information Technology has summoned Facebook on September 2 to discuss the issue of alleged misuse of social media platforms in the wake of claims that the US firm did not apply hate-speech rules to certain BJP politicians.
What are Parliamentary Committees?
The Lok Sabha website describes a parliamentary committee as a “committee which is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker and which works under the direction of the Speaker and presents its report to the House or to the Speaker and the Secretariat”.
Different types of committees:
‘Standing’committees: Their existence is uninterrupted and usually reconstituted on an annual basis.
They are further divided into financial committees and departmentally-related standing committees (DRSCs).
Finance committees are considered to be particularly powerful.
The three financial committees are the Public Accounts Committee, the Estimates Committee and the Committee on Public Undertakings.
‘Select’ committees formed for a specific purpose, for instance, to deliberate on a particular bill.
Once the Bill is disposed of, that select committee ceases to exist.
Composition of Departmentally-related standing committees (DRSCs)
Until the 13th Lok Sabha, each DRSC comprised 45 members — 30 nominated from Lok Sabha and 15 from the Rajya Sabha.
However, with their restructuring in July 2004, each DRSC now has 31 members — 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha, to be nominated by Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha chairman, respectively.
They are appointed for a maximum period of one year and the committees are reconstituted every year cutting across party lines.
Composition of Financial Committees
The estimates committee has 30 members, all from the Lok Sabha.
Both the public accounts committee and the committee on public undertakings have 22 members each — 15 elected from the Lok Sabha and seven from the Rajya Sabha.
Powers of parliamentary committees
Parliamentary committees draw their authority from Article 105 (on privileges of Parliament members) and Article 118 (on Parliament’s authority to make rules for regulating its procedure and conduct of business).
Significance of parliamentary standing committees
Committee reports are usually exhaustive and provide authentic information on matters related to governance.
Bills that are referred to committees are returned to the House with significant value addition.
However, Parliament is not bound by the recommendations of committees.
What the serosurvey results in India imply?
Context:
Over the last two months, Serosurveys have been conducted in various cities across the country including Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune.
These serosurvey results suggest Covid-19 is far more widespread than virus tests show.
Key findings:
In Pune, more than 51%of those who were tested showed the presence of antibodies specific to the novel coronavirus, suggesting that about half the population of this city of 4 million could have already been infected.
An earlier exercise in Delhi had suggested that the actual spread could be 40 times the number of confirmed cases.
As per the second survey, 29% of Delhi has antibodies for Covid-19.
In Mumbai, about 40 per cent of the sampled group was found to be infected.
Key takeaways from these findings
What the serosurvey results in India imply?
More Asymptomatic cases: These numbers confirm the general impression that most SARS-CoV2 infections are asymptomatic (some estimates say approximately 80 per cent are asymptomatic).
Of course, the virus could be spreading from asymptomatically infected people too, especially within families.
Inadequate tests: From a capacity to test just a few hundred samples at the start of the outbreak in March to more than eight lakh tests a day now, there has been a massive upgrade in the testing infrastructure.
And yet, the serological tests show that a vast majority of the infected people are still being missed out, particularly those who are not showing symptoms.
Is it leading to herd immunity?
Scientists warn against interpreting these results as an indication of the percentage of population that might have become immune to the disease.
The serological surveys are not designed to detect neutralising or “protective” antibodies in human beings.
All antibodies are not protective. It is only the neutralising antibodies that can make a person immune to the disease.
Besides, Scientists still do not know the level of infection in the population at which “herd immunity” would start to play a role.
Need of the hour:
Adequate testing is crucial to containment strategies. It is the only method to identify, and isolate, infected people and their close contacts.
The more the tests, the greater the chance of detecting infected people, including those who are asymptomatic.
Timely isolation of these can prevent transmission to other people.
A higher number of tests, therefore, has a direct bearing on slowing down the spread of the disease.
What is sero survey? What it indicates?
The serological survey is one that involves collecting blood samples to:
Determine whether a person is infected with the novel coronavirus.
Detect whether the person was infected with the said virus in the past.
Identify antibodies being produced to combat COVID-19.
National Strategy for Financial Education 2020-2025 (NSFE)
Context:
The Reserve Bank of India has released a national strategy for financial education to be implemented in the next five years.
The multi-stakeholder led approach is aimed at creating a financially aware and empowered India.
It is the second NSFE , the first one being released in 2013.
Basic objectives
The objectives include managing risk at various life stages through relevant and suitable insurance cover besides planning for old age and retirement through coverage of suitable pension products.
Who prepared it?
National strategy for financial education 2020-2025
The NSFE has been put together by the National Centre for Financial Education (NCFE) in consultation with the four financial sector regulators (Reserve Bank of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority) and other relevant stakeholders.
Highlights of NSFE: 2020-25- Key recommendations
Adopt a ‘5 C’ – Content, Capacity, Community, Communication and Collaboration – approach to achieve the financial well-being of all Indians.
It has suggested financial literacy content for school children (including curriculum and co-scholastic), teachers, young adults, women, new entrants at workplace/ entrepreneurs (MSMEs), senior citizens, persons with disabilities, illiterate people, etc.
Capacity development of various intermediaries, who can be involved in providing financial literacy.
Develop a ‘Code of Conduct’ for financial education providers.
Community-led approaches should be evolved for disseminating financial literacy in a sustainable manner.
A specific period in the year needs to be identified to disseminate financial literacy messages on a large/ focused scale.
Integrate financial education content in the school curriculum, various professional and vocational courses (undertaken by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship) through their Sector Skilling Missions and B.Ed./M.Ed. programmes.
Adopt a robust ‘Monitoring and Evaluation Framework’ to assess progress made under the strategy.
Significance and expected outcomes
National strategy for financial education 2020-2025
The strategy seeks to develop credit discipline and encourage availing of credit from formal financial institutions as per requirement.
It wants to improve usage of digital financial services in a safe and secure manner.
The document wants management of risk at various life stages through relevant and suitable insurance cover and plan for old age and retirement through coverage of suitable pension products.
About NCFE
National Centre for Financial Education (NCFE) is a Not for Profit Company promoted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
Namath Basai
It is Kerala government’s unique programme of teaching tribal children in their mother tongue.
Implemented by the Samagra Siksha Kerala (SSK).
The SSK has distributed some 50 laptops exclusively for Namath Basai. Pre-recorded classes are offered through a YouTube channel.
It has succeeded in retaining hundreds of tribal children in their online classes by making them feel at home with the language of instruction.
Trifood Project
Context: Trifood Project of TRIFED launched in Raigad, Maharashtra and Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh.
Details of the project:
Being implemented by TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs in association with Ministry of Food Processing (MoFPI).
Aims to enhance the income of tribals through better utilization of and value addition to the MFPs collected by the tribal forest gatherers.
How? To achieve this, as a start, two Minor Forest Produce (MFP) processing units will be set up.
Appointment of Election Commissioners
Context:
In pursuance of clause (2) of article 324 of the Constitution, the President has appointed Rajiv Kumar, IAS(Retd.) as the Election Commissioner.
About Election commission of India:
The constitution under article 324 provides for an Election Commission for the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for the conduct of elections to parliament, state legislatures and to the offices of president and vice president.
Composition Election commission of India
The constitution provides for the following provisions in relation to the composition of the election commission:
The election commission shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner and a such number of other election commissioners, if any, as the president may from time to time fix.
The appointment of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners shall be made by the president.
When any other election commissioner is so appointed the chief election commissioner shall act as the chairman of the election commission.
The president may also appoint after consultation with the election commission such regional commissioners as he may consider necessary to assist the election commission.
The conditions of service and tenure of office of the election commissioners and the regional commissioners shall be such as the President may by rule determine.
CEC vs ECs
Though the Chief Election Commissioner is the chairman of the election commission, however, his powers are equal to the other election commissioners.
All the matters in the commission are decided by the majority amongst its members.
The Chief Election Commissioner and the two other election commissioners receive equal salary, allowances and other benefits.
Tenure of EC
The Chief Election Commissioner and other election commissioners hold office for 6 years or till they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
They can resign at any time by addressing their resignation to the president.
Removal of election commissioner
They can resign anytime or can also be removed before the expiry of their term.
The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from his office in the same manner and on same grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court.
Sri Lanka to abolish 19th amendment to constitution
Context:
In his first address to the newly elected Parliament, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared his intention to repeal the landmark 19th Amendment to the Constitution, and, thereafter, to work towards a new Constitution.
Why? The Rajapaksa camp viewed the 19th Amendment’s clauses as primarily intending to prevent its leaders’ return to power.
Overview of the 19th Constitutional Amendment
Of srilanka
Introduced in 2015. The legislation envisages the dilution of many powers of Executive Presidency, which had been in force since 1978.
It involves:
The reduction in the terms of President and Parliament from six years to five years.
Re-introduction of a two-term limit that a person can have as President.
The power of President to dissolve Parliament only after four and a half years.
The revival of Constitutional Council and the establishment of independent commissions.
The President remains the head of Cabinet and he can appoint Ministers on the advice of Prime Minister.
Why was the 19th Amendment introduced?
It mainly sought to weaken the power of the presidency which the 18th amendment had greatly expanded.
The 18th amendment allowed four basic changes:
The President can seek re-election any number of times;
The ten-member Constitutional Council has been replaced with a five-member Parliamentary Council;
Independent commissions are brought under the authority of the President; and,
It enables the President to attend Parliament once in three months and entitles him to all the privileges, immunities, and powers of a Member of Parliament other than the entitlement to vote.
The 19th amendment counterbalanced many of these decisions and restored components of the 17th amendment.
Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana
Why in News?
Relaxation in eligibility criteria and enhancement in the payment of unemployment benefits under the Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana of ESIC.
About Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana:
Launched by the Employee’s State Insurance (ESI) in 2018.
Aim: It aims to financially support those who lost their jobs or rendered jobless for whatsoever reasons due to changing employment pattern.
What are the latest changes?
Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana
Eligibility criteria for availing the relief has been relaxed, as under:
The payment of relief has been enhanced to 50% of average of wages from earlier 25% of average wages payable upto maximum 90 days of unemployment.
Instead of the relief becoming payable 90 days after unemployment, it shall become due for payment after 30 days.
The Insured Person can submit the claim directly to ESIC Branch Office instead of the claim being forwarded by the last employer and the payment shall be made directly in the bank account of IP.
The Insured Person should have been insurable employment for a minimum period of 2 years before his/her unemployment and should have contributed for not les than 78 days in the contribution period immediately preceding to unemployment and minimum 78 days in one of the remaining 3 contribution periods in 02 years prior to unemployment.
Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP)
Why in News?
PMEGP projects records 44% implementation jump.
About Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme:
PMEGP is a central sector scheme administered by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME).
Launched in 2008-09, it is a credit-linked subsidy scheme which promotes self-employment through setting up of micro-enterprises, where subsidy up to 35% is provided by the Government through Ministry of MSME for loans up to ₹25 lakhs in manufacturing and ₹10 lakhs in the service sector.
Implementation
PMEGP
National Level- Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) as the nodal agency.
State Level- State KVIC Directorates, State Khadi and Village Industries Boards (KVIBs), District Industries Centres (DICs) and banks.
Eligibility of PMEGP
Any individual above 18 years of age, Self Help Groups, Institutions registered under Societies Registration Act 1860, Production Co-operative Societies and Charitable Trusts are eligible.
Existing Units and the units that have already availed Government Subsidy under any other scheme of Government of India or State Government are not eligible.
Only new projects are considered for sanction under PMEGP.
What are Participatory Notes?
Context:
Investments through participatory notes (P-notes) in the domestic capital market soared to Rs 63,288 crore till July-end, making it the fourth consecutive monthly rise.
Of the total money invested through the route till July, Rs 52,356 crore was invested in equities, Rs 10,429 crore in debt, Rs 250 crore in the hybrid securities and Rs 190 crore in derivatives segment.
What are Participatory Notes?
Participatory Notes or P-Notes (PNs) are financial instruments issued by a registered foreign institutional investor (FII) to an overseas investor who wishes to invest in Indian stock markets without registering themselves with the market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
Key points:
P-Notes are Offshore Derivative Investments (ODIs) with equity shares or debt securities as underlying assets.
They provide liquidity to the investors as they can transfer the ownership by endorsement and delivery.
While the FIIs have to report all such investments each quarter to SEBI, they need not disclose the identity of the actual investors.
What are govt & regulator’s concerns?
P-notes
The primary reason why P-Notes are worrying is because of the anonymous nature of the instrument as these investors could be beyond the reach of Indian regulators.
Further, there is a view that it is being used in money laundering with wealthy Indians, like the promoters of companies, using it to bring back unaccounted funds and to manipulate their stock prices.
Thumbimahotsavam 2020
What is it?
It is the first-ever State Dragonfly Festival in Kerala.
World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF–India) State unit has joined hands with the Society for Odonate Studies (SOS) and Thumbipuranam for the festival.
Official mascot of the festival:
Pantalu.
National dragonfly festival:
This is part of a national dragonfly festival being organised by the WWF India, Bombay Natural History Society & Indian Dragonfly Society in association with the National Biodiversity Board, United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Development Programme and IUCN – Centre for Environment Conservation.
The Dragonfly Festival started in 2018 to educate and inform the public about the integral role that dragonflies, and their lesser known siblings damselflies, play in our environment.
About the World Wide Fund for Nature:
It is an international non-governmental organization.
Founded in 1961
Headquarter — Gland (Switzerland).
Aim: wilderness preservation & the reduction of human impact on the environment.
Reports & programmes:
Living Planet Report— published every two years by WWF since 1998; it is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation.
Earth hour – a worldwide movement organized by WWF annually, encouraging individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights, for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on a specific day towards the end of March, as a symbol of commitment to the planet.
Debt-for-nature swaps–financial transactions in which a portion of a developing nation’s foreign debt is forgiven in exchange for local investments in environmental conservation measures.
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) — independent non-profit organization which sets a standard for sustainable fishing.
Healthy GrownPotato — eco-brand that provides high-quality, sustainably grown, packaged, and shipped potatoes to consumers by leveraging integrated pest management (IPM) farming practices on large scale farms.
State Pollution Control Boards
Context:
Orissa High Court has issued notice to the state government over appointment of bureaucrats as chairman and member secretary of the State pollution control board for the past 10 years.
What’s the issue?
A social activist had moved the HC drawing attention that:
As per the Section 4 of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and Sec 5 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) 1981, there is provision for appointment of full time member secretary and nomination of full time or part time chairman by the State government.
But, for last more than 10 years, the posts of OSPCB are filled up from the cadres of IAS and IFS respectively without adhering to any selection procedure”.
The same is the case in many other States. A case was also filed in the National Green Tribunal, New Delhi, since the posts require scientific and engineering or management qualification and experience.
The NGT made a similar observation in its 2016 order.
In September 2017, the Supreme Court had directed the State governments to formulate policy regarding the qualification and experience for these posts within six months.
