August To September 4 Flashcards
Horizon is the virtual reality platform developed by
Non personal data is under which committee
Kris Gopalkrishnan committee
National air quality index is based on what pollutants
PM10, PM 2.5, Nitrogen Dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, O3, Ammonia, Lead
What is navy exercise between India and russia
INDRA
What is called sea cow
Dugong
IUCN vulnerable — found on the west coast of india
And in Indian Ocean
Question hour
First hour
Starred; unstarred and short notice questions asked
Asked 15 days in advance for stared and unstated; but 10 days for short notice questions
Starred questions need oral answer
Unstarred is replied by written anger — so no supplementary questions
Short notice is also orally asked
Question hour is held in all days — except on president notice days and finance minister budget session
Conduct of question hour is maintained by
Presiding officers
They also decide supplementary questions also
Zero hour
Not mentioned in rules of procedure as seen in question hour
Informal device — so no need any prior notice
Stars after question hour and lasts until the agenda of the day
This is an indian innovation
Urgent matters are asked
Asked on the discretion of the presiding officer
Indian cyber crime coordination centre comes under
MHA
Reserved forest in notified by
State forest under Indian forest act of 1980
Largest private seaport of India
Mundra port
Merchandise exports from indian scheme is introduced under
Foreign trade policy of indian 2015 -20
Rare Renati Chola era inscription unearthed
Context:
This rare inscription was recently unearthed from a remote village of Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh.
Key points:
It was found engraved on a dolomite slab and shale.
The inscription was written in archaic Telugu.
It was assigned to the 8th Century A.D., when the region was under the rule of the Chola Maharaja of Renadu.
What this inscription reveals?
Rare Renati Chola era inscription unearthed
It throws light on the record of a gift of six marttus (a measuring unit) of land gifted to a person.
The last lines of the inscription are indicative of the priority given to morality in those days.
“It says the people who safeguard this inscription for future generations will acquire the status of conducting Aswamedha Yaga, and those destroying it will incur sin equivalent to causing a death in Varanasi”.
Who were Renati Cholas?
The Telugu Cholas of Renadu (also called as Renati Cholas) ruled over Renadu region, the present day Cuddapah district.
They were originally independent, later forced to the suzerainty of the Eastern Chalukyas.
They had the unique honour of using the Telugu language in their inscriptions belonging to the 7th and 8th centuries.
The earliest of this family was Nandivarman (500 AD) who claimed descent from the family of Karikala and the Kasyapa gotra.
Their territory extended over the whole of Cuddapah district and the adjoining areas of Anantapur, Kurnool and Chittoor districts.
Chola Local Administration
The most important feature of the Chola administration was the local administration at districts, towns and villages level.
Uttaramerur inscriptions speak much about the Chola administration.
Village autonomy was the most unique feature of Chola administrative system.
Nadu was one of the important administrative units of the Cholas. Nadus had representative assemblies.
The heads of the Nadus were called Nattars.
The council of Nadu was called Nattavai.
Variyams:
Village Assemblies carried on village administration effectively with the help of variyams.
The male members of the society were the members of these variyams.
Hampi
Context:
Ministry of Tourism recently organised their latest webinar titled Hampi- Inspired by the past; Going into the future under Dekho Apna DeshWebinar series.
Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series is an effort to showcase India’s rich diversity under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme.
About Hampi:
It was the last capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar.
In 1336 CE, the Vijayanagara Empire arose from the ruins of the Kampili kingdom.
It grew into one of the famed Hindu empires of South India that ruled for over 200 years.
It was a part of the Mauryan Empire back in the third century BC.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage site
Its name is derived from Pampa which is the old name of the Tungabhadra River on whose banks the city is built.
The site used to be multi-religious and multi-ethnic; it included Hindu and Jain monuments next to each other.
Architecture
It has been described by UNESCO as an “austere, grandiose site” of more than 1,600 surviving remains of the last great Hindu kingdom in South India.
The buildings here predominantly followed South Indian Hindu arts and architecture dating to the Aihole-Pattadakal styles, but the Hampi builders also used elements of Indo-Islamic architecture in the Lotus Mahal, the public bath and the elephant stables.
The 15th Century Virupaksha temple is one of the oldest monuments of the town.
Hemkunta Hill, south of the Virupaksha temple contains early ruins, Jain temples and a monolithic sculpture of Lord Narasimha, a form of Lord Vishnu.
Vittal temple built in the 16th Century, is now a World Heritage monument.
The columns of the temple are so balanced that they have a musical quality.
What is a review petition?
Context:
The Supreme Court has fined senior advocate Prashant Bhushan Re 1 in the contempt case for his tweets on the judiciary.
He will be imprisoned for three months and will be debarred from practicing for three years if he defaults on the payment of the penalty.
Background:
On August 25, the court had reserved its ruling after numerous arguments as Bhushan refused to apologise.
What next?
He has agreed to pay the fine but has said that he will file a review petition against the conviction.
What is a review petition and when can it be filed?
A judgment of the Supreme Court becomes the law of the land, according to the Constitution. It is final because it provides certainty for deciding future cases.
However, the Constitution itself gives, under Article 137, the Supreme Court the power to review any of its judgments or orders.
This departure from the Supreme Court’s final authority is entertained under specific, narrow grounds.
So, when a review takes place, the law is that it is allowed not to take fresh stock of the case but to correct grave errors that have resulted in the miscarriage of justice.
When can a review petition be accepted?
In a 1975 ruling, Justice Krishna Iyer said a review can be accepted “only where a glaring omission or patent mistake or like grave error has crept in earlier by judicial fallibility”.
A review is by no means an appeal in disguise.
That means the Court is allowed not to take fresh stock of the case but to correct grave errors that have resulted in the miscarriage of justice.
Filing Review Petition
As per the Civil Procedure Code and the Supreme Court Rules, any person aggrieved by a ruling can seek a review.
This implies that it is not necessary that only parties to a case can seek a review of the judgment.
A Review Petition has to be filed within 30 days of the date of judgment or order.
In certain circumstances, the court can condone the delay in filing the review petition if the petitioner can establish strong reasons that justify the delay.
The procedure to be followed
For review petition
The rules state that review petitions would ordinarily be entertained without oral arguments by lawyers.
It is heard “through circulation” by the judges in their chambers.
Review petitions are also heard, as far as practicable, by the same combination of judges who delivered the order or judgment that is sought to be reviewed.
If a judge has retired or is unavailable, a replacement is made keeping in mind the seniority of judges.
In exceptional cases, the court allows an oral hearing.
In a 2014 case, the Supreme Court held that review petitions in all death penalty cases will be heard in open court by a Bench of three judges.
Option after Review Petition Fails
In Roopa Hurra v Ashok Hurra case (2002), the Court evolved the concept of a curative petition, which can be heard after a review petition is dismissed.
A curative petition is also entertained on very narrow grounds like a review petition and is generally not granted an oral hearing.
What are Open Market Operations?
Context:
RBI has announced the following measures to cool the rising bond yields and assuage liquidity pressures that could arise due to advance tax outflows:
Two more tranches of ‘Operation Twist’ aggregating Rs 20,000 crore.
Term repo operations aggregating Rs 1 lakh crore in September.
Created more room under the so-called ‘held to maturity’ (HTM) category, which Banks’ can utilise from September 1, 2020 to park their fresh G-Sec acquisitions.
What is ‘Operation Twist’?
‘Operation Twist’ is RBI’s simultaneous selling of short-term securities and buying of long term securities through open market operations (OMO).
Under this mechanism, the short-term securities are transitioned into long-term securities.
How does RBI manage ‘Operation Twist’?
This operation involves buying and selling government securities simultaneously in order to bring down long-term interest rates and bolster short-term rates.
There is an inverse relationship between the bond prices and their yields.
As the central bank buys long-term securities (bonds), their demand rise which in turn pushes up their prices.
However, the bond yield comes down with an increase in prices.
Yield is the return an investor gets on his (bond) holding/investment.
The interest rate in an economy is determined by yield.
Thus, lower long-term interest rates mean people can avail long-term loans (such as buying houses, cars or financing projects) at lower rates.
This also results in a dip in the expected returns from long-term savings which tilts the balance from saving towards spending.
Hence, cheaper retail loans can help encourage consumption spending which is the largest GDP component in the economy.
Benefits of operation twist
Fixed income investors with higher exposure to long term debt will benefit from easing yield of long-term bonds.
Consumers/borrowers will also profit from ‘Operation Twist’ as the retail loans will now get cheaper.
Cheaper retail loans mean a boost in consumption and spending in the economy which in turn will revive growth.
What are Open Market Operations?
OMOs are the market operations conducted by the RBI by way of sale and purchase of G-Secs to and from the market with an objective to adjust the rupee liquidity conditions in the market on a durable basis.
When the RBI feels that there is excess liquidity in the market, it resorts to sale of securities thereby sucking out the rupee liquidity.
Similarly, when the liquidity conditions are tight, the RBI may buy securities from the market, thereby releasing liquidity into the market.
Coal Gasification and Liquefaction
Context:
Union Minister of Coal and Mines recently addressed a webinar on Coal Gasification and Liquefaction. He said;
India aims for 100 million tonnes (MT) coal gasification by 2030 with investments worth over Rs. 4 lakh crores.
For encouraging use of clean sources of fuel, government has provided for a concession of 20% on revenue share of coal used for gasification.
This will boost production of synthetic natural gas, energy fuel, urea for fertilisers and production of other chemicals.
What is coal gasification?
It is the process of producing syngas, a mixture consisting carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2), natural gas (CH4), and water vapour (H2O).
During gasification, coal is blown with oxygen and steam while also being heated under high pressure.
During the reaction, oxygen and water molecules oxidize the coal and produce syngas.
Benefits of gasification
Transporting gas is a lot cheaper than transporting coal.
Help address local pollution problems.
Has greater efficiency than conventional coal-burning because it can effectively use the gases twice: the coal gases are first cleansed of impurities and fired in a turbine to generate electricity.
The exhaust heat from the gas turbine can be captured and used to generate steam for a steam turbine-generator.
Concerns and challenges of coal gasification
Coal gasification is one of the more water-intensive forms of energy production.
There are also concerns about water contamination, land subsidence and disposing of waste water safely.
What is coal liquefaction?
Also called Coal to Liquid (CTL) technology, it is an alternative route to produce diesel and gasoline and makes economic sense only in a world of high crude oil prices.
The process involves gasification of coal, which in turn will produce synthetic gas (a mix of CO+H2).
The synthetic gas can be liquefied to its fuel equivalent in presence of cobalt/iron-based catalysts at higher pressure and temperature.
However, liquefied coal emits twice as much CO2 as burning oil. It also emits a large volume of SO2.
Benefits of liquefaction:
The CO2 emissions are more readily and cheaply captured from CTL plants than from conventional coal-fired power stations.
The captured CO2 can be transported and injected into underground storage reservoirs (a procedure known as “carbon capture and storage”—CCS—or “geosequestration”).
World’s Largest Solar Tree
Context:
CSIR-CMERI has developed the World’s Largest Solar Tree, which is installed at CSIR-CMERI Residential Colony, Durgapur.
Key points:
The installed capacity of the Solar Tree is above 11.5 kWp.
It has the annual capacity to generate 12,000-14,000 units of Clean and Green Power.
The Tree has been designed in a manner to ensure maximum exposure of each Solar PV Panel to Sunlight and also creation of the least amount of shadow area beneath.
Significance and potential of solar trees
These Solar Trees can be aligned with Agriculture for substituting price-volatile fossil fuels.
Each Solar Tree has the potential to save 10-12 tons of CO2 emissions being released into the atmosphere as Greenhouse Gases when compared with fossil fuel fired energy generation.
Besides, the surplus generated power can be fed into an Energy Grid.
This Agricultural Model can provide a consistent economic return and help the farmers counter the effects of the uncertain variations in Agriculture related activities, thus, making farming an Economic and Energy Sustainable practice.
The solar tree also has the capability to incorporate IOT based features,e. round-the-clock CCTV surveillance in agricultural fields, real-time humidity, wind speed, rainfall prediction and soil analytics sensors.
The CSIR-CMERI developed solar powered e-Suvidha Kiosks may also be connected to the Solar Trees for real-time access to the vast majority of agricultural database as well as to the eNAM i.e. National Agricultural MarketPlace for instant and real-time access to an unified online market.
What is the importance of Ladakh’s Pangong Tso’s south bank?
Context:
India and China have unsettled borders, and the perception of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) differs in multiple sectors, including on Pangong Tso.
Recently, Indian soldiers thwarted an attempt by Chinese troops to occupy some heights near the southern bank of Pangong Tso.
Why there is a dispute here?
The Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the line that separates Indian and Chinese troops since 1962 – generally runs along the land except for the width of Pangong Tso. Here, it runs through water.
Both sides have marked their areas announcing which side belongs to which country.
India controls about 45 km stretch of the Pangong Tso and China the rest.
The lake is divided into sections called fingers.
There are eight of them in contention here.
India and China have different understanding of where the LAC passes through.
India has maintained that the LAC passes through Finger 8, which has been the site of the final military post of China.
India has been patrolling the area – mostly on foot because of the nature of the terrain – up to Finger 8. But Indian forces have not had active control beyond Finger 4.
China, on the other hand, says the LAC passes through Finger 2. It has been patrolling up to Finger 4- mostly in light vehicles, and at times up to Finger 2.
Why China wants to encroach areas alongside Pangong Tso?
Pangong Tso is strategically crucial as it is very close to Chusul Valley,which was one of the battlefronts between India and China during the 1962 war.
China appears to keep India constricted in the region by taking strategic advantage of looking over the Chusul Valley, which it can do if it advances along Pangong Tso.
China also does not want India to boost its infrastructure anywhere near the LAC.
China fears it threatens its occupation of Aksai Chin and Lhasa-Kashgar highway.
Any threat to this highway also puts Chinese rather imperialist plans in Pakistan-occupied territories in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, and beyond in Pakistan.
About Pangong Tso
Pangong Tso literally translates into a “conclave lake”. Pangong means conclave in Ladakhi and Tso means a lake in Tibetan language.
Situated at over 14,000 feet, the Lake is about 135 km long.
It is formed from Tethys geosyncline.
The Karakoram Mountain range, which crosses Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and India, with heights of over 6,000 metres including K2, the world’s second highest peak, ends at the north bank of Pangong Tso.
Its southern bank too has high broken mountains sloping towards Spangur Lake in the south.
The lake’s water, while crystal clear, is brackish, making it undrinkable.
Baltic Nations
It is a geopolitical term, typically used to group the three sovereign states in Northern Europe on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The most important areas of cooperation between the three countries are foreign and security policy, defence, energy and transportation.
All three countries are members of the European Union, NATO, the eurozone and the OECD.
All three are classified as high-income economies by the World Bank and maintain a very high Human Development Index.
Chemical weapons convention was administered by
Organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons
India ratified the chemical weapons convention in 1996
Year of chemical weapons convention
2000
Assam rifles is in administrative control and operational control of
Assam rifles is under administrative control of MHA
But under the operation control of Army i.e Defence minister
This means salaried and infrastructure is given by MHA
While deployment, posting is by MoD
Meitei tribe is seen in
Manipur
National nutrition week is launched by
Ministry of Women and child affairs
what are the forces under MHA
BSF
ITBP
SSB
CISF
CRPF
NSG
Narcotics control bureau is under which ministry
MHA
Central drugs standard control organisation is under
MoHFW
What is Environmental grouping of SAARC called
South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme
SACEP
Pakke tiger reserve is in
Arunachal Pradesh
NATO is under which counties
30
Indian tamils are seen in which part of srilanka
Central highlands
Does US ratified the Rome statue
Nope
State business reform action plan was brought by
State business reform action plan was brought by
DPIIT and world bank
It gives the ease of doing business among the states
AP topped this time
Which organisation first responds to the oil spills in the Indian waters
Indian coast guard
Taliban and US have peace deal at
Doha
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Why in News?
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has said civil rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan’s conviction for criminal contempt of court by the Supreme Court seemed to be inconsistent with the freedom of expression law guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that India was a party to.
What is International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)?
It is an international human rights non-governmental organization.
Composition: It is a standing group of 60 eminent jurists—including senior judges, attorneys and academics.
Functions: To develop national and international human rights standards through the law.
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
What has the ICJ said on Prashant Bhushan’s case?
The conviction appears to be inconsistent with international standards on freedom of expression and the role of lawyers.
The judgment risked having a “chilling effect on the exercise of protected freedom of expression in India”.
While some restrictions of freedom of expression are permitted by international standards, a particularly wide scope must be preserved for debate and discussion about such matters as the role of the judiciary, access to justice, and democracy, by members of the public, including through public commentary on the courts.
What is International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights?
It is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Monitored by the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
The covenant commits its parties to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, electoral rights and rights to due process and a fair trial.
The ICCPR is part of the International Bill of Human Rights, along with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
It became effective in 1976. Article 49 allowed that the covenant would enter into force three months after the date of the deposit of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or accession.
India is a party to this treaty.
NCRB report on accidental deaths, suicides:
Context:
Report was released recently by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Overall, the report shows that the number of suicide cases and accidental deaths registered an increase across the country last year from the 2018 figures.
Report on Suicides in the country:
Suicides in the country went up slightly from 1,34,516 to 1,39,123.
Of the 97,613 male suicides, the most were of daily wage earners (29,092), followed by self-employed persons (14,319) and the unemployed (11,599).
Of the 41,493 female, over half were housewives.
Most suicides by unemployed persons were in Kerala at 14% (1,963), followed by 10.8% in Maharashtra, 9.8% in Tamil Nadu, 9.2% in Karnataka and 6.1% in Odisha.
Most suicides by those in business activities were in Maharashtra (14.2%), Tamil Nadu (11.7%), Karnataka (9.7%), West Bengal (8.2%) and Madhya Pradesh (7.8%).
The suicide rate in cities (13.9%) was higher compared to the all-India average.
Most cases of mass/family suicides were reported from Tamil Nadu (16), followed by Andhra Pradesh (14), Kerala (11) and Punjab (9) and Rajasthan (7).
Report on Accidental deaths
By NCRB
Accidental deaths in the country increased by 2.3%. Compared with 4,11,824 in 2018, the figure stood at 4,21,104 last year.
The most casualties of 30.9% were reported in the 30-45 age group, followed by 26% in the 18-30 age group.
Maharashtra reported the highest deaths (70,329), amounting to nearly one-sixth of the total figure.
A total of 8,145 deaths was due to the causes attributable to forces of nature, including 35.3% due to lightning, 15.6% by heat/sun stroke and 11.6% deaths in floods.
Most deaths (400) due to lightning was reported each from Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, followed by Jharkhand (334) and Uttar Pradesh (321).
The major causes were ‘traffic accidents’ (43.9%), ‘sudden deaths’ (11.5%), ‘drowning’ (7.9%), ‘poisoning’ (5.1%), ‘falls’ (5.1%) and ‘accidental fire’ (2.6%).
A majority (57.2%) of deaths was in the age groups of 18-45 years.
About NCRB
Set -up in 1986 under the Ministry of Home Affairs to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators.
Set up based on the recommendations of the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the MHA’s Task Force (1985).
NCRB brings out the annual comprehensive statistics of crime across the country (‘Crime in India’ report).
Being published since 1953, the report serves as a crucial tool in understanding the law and order situation across the country.
Adjusted gross revenue (AGR)
Why in News?
The Supreme Court has allowed telecom companies 10 years’ time to pay their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues to the government.
The judgment:
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) should decide whether or not spectrum can be sold under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
Due to the current Covid-19situation, telcos should pay 10 per cent of the total dues by March 31, 2021.
Telecom companies would also have to make payments on or before February 7 every year.
The non-payment of dues in any year would lead to accrual of interest and invite contempt of court proceedings against such companies.
What’s the issue?
AGR
An October 2019 judgment of the court in the AGR issue originally wanted the telcos to make the repayments in three months.
The court had concluded that the private telecom sector had long reaped the fruits of the Centre’s liberalized mode of payment by revenue sharing regime.
Later, the government had proposed in court a 20-year “formula” for telcos to make staggered payments of the dues. But, the court observed that the period of 20 years fixed for payment is excessive.
Even after part payment, the dues still run to ₹1.43 lakh crore.
What is AGR?
Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) is the usage and licensing fee that telecom operators are charged by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
It is divided into spectrum usage charges and licensing fees, pegged between 3-5 percent and 8 percent respectively.
How is it calculated?
AGR
As per DoT, the charges are calculated based on all revenues earned by a telco – including non-telecom related sources such as deposit interests and asset sales.
What are issues associated? When it all began?
AGR
The telecom sector was liberalised under the National Telecom Policy, 1994 after which licenses were issued to companies in return for a fixed license fee.
However, to provide relief from the steep fixed license fee, the government in 1999 gave an option to the licensees to migrate to the revenue sharing fee model.
Under this, mobile telephone operators were required to share a percentage of their AGR with the government as annual license fee (LF) and spectrum usage charges (SUC).
License agreements between the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the telecom companies define the gross revenues of the latter.
The dispute between DoT and the mobile operators was mainly on the definition of AGR.
The DoT argued that AGR includes all revenues (before discounts) from both telecom and non-telecom services.
The companies claimed that AGR should comprise just the revenue accrued from core services and not dividend, interest income or profit on sale of any investment or fixed assets.
Qatari labour laws reforms
Context:
Qatar has brought about a change in its labour laws.
The reforms, which were announced by the Emir of Qatar in October 2019, were signed into law recently.
These reforms are now applicable to workers of all nationalities and in all sectors, including domestic workers who were previously excluded.
What are Qatar’s new labour laws?
Abolition of the unjustified ‘kafala system’ or requirement for a “no objection certificate” that migrant workers needed to get from their employers before changing jobs.
Now, workers will have to serve a one-month notice period if they have worked for less than two years and notice period of two months if they have worked longer.
Increasing the minimum wage by 25 per cent to $274 or 1000 Qatari riyals and an additional 300 QAR for food and 500 QAR for accommodation in case not provided by the company.
Background
Qatari Labour laws reforms
Qatar has introduced a series of labour reforms since its selection as the 2022 World Cup host, with the event setting in motion a huge construction programme employing foreign workers.
What is kafala?
The ‘kafala’ system is a system that lays down obligations in the treatment and protection of foreign ‘guests’. Kafala means ‘to guarantee’ or ‘to take care of’ in Arabic.
Under the system, a migrant worker’s immigration status is legally bound to an individual employer or sponsor (‘kafeel’) during the contract period.
The migrant worker cannot enter the country, transfer employment nor leave the country for any reason without first obtaining explicit written permission from the kafeel.
When did the kafala system start?
The kafala system began in the 1950s when several Middle East countries started hiring foreign workers to accelerate development following the discovery of oil.
Where is the kafala system practiced?
It is being practiced in the Gulf Cooperation Council member countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and also in the Arab states of Jordan and Lebanon.
Concerns associated with this practice, why it should be abolished?
Kafala
Human rights groups say the migration management system enables exploitation and forced labor—labor extracted by under the threat of penalty, and not offered voluntarily by the worker.
The media have likened employment conditions under kafala to “modern-day slavery.”
Some migrant workers end up absconding from their employers to seek refuge elsewhere. In the Gulf states, absconding is considered a crime and that leads to indefinite detention and deportation.
Complaining puts them in conflict with their sponsor, who has the power to cancel their residence visa and have them deported.
The kafala directly contradicts the labour law.
The employer can dictate the recruitment process and working conditions.
It restricts labour mobility.
It prohibits any mobility on part of the worker unless approved by the kafeel.
If the kafeels are unwilling to let them go, workers cannot leave them for better employment.
Index Linked Products in the life insurance segment
Context:
The IRDAI has set up a working group on Index Linked Products to examine the various aspects of Index Linked Products in the life insurance segment.
Current IRDAI product regulations do not specifically permit insurers to sell index-linked products.
Background:
Life insurers had approached Irdai with a request to allow them to offer index-linked products.
Life insurance companies currently offer two product categories — unit-linked insurance plans and traditional plans.
What are Index Linked Insurance Products?
They are insurance products whose returns are linked to benchmark indices.
These products are linked to the 10-year government bonds or equity indices such as Sensex or Nifty.
Such products allow the policyholder to get a guaranteed value.
Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM)
Context:
Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) in electricity launched as a first step towards greening the Indian short term power market.
What is GTAM?
It is an alternative new model introduced for selling off the power by the renewable developers in the open market without getting into long term PPAs.
Key features of GTAM
Transactions through GTAM will be bilateral in nature with clear identification of corresponding buyers and sellers, there will not be any difficulty in accounting for Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO).
GTAM contracts will be segregated into Solar RPO & Non-Solar RPO as RPO targets are also segregated.
Daily & Weekly Contracts – Bidding will take place on MWh basis.
Price discovery will take place on a continuous basise. price time priority basis.
Subsequently, looking at the market conditions open auction can be introduced for daily & weekly contracts.
Energy scheduled through GTAM contract shall be considered as deemed RPO compliance of the buyer.
Significance and benefits of the move
The introduction of GTAM platform would lessen the burden on RE-rich States and incentivize them to develop RE capacity beyond their own RPO.
This would promote RE merchant capacity addition and help in achieving RE capacity addition targets of the country.
GTAM platform will also lead to increase in number of participants in renewable energy sector.
It will benefit buyers of RE through competitive prices and transparent and flexible procurement.
It will also benefit RE sellers by providing access to pan- India market.
National Security Act, 1980
Why in News?
The Allahabad High Court has set aside the National Security Act order passed against Gorakhpur doctor Kafeel Khan, terming it illegal, and directed the Uttar Pradesh government to forthwith release him from jail.
The court also declared the extension of the period of his detention under the NSA as “illegal”.
Background:
government had in February slapped the NSA on Dr. Khan for allegedly making inflammatory and provocative comments during a speech by him against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Aligarh Muslim University in December 2019.
About National Security Act
It is a stringent law that allows preventive detention for months, if authorities are satisfied that a person is a threat to national security or law and order.
The person does not need to be charged during this period of detention.
The goal is to prevent the individual from committing a crime.
It was promulgated on September 23, 1980, during the Indira Gandhi government.
As per the National Security Act, the grounds for preventive detention of a person include
acting in any manner prejudicial to the defence of India, the relations of India with foreign powers, or the security of India.
regulating the continued presence of any foreigner in India or with a view to making arrangements for his expulsion from India.
preventing them from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of the State or from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order or from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community it is necessary so to do.
