Bodies Flashcards
World Meteorological Organization
It is aspecialized agency of the United Nations(UN).
It is theUN system’s authoritative voiceonthe state and behaviour of theEarth’s atmosphere, its interaction with theoceans, theclimateit produces, and the resultingdistribution ofwater resources.
Itoriginated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873.
Established in 1950,WMO became the specialized agencyof the UNfor meteorology(weather and climate),operational hydrologyandrelated geophysical sciences.
Headquarters: Geneva,Switzerland.
Currently it has amembership of 191 countries.
Governance Structure:
Itssupreme bodyis theWorld Meteorological Congress, whichconsists of representatives of all members. Itmeetsat leastevery four yearstoset general policyand adopt regulations.
A 36-member Executive Councilmeets annually andimplementspolicy.
TheSecretariat,headed byasecretary-general appointed by the congress for a four-year term,serves as the administrative centre of the organization.
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT):
Itis a statutory authority functioning under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.
The CBDT is a part of the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance.
Functions:
Its functions include formulation of policies, dealing with matters relating to levy and collection of direct taxes, and supervision of the functioning of the entire Income Tax Department.
CBDT also proposes legislative changes in direct tax enactments and changes in rates and structure of taxation in tune with the policies of the Government.
Historical Background:
The Central Board of Revenue, as the Department’s apex body charged with the administration of taxes, came into existence as a result of the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1924.
Initially, the Board was in charge of both direct and indirect taxes.
However, when the administration of taxes became too unwieldy for one Board to handle, the Board was split up into two, namely the Central Board of Direct Taxes and Central Board of Excise and Customs, with effect from 1.1.1964
This bifurcation was brought about by the constitution of the two Boards u/s 3 of the Central Boards of Revenue Act, 1963.
Structure:
The CBDT is headed by Chairman and also comprises of six members, all of whom are ex-officio Special Secretary to the Government of India.
Member (Income Tax)
Member (Legislation and Computerization)
Member (Revenue)
Member (Personnel & Vigilance)
Member (Investigation)
Member (Audit & Judicial)
The Chairman is the co-ordinating head, and each of the members has been assigned a specialized function.
The Chairman and Members of CBDT are selected from Indian Revenue Service (IRS).
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA):
It is the apex body for Disaster Management in India.
It was established through the Disaster Management Act enacted by the Government of India in 2005.
It has the responsibility for laying down the policies, plans and guidelines for disaster management for ensuring timely and effective response to disasters in the country.
Besides approving the National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP), the Authorityapproves the plans of different Ministries and Departments of Government of India, and lays down guidelines to be followed by State Disaster Management Authorities for preparing their disaster management plans.
NDMA coordinates the implementation of disaster management policy and plan.
Organisational Structure:
It consists of Prime Minister of India as its Chairman-; a Vice Chairman with the status of Cabinet Minister, and eight members with the status of Ministers of State.
The NDMA Secretariat, headed by a Secretary, is responsible for providing secretarial support and continuity.
