DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS 20 DECEMBER
POLITY
A duty to publish: On RTI
Success of RTI:
- More Informed Citizenry.
- Accountable government
Failures of Implementation:
- Section 4 of the Act calls for pro-active and voluntary dissemination of information, but only a few Central and State institutions have published relevant information.
- Persisting vacancies in the State and Central Information Commissions.
Recent Court observation:
- Officials are sensing fear leading to paralysis of action due to the working of the RTI.
- Queries were being asked that was not always in public spirit and was posed by people who had no “locus standi” in the matter regarding the queries.
- Directed the Centre and the state governments to appoint information commissioners in the Central Information Commission and the State Information Commissions within three months.
Issues with Court observation:
- The argument by the CJI is difficult to accept as the RTI Act explicitly rejects the need for locus standi in Section 6(2) — “an applicant making request for information shall not be required to give any reason for requesting the information”.
- Seeking locus standi in order to respond to public requests could result in a chilling effect as public authorities (PAs) could choose to deny information to general citizens on subjective grounds.
- A Transparency Audit report submitted to the Central Information Commission (CIC) in 2018 sought feedback from the PAs under the CIC to evaluate implementation of Section 4 of the Act.
- Only 838 (40%) responded and even here, 35% of the PAs fared poorly with little transparency in parameters such as organisation and functions, budget and programme, e-governance and other information disclosures.
Request rejection:
- Information commissioners and public officials have authority to reject an request.
- Data on RTI requests since 2005 show that the yearly rejection rate (requests rejected as a percentage of those received) has come down steadily to 4.7% in 2018-19.
Way Forward:
- The CIC has four vacancies and 33,000 pending cases. After the top court’s directions, this lacuna should be addressed by government quickly.
- Rather than focusing on locus standi, public authorities would be advised to provide for greater voluntary dissemination on government portals, which will ease their load.
Case Study:
Rajasthan has launched Jan Soochna portal for voluntary disclosures of information.
- It has put out information about government schemes and their beneficiaries.
- People do not need to file an RTI application anymore.
- One can find out the status of an RTI application and even see what information others are seeking and the answers they are getting under the RTI Act.
- It brings key information on how public money is spent under a single, search-friendly portal.
Ration cards to look similar across country
- The Centre has designed a standard format for ration cards as it moves ahead with ‘one nation, one ration card’ initiative and has asked the state governments to follow the pattern while issuing fresh ration cards.
- Currently, the central government’s ambitious initiative is being implemented on a pilot basis in a cluster of six states. It wants to implement this facility across the country from June 1, 2020.
- Under this initiative, eligible beneficiaries would be able to avail their entitled food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from any Fair Price Shop in the country using the same ration card.
One Nation One ration Card:
- One Nation One Ration Card (RC) will ensure all beneficiaries especially migrants can access PDS across the nation from any PDS shop of their own choice.
- This will provide freedom to the beneficiaries, as they will not be tied to any one PDS shop, reduce their dependence on shop owners and will curtail instances of corruption.
- Integrated Management of PDS (IMPDS) is a system that is already operational in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana and Tripura wherein a beneficiary can avail his share of food grain from any district in the State.
SECURITY
Unlike Bengal, Kerala may update population register
Kerala may update the National Population Register (NPR) though the West Bengal government, which also opposes the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), has stalled it.
About National Population Register:
- The National Population Register (NPR) is a Register of usual residents of the country.
- The objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country. The database would contain demographic as well as biometric particulars.
- It is being prepared at the local (Village/sub-Town), sub-District, District, State and National level under provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
- It is mandatory for every usual resident of India to register in the NPR.
- Definition: A usual resident is defined for the purposes of NPR as a person who has resided in a local area for the past 6 months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next 6 months or more.
- The NPR database would contain demographic as well as biometric details.
- As per the provisions of the NPR, a Resident Identity Card (RIC) will be issued to individuals over the age of 18. This will be a chip-embedded smart card containing the demographic and biometric attributes of each individual. The UID number will also be printed on the card.
Explained: How Section 144 CrPC works
As protesters against the Citizenship Amendment Act hit the streets in large numbers in several states, state governments sought to tamp down on the demonstrations by issuing prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973.
About Section 144:
- It empowers a district magistrate, a sub-divisional magistrate or any other executive magistrate specially empowered by the state government in this behalf to issue orders to prevent and address urgent cases of apprehended danger or nuisance.
Power of administration:
- The magistrate can direct any person to abstain from a certain act or to take a certain order with respect to certain property in his possession or under his management.
- This usually includes restrictions on movement, carrying arms and from assembling unlawfully.
- It is generally believed that assembly of three or more people is prohibited under Section 144.
- However, it can be used to restrict even a single individual.
Criticism of Section 144:
- It is too broad and the words of the section are wide enough to give absolute power to a magistrate that may be exercised unjustifiably.
- The immediate remedy against such an order is a revision application to the magistrate himself.
- Imposition of Section 144 to an entire state, as in UP has also drawn criticism since the security situation differs from area to area.
Constitutionality of Section 144:
- It is not correct to say that the remedy of a person aggrieved by an order under the section was illusionary. No democracy can exist if ‘public order’ is freely allowed to be disturbed by a section of the citizens.
- It has been upheld as constitutional in nature.
- It ruled that the restrictions imposed through Section 144 cannot be held to be violative of the right to freedom of speech and expression, which is a fundamental right because it falls under the “reasonable restrictions” under Article 19(2) of the Constitution.
- The “law may be abused” is no reason to strike it down.
- A general order may be necessary when the number of persons is so large that the distinction between them and the general public cannot be made.
Court ruling for 144:
- A magistrate should only do so if the facts clearly make such restriction necessary in the public interest, and he should not impose any restriction, which goes beyond the requirements of the case.
- It is not an ordinary power flowing from administration but a power used in a judicial manner and which can stand further judicial scrutiny.
Provisions for blocking of communication:
- The rules for suspending telecommunication services, which include voice, mobile internet, SMS, landline, fixed broadband, etc are the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017.
- These rules derive their powers from the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, Section 5(2) of which talks about interception of messages in the “interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India”.
- Section 144 CrPC has often been used to clamp down on telecommunication services and order Internet shutdowns.
- Under the 2017 Rules, directions to “suspend the telecom services shall not be issued except by an order made by the Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs in the case of Government of India or by the Secretary to the State Government in-charge of the Home Department in the case of a State Government.
- The rules also say that in case the confirmation does not come from a competent authority, the orders shall cease to exist within a period of 24 hours.
ECONOMY
RBI to conduct ‘Operation Twist’ to manage yields on December 23
- On a review of the current liquidity and market situation and an assessment of the evolving financial conditions, the Reserve Bank has decided to conduct simultaneous purchase and sale of government securities under Open Market Operations (OMO) for 10,000 crore each.
- Market experts had suggested unconventional steps by the central bank as policy rate cuts are unable to bring down the bank lending rates proportionately.
Operation Twist:
- Operation Twist is the name given to a Federal Reserve monetary policy operation that involves the purchase and sale of bonds.
- It is a move taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve in 2011-12 to make long-term borrowing cheaper.
Open Market Operations (OMO):
- Open market operations is the sale and purchase of government securities and treasury bills by RBI or the central bank of the country.
- The objective of OMO is to regulate the money supply in the economy.
- When the RBI wants to increase the money supply in the economy, it purchases the government securities from the market and it sells government securities to suck out liquidity from the system.
- RBI carries out the OMO through commercial banks and does not directly involve with public.
PIB
DRDO successfully flight-tests Pinaka Missile System off Odisha coast
Pinaka Missile System developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was successfully flight-tested from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast.
About the Pinaka Missile System:
- The Pinaka is an Artillery Missile System capable of striking into enemy territory up to a range of 75 kilometres with high precision.
- The Pinaka MK-II Rocket is modified as a missile by integrating with the Navigation, Control and Guidance System to improve the end accuracy and enhance the range.
- The Navigation system of the missile is also aided by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
- The missile system has been jointly developed by various DRDO Laboratories.
Validation Exercise and Closing Ceremony INDO-Russia Joint Tri-Services Exercise Indra- 2019
The second edition of bilateral tri-services Exercise INDRA-2019 between Indian and Russia concluded recently at Babina, Pune and Goa.
About Indra:
- The exercise included joint training in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations under the United Nations mandate.
- Important lectures, demonstrations and drills related to counter-terrorism operations were rehearsed and executed jointly.
- Both the contingent shared their expertise and experience.
- The INDRA series of exercise began in 2003 and the First joint Tri-Services Exercise was conducted in 2017.
- The objective of the exercise is to imbibe the best practices from each other, jointly evolve drills to defeat the scourge of terror under the United Nations mandate.
First meeting of Consultative committee attached to Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs held
- The urban areas of 35 states/UTs have become ODF (All states/UTs except a few Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) from West Bengal) and in all, 4,320 cities have declared themselves ODF, of which 4,166 cities have been certified through third-party verification.
- About 61 lakh individual toilets and 5.6 lakh Community Toilets have been completed, thus exceeding the targets.
- 96% of the wards in the country are covered by door-to-door collection of waste, 73% of the wards are practicing source segregation, and 60% waste generated is being scientifically processed.
Schemes of Housing Affairs Ministry:
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
- The scheme focuses on the development of basic urban infrastructure in 500 Mission cities:
- Potable water for every household
- Improvement in the treatment capacity of sewerage
- Develop city parks
- Reform implementation
- The scheme’s focus is on urban renewal projects that would establish infrastructure, which facilitates sufficient and efficient sewerage networks and water supply. This is to enable an urban transformation.
Smart Cities Mission (SCM)
- The Smart Cities Mission is an urban regeneration programme launched in 2015.
- It is basically an urban renewal and retrofitting mission undertaken by the Urban Development Ministry.
- It works in partnership with the state governments in which the different cities are located.
- Many of the projects are infrastructure projects aimed at improving the quality of life in the cities.
- The initial plan was to develop 100 Smart Cities.
- The objective of the Mission is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure, and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of `Smart Solutions’.
- The implementation of the Smart Cities Mission at the city-level is done by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) created for the purpose. The SPVs plan, appraise, approve, implement, manage, operate, monitor and evaluate their Smart City projects.
Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U)
Launched in 2014, this mission aims at making urban India free from open defecation and achieving 100% scientific management of municipal solid waste.
Mission Objectives:
- Elimination of open defecation
- Eradication of manual scavenging
- Modern and scientific municipal solid waste management
- To effect behavioural change regarding healthy sanitation practices
- Generate awareness about sanitation and its linkage with public health
- Capacity augmentation for ULBs
- To create an enabling environment for private sector participation in Capex (capital expenditure) and Opex (operation and maintenance)
Mission Components:
- Household toilets, including conversion of insanitary latrines into pour-flush latrines
- Community toilets
- Public toilets
- Solid waste management
- IEC & Public Awareness
- Capacity building and Administrative & Office Expenses (A&OE)
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)
The PMAY-U was launched in 2015 to provide housing for all by 2022.
The scheme provides central assistance to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and other implementing agencies through States/UTs.
The programme has 4 verticals:
- Credit Link Subsidy Scheme (CLSS)
- In-situ rehabilitation of existing slum dwellers using land as a resource through private participation
- Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP)
- Subsidy for beneficiary led individual house construction/enhancement
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)
- It is a centrally sponsored scheme for reducing the poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households and is under implementation in the States/UTs since April 2014.
- The Mission covers all the statutory towns in the country, to be decided by the State/UT as per local needs and capabilities.
- The primary target of DAY-NULM is urban poor, including urban homeless and particular emphasis is laid on mobilisation of vulnerable sections of urban population such as SCs/STs, minorities, female-headed households, street vendors, rag pickers, etc.
Urban Transport
667 km of metro rail lines are presently operational in 18 cities and about 934 km (including 82 km Delhi-Meerut RRTS) are under construction in various cities.
Other initiatives in urban transport are:
- National Urban Transport Policy, which seeks to promote greater use of public transport and non-motorized modes of travel and use of cleaner technologies.
- Metro Rail Policy, which bridges the gap for ascertaining and enhancing the feasibility of metro rail, projects from economic, social and environmental perspective.
- Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Policy, 2017 to encourage compact mixed-use development, which reduces the need for travel and improves the access to public transport within the walkable distance of transit stations.
- National Common Mobility Card to enable seamless travel by different metros and other transport means across the country besides retail shopping and purchases. This is India’s first indigenously developed AFC System, which fulfils the dream of One Nation One Card.
- Metrolite – Cost-effective Metro system for tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
- Metroneo being formulated envisages standards for rubber tyre-based mass rapid transit system with exclusive right of way as an option for public transport in smaller cities.
Tripura gets its first SEZ
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has notified the setting up of the first ever-Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tripura.
About SEZ:
- A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a specifically delineated duty-free enclave and shall be deemed to be foreign territory for the purposes of trade operations and duties and tariffs in India.
- It is an area within a country, where there are different trade and business laws from the remaining regions of the country.
- SEZs are created to attract more investment, generate employment and also to better administer these areas.
- With a view to overcome the shortcomings experienced on account of the multiplicity of controls and clearances; absence of world-class infrastructure, and an unstable fiscal regime and with a view to attract larger foreign investments in India, the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) Policy was announced in April 2000.
- The Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, was passed by Parliament in 2005.
- After extensive consultations, the SEZ Act, 2005 supported by SEZ Rules, came into effect in 2006.
The main objectives of the SEZ Act are:
- Generation of additional economic activity
- Promotion of exports of goods and services
- Promotion of investment from domestic and foreign sources
- Creation of employment opportunities
- Development of infrastructure facilities
Facilities and incentives for SEZs:
- Duty-free import/domestic procurement of goods for development, operation and maintenance of SEZ units.
- 100% Income tax exemption on export income for SEZ units under the Income Tax Act for first 5 years, 50% for next 5 years thereafter and 50% of the ploughed back export profit for next 5 years. (Sunset Clause for Units will become effective from 2020).
- Exemption from Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT).
- Exemption from Central Sales Tax, Exemption from Service Tax and Exemption from State sales tax. These have now subsumed into GST and supplies to SEZs are zero-rated under the IGST Act, 2017.
- Single window clearance for Central and State level approvals.
QCI Conclave in Uttarakhand:
Quality Council of India (QCI) along with PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) is organizing its 11th Regional Quality Conclave (RQC) at Rudrapur district, Uttarakhand.
About Quality Council of India:
- The Quality Council of India (QCI) is a pioneering experiment of the Government of India in setting up organizations in partnership with the Indian industry.
- It is set up as a non-profit autonomous society registered under Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860.
- The Council has an equal representation of Government, Industry and other Stakeholders.
Indian Coast Guard holds 18th National Maritime Search and Rescue Board meeting
The Indian Coast Guard held the 18th National Maritime Search and Rescue Board meeting.
About the Indian Coast Guard (ICG):
The Indian Coast Guard is a multi-mission organisation, conducting round-the-year real-life operations at sea.
- It is headed by the Director General Indian Coast Guard (DGICG) exercising his overall command and superintendence from the Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ) located at New Delhi.
- It has jurisdiction over the territorial waters of India, including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone.
- It was formally established in 1978 by the Coast Guard Act as an independent armed force of India.
- It operates under the Ministry of Defence.
For effective command and control, the Maritime Zones of India are divided into five Coast Guard Regions, namely, North-West (HQ Gandhinagar), West (HQ Mumbai), East (HQ Chennai), Northeast (HQ Kolkata) and Andaman & Nicobar (Port Blair).
ICG’s Mission:
- EEZ Security
- Coastal Security
- Offshore Security
- Marine Safety
- Marine Environment Protection
- Scientific Assistance
- National Defence (in war)
Duties of the Coast Guard:
- Ensuring the safety and protection of artificial islands, offshore terminals, installations and other structures and devices in any maritime zone.
- Providing protection and assistance to fishermen in distress while at sea.
- Preservation and protection of India’s maritime environment including prevention and control of marine pollution.
- Assisting the Customs and other authorities in anti-smuggling operations.
- Enforcement of Maritime Zones of India Act.
- Precautionary measures for the safety of life and property at sea and the collection of scientific data.
Year End Review -2019 of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY):
- This scheme was launched with the objective to provide clean cooking fuel to poor households, especially in rural areas ensuring universal coverage of LPG as cooking gas in the country.
Pahal
- The Government has introduced a well-targeted system of subsidy delivery to LPG consumers through PAHAL.
- This initiative of the Government was aimed at rationalizing subsidies, based on an approach to cut subsidy leakages, but not subsidies themselves.
- It was launched in 2014 for providing the direct benefits transfer of LPG subsidy to the bank account of the LPG consumers.
- PAHAL Scheme has been designed to ensure that the benefit meant for the genuine domestic customer reaches them directly and is not diverted.
- The scheme has helped in identifying ‘ghost’ connections, multiple connections and inactive connections, which in turn has resulted in curbing diversion of subsidized LPG to commercial purposes.
Reforms in Exploration and Licensing Policy
- The Government notified ‘Reforms in Exploration and Licensing Policy’ for enhancing domestic exploration and production of oil and gas.
- This was aimed at intensifying exploration activities, attracting foreign and domestic investment and enhancing domestic production.
- The reforms included, among others, a cutting down on the required government approvals, speedy dispute resolution mechanism, and a single-window electronic approval mechanism.
Petroleum Exploration Licenses
- The Central Government has already granted Petroleum Exploration Licenses (PELs) for all the offshore blocks and also recommended to all the concerned State Governments to grant PELs for all on-land blocks allocated under Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) regime.
National Seismic Programme (NSP)
- This was launched to trace hydrocarbon resources like oil and natural gas in the Mahanadi basin (initially – as the first rollout of the scheme).
- NSP aims to undertake a fresh appraisal in all sedimentary basins across India in order to have a better understanding of the hydrocarbon potential of the country.
National Data Repository (NDR)
- The NDR was established by the Government to assimilate, preserve and upkeep the vast amount of data, which could be organised and regulated for, use in future exploration and development, besides use by R&D and other educational institutions.
Auto Fuel Vision and Policy
- BS-IV Auto Fuels have been implemented in the entire country with effect from 2017.
- It has also been decided that the country will leapfrog directly from BS-IV to BS-VI fuel standards and BS-VI standards will be implemented in the entire country from April 2020.
- Liberalization of Norms of Private Sector Participation in the Retail Sector
National Gas Grid
- The government has identified the development of an additional 15000 km of gas pipeline and various pipeline sections to complete the gas grid.
Promotion of LNG/CNG in Vehicles
- The Government is meeting 100% of the gas requirement of PNG (Domestic) and CNG (Transport) segment of the City Gas Distribution (CGD) networks across the country.
Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme
- The Government of India launched this programme in 2003 for undertaking blending of ethanol in petrol to address the environmental concerns due to fossil fuel burning, provide remuneration to farmers, subsidize crude imports and achieve forex savings.
Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana
- In order to encourage setting up of second-generation bio-fuels plants, the Government has launched this scheme for providing financial support to integrated bio-ethanol projects, using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock.
The Union Minister for Minority Affairs addressed the ‘Minorities Day’ programme organised by the National Commission for Minorities
Schemes for development of Minorities
Union Minister for Minority Affairs talked about the following schemes, which were instituted for the welfare and empowerment of minorities.
Gharib Nawaz Employment Scheme: This scheme provides short-term job-oriented skill development courses to minority youth in order to enable them for skill-based employment.
Seekho aur Kamao: This scheme aims at upgrading the skills of minority youth in various modern and traditional vocations depending on their educational qualifications, present economic trends, and the market potential, enabling them to get suitable livelihood or go for self-employment. One of the objectives of this programme is to reduce the unemployment rate among minority youth.
Nai Manzil: Launched in 2015, this scheme aims to benefit the minority youth who do not have a formal school-leaving certificate, i.e. those in the category of school dropouts or educated in community education institutions like Madarsas. The Scheme provides them with formal education and skills and enables them to seek better employment and livelihood in the organised sector.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram (PMJVK): It aims at improving the socio-economic conditions of the minorities and providing basic amenities to them for improving the quality of life of the people and reducing imbalances in the identified minority concentration areas. The projects under PMJVK would be related to the creation of infrastructure mainly in the sectors of education, health and skill development, besides innovative schemes for improving the socio-economic and living conditions of minority communities and other communities living in the catchment area.
1.png)
