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IASbhai DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB: 4th DECEMBER

 

“Dream your dreams with your eyes closed, but live your dreams with your eyes open.” 

 

DRDO to develop naval fighter jet:(IAC-I) Vikrant

      HEADLINES: 

DRDO to develop naval fighter jet

      WHY IN NEWS: 

‘It will be a deck-based aircraft’

SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Defence:DRDO:LCA

 

      LEARNING: 

For PRELIMS each and every details about this LCA(light combat aircraft)is very important.

For MAINS this is just an inclusion in defence.Let the news evolve!

      ISSUE: 

The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has offered to develop a new twin-engine deck-based fighter aircraft for the Navy based on the experience of the naval light combat aircraft (LCA) and it should be ready by 2026

Indian Navy expected to have the first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-I) Vikrant operational by 2022.

PIC: The Naval version of LCA Tejas.

 

So when  Naval version will be visible?

  • The fighter aircraft will be out by 2026.
  • New aircraft carrier can be expected.

      IASbhai WINDUP: 

Know more about Tejas Here:

 

The Navy is scheduled to host its largest multilateral exercise, MILAN off the coast of Visakhapatnam in March 2020, for which 41 countries have been invited. So far, over 15 countries have confirmed their participation. However, China has not been invited.

 

      SOURCES:  THE HINDU

 

 

CAG report pulls up govt. bodies

      HEADLINES: 

CAG report pulls up govt. bodies, finds ₹1,701.14 cr. loss in 500 cases

      WHY IN NEWS: 

Delhi Transport Corporation incurred ₹3,843 crore loss, states report

SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2:CAG:Financial devolution

 

      LEARNING: 

For PRELIMS its important to know what is CAG and its duties.

For MAINS its important to know how CAG is guardian of public purse ! This article is a wonderful example .

      ISSUE: 

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday criticised different government bodies for their lapses and laxity which has cost hundreds of crores of rupees to the exchequer.The CAG report came down heavily on the Department of Transport and the Department of Tourism.

What did the report say ?

  • Under assessment/short levy/loss of revenue and other irregularities involving ₹1,701.14 crore in 500 cases was revealed during test check of the records of 70 units of the Department of Trade and Taxes, State Excise, Transport and Revenue conducted during 2017-18.

Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Government of India

VISION

We strive to be a global leader and initiator of national and international best practices in public sector auditing and accounting and recognised for independent, credible, balanced and timely reporting on public finance and governance.

MISSION

Our mission enunciates our current role and describes what we are doing today: Mandated by the Constitution of India, we promote accountability, transparency and good governance through high quality auditing and accounting and provide independent assurance to our stakeholders, the Legislature, the Executive and the Public, that public funds are being used efficiently and for the intended purposes.

Article 148 – Comptroller and Auditor-General of India

  • There shall be a Comptroller and Auditor-General of India who shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal and shall only be removed from office in like manner and on like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
  • Every person appointed to be the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India shall, before he enters upon his office, make and subscribe before the President or some person appointed in that behalf by him, an oath or affirmation according to the form set out for the purpose in the Third Schedule.
  • The salary and other conditions of service of the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall be such as may be determined by Parliament by law and, until they are so determined, shall be as specified in the Second Schedule:
    Provided that neither the salary of a Comptroller and Auditor-General nor his rights in respect of leave of absence, pension or age of retirement shall be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment.
  • The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall not be eligible for further office either under the Government of India or under the Government of any State after he has ceased to hold his office.
  • Subject to the provisions of this Constitution and of any law made by parliament, the conditions of service of persons serving in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department and the administrative powers of the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall be such as may be prescribed by rules made by the President after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General.
  • The administrative expenses of the office of the Comptroller and Auditor-General including all salaries, allowances and pensions payable to or in respect of persons serving in that office, shall be charged upon the Consolidated Fund of India.

Article 149 – Duties and Powers of the Comptroller and Auditor-General

The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall perform such duties and exercise such powers in relation to the accounts of the Union and of the States and of any other authority or body as may be prescribed by or under any law made by Parliament and, until provision in that behalf is so made, shall perform such duties and exercise such powers in relation to the accounts of the Union and of the States as were conferred on or exercisable by the Auditor-General of India immediately before the commencement of this Constitution in relation to the accounts of the Dominion of India and of the provinces respectively.

 

      IASbhai WINDUP: 

The core values of CAG are the guiding beacons for all that we do and give us the benchmarks for assessing our performance, Independence, Objectivity, Integrity, Reliability, Professional Excellence, Transparency, Positive Approach.

 

Suggested reading : https://cag.gov.in/menu-links/our-mandate

 

 

      SOURCES:  THE HINDU

 

India tests Swedish technology to reduce stubble burning

      HEADLINES: 

India tests Swedish technology to reduce stubble burning

      WHY IN NEWS: 

Foreign firm launches its first pilot project plant in Punjab

SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Agriculture:Technology

 

      LEARNING: 

For PRELIMS know this technology !

For MAINS use this like a strong pillar in answers related to agriculture ,air pollution etc

      ISSUE:

The Punjab and Haryana governments have for years exhorted farmers not to burn stubble, but it continues unabated.

Pollution from stubble burning in winter is the key contributor to the sharp decline in air quality in Delhi. But stubble burning continues unabated. To find a solution to this issue, India is testing a Swedish technology — torrefaction that can convert rice stubble into ‘bio-coal’.

 

Stubble to bio-coal technology:

  •  The technology involves heating up straw, grass, saw mill residue and wood biomass to 250 degrees Celsius – 350 degrees Celsius.
  • This changes the elements of the biomass into ‘coal-like’ pellets.
  • These pellets can be used for combustion along with coal for industrial applications like steel and cement production
  • 65% of the biomass could be converted to energy.

 

      IASbhai WINDUP: 

So far the technology has only been substantially tested in Scandivia as a 16,000 ton/year plant. See more about Torrefaction here:

 

Suggested reading : http://www.btgworld.com/en/rtd/technologies/torrefaction

 

 

      SOURCES:  THE HINDU

 

 

 

(PSBs) have disbursed loans worth ₹2.39 lakh crore

      HEADLINES: 

In November outreach, public sector banks lend ₹2.39 lakh cr.

      WHY IN NEWS: 

Corporates get the lion’s share at ₹97,366 crore, says the government

SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Banking

 

      LEARNING: 

For PRELIMS you should be aware of public spending ! And most important who gets what share .

For MAINS nothing much important .

      ISSUE: 

Public sector banks (PSBs) have disbursed loans worth ₹2.39 lakh crore during the outreach programme in November, taking total disbursals during the two months of the programme (October and November 2019) to ₹4.91 lakh crore.

How it was possible ?

“The strong outreach effort of PSBs has continued in November as well, with disbursement of ₹2.39 lakh crore to MSMEs, NBFCs, corporates, retail and agriculture sector borrowers,”.

 

 

Suggested reading : https://www.rbi.org.in/commonman/English/Scripts/BanksInIndia.aspx

 

 

      SOURCES:  THE HINDU

 

 

“Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System” (PPRTMS)

 

      HEADLINES: 

Election Commission of India to implement “Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System” (PPRTMS)

      WHY IN NEWS: 

The Election Commission of India has reviewed the system and process of registration of political parties.

SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2:EC

 

      LEARNING: 

For PRELIMS know about this .new program , Fresh release from PIB in your plate 🙂

For MAINS implement this in transparency process of conducting free and fair elections in the country.

      ISSUE: 

 The new guidelines will be effective from 1st January,2020.  Accordingly the “Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System” (PPRTMS) will be implemented through an online portal, to facilitate tracking of status of application by applicants.

SALIENT FEATURES:

  •  Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System is that the applicant will be able to track the progress of his / her application and will get status update through SMS and email.
  • The applicant is required to provide contact mobile number and email address of the party / applicant in his application if he/she wishes to track the progress of the application.
  • The Registration of Political Parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
  • A party seeking registration under the said section with the Commission has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days .

 

      IASbhai WINDUP: 

Following the date of its formation in prescribed format with basic particulars about the party such as name, address, membership details of various units, names of office bearers, etc, as required under sub-section (4) of the said section, and such other particulars that the Commission has specified under sub-section (6) of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, as mentioned in the Guidelines for registration.

 

      SOURCES:  PIB

 

 

RURAL POVERTY HAS SHOT UP

      HEADLINES: 

INDIA’S RURAL POVERTY HAS SHOT

      WHY IN NEWS: 

 UP,Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha have seen sharp increases in poverty rates over the past few years, an analysis of the national statistical office data suggests.

 

SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 1:Poverty

 

      LEARNING: 

For PRELIMS understand what poverty means, its impact through this iconic report .

For MAINS analyse the impact of poverty and related issues through this report.

      ISSUE: 

Ever since India moved to a high growth trajectory in the 1980s, poverty rates have consistently declined over time. Until now.

 

ANALYSIS OF THIS REPORT :

  • Consumption expenditure numbers in rural poverty rose nearly 4 percentage points between 2011-12 and 2017-18 to 30% even as urban poverty fell 5 percentage points over the same period to 9%.
  • Given the higher weight of the rural population, the estimated overall poverty rate went up nearly a percentage point to 23% in 2017-18. The rise implies that 30 million people fell below India’s official poverty line and joined the ranks of the poor over the past six years (See chart 1).
  • Bihar saw the greatest rise in poverty between 2011-12 and 2017-18, with poverty rate rising by a whopping 17 percentage points to 50.47%.
  • Jharkhand (8.6 percentage points or ppts increase) and Odisha (8.1 ppts increase) are the other large states which saw big increases in the poverty rate. The poverty rate refers to the (percentage) share of the population that lies below the poverty line. More than 40% of both Jharkhand and Odisha fall below the poverty line.
  • West Bengal (6 ppts fall), Gujarat (5 ppts fall), and Tamil Nadu (5 ppts fall) saw the biggest declines in poverty among the large states in the period between 2011-12 and 2017-18.
  • Among prosperous states, Maharashtra saw the biggest increase in poverty (roughly 5 ppts) over the same period.
  • The analysis is based on the inflation-adjusted state-wise poverty lines for rural and urban areas reported by the erstwhile Planning Commission in a 2013 note.

THESE CALCULATIONS ARE BASED ON:

  • The Planning Commission figures were based on the methodology suggested by the Tendulkar committee on poverty in 2009, and remain the last official estimates of poverty in India.
  • Another report by the Rangarajan committee re-estimated poverty and submitted its report in mid-2014 but the report has neither been accepted by the government nor been used for any official allocation of funds.

 

      IASbhai WINDUP: 

The analysis shows that the slight rise in overall poverty rates at the national level masks significant inter-state disparities. Several states in the east and north-east have witnessed a sharp rise in poverty over the past few years even as southern states (barring Karnataka) managed to bring down poverty rates (See chart 2).

Given that these issues involve enormous public funds, the raw data collected by the surveyors should be opened up to the public. A large number of independent researchers can then go through the numbers and assess scientifically which of the survey find.

Given the centrality of the consumption figures in the estimation of poverty, the government’s decision also has serious implications for state finances and welfare. If allocation of centrally sponsored schemes and Finance Commission grants continue to be based on outdated poverty rates (of 2011-12), states that have witnessed spikes in poverty rates will end up getting less than they need. And these are precisely the states that need help most.

      SOURCES:  THE LIVEMINT

 

 

 

 

Electoral bonds

      HEADLINES: 

Electoral bonds boon or bane for India’s political funding system?

 

SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2:Electoral bonds

 

      LEARNING: 

For PRELIMS let us know what is this bond all about and how this effects transparency in funding.

For MAINS some amazing pros and cons have been mentioned in this article . Note them down !

      ISSUE: 

India has not been able to evolve a transparent method of funding political parties, which is vital to the system of free and fair elections. But critics now argue that it failed to measure up and claim that it “legalises political corruption.”

BACKGROUND

  • Political funding has been an opaque affair. Businesses, which need approvals for projects, tend to appease political patrons through political donations, which in turn becomes a cause for fudging books to generate funds for such contributions.
  • Political parties, which have various expenses to meet in running their organizations and in conducting elections, accept funding from businesses, which makes it possible for an inappropriate nexus between the two to emerge.
  • Successive governments have tried to reform this with various amendments in the law, including in the Companies Act and in the Income Tax Act.
  • The NDA’s attempt to curtail cash donations and political funding through banking channels through the electoral bonds is the latest.

 

  • [i2pc pros_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-up” cons_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-down” show_title=”true” title=”Electoral bonds ” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” heading_pros_icon=”icon icon-check-2″ heading_cons_icon=”icon icon-ban-4″ ][i2pros]Electoral bonds are interest-free banking instruments, which can be bought from specified branches of State Bank of India in multiples of ₹1,000, ₹1 lakh, ₹10 lakh or ₹1 crore.These can be purchased by individuals and companies who have to disclose their identity through know your customer (KYC) norms to SBI, while political parties can encash these bonds within 15 days only in their specified bank accounts.Only those parties, which have got 1% of all votes polled in the last Lok Sabha or state assembly polls, are eligible for funding through these bonds.This makes it possible to give political contributions through a legitimate channel with tax-paid funds, while who gave how much to which party remains anonymous.The fact that a donor has purchased bonds worth a specified amount and that parties have received specified amounts in aggregate, will become a record.
    [/i2pros][i2cons]Electoral bonds offer some element of transparency, though not full transparency.Critics, however, say that removal of a cap on corporate donations that existed earlier—7.5% of three-year average net profit—enables businesses to make unlimited political donations without having to disclose the recipient’s name.“As far as utilising black money for electoral funding is concerned, that too will increase in this system,”.[/i2cons][/i2pc]

      IASbhai WINDUP: 

The solution to this is setting up a national election fund where corporate houses and individual donors can contribute with 100% tax-free fund. The EC could be given the task of overseeing it. The money can then be divided among political parties mostly in kind and a part in cash.

 

      SOURCES:  THE HINDU

 

 

Ratna Status to CPSEs

      HEADLINES: 

Ratna Status to CPSEs

      WHY IN NEWS: 

The criteria laid down by the Government for grant of Maharatna, Navratna and Miniratna status to Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs)

SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Public Sector Undertakings

      LEARNING: 

For PRELIMS you should grasp what is Maharatna,Navratna etc.

For MAINS you will understand the role of PSU in Indian Economy.

      ISSUE: 

 

Which Ministry ? Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises

 

The criteria laid down by the Government for grant of Maharatna, Navratna and Miniratna status to Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) is given below:

Criteria for grant of Maharatna status to CPSEs

The CPSEs meeting the following criteria are eligible to be considered for grant of Maharatna status.

  1. Having Navratna status
  2. Listed on Indian stock exchange with minimum prescribed public shareholding under SEBI regulations
  3. An average annual turnover of more than Rs. 25,000 crore during the last 3 years
  4. An average annual net worth of more than Rs. 15,000 crore during the last 3 years
  5. An average annual net profit after tax of more than Rs. 5,000 crore during the last 3 years
  6. Should have significant global presence/international operations.

 

Miniratna Category-I status:

  • The CPSEs which have made profit in the last three years continuously, pre-tax profit is Rs.30 crores or more in at least one of the three years and have a positive net worth are eligible to be considered for grant of Miniratna-I status.

Miniratna Category-II status:

  •  The CPSEs which have made profit for the last three years continuously and have a positive net worth are eligible to be considered for grant of Miniratna-II status.
  • Miniratna CPSEs should have not defaulted in the repayment of loans/interest payment on any loans due to the Government.
  • Miniratna CPSEs shall not depend upon budgetary support or Government guarantees.

 The list of existing 10 Maharatna:

Maharatna CPSEs

  1. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
  2. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited
  3. Coal India Limited
  4. GAIL (India) Limited
  5. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited
  6. Indian Oil Corporation Limited
  7. NTPC Limited
  8. Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited
  9. Power Grid Corporation of India Limited
  10. Steel Authority of India Limited

      IASbhai WINDUP: 

Suggested reading : https://dpe.gov.in/about-us/divisions/list-maharatna-navratna-and-miniratna-cpses

 

 

      SOURCES:  THE HINDU

 

 

GST revenues not enough for States’ compensation

      HEADLINES: 

GST revenues not enough for States’ compensation: Centre

      WHY IN NEWS: 

Letter to States flags falling collections

SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2:Financial Devolution:Centre State Relations

 

      LEARNING: 

For MAINS you have to understand devolution of finances and the tie up

      ISSUE: 

The Centre has written to all States voicing concern that due to the lower Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections, the compensation cess might not be enough to pay for losses arising out of the tax system.
  • The communication comes at a time when several States, including Rajasthan, Kerala, Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal, have publicly urged the Centre to transfer pending compensation payments as they have not received the dues for several months.
  • The government of Punjab has even said that it may take the matter to the Supreme Court if the Centre does not release the dues.

 

      SOURCES:  THE HINDU

 

 

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