Daily Current Affairs 11 March 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) The report of the Parliamentary Committee on Petroleum

A parliamentary committee has said only three States and five Union Territories have become kerosenefree, though the government last September met the target of eight crores LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.
The report of the Parliamentary Committee on Petroleum, which was tabled last week, points to the gap between the continuing use of kerosene and the claim of 97% LPG coverage nationwide. The committee is headed by BJP member Ramesh Bidhuri.
The allocation for the scheme has been cut down by 58% from ₹2,724 crores during 201920 to ₹1,118 crores during 202021. The Petroleum Ministry informed the committee that the government had met the target on September 7, 2019, and 96.9% coverage had been achieved nationwide, except in Jammu and Kashmir. The Ministry said the scheme was no longer running, and the present allocation was meant to meet the arrears in the reimbursement of expenditure
The 97% coverage has been calculated based on the number of households it stands at 2,850.5 lakh as on February 1 this year and the domestic LPG consumers, at 2,772.2 lakh
The committee was upset at the closure of the scheme and said there was still a lot of ground to cover. There are poor households in the general category in urban and semiurban localities that also need to be covered. The committee, therefore, recommends that the scheme be extended to poor households in urban and semiurban slum areas and achieve a higher LPG coverage of the population by providing connections to households that do not have LPG
At the same time, the committee said, large segments of people in various States still depended on kerosene for cooking and household lighting. The Ministry has justified the low number of ‘kerosenefree’ States and Union Territories, saying their consent is critical. Karnataka, Telangana, Haryana, Nagaland, Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, and Puducherry have gone for a voluntary cut.
Only three States Haryana, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh — and the Union Territories of Delhi, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Dadar & Nagar Haveli, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Puducherry have become kerosenefree.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 1 May 2016 to distribute 50 million LPG connections to women of BPL families. A budgetary allocation of ₹800 billion was made for the scheme. In the first year of its launch, the connections distributed were 22 million against the target of 15 million. As of 23 October 2017, 30 million connections were distributed, 44% of which were given to families belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The number crossed 58 million by December 2018. In the 2018 Union Budget of India, its scope was widened to include 80 million poor households. 21,000 awareness camps were conducted by oil marketing companies (OMC). The scheme led to an increase in LPG consumption by 56% in 2019 as compared to 2014. The highly popular scheme has benefited over 14.6 million BPL families in Uttar Pradesh, 8.8 million in West Bengal, 8.5 million in Bihar, 7.1 million in Madhya Pradesh and 6.3 million in Rajasthan. However, while access to LPG gas stoves and cylinders has increased in the scheme, the use of LPG cylinders remains low.
At the 107th Indian Science Congress held on January 2020 in Bengaluru, Narendra Modi declared that technology has helped India "in recognizing the 8 crore women who were still using coal or wood for cooking" and also "in understanding how many new distribution centers must be built, via the help of technology".

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Need

In India, the poor have limited access to cooking gas (LPG). The spread of LPG cylinders has been predominantly in the urban and semi-urban areas with coverage mostly in the middle class and affluent households. But there are serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuels. According to WHO estimates, about 5 lakh deaths in India alone due to unclean cooking fuels. Most of these premature deaths were due to non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Indoor air pollution is also responsible for a significant number of acute respiratory illnesses in young children. According to experts, having an open fire in the kitchen is like burning 400 cigarettes an hour.
Providing LPG connections to BPL households will ensure universal coverage of cooking gas in the country. This measure will empower women and protect their health. It will reduce drudgery and the time spent on cooking. It will also provide employment for rural youth in the supply chain of cooking gas.

Target beneficiaries

Under the scheme, an adult woman belonging to a poor family not having an LPG connection in her household is an eligible beneficiary under the expanded scheme.
The release of LPG connection under this Scheme shall be in the name of the women belonging to the BPL family.
Initially, the Government covered the following categories under the Scheme:-
Beneficiaries listed in the SECC 2011 list

All SC/STs households beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana(PMAY) (Gramin)
Antyoday Anna Yojana (AAY)
Forest dwellers
Most Backward Classes (MBC)
Tea & Ex-Tea Garden Tribes
People residing in Islands
People residing in river islands

Source: The Hindu

2) Input Tax Credit

Restrictions imposed on the input tax credit, used by business establishments to reduce their tax liability, on inward supplies under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act have been challenged in the Rajasthan High Court with the plea that the amendment made to a rule to introduce the provision had imposed “unreasonable and arbitrary” conditions.

What’s the issue?

The amended Rule 36 (4) of the CGST Rules, 2017, provides that the input tax credit can be availed only when a supplier of goods updates and uploads online the details of supplies through each of the bills. The petition now contended that the right to avail of credit could not be taken away by imposing the restrictions contained in the provisions of Section 43A of the Act, which was yet to be notified, through rules.

What is the Input Tax Credit (ITC)?

It is the tax that a business pays on a purchase and that it can use to reduce its tax liability when it makes a sale.
In simple terms, input credit means at the time of paying tax on output, you can reduce the tax you have already paid on inputs and pay the balance amount.
Exceptions: A business under composition scheme cannot avail of an input tax credit. ITC cannot be claimed for personal use or for exempt goods.

Concerns over its misuse:

There could be the possibility of misuse of the provision by unscrupulous businesses by generating fake invoices just to claim the tax credit.
As much as 80% of the total GST liability is being settled by ITC and only 20% is deposited as cash.
Under the present dispensation, there is no provision for real-time matching of ITC claims with the taxes already paid by suppliers of inputs.
The matching is done based on system generated GSTR-2A after the credit has been claimed. Based on the mismatch highlighted by GSTR-2A and ITC claims, the revenue department sends notices to businesses.
Currently, there is a time gap between ITC claims and matching them with the taxes paid by suppliers. Hence there is a possibility of ITC being claimed based on fake invoices.

Need of the hour- real-time updates:

To fill the gap, a new return filing system has been proposed. Once it becomes operational, it would become possible for the department to match the ITC claims and taxes paid on a real-time basis. The revenue department would then analyze the large number of ITC claims to find out if they are genuine or based on fake invoices and take corrective action.

Source: The Hindu

3) COVID-19 outbreak could help Agri exports: Agriculture Ministry analysis

Supply shortages and trade restrictions have already had a harsh impact on China’s total exports, which dropped more than 17% in January and February 2020, in comparison to the previous year.
In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Centre has identified 21 agricultural products, in which Indian exports could benefit from trade restrictions against Chinese goods.

How could India benefit?

Some of these products include natural honey, onions, and shallots, chillis, potatoes, vegetables, guavas, mangoes, grapes, tamarinds, cashew apples, lychees, a black fermented tea, spices, groundnuts, soya beans, paddy, sesamum seeds, vegetable seeds for sowing and plants used in perfumery or pharmacy.
Major markets that currently buy these products from China include Vietnam, the USA, Japan, the U.K., the Philippines, Malaysia, Russia, and Korea.

The total value of China’s global exports of these products amounted to $5488.6 million in 2018.
India exported $4,445.9 million worth of these commodities in the same period.
India could now have a chance to grab part of China’s market share.

There are 21 agri tariff lines where China’s global exports and India’s global exports are more than $25 million and where India is the price and volume-wise competitive and capable to provide an alternative.

Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the export of agri items to China:

India exported agricultural items worth $191 million to China during 2018-19, including capsicum, isabgol, and cumin seeds.
Cotton linter and mango pulp — may get impacted, as they are used as raw material by China for further processing and then export. Apart from these two, most major items are used for domestic consumption in China and may not be too badly hit.

Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on import of agri items from China:

India imported agriculture items worth $109.74 million from China in 2018-19, with seven products, including kidney beans, bamboo, cassia, fresh grapes, live plants and plums, and sloes, accounting for 84% of that.
Only bamboo and kidney beans – are imported in bulk from China in the sense that they respectively represent 35.5% and 41.2% import from China out of India’s total imports from the world.
In the case of those two items, India is still striving for self-sufficiency through the Bamboo Mission and the National Food Security Mission.

Source: The Hindu

4) Opec+

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, plans to raise its crude oil production significantly above 10 million barrels per day (BPD) in April, after the collapse of the OPEC+ supply cut agreement with Russia.

What’s the issue?

A three-year pact between OPEC and Russia ended in acrimony recently after Moscow refused to support deeper oil cuts to cope with the outbreak of the coronavirus and OPEC responded by removing all limits on its own production.
Oil prices plunged 10% as the development revived fears of a 2014 price crash when Saudi Arabia and Russia fought for market share with U.S. shale oil producers, which have never participated in output-limiting pacts.

What next?

Effects now could quickly flood global markets at a time when the demand has already weakened substantially.

What is Opec+?

Opec+ refers to the alliance of crude producers, who have been undertaking corrections in supply in the oil markets since 2017.
OPEC plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan, and Sudan.

What are their goals?

The Opec and non-Opec producers first formed the alliance at a historic meeting in Algiers in 2016.
The aim was to undertake production restrictions to help resuscitate a flailing market.

What is OPEC?

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded in Baghdad, Iraq, with the signing of an agreement in September 1960 by five countries namely the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. They were to become the Founder Members of the Organization.
It is a permanent, intergovernmental organization.
Currently, the Organization has a total of 14 Member Countries.
OPEC’s objective is to co-ordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries, in order to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers; an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consuming nations; and a fair return on capital to those investing in the industry.
It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
OPEC membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization.

Why is OPEC+ more influential than OPEC?

OPEC’s 14 members control 35 percent of global oil supplies and 82 percent of proven reserves. With the addition of the 10 Non-OPEC nations, notable among them Russia, Mexico and Kazakhstan, those shares increase to 55 percent and 90 percent respectively. This affords OPEC+ a level of influence over the world economy never seen before.

Source: The Hindu

5) Allahabad High Court orders removal of controversial ‘name and shame’ hoardings

Allahabad High Court has directed the Lucknow administration to remove forthwith the controversial ‘name and shame’ hoardings of those arrested during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

What’s the issue?

The police put up several hoardings across Lucknow identifying those accused of violence during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in December last, triggering those named to fear for their safety. Later, the Allahabad High Court had taken suo motu notice of this act.

Important observations made by the Court

The action of the States nothing but an unwarranted interference in the privacy of people. The same hence is in violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
The placement of personal data of selected persons “reflects the colorable exercise of powers” by the government.
There are certain provisions empowering the investigating agencies or other Executives to take picture of accused of the purpose of their identification and record but that too is not open for publication. The only time these photographs be published is to have assistance in the apprehension of a fugitive from justice.
No power is available in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 to the police or the Executive to display personal records of a person to the public at large.
On the issue of court taking the case suo motu, it said: “where there is gross negligence on part of public authorities and government, where the law is disobeyed and the public is put to suffering and where the precious values of the constitution are subjected to injuries, a constitutional court can very well take notice of that at its own.”

How the administration defended its move?

While accepting the absence of any statute permitting executive authorities to put such banners, the govt had opposed the petition by submitting that the object of displaying personal details of the individuals “is to deter the mischief mongers from causing damage to public and private property.”
The State has also questioned the territorial jurisdiction of the court in Allahabad and argued that the court “erred in invoking public interest jurisdiction in the instant matter, that being available to the underprivileged section of the society only.

Source: The Hindu

6) Quota within quota for SCs in Haryana

The Haryana cabinet has recently approved the draft bill ‘The Haryana Scheduled Castes (Reservation in Admission in Educational Institutions) bill, 2020.’

This bill provides quota within quota for SCs in the state.

Key provisions and highlights of the Bill:

The bill provides reservation of 50% seats to the deprived scheduled castes, out of the total 20% reserved for SC in the graduation and postgraduation courses.
This will cover all educational institutions maintained by the government or receiving aid out of the state funds. It also includes government and government-aided technical and professional institutions.
Here, deprived SC includes all 36 castes which were part of Block A including Valmiki, Bazigar, Sansi, Deha, Dhanak, and Sapera.

Why this was necessary?

As per employee data collected, the total number of SC employees in the state is nearly 22% of the total strength. However, in respect of representation in various services, the erstwhile Block A scheduled castes representation in Group-A, Group-B and Group-C services is only 4.7 percent, 4.14 percent, and 6.27 percent respectively, though their population is about 11% of the total state population.
The Block A scheduled castes or the deprived scheduled castes were not so educationally qualified as the data from SECC 2011 indicates. Only 2.13% population of the deprived SCs is graduate, 3.78% of them are senior secondary and 6.74% are matriculated. Besides, 33.63% of them are illiterate. This makes them a distinct class of citizens who are deprived of their constitutional right to equality due to a lack of education. Thus, it was decided to provide such reservation in admission to candidates belonging to deprived SCs.

Are states empowered to make such decisions?

Article 15(5) of the Constitution authorizes the State to make special provisions for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for SCs/STs for admission to educational institutions.

Criticisms:

This move is being criticized on the ground that it creates division within a class. Instead of this, critics say, the government should have offered special package or scholarship to Block A to upgrade their educational status.

What has the Supreme Court said in such matters?

The Supreme Court of India in the case of E.V. Chinnaiah Vs. State of Andhra Pradesh (2004(9) SCALE) has held that the castes etc. specified as Scheduled Castes under Article 341 of the Constitution is a homogeneous group for the purpose of the Constitution.
The court said that the benefits of reservation are available to members of all such cases which have been specified as Scheduled Caste in relation to a State/Union Territory.
This case deals with the issue that whether the schedule caste can further be sub-divided so that the benefit of reservation can reach to the outreach.
The main part of the judgment of the Court heavily relies upon the argument that when the groups are been notified by the President in the list under Article 341 of the Constitution, the same take the shape of a homogenous class and thus there cannot be any further classification of the class.

Source: Indian Express

7) Fund allocation for madrasas witnesses drop

Government spending on improving education at madrasas has dropped drastically after the States were asked to pitch in with funding, said a parliamentary panel, slamming the “disturbing trend” which hurts children from the most educationally backward communities.
After the change in funding ratios, only 15% of the allocated money was used last year. With just over a month left in this financial year, only about half the funds had been spent. The Centre intends to hike allocations more than 80% next year, despite the low utilization in the last two years.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development, which submitted its report on demand for grants in 2020-21 to the Rajya Sabha last week, expressed concern that the School Education department has not used the allocated funds for providing education to madrasas over the past three years.
Over the last three years, the Centre’s annual budget has allocated ₹120 crores for the scheme.
In 2018-19, funding for the larger component of the scheme was changed from a 100% Central grant into a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a 60:40 split between Central and State funding.
Only ₹18.25 crore was actually spent that year. In 201920, the expenditure under the scheme was ₹63.57 crores as on February 10, 2019, just above half of the allocated amount. With over a month to go, the Centre hoped that the final expenditure would be higher, it told the panel

Source: The Hindu

8) Super Seven

Prime Minister of India on 8th March 2020 marked International Women’s Day by handing over control of his social media accounts to seven women achievers.

Key Points

Namda Traditional Art

Namda is a local term used for traditional felted wool floor coverings, made out of a coarse variety of wool.
Namda comes from the root word Namata (Sanskrit for woolen stuff).
Namda making is practiced as a craft in several cultures, especially in the countries throughout Asia, viz. Iran, Afghanistan, and India.
Srinagar in Kashmir and Tonk in Rajasthan are the two major namda making centers in India.
In India, it is known to have come from Iran and was actively promoted in the state under the patronage of the Mughal monarchs and the Rajput royals.
Rich hues and exquisite designing are the hallmarks of the handcrafted Namda.
Unique themes and floral patterns provide the themes for these masterpieces and flowers and leaves, buds and fruits are the essences of the designs.

Banjara Community

The word ‘banjara’ is derived from Vanaj meaning to trade, and Jara meaning to travel.
Banjara (sometimes called Gypsies) is a nomadic tribe of India and was the vital supply chain for villages.
They were commercial nomads, that is, hundreds of years ago they distributed salt and other essential items to interior villages, but they did have a connection with the land.
The Banjaras were among many tribes that resisted the British attempt to seize their lands for plantations and enroll them as labor.
Their constant revolt frustrated the British, and in 1871, the Banjaras and several other tribes were brought under the Criminal Tribes Act.
The community was denotified in the 1950s but was listed under the Habitual Offenders Act, 1952.
With roots in Rajasthan, Banjaras now live in several states and are known by different names like Lambada or Lambadi in Andhra Pradesh, Lambani in Karnataka; Gwar or Gwaraiya in Rajasthan, etc.
They are listed in various States as Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Class (OBC) and Vimukta Jati/denotified tribes.
The language of Banjara is known as “Gorboli” “Gor mati Boli” or “Brinjari” an independent dialect.
The dialect falls in the category of an Indo-Aryan language.

Foodbank India

The India Food Banking Network (IFBN) is evolving an ecosystem for food security interventions to support thousands of feeding programs in India by bringing the government, private sector and NGOs together to fight hunger and malnutrition in India.
Vision: To have a hunger and malnutrition free India which falls in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2- Zero Hunger by 2030).
It aims to achieve the vision by establishing a strong and efficient network of FoodBanks throughout the country so that every district has access to at least one FoodBank by 2030.
It is a multi-stakeholder partnership of global, domestic and local community partners who contribute voluntarily to support the humanitarian and development projects.

Source: The Hindu

9) KIRAN Scheme

The Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN) Scheme is one of the several pioneering initiatives started by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) for promoting women in science.

Key Points

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is implementing ‘Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN)’ Scheme to provide various career opportunities to women scientists and technologists.
It is primarily aimed to bring gender parity in the Science & Technology sector by inducting more women talent in the research & development domain through various programs.
It also provides fellowship support ranging from Rs 25000 to 55000 to women ranging in the age group 27 to 57 years for continuing higher education in Science and Technology after a break in career.

Source: PIB