Daily Current Affairs 6th March 2020

Daily Current Affairs 6th March 2020 Today’s Important Topic’s For UPSC Preparation BUDGET PROVIDES NO BALM FOR PEOPLE AS PRICES OF ESSENTIALS SET TO RISE Union Budget 2020-21: The Union Budgetof India, also referred to as the Annual Financial Statement in the Article 112 of the Constitution of India, is the annual budget of the Republic of India.

The Government presents it on the first day of February so that it could be materialised before the beginning of new financial year in April.

Until 2016 it was presented on the last working day of February by the Finance Minister in Parliament.

The budget, which is presented by means of the Finance bill and the Appropriation bill has to be passed by Lok Sabha before it can come into effect on 1 April, the start of India’s financial year.

In 2017, a 92-year-old tradition was broken when the railway budget was merged with the Union Budget and presented together.

The Union Budget is divided into Revenue Budget and Capital Budget.

The Economic Survey of India is released ahead of the presentation of the Budget. This document is prepared under the guidance of the Chief Economic Advisor and is presented for discussion in both Houses during the Budget session.

The term budget is not mentioned in the constitution.

Aim of the union budget: To achieve seamless delivery of services through Digital governance.

To improve physical quality of life through National Infrastructure Pipeline.

Risk mitigation through Disaster Resilience.

Social security through Pension and Insurance penetration.

Three prominent themes around which budget has been framed: Aspirational India in which all sections of the society seek better standards of living, with access to health, education and better jobs.

Three components are: Agriculture, Irrigation and Rural Development.

Wellness, Water and Sanitation.

Education and Skills.

Economic development for all, indicated in the Prime Minister’s exhortation of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”.

Caring Society that is both humane and compassionate.

These three themes are held together by corruption free policy driven good governance and; clean and sound financial sector.

Key Announcements: India is now 5th largest economy in world – put out a 16-point guide to make India an aspirational economy.

Government to incentivise farmers to go solar. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha and Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) to be expanded, providing 20 lakh farmers in setting up standalone solar pumps.

Railways will set up Kisan Rail through PPP model so that perishable goods can be transported quickly. Krishi Udaan scheme to transport agri products to national as well international destinations to be launched.

Agri-credit target for the year 2020-21 has been set at Rs 15 lakh crore.

Rs 69,000 crores for allocated for the healthcare sector Education and training: Rs 99,300 crore allocated for education in FY21. Govt will start start IndSat Exam to promote study in India and a degree-level online education programme for the deprived. A total of Rs 3,000 crore will be given for skill development.

Allocation for Swachh Bharat Mission for 2020-21 stands at Rs 12,300 crore. In further push to PM Modi’s ‘Nal se jaal’ scheme, govt proposes Rs 3.6 lakh crore towards piped water supply to households.

National Textile Mission to be launched with a proposed Rs 1,480 crore allocation To boost infrastructure, 9,000 km of economic corridor will be set up. Chennai-Bengaluru expressway will also be started. Delhi-Mumbai expressway to be completed by 2023 550 WiFi facilities have been commissioned at railway stations. 1 lakh gram panchayats to get optical fibre link. An allocation of Rs 6,000 crore will be provided for BharatNet scheme.

Allocation of Rs 27,300 crore for development of industry and commerce.

Rs 20,000 crore announced for renewable energy sector in a bid to tackle pollution and climate change. A new scheme of smart meters will be launched.

100 more airports to be developed by 2025. 1,150 trains will run under the public private partnership (PPP) mode, also four stations will be redeveloped with the help of the private sector. Besides, the Tejas type trains to connect tourist destinations.

An allocation of Rs 8,000 crore will be made for National Mission on Quantum Computing and Technology.

Rs 35,600 crore allocated for nutritional related programme in FY21 while Rs 85,000 crore has been budgeted for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and other backward classes. Tourism promotion gets Rs 2500 crore.

Women schemes, senior citizens in Budget: Enrolment ration for girls under ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao‘ is higher than boys. Gross enrollment of girls is 94.32 per cent in elementary levels, 81.32 per cent in secondary level and 59.7 per cent in higher secondary level. Further, Rs 28,600 crore will be allocated in FY21 for women-linked programmes. Allocation for senior citizens and ‘Divyang’ enhanced to Rs 9500 crore.

Proposed 4,400 crore to tackle Delhi’s air pollution problem. Last year, the Supreme Court had termed the situation as “worse than Emergency” as air quality dipped to hazardous levels.

Insurance cover for bank depositors raised from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. Currently, in the (unlikely) event of a bank going bust in India, a depositor has claim to a maximum of Rs 1 lakh per account as insurance cover — even if the deposit in their account far exceeds Rs 1 lakh. Depositors holding more than Rs 1 lakh in their account have no legal remedy in case of the collapse of the bank.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country has increased to $284 billion during 2014-19 from $190 billion in previous five years.

Nirvik (Niryat Rin Vikas Yojana) scheme to provide enhanced insurance cover and reduce premium for small exporters.

Focus on MSMEs: More than 5 lakh MSMEs benefited from RBI’s restructuring of loans.

Government has asked RBI to consider extending window of debt structuring by one year to March 2021 for this purpose Fiscal deficit target pegged at 3.8% of GDP for FY 2019-20. FY21 fiscal deficit target pegged at 3.5% of GDP. Fiscal deficit is considered the most important marker of a government’s financial health.

Government to sell part holding in LIC. Besides, govt to also sell stake in IDBI Bank to private investors. The government’s move is a part of efforts to push through an aggressive

disinvestment and asset monetisation programme.

Nominal growth of GDP for 2020-21 has been estimated at 10 per cent Proposed a new simplified tax regime soon 10% tax for income between 5 lakh-7.5 lakh 15% tax for income between 7.5 lakh to 10 lakh 20% tax for income between 10 lakh to 12.5 lakh 25% tax for income between 12.5 lakh to 15 lakh 30% tax for income above 15 lakh No income tax for those with taxable income below Rs 5 lakh Dividend Distribution Tax to be removed. Dividend shall be taxed at the hands of the recipients

To boost investments and shore up the lagging economy, corporate tax for existing companies slashed to 22 per cent. Govt proposes 100 per cent tax concession to sovereign wealth funds on investment in infra projects. Moreover, concessional tax rate of 15 per cent extended to power generation companies.

Extends additional Rs 1.5 lakh tax benefit on interest paid on affordable housing loans to March 2021. In another boost, a proposed tax holiday to affordable housing developers. ‘Vivad se Vishwas’ scheme announced by Sitharaman for direct tax payers whose appeals are pending at various forum. 4.83 lakh direct cases pending in various appellate forums. Under the scheme, taxpayer to pay only amount of disputed tax. They will get complete waiver on interest and penalty if scheme is availed by March 31, 2020.

15th Finance Commission has cut state share of central taxes by one percentage point to 41 per cent.

Heritage and Tourism: Heritage and Culture

Agriculture: Agriculture

Environment: Environment

Education: Education

Why in News?

The BJP government’s first full-fledged Budget this term, presented by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa amidst an “unprecedented magnitude of economic difficulties” in the backdrop of economic slowdown, has hiked tax on petrol and diesel by 3 per cent and excise duty on IndianMade Liquor by 6 per cent to compensate sharp reduction in State’s share in the Central pool of taxes as well as allocation in the 15th Finance Commission.

Hike in fuel prices would come into effect from April 1, 2020, while new liquor prices would come into effect from July 1, 2020. The hike in fuel and liquor prices is expected to mobilise nearly ₹3,000 crore to the State exchequer.

There would be a reduction of ₹11,215 crore in the State’s share of Central taxes in 2020-21 following reduction in allocation by the 15th Finance Commission. Likely increase in expenditure of ₹10,000 crore for 2020-21 towards salary, pension, and interest on loans was another reason cited for hike in fuel and liquor pries.

Budget 2020-21

YES BANK PLACED UNDER MORATORIUM TILL APRIL 3 Founded by Rana Kapoor and Ashok Kapur in 2004, Yes Bank is India’s fifth largest private sector bank. The bank has been recognized as one of the Top and Fastest Growing Banks in various Indian Banking League Tables by Global Advisory Firms.

Yes Bank Crisis: In a rare move, the capital-starved Yes Bank was placed under a moratorium by RBI, with the central bank capping deposit withdrawals at Rs 50,000 per account for a month and superseding its board. The withdrawal restrictions, which came into effect as of 6 pm on March 5, will remain in place until April 3, 2020.

Yes Bank moratorium: How it affects

After RBI’s restrictions, Yes Bank will not be able to grant or renew any loan or advance, make any investment, incur any liability or agree to disburse any payment.

RBI has also superseded the institution’s board of directors for a period of 30 days and has appointed Prashant Kumar, former CFO of State Bank of India as its administrator.

The regulatory actions, undertaken by the RBI and the government, came hours after finance ministry sources confirmed that SBI was directed to bail out the troubled lender.

For the next month, Yes Bank will be led by the RBI-appointed administrator Prashant Kumar, an ex-chief financial officer of SBI. In its assessment of the situation at Yes Bank, the central bank has been blunt. “The financial position of the bank has undergone a steady decline largely due to the inability to raise capital to address potential loan losses…The bank has also experienced serious governance issues and practices in recent years which have led to a steady decline of the bank,” it said in a statement.

What RBI restrictions on Yes Bank mean for depositors?

According to the latest notification, Yes Bank cannot make in aggregate, a payment to a depositor of an amount exceeding Rs 50,000 lying to his credit, in any savings, current FDs, or any other deposit account till April 3.

So in that case, if you are an account holder at private lender Yes Bank, you can’t withdraw more than Rs 50,000 for the next month, even if you want to.

However, RBI has also said it may allow greater withdrawals, but only in certain circumstances like expenses for medical treatments, weddings and education.

THE CURRENT FREEZE: YES BANK PLACED UNDER MORATORIUM TILL APRIL 3

Why in News?

The government has put private sector lender Yes Bank under moratorium till April 3 and capped the deposit withdrawal at ₹50,000 after severe deterioration of the bank’s financial position.

RBI said that the financial position of the bank deteriorated as: It failed to raise capital to address loan losses, which resulted in rating downgrades and triggered invocation of bond covenants by investors, and withdrawal of deposits.

The bank has also experienced serious governance issues and practices in the recent years which have led to steady decline of the bank.

It was in constant engagement with the bank’s management to find ways to strengthen its balance sheet and liquidity.

The bank was facing regular outflow of liquidity.

NPR DATA USEFUL FOR WELFARE SCHEMES, SAYS HOME MINISTRY What is the NPR? The NPR is a register of usual residents of the country. It is mandatory for every usual resident of India to register in the NPR. It includes both Indian citizens as well as a foreign citizen.

The objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country.

The first NPR was prepared in 2010 and updating this data was done during 2015 by conducting door to door survey.

The next update of the NPR will take place next year from April to September with the Houselisting phase of the Census 2021.

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.

NPR DATA USEFUL FOR WELFARE SCHEMES, SAYS HOME MINISTRY

What is the meaning of usual resident?

According to the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003, a usual resident is 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.

What is the Census?

The Census is the enumeration of the population of the country.

It is being conducted at an interval of 10 years.

The Census 2021 will be 16th census in the country since the first census happened in 1872.

However, it will be 8th census after the Independence.

For the first time, the Census 2021 will use the Mobile App for data collection. It will also provide a facility to the public for self-enumeration.

National Register of Citizens (NRC): NRC is a verified digital register having names and basic demographic information about all Indian citizensin a digital format.

A person born in India or having Indian parentage or having resided in India for at least 11 years, is eligible for Indian citizenship.

Union Government has recently announced that NRC will be implemented across all states in India.

The register was first prepared after the 1951 Census of India and since then it has not been updated until recently. The North-East Indian state of Assam has become the first state in India where the updating of the NRC is being taken up.

NRC would be India’s first such database of citizens.

While NPR will include details of foreigners who are residing in India for a period of 6 months or more, NRC will contain details of only the citizens of India. Hence, NRC can be said to be a subset of the National Population Register (NPR).

What is the difference between NPR and NRC? The NPR is different from the National Register of Citizens which excludes the foreign citizens.

According to the Citizenship Rules 2003, a Population Register is ‘the register containing details of persons usually residing in a village or rural area or town or ward or demarcated area (demarcated by the Registrar General of Citizen Registration) within a ward in a town or urban area.

Whereas, the ‘National Register of Indian Citizens’ is a register containing details of Indian Citizens living in India and outside India.

NPR is a population register unlike NRC which is a citizenship register.

Why in News?

Union Home Ministry has informed a parliamentary panel that it proposes to collect details on additional questions such as “date and place of birth of parents” in the National Population Register (NPR) to “facilitate back-end data processing and making the data items of date and place of birth complete for all households.

Ministry said there was a need to update the NPR to “incorporate the changes due to birth, death and migration”. “Aadhaar is individual data, whereas NPR contains family-wise data.

Various welfare schemes of the State and Central governments are generally family-based, for which NPR data may be used.

LOK SABHA SUSPENDS 7 CONGRESS MP’S FOR REST OF BUDGET SESSION HIGHLIGHTS: Seven Congress MPs have been suspended from Lok Sabha for the remaining period of the Budget session The MPs snatched papers from the Speaker’s table and utter disregard for House rules.

The Speaker has set up a panel to probe the govt’s demand for termination of membership of Congress MPs. Seven Congress MPs have been suspended from Lok Sabha for the remaining period of the Budget session for their gross misconduct after they snatched papers from the Speaker’s table and utter disregard for House rules.

As soon as the House met at 3 pm following an adjournment, Meenakshi Lekhi, who was presiding the House, named Gaurav Gogoi, T N Prathapan, Dean Kuriakose, Manicka Tagore, Rajmohan Unnithan, Benny Behanan and Gurjeet Singh Aujla.

The opposition raised questions on the suspension, the Speaker set up a committee to probe the government’s demand for termination of membership of Congress MPs. Congress terms suspension dictatorial: The Congress has alleged that the suspension of its seven members from Lok Sabha for the entire session was a “dictatorial decision” by the government aimed at weakening the Opposition’s voice ahead of a debate over Delhi riots.

Reacting to the development, Congress’s leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it was a “government decision” and not one taken by the Speaker.

ANGLO-INDIANS PROTEST AT JANTAR MANTAR 126th Constitution Amendment Bill 2019: Parliament passed the Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill, extending reservation for SC/STs but doing away with the provision for nomination of Anglo Indians to Lok Sabha and some state Assemblies.

Who are Anglo-Indians?

Origin – The Anglo-Indian community in India traces its origins to an official policy of the British East India Company to encourage marriages of its officers with local women.

The term Anglo-Indian first appeared in the Govt. of India Act, 1935.

Article 366(2) – According to this article of the Indian Constitution, an Anglo-Indian means a

person whose father or any of whose other male progenitors in the male line is or was of European descent.

This person is domiciled within the territory of India and is or was born within such territory of parents habitually resident therein and not established there for temporary purposes only.

Under what provisions was reservation in legislature granted?

Article 331 of the Constitution provides for nomination of two Anglo-Indians to the House of the people by the President when in his opinion the community is not adequately represented in the House.

The idea of such nominations is traced to Frank Anthony, who headed the All India Anglo-Indian Association.

Article 331 was added in the Constitution following his suggestion to Jawaharlal Nehru.

Article 333 of the Constitution provides for nomination of one Anglo-Indian to the Legislative Assembly of the State by the President when in his opinion the community is not adequately represented in the House.

Currently 14 Assemblies have one Anglo-Indian member each: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, etc.

The 126th Amendment does away with this as well.

10th Schedule of the Constitution – Anglo-Indian members of the House of the people and State Assemblies can take the membership of any party within six months of their nomination.

But, once they do so, they are bound by their party whip.

The Anglo-Indian members enjoy the same powers as others, but they cannot vote in the Presidential election because they are nominated by the President.

Why a New Amendment Bill is Passed?

The Constitution provides for reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) and representation of the Anglo-Indian community by nomination, in Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies of states.

Expired on January 25, 2020 under Article 334.

The new bill extends the reservation to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes for another 10 years (i.e. till 2030).

Since the amendment involves the changes in Art 334, a constitutional Amendment bill under Art 368 has been introduced.

Key Features of the Bill: The bill provides for the extension of reservations for the SC and ST for the next years (i.e. till 2030) in Lok Sabha and state legislatures. This bill does this by amending the Article 334.

But the bill does not provide for the nomination of Anglo-Indians in legislatures.

The reason given by the government for this is the very minimal strength of Anglo-Indian citizens in India (only 296 members).

Why in News?

Angloo-Indians protested at Jantar Mantar against the 126th Constitutional Amendment that ended reservation for Anglo-Indians in Parliament and State Assemblies.

Speaking at the protest, Congress MP from Ernakulam Hibi Eden requested the government to reconsider its decision.

EC MOOTS LINKING AADHAAR WITH VOTER ID Article 324 to 329 of Part XV of the Constitution deals with the electoral system in our country.

Constitution allows Parliament to make provisions in all matters relating to elections to the Parliament and State Legislatures.

In exercise of this power, the Parliament has enacted laws like Representation of the People Act 1950 (RPA Act 1950), Representation of the People Act 1951 (RPA Act 1951).

The entire electoral exercise in India rests on three pillars — Article 326 of the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act 1950 and the Representation of the People Act 1951.

Article 326 of the Constitution: It provides that the election to the House of People and Legislative Assembly of States should be conducted on the basis of adult suffragee citizens who are 18 years of age are entitled to vote.

This article of Constitution ensures equalityamong voters without any discrimination on the basis of religion, race, caste or sex. It also reminds of the faith reposed by constitutional makers in the capacity of the masses.

Election Commission (EC), while warning political parties to fulfill their electoral promises remarks that “If adult suffrage fails, violence is sure to come and no one will be able to stop it.”This statement of EC highlights the importance of 326 in electoral process.

The Representation of the People Act 1950: It provides for the allocation of seats in the House of the People and in the Legislative Assemblies and Legislative Councils of States.

It lays down procedures for delimitation of constituencies.

It lays down the qualification of voters.

It lays procedure for the preparation of electoral rolls and the manner of filling seats.

Significance: The act provides for direct electionfor every Parliamentary constituency which ensures the intimate contact between the elector and representative, thus making the process more It provides for delimitation of constituencies which ensures the incorporation of changing dynamics of the increasing populationmaking the process more liveable.

The act strengthened the federal polityof the country by giving due representation to each state in the house of people.

The Representation of the People Act 1951: It regulates the conduct of elections.

It specifies the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of the houses, It provides provisions to curb corrupt practices and other offences.

It lays down the procedure for settling doubts and disputes arising out of elections.

Significance: The act is significant for the smooth functioning of the Indian democracy as it bars the entry of persons with criminal background into representative bodies, thus decriminalizing Indian politics.

The act requires every candidate to declare his assets and liabilities, and maintain an account of election expenses. This provision ensures the accountability and transparency of the candidate in the use of public funds or misuse of power for personal benefits.

It prohibits corrupt practices like booth capturing, bribery or promoting enmity etc., which ensures the legitimacy and free & fair conduct of elections which is essential for the success of any democratic setup.

The act provides that only those political parties which are registered under section 29A of the RPA Act,1951 are eligible to receive electoral bonds, thus providing a mechanism to track the source of political funding and ensuring transparency in electoral funding.

The Article 326, Representation of the People Act 1950 and Representation of the People Act 1951 cover almost all the essential provision required to make any electoral process efficient and accountable. Thus, making the whole process more accommodative and inclusive along with

paving the way for participative democracy.

Why in News?

In order to ensure preparation of an error-free electoral roll, and to prevent duplication of entries, a proposal to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to enable linking of the electoral data with the Aadhaar system has been received from the Election Commission,” the Law Ministry said.

EC MOOTS LINKING AADHAAR WITH VOTER ID

INDIA AMONG LEAST-FREE DEMOCRACIES, SAYS STUDY India has become one of the world’s least free democracies, according to a global survey.

The Freedom in the World 2020 report ranks India at the 83rd position, along with Timor-Leste and Senegal.

India’s score fell by four points to 71, the worst decline among the world’s 25 largest democracies this year.

Reasons for the Decline: The annulment of autonomy and the subsequent shutdown of Kashmir, the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, as well as the crackdown on mass protests have been listed as the main signs of declining freedom in the report.

The report slammed the Internet blackout in Kashmir, terming it the longest shutdown ever imposed by a democracy.

It said freedom of expression was under threat in India, with journalists, academics and others facing harassment and intimidation when addressing politically sensitive topics.

Points of India: India scored 34 out of 40 points in the political rights category.

37 out of 60 in the civil liberties category.

Total score of 71, a drop from last year’s score of 75.

The report treats “Indian Kashmir” as a separate territory, which saw its total score drop precipitously from 49 to 28 this year, moving it from a status of “Partly Free” to “Not Free”.

INDIA AMONG LEAST-FREE DEMOCRSCIES, SAYS STUDY

AFGHAN WAR CRIMES PROBE TO GO ON: ICC What is ICC? International Criminal Court is an intergovernmental organisation and international tribunal It sits in The Hague, The Netherlands The ICC has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes It was created by the ‘Rome Statute’ It began its functioning on 1 July 2002, the date that Rome Statute entered into force.

The Rome Statute is multilateral treaty which serves as ICC’s foundational and governing document.

It has 124 member countries(recently Malaysia has become 124th country joining in 2019), India is not one of them (neither are China and the USA) The ICC has jurisdiction to prosecute individuals and is independent of United Nations (UN).

Why India is not a member of the ICC? National interests State sovereignty Problem to find impartial prosecutors Difficulty in collection of evidences Crime definition Why in News?

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court will investigate whether war crimes were committed in Afghanistan by the Taliban, Afghan military and U.S. forces.

AFGHAN WAR CRIMES PROBE TO GO ON: ICC

JEWAR AIRPORT GETS INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION About Jewar Airport:

· The airport, being built by Swiss company Zurich Airport International AG, will be Asia’s second largest International Airport.

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The Jewar Airport is located in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh near Delhi.

· The airport, being built by Zurich Airport International AG, will be Asia’s second largest international airport after China’s Shanghai International Airport. The work is progressing rapidly at site.

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More than one lakh people will get direct and indirect employment.

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This airport will be the 5th largest airport in the world.

· At present, Shanghai International Airport of China is the second largest airport in Asia.

Shanghai International Airport is spread over approximately 3,988 hectares.

· The world’s largest airport, King Fahd International Airport of Dammam, Saudi Arabia is built on 77,600 hectares of land.

Why in News? · The first phase of Jewar airport has been included in the world’s 100 strategic global infrastructure projects for the year 2020.

· Uttar Pradesh (India) and Yugoslavia have been chosen in the field of aviation all over the world.

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It has been recognised in the CG LA Infrastructure list.

· The success story ofJewar Airport will be presented by the Uttar Pradesh government at the 13th Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum, to be held in New York City, US on March 25-27.

JEWAR AIRPORT GETS INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

WORD OF THE DAY CLEMENCY: Clemency is the process by which a governor, president, or administrative board may reduce a defendant’s sentence or grant a pardon. Clemencies have been granted in deathpenalty cases for a variety of reasons.

In simple terms it means “mercy”.