EDITORIALS & ARTICLES

14th Aug 2021

WHAT IS THE DELHI GOVERNMENT’S ‘FACELESS’ TRANSPORT INITIATIVE? Recently, the Delhi government has launched ambitious programme called the ‘Faceless’ Transport Initiative. Need for Faceless Transport Initiative
  • The RTO offices had over the years turned into dens of corruption as the nexus of middlemen and officials covered everything.
  • It includes activities such as issuance of learner’s licenses to change of address in registration certificates (RC).
Faceless Transport Initiative?
  • It has been introduced by locking down four Regional Transport Offices (RTO).
  • It is a one-stop destination for all transport department services ranging from driving licences to transfer of ownership of vehicles.
  • It seeks to eliminate any scope of corruption by ending the need for people to visit the RTOs.
  • Under the scheme, all the faceless applications will be processed within a period of seven days which add that the motor licence officers will be responsible to look into the complaints on priority basis.
  • All services except permanent driving license and vehicle fitness are now faceless, thereby meaning applicants don't have to visit transport authority offices.
  • The services will include those related to driving licence and registration certificates such as duplicate copies, change in address, international driving permit and transfer of ownership.
  • Delhi will become the first state in the country to bring all transport-related services online, thereby allowing people save time and money spent on visiting MLOs.
  • The e-learning licence (eLL) could be obtained by an applicant by undertaking an online test at home or workplace by using Aadhaar authentication.
Working of Faceless Transport Initiative
  • The guidelines developed by the Delhi government say that Aadhaar-based verification will be relied upon in dispensing the services online.
  • A separate provision for those not having or willing to share their Aadhaar details has also been kept.
  • An applicant, for example, for a learner’s licence will have to file an online application using an Aadhaar number by visiting the portal.
  • Upon entering the Aadhaar number, an OTP will be sent to the Aadhaar-linked mobile number of the applicant.
  • The verification of the documents will be done automatically as the application developed by the government will draw details from the central Aadhaar database.
  • There will be separate provisions for making payments and making digital signatures.
Services not offered under Faceless Transport Initiative
  • The two services for which a person will have to visit the RTO are:
    • The driving test for getting a licence; and
    • The vehicle fitness certificates
WHAT IS THE SOVEREIGN RIGHT TO TAXATION? Recently, the BJP-led government has decided to withdraw the retrospective taxation amendment in the I-T Act introduced in March 2012.
  • The government has stressed the need to establish its “Sovereign Right to Taxation” by scrapping the retrospective levy.
‘Sovereignty’ mean?
  • The word sovereignty comes from the Latin word ‘superanus’, and is traditionally understood to mean “supreme power”.
  • The noted legal scholar John Salmond in his book Jurisprudence (1902) defines sovereign or supreme power as that “which is absolute and uncontrolled within its own sphere”.
  • An act of sovereign power is one which cannot be prevented or annulled by any other power recognised by the constitution of the state.
Sovereign Right to Taxation in India?
  • The Constitution of India gives the government the right to levy taxes on individuals and organisations.
    • It also makes it clear that no one has the right to levy or charge taxes except by the authority of law.
  • Any tax being charged has to be backed by a law passed by the legislature or Parliament.
  • The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation defines tax as a pecuniary burden laid upon individuals or property owners to support the government.
  • It provides that tax is not a voluntary payment or donation, but an enforced contribution, exacted pursuant to legislative authority.
  • Taxes in India come under a three-tier system based on the Central, State and local governments, and the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution puts separate heads of taxation under the Union and State list.
  • There is no separate head under the Concurrent list, meaning Union and the States have no concurrent power of taxation, as per the document.
Implication of Retrospective Tax ban on Sovereign Right to Taxation
  • The government has assured that the amendment to retrospective income-tax law will not dilute India’s sovereign right to tax.
  • The amendment was made after the apex court in 2012 gave a verdict that gains arising from indirect transfer of Indian assets were not taxable under the extant provisions of the Income Tax Act.
  • The idea behind the banning Retrospective Tax, a sovereign government has right to tax, but to apply it in retrospect has created a lot of discontentment.
LIONEL MESSI’S PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN PACKAGE INCLUDES CRYPTO FAN TOKENS Recently, Lionel Messi’s signing on fee at Paris St Germain includes some of the French club’s cryptocurrency “fan tokens”, in the latest big name endorsement of new digital assets. Fan Tokens?
  • Fan Tokens are a type of NFT (non-fungible token) which is a digital-only asset.
  • The Fan Tokens are digital assets that represent the ownership of a voting right and give you access to earn unique club-specific rewards and experiences.
  • The fan tokens are volatile assets and their value can drastically change overnight similar to Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
  • Fans can purchase said crypto tokens with real-world money to gain access to exclusive content and augmented-reality games.
  • The fan token holders also get to vote on mostly minor decisions related to their clubs.
  • The fan tokens are created by a crypto platform called Socios.
What decisions can fans vote on?
  • It includes kit designs, goal music, and the team’s destination for a pre-season tour.
  • The more tokens a fan has, the more votes they get in the polls but ultimately, the polls are decided upon by the clubs.
  • Fan Tokens aren’t about transaction but they are about ownership as a utility, which gives the access to a global community of fandom, rewards & team influence.
69 WORKERS CONFERRED WITH PRIME MINISTER's SHRAM AWARDS Recently, the Government of India has announced the Prime Minister’s Shram Awards (PMSA) for the year 2018. Prime Minister’s Shram Awards
  • It was instituted in the year 1985 under the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
  • The Prime Minister’s Shram Awards are given in three categories namely Shram Bhushan Awards, Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana Awards and Shram Shree/Shram Devi Awards.
  • It will be presented to the workmen as defined in the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.
  • The workmen solely engaged in routine service duties would not be eligible.
  • It is awarded to workers employed in the Departmental Undertakings & Public Sector Undertakings of the Central and State Governments and Private Sector Units employing 500 or more workers.
  • It is given for recognition of their distinguished performance, innovative abilities, outstanding contribution in the field of productivity and exhibition of exceptional courage and presence of mind.
  • Its objective is to recognize the outstanding contributions made by workmen as defined in the Industrial Dispute Act, 1947 in organizations both in public and private sector.
Categories of Prime Minister’s Shram Awards
  • Shram Bhushan Awards: It is given to the workers who have made outstanding contributions in productivity and also shown innovative capabilities in high order.
    • It carries a cash award of Rs. 100,000/- and a ‘Sanad’.
  • Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana Awards: It is given to the workers who have a continuous record of dedicated service and has achieved high order of productivity.
    • It carries a cash award of Rs. 60,000/- and a ‘Sanad’.
  • Shram Shree/Shram Devi Awards: It is given to the workers who have shown extraordinary zeal and enthusiasm for work.
    • It carries a cash award of Rs. 40,000/- and a ‘Sanad’.
Eligibility under Prime Minister’s Shram Awards
  • The nominated worker should be a workmen as defined in Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.
  • He/She should have worked continuously atleast for the past 10 years in the nominating establishment.
  • He/She should have distinguished record of performance in the industry or company.
  • He/She should have regularity and punctuality in attendance.
MAIDEN AL-MOHED AL-HINDI EXERCISE SET TO BEGIN BETWEEN INDIAN NAVY AND SAUDI ARABIA NAVY Recently, the Ministry of Defence has announced that it is gearing up for the maiden AL – Mohed AL – Hindi Exercise. AL – Mohed AL – Hindi Exercise
  • It is a bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Saudi Arabia Navy.
  • Indian Navy's guided-missile destroyer INS Kochi reached Saudi Arabia for the "Al-Mohed Al-Hindi 2021" exercise.
    • The UAE fielded a guided missile corvette and a Panther helicopter for the exercise with INS Kochi.
  • It will showcase the reflection of growing defence and military cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia.
  • It is taking place amid rising tension in the Gulf region after a drone attack on a merchant tanker off Oman killed a British national and a Romanian citizen.
  • It comprises a number of shore and sea-based drills between the two navies.
Significance of India’s participation in Bilateral Exercises
  • It is an indication of the highest level of trust and confidence between the member nations.
  • It is a key confidence building measure (CBM) and an indication of the faith reposed by India on another nation or a group of member nations.
  • It enables forces to understand each other’s drills and procedures, overcome language barriers, and facilitate familiarisation with equipment capabilities.
  • It facilitates understanding and familiarisation with new technologies that other countries may be utilizing and enables on-the-job training of each other’s crews.
  • It promotes brotherhood and camaraderie between soldiers and militaries.
  • It is a tool for projection of a nation’s soft power i.e. culture, language, customs, beliefs, food habits and lifestyle.
      PM MODI SENDS CENTURION BABASAHEB PURANDARE A VIDEO GREETING Recently, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wished Babasaheb Purandare on his 100th birthday, praying for a healthy life ahead. Babasaheb Purandare
  • He is also known as Balwant Moreshwar Purandare.
  • He is popularly known as Shiv-Shahir (Shivaji's bard).
  • He was born on July 29, 1922 at Saswad near Poona (now Pune).
  • He is an eminent historian, author and theatre personality.
  • His works are mostly based on the events related to the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the 17th-century Maratha warrior, who laid the foundation of Hindavi Swarajya.
  • He is mostly known for his popular play on Shivaji Maharaj - ‘Jaanata Raja’ - which was popular not only in Maharashtra but also in other states.
  • He was conferred the “Maharashtra Bhushan” in 2015 and the country’s second highest civilian honour, “Padma Vibhushan” in 2019.
  • Among Purandare’s prominent works is the monumental two-volume Raje Shivchhatrapati and Jaanta Raja, Maharaj, Shelarkhind, Gadkot Kille, Agra, Lal Mahal, Purandar, Rajgad, Panhalgad, Sinhagad, Pratapgad, Purandaryanchi Daulat, Mujaryache Mankari, Fulwanti, Savitri and Kalawantinicha Sajja.
INDIGAU: INDIA’S FIRST CATTLE GENOMIC CHIP LAUNCHED Recently, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology has launched 'IndiGau'. IndiGau?
  • It is India’s first Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) based chip for the conservation of pure varieties of indigenous cattle breeds like Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal, Ongole etc.
  • It was developed by the concerted efforts of scientists of National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NAIB), Hyderabad.
    • The NAIB is autonomous institution under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology.
  • It is purely indigenous and the largest cattle chip of the world.
  • It has 11,496 markers (SNPs) more than that placed on 777K Illumina chip of US & UK breeds.
Significance of IndiGau
  • It will have practical utility in the Governments schemes to achieve the goal of conservation of our own breeds with better characters.
  • It will help towards doubling of farmers’ income by 2022.
  • The NIAB has entered into a collaborative agreement with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to further the use of this chip in generating phenotypic and genotypic correlations.
  • NIAB has also entered into an MoU with private industry to generate capability within India for designing and making our own SNP chips.
     






POSTED ON 14-08-2021 BY ADMIN
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