Latest News
09th Aug 2021
OIL MINISTRY LAUNCHES SIXTH BID ROUND OF OPEN ACREAGE LICENSING PROGRAMME
Recently, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has launched the sixth bid round under the liberal open acreage licensing programme (OALP).
Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP)?
- It has been launched under the Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy (HELP).
- It would be manifested through National Data Repository which will provide rapid jumpstart to E&P activities by providing seamless access to the country's entire G&G data for interpretation and analysis.
- It offered the potential investors freedom to carve out blocks of their choice through submission of Expression of Interest (EoI).
- The EoI window is open round the year and the investors need to wait for periodic launch of bid rounds.
- Under the OALP, once an explorer selects areas after evaluating the National Data Repository (NDR) and submits the EoI, it is to be put up for competitive bidding and the entity offering the maximum share of oil and gas to the government is awarded the block.
- It provides uniform licences for exploration and production of all forms of hydrocarbons, enabling contractors to explore conventional as well as unconventional oil and gas resources.
- The fields are offered under a revenue-sharing model and throw up marketing and pricing freedom for crude oil and natural gas produced.
- Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy (HELP) for award of acreages in the upstream sector in India was approved by the Cabinet in 2016.
- The licensing programme under HELP adopted the Revenue Sharing Model.
- It is a step towards improving the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in the Indian Exploration and Production (E&P) sector.
- It comes with attractive and liberal terms like reduced royalty rates and no oil cess, marketing and pricing freedom, submission of Expression of Interests (EoIs) round the year.
- It is a single license to cover conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon resources.
- Single License for all Hydrocarbons
- Revenue Sharing Model
- Pricing & Marketing Freedom
- Low Royalty Rates (Varies from 2% in Ultra-Deep Offshore to 12.5% On land)
- Further concession in Royalty Rates for Early Production
- Exploration rights on all retained area for full contract life
- Flexibility for multiple FDP revisions
- Simplified Dispute Resolution Mechanism
- Management Committee Role Revised to Reduced Number of Approvals
- The exhibition on 'Quit India Movement' has been put up at the National Archives of India as part of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' being celebrated to commemorate 75 years of Independence.
- The exhibition aims to depict the importance of the Quit India Movement in India's freedom struggle through public records, private letters, maps, photographs and other relevant material.
- The exhibition has several segments which outline the circumstances leading to the Quit India Movement, how it became a mass movement, the heroes of Quit India, impact on the ground, imprint of the movement, atrocities by the colonial rulers and its consequences among others.
- Failure of Cripps Mission
- It was the collapse of Cripps Mission that was to discuss the British Government’s Draft Declaration on the Constitution of India with representative Indian leaders.
- The Cripps Mission failed and the issue of India’s constitution was postponed until the end of the war.
- Involvement of India in World War II without prior consultation with the leaders
- The Indian Nationalists were disgruntled with the Governor-General of India, Lord Linlithgow, as he brought India to the verge of World War II without consulting them.
- Indian National Congress did not sink in with the assumption of Britishers that India will provide unconditional support in World War II.
- Prevalence of anti-British sentiment
- The sentiment of anti-British and full-independence had gained popularity among the Indian masses.
- Shortage of essential commodities
- The expenses during World War II had led to the shattering of Indian Economy.
- Centralisation of many small movements
- The Ground for the movement was already prepared by various associated and affiliated bodies of the Congress, like Forward Bloc, All India Kisan Sabha, and others.
- They were leading the mass movements on a much more radical level for more than two decades.
- It was also known as the Bharat Chhodo Andolan.
- It also went on to be known as August Kranti or August Movement.
- It was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942 at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
- It demanded an end to British rule in India.
- It is very well known that Gandhi delivered his speech, which commenced the Quit India Movement, at Mumbai’s Gowalia Tank Maidan, popularly known as August Kranti Maidan.
- The ‘Do or Die’ speech was etched in the hearts of Indians, and many faced the consequences of the movement.
- 'Quit India' term was coined by Yusuf Meher Ali, a freedom fighter and socialist leader who also served as Mumbai’s mayor.
- Abdul Kalam Azad, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Jawaharlal Nehru were arrested just before the movement started.
- Aruna Asaf Ali presided over the remainder of the Congress session in the absence of prominent leaders.
- It was declared as an unlawful association by Lord Linlithgow who was then the Viceroy of India, adopted the policy of violence to curb the movement.
- The call for mass agitation coupled with the arrests of leaders led to the outbreak of violence in various parts of the country.
- Arrests, public flogging, mass fines and detentions followed in an attempt to suppress the movement.
- The Committee on the Status of Women in India (CSWI) recommended nearly two decades ago, the setting up of a National Commission for women to fulfill the surveillance functions to facilitate redressal of grievances.
- The Successive Committees/Commissions/Plans including the National Perspective Plan for Women (1988-2000) recommended the constitution of an apex body for women.
- In July 1990, the HRD Ministry organized a National Level Conference to elicit suggestions regarding the Bill.
- The First Commission was constituted on 31st January 1992 with Mrs. Jayanti Patnaik as the Chairperson.
- It was set up as statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990.
- Its objectives are to:
- Review the Constitutional and Legal safeguards for women;
- Recommend remedial legislative measures;
- Facilitate redressal of grievances; and
- Advise the Government on all policy matters affecting women
- It took up the issue of child marriage, sponsored legal awareness programmes, Parivarik Mahila Lok Adalats and reviewed laws such as Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, PNDT Act 1994, Indian Penal Code 1860 and the National Commission for Women Act, 1990.
- It organized workshops/consultations, constituted expert committees on economic empowerment of women, conducted workshops/seminars for gender awareness etc.
- Investigate and examine all matters relating to the safeguards provided for women under the Constitution and other laws;
- Present to the Central Government, annually and at such other times as the Commission may deem fit, reports upon the working of those safeguard;
- Make in such reports recommendations for the effective implementation of those safeguards for the improving the conditions of women by the Union or any state;
- Review, from time to time, the exiting provisions of the Constitution and other laws affecting women and recommend amendments thereto;
- Take up cases of violation of the provisions of the Constitution and of other laws relating to women with the appropriate authorities;
- Look into complaints and take suo moto notice of matters relating to:
- Deprivation of women's rights
- Non-implementation of laws enacted to provide protection to women and also to achieve the objective of equality and development
- Non-compliance of policy decisions, guidelines or instructions aimed at mitigating hardships and ensuring welfare and providing relief to women, and take up the issues arising out of such matters with appropriate authorities
- Call for special studies or investigations into specific problems or situations arising out of discrimination and atrocities against women and identify the constraints
- The Central Government shall constitute a body to be known as the National Commission for Women to exercise the powers conferred on and to perform the functions assigned to, it under this Act.
- The Commission shall consist of:
- A Chairperson, committed to the cause of women, to be nominated by the Central Government.
- Five Members to be nominated by the Central Government from amongst persons of ability, integrity and standing who have had experience in law or legislation, trade unionism, management of an industry potential of women, women's voluntary organisations etc.
- Provided that at least one Member each shall be from amongst persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes respectively
- A Member-Secretary to be nominated by the Central Government who shall be:
- An expert in the field of management, organisational structure or sociological movement, or
- An officer who is a member of a civil service of the Union or of an all-India service or holds a civil post under the Union with appropriate experience
- The High Court said that a husband’s licentious disposition disregarding the autonomy of the wife is marital rape, albeit such conduct cannot be penalised, it falls in the frame of physical and mental cruelty.
- The court observed that merely for the reason that the law does not recognise marital rape under penal law, it does not inhibit the court from recognising the same as a form of cruelty to grant a divorce.
- The court noted that marital rape occurs when the husband is under the notion that the body of his wife owes to him but in modern social jurisprudence, spouses in marriage are treated as equal partners and husband cannot claim any superior right over wife either with reference to individual status.
- The court said that it is fundamental to the autonomy guaranteed under natural law and the Constitution and law cannot force a spouse to suffer against his/her wish by denying divorce.
- The HC also said that the divorce law should equip to deal with marital damages and compensation and deal with human problems with a humane mind.
- The definition of rape codified in Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) includes all forms of sexual assault involving non-consensual intercourse with a woman.
- The exception 2 to Section 375 exempts unwilling sexual intercourse between a husband and a wife over fifteen years of age from Section 375’s definition of “rape”.
- India is one of the thirty-six countries that still have not criminalized marital rape.
- Violation of Article 14: Although the Constitution guarantees equality to all, Indian criminal law discriminates against female victims who have been raped by their own husbands.
- Violation of Article 21: The courts have begun to acknowledge a right to abstain from sexual intercourse and to be free of unwanted sexual activity enshrined in these broader rights to life and personal liberty.
- The Supreme Court has explicitly recognized in Article 21 a right to make choices regarding intimate relations.
- There cannot be any difficulty in having a common code of law to all communities, at least for marriage and divorce.
- Individuals are free to perform their marriage in accordance with personal law, but they cannot be absolved from compulsory solemnization of the marriage under secular law.
- Marriage and divorce must be under the secular law which is the need of the hour and the time has come to revamp the marriage law in our country.
- The framework of divorce law must be with an objective to help individuals to take a decision on their own affairs which must promote a platform at different levels to enable individuals to exercise free choice.
- It is a single spotted lanternfly was found in an area in Warwick near Jefferson Boulevard.
- It is an invasive insect that can cause damage to native trees and agricultural crops.
- There is no known population of the insect present in the state.
- It is native to Asia and feeds on agricultural crops such as grapes, apples and hops as well as maple, walnut and willow trees.
- The spotted lanternfly has black spots on its wings, scarlet underwings, yellow markings on its abdomen, and tan semi-transparent forewings.
- The insect was first detected in the US in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since spread to New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia with individual finds in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
- It is most commonly associated with "Tree of Heaven" (Ailanthus altissima) plants.
POSTED ON 09-08-2021 BY ADMIN
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