Daily Prelims Notes 29 August 2020

August 29, 2020
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Table Of Contents

1. State vs UGC (Disaster management Act)

Subject: Polity

Context:

Supreme Court held that states are empowered under the Disaster Management Act to override University Grants Commission (UGC) exam guidelines

Concept:

A three-judge Bench upheld the power of a State and its disaster management authority to countermand the revised UGC guidelines to conduct the final year and terminal semester examinations by September 30.
In case of a disaster, the priority of all authorities under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 is to immediately combat the disaster and contain it to save human life.
But the court held that the powers of the States under the Disaster Management Act do not extend to promoting students on the sole basis of their internal assessment without taking exams.

2. Abuse of dominant position

Subject: Economy

Context:

Flipkart has moved the Supreme Court against an order passed by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), which had asked the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to initiate a probe against the company for abuse of dominant position.

Concept:

It is adopting predatory pricing mechanisms, which resulted in losses for small retailers.And also new players would find it difficult to breach the marketplace presence gained by incumbents
The CCI’s mandate is to eliminate practices having adverse effect on competition, promote and sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers and ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India.

3. Question Hour and Zero Hour

Subject: Polity

Context

A MPhas written a letter to Speaker expressing concern over the proposal for curtailing the Question Hour as well as the Zero Hour to maintain Covid protocols during Parliament’s Monsoon Session.

Concept:

Question Hour

The first hour of every parliamentary sitting is slotted for this.
During this time, the members ask questions and the ministers usually give answers.
The questions are of three kinds, namely, starred, unstarred and short notice.

Zero Hour

Unlike the question hour, the zero hour is not mentioned in the Rules of Procedure.
Thus it is an informal device available to the members of the Parliament to raise matters without any prior notice.
The zero hour starts immediately after the question hour and lasts until the agenda for the day (ie, regular business of the House) is taken up.
In other words, the time gap between the question hour and the agenda is known as zero hour. It is an Indian innovation in the field of parliamentary procedures and has been in existence since 1962.

4. Section 18 of 101^stCAA and GST Compensation

Subject: Polity

Context:

GST compensation payments to states are pending since April. At the GST Council meeting, the Centre suggested two options for borrowing by states to bridge shortfall. But many states are unconvinced.

Concept:

Section 18 of The Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016 provides that Parliament shall by law, on the recommendation of the Goods and Services Tax Council, provide for compensation to the states for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of the goods and services tax for a period of five years.
Under The GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, states are guaranteed compensation for loss of revenue on account of implementation of GST for a transition period of five years (2017-22). The compensation is calculated based on the difference between the states’ current GST revenue and the protected revenue after estimating an annualised 14% growth rate from the base year of 2015-16.

Compensation cess

Compensation cess was introduced as relief for States for the loss of revenues arising from the implementation of GST.
States, in lieu of giving up their powers to collect taxes on goods and services after local levies were subsumed under the GST, were guaranteed a 14 per cent tax revenue growth in the first five years after GST implementation by the Central government.
States’ tax revenue as of FY16 is considered as the base year for the calculation of this 14 per cent growth.
Any shortfall against it is supposed to be compensated by the Centre using the funds specifically collected as compensation cess.
Compensation cess is levied on five products considered to be ‘sin’ or luxury goods like SUV, pan masala, cigrattes.
The collected compensation cessflows into the Consolidated Fund of India, and then transferred to the Public Account of India, where a GST compensation cess account has been created.
States are compensated bi-monthly from the accumulated funds in this account.

5. National Digital Health Mission

Subject: Schemes

Context:

The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) has been launched at a time when the country is reeling under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concept:

National digital health mission is holistic, voluntary healthcare programme which will integrate doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, insurance companies and make a digital health infrastructure.
The health ID card is created with details like Aadhar and mobile number and generates unique ID for each individual.
The national digital health mission includes health ID, digi doctor, telemedicine, e-Pharmacy , healthcare registry and personal health records digitally stored.

6. Press council of India

Subject:Organisation

Context:

Press council of India asked media to stop “parallel trial” in Sushant Rajput case

Concept:

It was established under the PCI Act of 1978.
It aims to preserve the freedom of the press and maintain and improve the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India.
The PCI consists of a chairman and 28 other members.
The Chairman is selected by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and a member elected by the PCI.
The Press Council Act, 1965, listed the following functions of the Council in furtherance of its objects :
- to help newspapers to maintain their independence
- to build up a code of conduct for newspapers and journalists in accordance with high professional standards
- to ensure on the part of newspapers and journalists the maintenance of high standards of public taste and foster a due sense of both the rights and responsibilities of citizenship
- to encourage the growth of a sense of responsibility and public service among all those engaged in the profession of journalism.
- to keep under review any development likely to restrict the supply and dissemination of news of public interest and importance
- to keep under review such cases of assistance received by any newspaper or news agency in India from foreign sources, as are referred to it by the Central Government.

7. Declining population of Great Andamanese

Subject: Geography

Context:

Nine members of the dwindling Great Andamanese tribe have tested Covid-19 positive.

Concept:

Great Andamanese are part of the Negrito tribes that inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands
The language of the Great Andamanese, Sare, has largely been lost, with the last surviving speaker dying earlier this year. The tribe now speaks mostly Hindi.
Major factors contributing to the diminishing population of the Great Andamanes include environmental ‘disturbances’, contagious diseases as a result of contact with city dwellers, and a high mortality rate assisted by addictions to alcohol, tobacco and opium.

8. Protease Inhibitors

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

A drug used for cat coronavirus is going to tested as a possible treatment for humans infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Concept:

The drug is a protease inhibitor, which means that it interferes with the virus’s ability to replicate, thus blocking infection.

9. National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization

Subject: Organization

Concept:

National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) is an advisory committee consisting of multidisciplinary groups of experts responsible for providing information to national governments that is used to make evidence-based decisions regarding vaccine and immunization policy