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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 02 May 2022

::NATIONAL::

The Union Labour and Employment Ministry was working on a mechanism to process accident insurance claims by unorganised workers registered on the e-Shram portal, which has seen over 27 crore registrations so far.
As announced budget speech 2022-2023, the linking of four portals _ the National Career Service, e-Shram, UDYAM (for those interested in starting MSMEs) and ASEEM (Atmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping).

About:

The e-Shram portal was introduced by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, in August, 2021.
Workers will receive an e-Shram card with a 12-digit unique number that will let them be included in social security programmes in the future.

Background:

The pandemic created the vulnerabilities of migrant workers working as low-wage, low-skilled temporary jobs with minimal access to social security, leaving them vulnerable to termination.
As a result, the Finance Ministry approved the development of the database.
The Ministry of Employment and Labour was tasked with establishing the database and the portal was developed in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC).

Objective:

By this portal the government aims to register unorganised workers, creating a database for them.

Union Law Minister has informed Judicial Infrastructure Development Authority will be formed at state level to strengthen the Judicial infrastructure of the country.

About:

The resolution regarding this was passed during the Joint Conference of Chief Ministers of the States and Chief Justices of High Courts in New Delhi.
The body will be created at the state level with the involvement of the CMs and Chief Justices or their nominees.
The Centrally Sponsored Scheme for development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary has been extended till 2025-26 with a budgetary outlay of Rs. 9,000 crores including the central share of Rs. 5,307 crores.

The historic India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which was signed between the two nations on 18 February 2022, officially entered into force on 1st May 2022.

Key highlights:

Gems & Jewellery sector contributes a substantial portion of India’s exports to the UAE and is a sector that is expected to benefit significantly from the tariff concessions obtained for Indian products under the India-UAE CEPA.
Overall, India will benefit from preferential market access provided by the UAE on over 97 % of its tariff lines which account for 99% of Indian exports to the UAE in value terms particularly from labour-intensive sectors such as Gems and Jewellery, Textiles, leather, footwear, sports goods, plastics, furniture, agricultural and wood products, engineering products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and Automobiles.
As regards trade in services, Indian service providers will have enhanced access to around 111 sub-sectors from the 11 broad service sectors.
CEPA is expected to increase the total value of bilateral trade in goods to over US$100 billion and trade in services to over US$ 15 billion within five years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is travelling to Germany, Denmark and France from May 2 to 4. His first foreign trip this year comes at a time when a war in the heart of Europe has upended seven decades of global order.

Germany:

India and Germany have a ‘Strategic Partnership’ since May 2000, and it has been strengthened with the launch of the Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) in 2011 at the level of heads of government.
Denmark
Bilateral relations were elevated to the level of a “Green Strategic Partnership” during the Virtual Summit held in September 2020 between Modi and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen.

France:

The visit to France has been planned after President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected in a tough election. India and France have traditionally had close relations. In 1998, the two entered into a Strategic Partnership, with defence & security cooperation, space cooperation and civil nuclear cooperation being its pillars.

India-Nordic Summit:

The first India-Nordic Summit took place in April 2018 to explore new areas of cooperation. This format is special; the only other country with which the Nordic countries — Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland — have this kind of engagement is with the US.

Goods and services tax (GST) collections hit an all-time high of ₹1.68 lakh crore in April, indicating strong economic activity despite multiple headwinds and better tax compliance.
The April number is up 20% from the year earlier and ₹25,000 crore more than the previous highest of ₹1.42 lakh crore in March this year.

About GST:

It is an indirect tax (not directly paid by customers to the government), that came into effect from 1 July 2017 through the implementation of the 101st Amendment to the Constitution of India by the Indian government.
It has replaced various indirect taxes such as - service taxes, VAT, excise and others in the country.
It is levied on the manufacturer or seller of goods and the providers of services.
The sellers usually add the tax expense into their costs and the price the customers pay is inclusive of GST. Thus, one ends up paying a tax even if s/he is not an income taxpayer.
It is divided into five different tax slabs for collection of tax - 0%, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%.

Classification of GST:

State Goods and Services Tax (SGST): It is charged by the state government for intrastate services and goods transactions and this revenue is generally given to the state.
Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST): It is also charged for any kind of intrastate transaction of services and goods and it is collected by the central government.

Central Consumer Protection Authority has issued an advisory to e-commerce entities against the illegal sale and facilitation of wireless jammers.

What is wireless jammers?

Jammer is a signal blocking device which transmits synchronized radio waves at the same frequency as a device like a cell phone or drone in order to blur its signal.

Key findings:

Consumer Affairs Ministry said, sale and use of any wireless device without authorization and license under the Indian Telegraph Act or Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act is illegal.
The Ministry said, as per the guidelines issued by the Central Government, Jammers may be allowed only under exceptional circumstances, only when authorized by Secretary (Security) and Cabinet Secretariat.