Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 02 May 2022


Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 02 May 2022

::NATIONAL::  

Accident insurance claims registered on the e-Shram portal

  • 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.

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Judicial Infrastructure Development Authority

  • 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.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

  • 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.

PM Modi’s Europe tour

  • 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. 

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::ECONOMY::

GST collection touched new record 

  • 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.

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::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::

Wireless Jammers

  • 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.

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