30 April 2024, The Hindu
Delhi Police out; CISF takes over Parliament security
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GS 3: Various Security Forces and Agencies and their Mandate
- Around 400 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel have been deployed in the past four months at the Parliament complex where a security breach took place in December last year, though an official order is awaited, a senior government official said.
- The new Parliament building was inaugurated on May 28, 2023, and was first used for official business.
- On December 13, two men carrying colour spraying canisters had jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber during Zero Hour from the visitors’ gallery in protest against the rising unemployment, the unending ethnic violence in Manipur and farmers’ issues.
- In all, six persons have been arrested and booked under various sections, including terror charges. The police are yet to file a chargesheet in the case.
CM’s absence doesn’t mean children won’t get books: Delhi HC
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GS 2: Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
- The Delhi High Court on Monday said continuing as Delhi Chief Minister even after his arrest was Arvind Kejriwal’s personal choice, but his unavailability could not come in the way of poor school-going children getting free textbooks, writing material, and uniforms.
- “The decision of the Chief Minister to continue to hold the position is his personal decision.
- However, it does not mean that if the Chief Minister is not available, the fundamental rights of young children would be trampled upon, and they would go through the first term (April 1 to May 10) without free textbooks, writing material and uniforms,” a Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet P.S. Arora said.
Expert panel favours reopening elephant corridor, shifting Chinnakanal colonies
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GS 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment
- An expert panel appointed by the Kerala High Court to address human-animal conflict in Chinnakanal has recommended the reopening of the elephant corridor from Anayirankal to Old Devikulam in Munnar.
- The panel suggests both short-term and long-term measures to tackle the issue, as outlined in its recent report submitted to the court.
- Highlighting the isolation of the elephant population in Chinnakanal, the panel underscored the critical importance of providing connectivity to the broader Munnar landscape.
- Securing the corridor between Anayirankal and Old Devikulam, spanning a 60-acre shola forest, is proposed to facilitate the free movement of wild elephants.
- This move could potentially grant access to a vast 4,500 sq. km area within the Munnar landscape.
Court’s nudge on hospital charges, a reform opportunity
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GS 2: Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
- The Supreme Court of India, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in February this year, directed the central government to find ways to regulate the rates of hospital procedures in the private sector.
- The trigger for the PIL and directive were the high procedure rates and their large variations.
- The Court highlighted the problem using the procedure costs of cataract surgeries that cost only around ₹10,000 in a government set-up and between ₹30,000 to ₹1,40,000 in private hospitals.
- It invoked Rule 9 of the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, of which Clause 2 requires that “clinical establishments shall charge the rates for each type of procedures and services within the range of rates determined and issued by the Central Government from time to time, in consultation with State Governments”.
- The Court ruled the Central Government Health Scheme rates as an interim measure if the government failed to find ways to regulate rates.
The rising share of personal income tax and indirect tax is a concern
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GS 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment
- Over the last week, during the election campaign, the Congress’ manifesto and the party’s emphasis on social justice and welfare were suddenly thrust into the limelight.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to give the Congress’ demand for a caste census and its plans to study distribution of surplus government land to the poor, among others, a communal turn.
- The Congress defended its manifesto saying the rising wealth inequality in the country needs to be addressed and dismissed Mr. Modi's claims that its plans intended to favour a particular religious group.
- In the midst of this political controversy, the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda, floated the idea of an inheritance tax, which is not in place in India and is also not mentioned in the Congress’ manifesto.
The paradox of thrift: does a rise in savings cause a fall in investment?
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GS 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment
- The paradox of savings, also known as the paradox of thrift, refers to the theory that a rise in the savings rate of individuals can surprisingly cause a fall rather than a rise in the overall savings in an economy.
- This is in contrast to the general belief that a rise in individuals’ savings rates will cause a rise in the overall savings in the economy.
- So even though savings may be good for an individual household, it is believed that it may not be good for the wider economy.
- The idea is part of the under-consumption theories of the business cycle which attribute economic downturns to weak consumption and high savings.
NCW says ‘no information’ on the political affiliation of its Chairperson, Members
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GS 2: Statutory, Regulatory and various Quasi-judicial Bodies
- The National Commission for Women (NCW) has said that it has no information on whether its Chairperson and Members are members of any political party.
- Replying to a query under the Right to Information Act, 2005, whether the Chairperson or Member can be a member of a political party and, if so, how many had such political affiliations, the Public Information Officer (PIO) replied that the NCW was a statutory body set up by the NCW Act, 1990, under the aegis of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
- The Chairperson and Members of the Commission are nominated by the Government of India.
