Whatsapp 93125-11015 For Details
The government approved the interest rate of 8.15 per cent recommended by the Central Board of Trustees of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for its over 6 crore subscribers for the financial year 2022-23. In a circular issued today, the EPFO said the Ministry of Labour and Employment has conveyed the approval of the central government for the EPF interest rate to be credited into members’ accounts.
As per the convention, the Ministry of Labour and Employment had sent the interest rate recommendation to the Ministry of Finance for ratification.
After the government’s consent to the interest rate, the EPFO would now start crediting the rate of interest for the previous fiscal to the EPF subscribers.
“The Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, has conveyed the approval of the Central Government under para 60(1) of Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme, 1952 to credit interest @ 8.15% for the year 2022-23 to the account of each member of the EPF Scheme as per the provisions under Para 60 of EPF Scheme, 1952,” the EPFO circular said.
In Parliament
Govt introduces two new health bills in house(Page no. 8)
(GS paper 2, Health)
The government introduced two health Bills — National Dental Commission Bill, 2023 and National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 — in Parliament.
The Bills seek to repeal Dentists Act, 1948 and Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947, and propose to form regulatory bodies for dentists and nurses and midwives on the lines of the National Medical Commission (NMC), with autonomous boards for undergraduate and postgraduate education, assessment and rating board, and an ethics and registration board that will look at different aspects of dental and nursing education. Both the Bills also have a provision for creating live national registers.
Medical professionals currently need to register with their respective state councils. The registers created under the new Bills will be dynamic, with the state and the national registers syncing automatically, and qualifications of the professionals will be updated from time to time.
The National Dental Commi-ssion Bill will make provision for a exit test for dentists on the lines of the National Exit Test that is likely to be implemented for those completing MBBS from the next batch.
Although many welcomed the departure from the Dentists Act, 1948, experts say it will lead to more government control on the decisions of the regulatory body.
DNA Technology Bill withdrawn from Lok Sabha (Page no. 8)
(GS paper 3, Science and Technology)
The government on Monday withdrew the DNA Technology Bill, which was previously passed by Lok Sabha but lapsed after not being passed in the Upper House, as most of the Bill deals with the use of technology for criminal proceedings but it had been drafted by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The Bill allowed the government to create a DNA data bank for solving crimes, tracing missing persons, and identifying dead bodies.
The Bill outlined collection of DNA samples of convicts, undertrials, victims, or relatives of missing persons, storage of these samples in a data bank, and access to various agencies. It also had provisions for creating a regulatory board to oversee the DNA banks and laboratories.
The Bill has been withdrawn because much of it dealt with criminal proceedings but it had initially been drafted by the Science Ministry.
There was a discussion where it was decided that the Home Ministry should take the lead on the Bill. According to officials, aspects regarding data storage, sharing, and privacy will be looked into by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Govt& Politics
Rajasthan house passes bill extending social security to gig workers(Page no. 9)
(GS paper 2, Governance)
The Rajasthan Assembly Monday passed a Bill extending social security to gig workers but without any debate.
As the House proceedings resumed amid loud protest by BJP MLAs who raised symbolic red diaries before Speaker C P Joshi, the Speaker and the ruling party rushed through four legislations, including the Bill for gig workers.
The Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill extends certain “rights” to gig workers, such as being registered with the state, having access to general and specific social security schemes, and having an opportunity to be heard for any grievances, among others.
An important component of the Rajasthan law is the setting up of a Platform Based Gig Workers Welfare Board. Apart from bureaucrats, the Welfare Board in Rajasthan will have two representatives each from among gig workers and from aggregators, to be nominated by the state government.
Other major provisions of the Rajasthan Bill are that it seeks to register all gig workers and aggregators in the state and that the state government will maintain a database of the gig workers and generate a unique ID for every one of them.
Express Network
Notify Mhadei sanctuary as a tiger reserve within 3 months : HC to Goa(Page no. 11)
(GS paper 2, Judiciary)
The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court Monday directed the Goa government to notify the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and other areas, referred to in National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) communications and plans prepared by the Goa forest department, as a tiger reserve under the Wildlife Protection Act within three months.
In a 94-page order, a Division Bench of Justices M S Sonak and Bharat Deshpande directed the state government to take all steps to prepare a tiger conservation plan and forward it to the NTCA within three months of notifying the reserve.
The NTCA has suggested on multiple occasions that a tiger reserve be carved out from the uninhabited core zones of Goa’s protected areas and has requested the state to speed up the process of notifying the Mhadei sanctuary and certain contiguous areas as a tiger reserve.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by Goa Foundation, an environment monitoring group, which had sought directions to notify Mhadei sanctuary and other areas as a tiger reserve.
The Bench directed the state to set up anti-poaching camps at strategic locations in wildlife sanctuaries and national parks within six months. This was another step sought by the petitioner.
Editorial
Failures of commission(Page no. 12)
(GS paper 2, Judiciary)
Women’s commissions in India were set up with a lot of fanfare and high expectations. However, a review of their working and responses to the issues of women is long over-due.
The cases of molestation and rape of women in Manipur have brought them into focus. The Manipur saga is one of cruel disregard and contempt for human dignity and human rights. It is not the issue of women alone.
Not just the women of one state, all of us are feeling let down. A similar review of the Human Rights Commissions, too, is called for.
Established in 1992, as per the National Commission for Women Act 1990, the commission is expected to take up the concerns of women at the national level. Each state also has its own commission.
They are expected to consist of “persons of ability, integrity and standing who have had experience in law or legislation, trade unionism, committed to increasing the employment potential of women, administration, economic development, health, education or social welfare.”
The Manipur State Commission for Women (MSCW) was constituted in September 2006 as a statutory body as per the Manipur State Commission for Women Act, 2006.
It is mandated to safeguard the interests of women with a wide mandate that covers all aspects of women’s development.
The commissions are expected to “investigate and examine all matters relating to the safeguards provided for women under the Constitution and other laws.”
They are also mandated to look into complaints and take suomotu notice of matters relating to “deprivation of women’s rights, non-implementation of laws enacted to provide protection to women”.
Explained
Legal dispute in Kashi(Page no. 15)
(GS paper 2, Judiciary)
The Supreme Court stayed an ongoing survey of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had begun earlier in the day.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud put on hold until July 26 the order of a Varanasi district court that had directed ASI to carry out a “scientific” survey of the mosque premises.
The top court also asked the mosque committee to move the Allahabad High Court against the district court’s order before the expiration of the interim stay order.
The decades-old litigation around the 17th century mosque built by Aurangzeb allegedly after destroying the original Kashi Vishwanath Temple, has gained momentum over the last year or so after five Hindu women sought the right to worship MaaShrinagarGauri on the outer wall of the mosque complex.
The matter has since moved from a magistrate’s court to a district court, to the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court, and back to the district court.
On July 21, the Varanasi court asked for a “scientific investigation/ survey/ excavation” of the mosque premises by the ASI. District and Sessions Judge Ajaya Krishna Vishvesha asked the ASI to conduct a “ground penetrating radar survey just below the three domes of the building in question and conduct excavation, if required”.
World
Israel passes law limiting judiciary(Page no. 16)
(GS paper 2, International Relation)
Israel’s parliament on Monday passed the controversial “reasonableness” bill, the first major legislation in the government’s plan to weaken the judiciary, despite six months of protests and American pressure against the most significant shakeup to the court system since the country’s founding.
The bill passed by a vote of 64-0, with all members of the governing coalition voting for it. All members of the opposition left the chamber while the roll call vote was taking place.
After rumors last week that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may back down on the vote or even soften some of its components, the 73-year-old leader pushed forward with it and on Monday arrived at parliament, the Knesset, shortly after being released from hospital.
The so-called reasonableness bill strips the Supreme Court of the power to declare government decisions unreasonable.
It is the first major piece of the multi-pronged judicial overhaul plan to be passed by the Knesset. Lawmakers on Sunday began a marathon debate on it which lasted until the following morning.
The overhaul has split the country, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets in protest.