GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

India's current account deficit is expected to deteriorate in the current fiscal on account of costlier imports and decreased merchandise exports.

Key Facts:

• The recently released data by the government showed that the trade deficit had widened in June to an all-time high and the imports have surged past $66 billion.
• Retail inflation moderated slightly to 7.01% in June, and the ministry attributed it to measures taken by the government and the central bank as well as fears of a global recession that dragged oil prices lower.
  
  
  

The Current Account Deficit (CAD) is the shortfall between the money received by selling products to other countries and the money spent to buy goods and services from other nations.

Positives:

• The agricultural sector is picking up with the long-range forecast for the monsoon season.
• Recovery in rural demand
• Double-digit growth of bank credit in recent months
• Economic activity is showing an upward trend despite the ongoing geopolitical tensions
• The services sector is showing signs of robust recovery
• Strong economic activity is evident in robust GST collection

Concerns:

• Food inflation hovers around 8.0%. But if compared with many other countries, it is very much under control in India. Import of essential commodities is getting costlier.
• Retail inflation in India continues to be higher than RBI’s tolerance level of 6%, stabilization policy measures. This is the sixth successive month in which retail inflation has been above the RBI's tolerance level of 6%.
• Fears of a recession are hovering globally and it may hurt India’s exports and push down Indian Rupee. Small Businesses Face High Inflation and Fear of Recession.

What can be done?

• The MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) is expected to hike policy repo rates to control the inflationary pressures.

• An increase in customs duties and the imposition of windfall tax are expected to boost government revenues and assist in keeping the fiscal deficit to GDP ratio unchanged from its budgeted level.
• Little moderation in the international prices of food items, industrial metals, and crude oil global has been observed. But the reason for the same may be driven by the fear of setting of recession
• India has also diversified its crude imports, increasing its sourcing from Russia.

Recently, Government said that only a few States have not yet framed the rules. According to a recent report, 24 States have so far published draft rules for all four codes.

Reasons behind the delay

• The government says the delay in implementing the four labour codes is due to the delay in framing rules by the States.
  • The States are publishing draft rules and inviting comments from stakeholders on those draft rules.
  • The Centre had also published draft rules for certain sections of the four codes.

• All Passed bills but have not been implemented yet by the government:
  • The Code on Wages (August 2019)
  • The Industrial Relations Code
  • The Code on Social Security
  • The Code of Occupational Safety
  • Health and Working Conditions

Background (Labour Codes)

• There are more than 50 crore workers in the organized and unorganized sectors of the country.
• A majority of these workers i.e. around 90 percent are in the unorganized sector.
• Through these four Labour Codes, it has been ensured that all these workers will get the benefit of Labour Laws.
• Now all workers of the organized and unorganized sectors will get the minimum wages and a large section of workers in the unorganized sector would also get social security.

New 4 Labour Codes are beneficial for all

1. Wage Code 2019: All workers have got the Right to Minimum Wages.
2. Social Security Code 2020: To ensure security for all workers, the Central Government has amalgamated 9 Labour Laws into the Social Security Code in order to secure the right of workers for insurance, pension, gratuity, maternity benefit, etc.
3. OSH Code (Occupational, Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code) 2020: For providing a better and safe environment along with occupational health and safety to workers at the workplace.
4. Industrial Relations (IR) Code, 2020: The Central Government has taken steps for safeguarding the interests of Trade Unions as well as the workers. In this Code, all possible steps have been taken for industrial units and workers so that disputes do not arise in the future.

Benefits of Codification:

• Single Registration
• Single License
• Single Statement
• Minimum Forms
• Common definitions
• Reduction of Committees
• Web-based surprise inspection
• Use of technology – Electronic registration and licensing.
• Reduction of compliance cost disputes

Concern:

• The employers’ associations like the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) had expressed reservation on the proposal for increasing the minimum wages and expanding the social security network by involving the employers too.
• The employers are worried that a further increase in the salary bill will hamper their profits in a recession-hit economy and they expect the government to hold more discussions.a

Conclusion:

The empowerment of workers is necessary for an empowered, prosperous, and Aatmanirbhar India.

The Supreme Court decided that the Patna High Court exceeded its jurisdiction.

Definitions of Jurisdiction:

• Jurisdiction is the legal term for the authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice.
• The extent of the power to make legal decisions and judgements.

These are the ten main types of the jurisdiction of Indian courts:

• Pecuniary Jurisdiction: This jurisdiction is based upon the valuation of the subject matter of the suit.
• Territorial Jurisdiction: It refers to the power of the court to inquire and proceed with the trial of a matter that is presented before it.
• Subject Matter Jurisdiction: It is the authority of a court to hear cases of a particular type or cases relating to a specific subject matter. For instance, the bankruptcy court only has the authority to hear bankruptcy cases.
• Exclusive Jurisdiction: It exists in civil procedure if one court has the power to adjudicate a case to the exclusion of all other courts.
• Concurrent Jurisdiction: It exists where two or more courts from different systems simultaneously have jurisdiction over a particular case.
• Appellate Jurisdiction: The power of the higher court to review the decision or change the result of the decisions made by the lower courts is called appellate jurisdiction.
• Original Jurisdiction: A court's power to hear and decide a case before any appellate review.
• Special Jurisdiction: It is the court's jurisdiction only on certain types of cases such as bankruptcy, and family matters.
• Legal Jurisdiction: Jurisdiction is the power that a court of law or an official has to carry out legal judgments or enforce laws.
• Extending Jurisdiction: Parliament may by law extend the jurisdiction of a High Court.

What determines the jurisdiction of a court?

• A legal case's jurisdiction depends on personal and subject matter jurisdiction.
• A court must have both subject matter jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction over the matter to hear a case.
• Jurisdiction is important because if a court does not have jurisdiction over a case, it does not have the legal authority to pass judgment on the case.

Who has the authority to determine the jurisdiction of the court?

• The Supreme Court has also a very wide appellate jurisdiction over all Courts and Tribunals in India.
• It may discretion to grant special leave to appeal under Article 136 of the Constitution from any judgment, decree, determination, sentence, or order in any cause or matter passed or made by any Court.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified the Forest Conservation Rules, 2022, which will replace the earlier rules notified in 2003.

About Provisions of Forest (Conservation) Rules,2022:

• The Forest Conservation Rules deal with the implementation of the Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980.
• They prescribe the procedure to be followed for forest land to be diverted for non-forestry uses such as road construction, highway development, railway lines, and mining.
• For forest land beyond five hectares, approval for diverting land must be given by the Central government. This is via a specially constituted committee, called the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC).

What do the updated rules say?

• The new rules, “streamline” the process of approvals. The rules make a provision for private parties to cultivate plantations and sell them as land to companies who need to meet compensatory forestation targets.
• It will help India increase forest cover.
• It will also solve the problems of the States of not finding land within their jurisdiction for compensatory purposes.
• The concerned update sought to limit the necessity for consent from the gram Sabha. Accordingly, the States will ensure “settlement” of Forest Rights Acts applicable.

How will the new rules affect tribal rights?

• Missing elements of tribals and forest-dwelling communities: The updated Forest Conservation Rules don’t talk about the tribals and forest-dwelling communities whose land would be hived off for developmental work.
• The new rules allow the Union government to permit the clearing of a forest for a project before prior consent of the forest dwellers, as mandated under the 2006 Act.

• The new rules will dilute the Forest Right Act, of 2006.
• It will disempower forest tribals and may displace them: The update will limit the necessity for consent from the gram Sabha. Many forestry experts say it may imply that the consent of the resident tribals and forest dwellers may not remain a deciding factor.

Government’s position:

• The purpose of updating the rules is to “streamline the approval process.”
• Fulfilling and complying with the FRA, 2006 was an independent process and it will not dilute or infringe on the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
• It could be undertaken by States “at any stage” of the forest clearance process and it also talks about the compliance with provisions of the FRA before States order diversion of the land.

Recently, the Health Ministry said that the States should aware, alert, and ready to tackle other public health threats such as monkey-pox which is on the rise globally.

• Monkey-pox (MPX) was first discovered in 1958 in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘monkey-pox.’
• The first human case of monkey-pox was reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970.
• Recently, an ongoing outbreak of the viral disease monkey-pox was confirmed in May 2022.

About Monkey-Pox:

• Monkey-pox (MPX) is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, although with less clinical severity.
• It is a potentially serious viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes, and a rash that includes bumps that are initially filled with fluid before scabbing over.
• Illness could be confused with a sexually transmitted infection like syphilis or herpes, or chickenpox.

Mode of transmission:

• Human-to-human transmission is known to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact.
  • It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, and indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linens of an infected person.

• Animal-to-human transmission: may occur by bite or scratch of infected animals like small mammals including rodents (rats, squirrels) and non-human primates (monkeys, apes) or through bush meat preparation.

What causes monkey-pox?

• It is a rare disease that is caused by infection with the monkey-pox virus.
• This virus belongs to the Ortho-pox-virus genus.
• It includes the variola (smallpox) virus as well as the vaccinia virus, which is used in the smallpox vaccine.

What are the symptoms of monkey-pox?

• Swollen lymph nodes
• Fever
• Headache
• Body aches
• Profound weakness

What is the treatment for monkey-pox?

• While there are no specific treatments for monkey-pox infections, antiviral drugs licensed for smallpox use are effective and can be used against monkey-pox.
• Monkey-pox is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks.
• Severe cases occur more commonly among children and are related to the extent of virus exposure, patient health status, and nature of complications.
• The extent to which asymptomatic infection occurs is unknown.

 What is the monkey pox vaccine?

• Two vaccines licensed by the S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are available for preventing monkey-pox infection - JYNNEOS (also known as Imvamune or Imvanex) and ACAM2000.
  
  

The Department of Empowerment of Person with Disabilities (DoEPwD) recently released the draft of the national policy for persons with disabilities.

• In 2006, India adopted its first National Policy on Disability.
• In line with its obligation to harmonise all of its laws and policies with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), India constituted a committee in 2019, which finalised the draft policy in October 2021.

Assessing good and bad points

Why the new policy is needed?

• It is aimed to showcase the Government’s commitment to the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities by providing a mechanism that ensures their full participation in society.
• India’s signing of the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires a policy change.
• Enactment of new disability legislation (Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016) which increased the number of disabilities has been increased from the existing 7 to 21 and it authorized the Central Government to add more types of disabilities.

The issue of lack of political participation

• There is a glaring omission in the absence of any commitment to the political uplift of persons with disabilities.
• The inaccessibility of the voting process, barriers to participation in party politics, or a lack of representation at the local, state, or national levels have all aggravated the marginalization of the disabled.
• It has changed the discourse around disability by shifting the focus from the individual to society,e., from a medical model of disability to a social or human rights model of disability.
• The documents fail to take cognizance of such mandates such as provided in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 which is committed to the anti-discrimination of differently-abled people.
• The exclusion of disabled people from the political space happens at all levels of the political process in the country, and in different ways. India does not have any policy commitment that is aimed at enhancing the political participation of disabled people.

Inadequate Representation:

• Disabled people are not represented enough at all three levels of governance.
• The lack of rigorous and comparable data and statistics further hinders the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
• The first visually disabled Member of Parliament in independent India, Sadhan Gupta, hardly finds mention in our political or disability discourse.
• We have often failed to acknowledge disabled political personalities.

About political participation:

• Article 29 of the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities mandates that state parties should “ensure that persons with disabilities can effectively and fully participate in political and public life on an equal basis with others, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
• The Incheon goals also promote participation in political processes and in decision-making.
• The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016: The anti-discrimination commitment under this Act recognizes the political domain wherein disabled people should be allowed to realize their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Make Functional Rights:

• Inclusiveness and empowerment of the disabled cannot be achieved without political inclusion.
• The policy can follow a four-pronged approach:
• building the capacity of disabled people’s organizations and ‘empowering their members through training in the electoral system, government structure, and basic organizational and advocacy skills;
• the creation, amendment, or removal of legal and regulatory frameworks by lawmakers and election bodies to encourage the political participation of the disabled;
• inclusion of civil societies to ‘conduct domestic election observation or voter education campaigns;
• and a framework for political parties to ‘conduct a meaningful outreach to persons with disabilities when creating election campaign strategies and developing policy positions.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has announced uniform rates for general trade and storage licenses for establishments across the city.

Details:

• Revised rates are aimed at curbing “disparities” in the earlier fee rates under three erstwhile municipal corporations.
• As the Municipal governments rely heavily on property tax revenue to fund their operations and the new license rates are higher in comparison to the rates under the erstwhile municipal corporations.
• There will be an increase of 15% in the license fee for all categories every three years from the date of implementation, starting from April 1, 2025.

What is a Municipal Corporation?

• In India, the Municipal Corporation is the urban local government that is responsible for the development of any Metropolitan City having a population of more than one million people.
• Mahanagar Palika, Nagar Palika, Nagar Nigam, City Corporation, and so on are some of the other names for it.

The Municipal Corporations are established in the states by the acts of the state legislatures, whereas in the Union Territories through the acts of the Parliament.

• Municipal governments rely heavily on property tax revenue to fund their operations.
• The first municipal corporation in India was created in Madras in 1688, followed by municipal corporations in Bombay and Calcutta in 1726.

The necessity for the creation of a Municipal Corporation:

• The growing population and urbanization in India's cities necessitated the establishment of a local governing body.
• A body is needed for collecting the property taxes and fixed grants from the state government in order to provide essential community services such as health care, education, housing, and transportation.