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Current Affairs 11.01.2024

/ UPSC / By
  1. Indian Heritage
  • Culture
  • Modern Indian history
  • The Freedom Struggle
  • Post-independence
  • Indian Society

A. population and associated issues

B. poverty and developmental issues

C.urbanization

PRESIDENT OF INDIA PRESENTS SWACHH SURVEKSHAN AWARDS

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu presented Swachh Survekshan awards at a function organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in New Delhi today (January 11, 2024).

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the Swachh Survekshan conducted with wide participation is an important step towards raising the level of cleanliness. She appreciated all for moving forward on the path of ‘Cleanliness to Prosperity’. She was happy to note that cleanliness campaigns are creating opportunities for economic self-reliance of women.

The President said that our Safai Mitras have been the frontline soldiers of our cleanliness campaign. She was happy to note that effective steps are being taken to ensure the safety, dignity and welfare of Safai Mitras. She said that only by eliminating manholes through mechanized cleaning and achieving the goal of sanitation through machine-holes we will be able to establish our true identity as a sensitive society.

The President was happy to note that emphasis is being laid on circularity in waste management in the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission. She said that the circular economy’s methods of recycling and reusing more and more goods are proving helpful for sustainable development. She expressed confidence that such a system will prove to be very useful in the field of waste management also.

The President said that if we deeply consider the concept of value from waste, it becomes clear that everything is valuable, nothing is waste. This holistic and progressive thinking works behind making biogas from green waste and generating electricity from refuse derived fuel.

The President said that about one-third of our population live in urban areas. Cleanliness of cities and towns is essential for their health and development. She noted that a huge amount of urban land is buried under mountains of garbage. She said that such mountains of garbage are extremely harmful for the health of the urban population. She was happy to note that such dump-sites are being eliminated under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. She expressed confidence that effective work will be done in all the urban areas and the target of zero dump-site will be achieved.

The President said that youth are our most important stakeholders. If the young generation decides to keep all the cities and the entire country clean, then India of 2047 will certainly celebrate its centenary of independence by being included among the cleanest countries in the world. She urged all the youth of the country to move forward with the big goal of making India the cleanest country in the world.

   7. Geographical features

8.Indian Constitution

9. Polity

10. Governance

A. institutions

B. regulatory

C. Government policies

D. role of NGOs

E. measures

11. Social Justice

A. Welfare schemes

Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhuyday Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhuyday Yojana (PM- AJAY) is a merged scheme of 03 Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY), Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan ( SCA to SCSP) and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana(BJRCY) and has been implemented since 2021-22 with an aim to reduce poverty of the SC communities by generation of additional employment opportunities through Skill development, income generating schemes and other initiatives and to improve socio-economic developmental indicators by ensuringadequate infrastructure and requisite services in the SC dominated villages. Broadly, the Scheme has following three components:

  1. Development of SC dominated villages in to an “AdarshGram”.
  2. ‘Grants-in-aid’ for District/State-level Projects for socio-economic betterment of SCs that may include creation of infrastructure in SC dominated villages including thoses elected under Adarsh Gram component, construction of Hostels/Residential schools, Comprehensive Livelihood Projects which may include components such as Skill development, related infrastructure development, financial assistance towards loans taken by beneficiaries for acquisition/creation of assets required for livelihood generation etc.
  3. Construction of Hostels in higher educational institutions which aretop-ranked as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) of Government of India and are funded by the Centre/State/UT Governments either fully or partially. Similarly, construction of hostels in schools which are either fully or partially funded by the Centre/State/UT Governments and recommended by the Ministry of Education

 About Adarsh Gram Component {erstwhile Pradhan Mantri AdarshGram Yojana}

    1. The objective of this component is to ensure integrated development of SC majority villages so that, inter alia, there is:
    2. Adequate infrastructure
    3. All requisite infrastructures necessary for socio-economic development needs are to be provided under the Scheme.
    4. Improvement in Socio-Economic Indicators.
  2.  
  3. The identified socio-economic indicators, known as Monitor able indicators, are to be improved so that the disparity between SC and non-SC population is eliminated and the level of indicators is raised to at least that of the National average. More specifically, all BPL SC families should have food and livelihood security, all SC children

should complete education at least up to the secondary level, all factors leading to maternal and infant mortality are addressed and incidence of malnutrition, especially among children and women, is eliminated.

    1. The particulars of the50 monitorable indicators under10 domains are:
      1. Drinking water and Sanitation
      2. Education
      3. HealthandNutrition
      4. Social Security
      5. Rural Roads and Housing
      6. Electricity and Clean fuel
      7. Agricultural Practices etc
      8. Financial Inclusion
      9. Digitization
      10. Livelihood and Skill Development

B Health

NITI Aayog organises National Workshop on “Strengthening Mental Health Services and Care in India”:

NITI Aayog organized a National Workshop on “Strengthening Mental Health Services and Care in India” at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore on 9th January 2024, Bengaluru in collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, and the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka. The purpose of the workshop was to elicit the views of States and other stakeholders on existing gaps and challenges under the District Mental Health Program (DMHP) and also to learn from the States, their best practices, which can further be replicated in other States/UTs with their own contextualization.

The one-day national-level workshop was chaired by Hon’ble Member (Health), NITI Aayog, Dr. V. K. Paul, and was graced by the presence of Chairman and President, National Medical Commission, Dr. B. N. Gangadhar; Economic Adviser, MoHFW, Smt. Indrani Kaushal; Director, NIMHANS, Dr. Pratima Murthy;  Principal Secretary (Health & Family Welfare), Govt. of Karnataka, Shri Anil Kumar T. K.; senior officials from MoHFW, DGHS, ICMR, and States/UTs, as well as sectoral and technical experts from WHO India, UNICEF, and development partners who have been contributing in the space of primary healthcare and mental health. The workshop was conducted as a part of the NITI–State workshop series, an initiative under the State Support Mission (SSM).

In the inaugural session, NITI Aayog made a brief presentation to set the context of the workshop, which was followed by a detailed presentation by MoHFW, highlighting the present scenario of the National and District Mental Health Program and the upcoming proposed strategies to strengthen its implementation. Principal Secretary (Health), Government of Karnataka gave a detailed presentation on “Moving beyond the Bellary Model of District Mental Health Program: Success story of Karnataka,” highlighting the various initiatives being undertaken by the state of Karnataka in addressing mental health concerns. The technical sessions concluded with a detailed presentation by Director, NIMHANS, elaborating the challenges, experiences and way forward under the recently introduced component of Tele-MANAS.

The rest of the workshop was divided into four sessions, with a panel discussion and three interactive roundtable sessions, which focused on addressing challenges, sharing current initiatives and best practices in States/UTs, and paving the way forward for a holistic mental healthcare ecosystem in India. Participants in the sessions included senior leadership from MoHFW, National Medical Commission, States/UTs, sectoral experts from NIMHANS, TISS, and IBHAS, as well as representatives from WHO India, UNICEF, and key development partners.

C. Education

D. Human Resources

E. poverty and hunger

12. International relations

A. India and its neighbourhood

B. groupings and agreements

C.Indian diaspora

13. Economic Development

A. Government Budgeting

Performance of DGGI 

During the year 2023, Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) which is the premier investigating agency for GST matters, continued its relentless pursuit to check evasion of GST across the country. It has unveiled significant GST evasion in diverse sectors like Online Gaming, Casinos, Insurance sector, Secondment (import of Manpower Services), Fake ITC among others.  Non-compliance in these sectors not only pose a threat to the fiscal stability but also involve potential social, financial as well as economic security implications.

The dedication and tireless efforts of DGGI have yielded notable results, with a significant increase in performance.

Overall Performance in Detection of Duty Evasion and Voluntary Payments: DGGI has achieved an increase in detection of cases of evasion and voluntary payments. In 2023, DGGI detected 6,323 cases involving evasion of duty of Rs. 1,98,324 crore with a voluntary payment of Rs. 28,362 crore. 140 masterminds involved in GST evasion were arrested.

This is a significant improvement as compared to the previous year i.e. 2022 wherein 4,273 cases were detected, amounting to duty of Rs. 90,499 crore, and voluntary payment of Rs. 22,459 crore and 97 arrests were made. There is 119% increase in the Year-on-Year amount of duty evasion detected by DGGI and 26% increase in the voluntarily payments made.

Performance in fake Input Tax Credit (ITC) cases: DGGI initiated a Special Drive against ITC fraudsters to plug the leakage in Government revenue and as a result, 2,335 cases with ITC fraud of Rs. 21,078 crore were detected, with a voluntary payment of Rs. 2,642 crore. 116 masterminds were arrested to check the menace of fake invoicing. This is a significant improvement in comparison to the previous year i.e. 2022 wherein 1,646 cases were detected, totaling Rs. 14,471 crore and a voluntary payment of Rs. 1,604 crore was made and 82 masterminds were arrested.

This shows 46% increase Year-on-Year in amounts of duty evasion detected and 65% increase of voluntarily payments made in fake invoicing cases.

DGGI’s performance underscores its dedication to upholding the principles of fairness, transparency, and compliance. DGGI remains committed to maintain the integrity of the GST system, as well as to ensure that business operations are conducted within the framework of GST Laws and Rules, and to provide a level playing field to the compliant businesses.

Direct Tax collections at 80.61% of total Budget Estimates of Direct Taxes for F.Y. 2023-24 upto 10.01.2024

Gross Direct Tax collections at Rs. 17.18 lakh crore with Y-o-Y growth of 16.77%, as on 10th January, 2024

Direct Tax collection, Net of refunds stands at Rs. 14.70 lakh crore with Y-o-Y growth of 19.41%

Net Corporate Income Tax (CIT) grows at 12.37% and Net Personal Income Tax (PIT) grows 27.26% Y-o-Y respectively

Refunds worth Rs. 2.48 lakh crore issued during 1st April, 2023 to 10th January, 2024

The provisional figures of Direct Tax collections up to 10th January, 2024 continue to register steady growth. Direct Tax collections up to 10th January, 2024 show that gross collections are at Rs. 17.18 lakh crore which is 16.77% higher than the gross collections for the corresponding period of last year. Direct Tax collection, net of refunds, stands at Rs. 14.70 lakh crore which is 19.41% higher than the net collections for the corresponding period of last year. This collection is 80.61% of the total Budget Estimates of Direct Taxes for F.Y. 2023-24.

So far as the growth rate for Corporate Income Tax (CIT) and Personal Income Tax (PIT) in terms of gross revenue collections is concerned, the growth rate for CIT is 8.32% while that for PIT is 26.11% (PIT only)/ 26.11% (PIT including STT). After adjustment of refunds, the net growth in CIT collections is 12.37% and that in PIT collections is 27.26% (PIT only)/ 27.22% (PIT including STT).

B. industrial

E.issues

14. Technology

ISRO presented with “Indian of the Year Award” for the year 2023

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh presented “Indian of the Year Award” for the year 2023 in the category ‘Outstanding Achievement’ to Team ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).

The award, instituted by a national TV channel, was received by ISRO Chairman S. Somnath and Project Director of Chandrayaan 3, Dr P.Veeramuthuvel, at a glittering ceremony in New Delhi.

The award recognised the remarkable contribution made by ISRO in pushing the boundaries of Space exploration, read the award citation.

“The year 2023 will undoubtedly be etched in the books of history as a period when India’s Space agency demonstrated unparalleled prowess and resilience in the face of challenges. The pinnacle of ISRO’s achievements in 2023 was the successful first-ever soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon’s uncharted South Polar region,” it said.

In his brief remarks, Dr Jitendra Singh said the Chandrayaan-3 was not only indigenous but also a very cost-effective mission, with a budget of about Rs. 600 Crore. Even though talent was never lacking in the country, the missing link of enabling milieu was created under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, he said.

“With the “unlocking” of Space Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the common masses of the country have been able to witness the launch of the mega Space events like Chandrayaan-3 or Aditya. Over 10,000 spectators, over 1,000 media persons and a large number of common people had come to see the Aditya launch and an equal number were there during the Chandrayaan-3 landing on the moon,” he said.

15. Environment

16. Security

DoT Takes pro-active measures in preventing cyber frauds

Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, has taken a pro-active drive to prevent malicious incoming calls and safeguarding cyber crimes and frauds.

The Department has advised citizen to beware of receiving malicious incoming calls asking them to dial *401# followed by some unknown mobile number.

This activates unconditional call forwarding received on mobile of citizen to the unknown mobile number. This allows fraudster to receive all incoming calls and can be used for fraud.

The DoT explains how the scamsters  operate and their Modus Operandi:

  1. The fraudster calls the telecom subscriber and pretends to be a customer service representative or technical support staff from their telecom service provider.
  2. The fraudster states that either there is a problem with their SIM card or there is some issue related to network or service quality and they need to dial a specific code to fix the problem. This code usually starts with *401# followed by a mobile number.
  3. After doing so unconditional call forwarding is activated on their mobile number and all incoming calls etc. are forwarded to the fraudster’s mobile number.
  4. The fraudster then receives all incoming calls and can be used for fraud.

The DoT has been actively informing all users and reiterates regularly How to protect yourself:

  1. The telecom service providers never ask their subscribers to dial *401# 
  2. Check your mobile phone settings for call forwarding and disable immediately in case it is enabled. Use the facility only when it is required.

17. Disaster Management