Current Affairs Oct 30

Coastal Shipping Bill, 2020

• In accordance with Prime Minister vision for augmenting people’s participation and transparency in the governance, Ministry of Shipping has issued the draft of Coastal Shipping Bill, 2020 for suggestions from the stakeholders and general public.
• As the shipping sector grows and evolves in the country, a need was felt to have a separate legislation on coastal shipping,
• which considers it an integral part of the transport chain and recognizes the policy priorities of the sector to meet the demands of the Indian shipping industry.

The Ministry of Shipping has drafted a Coastal Shipping Bill, 2020 in lieu of part XIV of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958.

Some of the highlights of the Bill are as under:

• The definition of coastal shipping and coastal waters has been expanded.
• It is proposed to do away with the requirement of trading licence for Indian flag vessels for coastal trade.
• The Bill seeks to create a competitive environment and reduce transportation costs, while encouraging Indian vessels to increase their share in coastal shipping.
• The Bill also proposes integration of coastal maritime transport with inland waterways.
• There is a provision for a National Coastal and Inland Shipping Strategic Plan.

PIB

Call For Destruction Of Terror Safe Havens

• The Central Asian republics joined India in demanding destruction of “safe havens” of terrorism.
• The second meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue jointly expressed support for the peace negotiations in Afghanistan which is expected to usher in a new age for the war-torn country.
• The Ministers strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed the determination of their countries to combat this menace by destroying terrorist safe-havens, networks, infrastructure and funding channels.
• They also underlined the need for every country to ensure that its territory is not used to launch terrorist attacks against other countries.
• Among the key takeaways from the meeting was the announcement of an additional $1 billion Line of Credit by India for the Central Asian countries.
• It is expected that the money will be spent for major infrastructural and connectivity projects.
• The meeting also led to the announcement of grant financing by India for high impact community development projects in the countries.
• It also led to the establishment of working groups by India Central Asia Business Council comprising the key Chambers of all participating countries.

THE HINDU

Global Art Competition

• A six year old Bangladeshi boy Anzar Mustaeen Ali won a special prize of USD 1000 for his artwork in the global art competition organised by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR).
• The ICCR had launched a global painting competition named ‘United Against CORONA- Express through Art’ which attracted 8000 artwork entries from around the world.
• The maximum number of entries for the global competition were received from Bangladesh.
• Six other art works from Bangladesh were selected for showcasing at the digital art exhibition of ICCR.

AIR

Annual State of Education Report (ASER) survey

• About 20% of rural children have no textbooks at home, according to the Annual State of Education Report (ASER) survey conducted in September, the sixth month of school closures due to COVID-19 across the country.
• In Andhra Pradesh, less than 35% of children had textbooks, and only 60% had textbooks in Rajasthan. More than 98% had textbooks in West Bengal, Nagaland and Assam.
• Although the Centre has now permitted States to start reopening schools if they can follow COVID-19 safety protocols, the vast majority of the country’s 25 crore students are still at home after seven straight months.
• The ASER survey provides a glimpse into the levels of learning loss that students in rural India are suffering, with varying levels of access to technology, school and family resources resulting in a digital divide in education.
• ASER is a nationwide survey of rural education and learning outcomes in terms of reading and arithmetic skills that has been conducted by the NGO Pratham for the last 15 years. This year, the survey was conducted via phone calls.
• It found that 5.3% of rural children aged 6-10 years had not yet enrolled in school this year, in comparison to just 1.8% in 2018. 

• This seems to indicate that due to the disruptions caused by the pandemic, families are waiting for the physical opening of schools to enrol their youngest children, with about 10% of six-year-olds not in school.
• Among 15-16-year-olds, however, enrolment levels are actually slightly higher than in 2018. Enrolment patterns also show a slight shift toward government schools, with private schools seeing a drop in enrolment in all age groups.
• In 2018, ASER surveyors found that about 36% of rural households with school-going children had smartphones.
• By 2020, that figure had spiked to 62%. About 11% of families bought a new phone after the lockdown, of which 80% were smartphones.
• Two thirds of rural children nationwide reported that they had not received any learning materials or activities at all.
• In Bihar, less than 8% got such materials from their schools, along with 20% in West Bengal, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• On the other hand, more than 80% of rural children in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Gujarat received such input.
• About 20% of children whose parents had less than five years of education got learning materials, compared to 46% among parents who had studied beyond Class IX themselves.
• Almost 40% in low education households got no materials and did no learning, compared to 17% of high education families.
• However, almost 40% of low education families persevered and did some learning activities even without receiving any learning materials at all

THE HINDU

Non-central Govt Employees Can Avail Tax Exemption Too

• Non-Central government employees availing cash equivalent of LTC fare — under a facility put together on October 12 – would get income tax exemption benefits as well, the Finance Ministry said.
• This would be on the lines of the tax exemption extended to Central government employees on receipt of deemed LTC fare.
• The payment of cash allowance, subject to maximum of ₹36,000 per person as Deemed LTC fare per person (Round Trip) to non-Central Government employees, would be allowed income-tax exemption subject to fulfilment of conditions.
• The income-tax exemption to receipt of deemed LTC fare by a non-Central government employee would be allowed subject to fulfilment of the following conditions:-

(a)     The employee exercises an option for the deemed LTC fare in lieu of the applicable LTC in the Block year 2018-21;

(b)     The employee spends a sum equal to three times of the value of the deemed LTC fare on purchase of goods / services which carry a GST rate of not less than 12 per cent from GST registered vendors / service providers through digital mode during the period from the 12th of October, 2020 to 31st of March, 2021 and obtains a voucher indicating the GST number and the amount of GST paid and

(c)      An employee who spends less than three times of the deemed LTC fare on specified expenditure during the specified period shall not be entitled to receive full amount of deemed LTC fare and the related income-tax exemption and the amount of both shall be reduced proportionately.

BUSINESSLINE

GST Commissioner Has Power To Authorise ‘Arrest’

• Gujarat High Court has ruled that the GST Commissioner can invoke power to arrest prior to the issuance of showcause notice or completion of adjudication/assessment and determination of the liability.
• However, this will be possible in case the officer has ‘reason to believe’ that the person has committed offence which is cognisable and bailable.
• Section 132 of CGST Act list offences (sub section 1) and punishment (sub section 1 and 2).
• Here offences, as mentioned in the order, include supply of good or services without any invoice
• with the intention of evading tax, issuing invoice or bill without supply of goods or services,
• leading to wrongful availment or utilisation of input tax credit (ITC) or refund of tax, availing ITC on the basis of fake bill and collecting tax,
• but not depositing with the government even after three months.
• Penalty here would be the amount of tax evaded and jail term up to five years.

BUSINESSLINE

New Norms For Construction Equipment Vehicles

• The Centre has issued a notification laying down safety requirements such as visual display, handrail and seat belt anchorages for construction equipment vehicles.
• This is to ensure safety while these vehicles are running on public roads along with other vehicles.
• Certain safety requirements are already mandated for construction equipment vehicles under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989.
• The new norms will be rolled out in a phased manner — Phase-I (April 2021) and Phase-II (April 2024) — as per the notification.
• The norms aim to introduce several safety requirements including visual display requirements, requirements for operator station and maintenance areas, non-metallic fuel tanks, minimum access dimensions, and others.

BUSINESSLINE

Un Award For Efforts To Fight Climate Change Amid Covid-19

• An Indian organisation that leverages tourism and technology to help remote communities access solar energy has won a prestigious UN award for its efforts to combat climate change amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) is among the winners of the 2020 UN Global Climate Action Award.
• GHE is one of the world’s first organisations using tourism and technology to bring solar energy to remote communities, as recognised by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
• GHE conducts “Impact Expeditions” to remote Himalayan villages and uses a portion of the expedition fee to fund the capital cost of the hardware, transportation, installation and training of village-scale solar micro-grids.
• The micro-grid infrastructure set up by GHE is owned and operated by the community.
• UNFCCC said this year’s award-winning projects demonstrate leadership on climate change by nations, businesses, investors, cities, regions and civil societies as a whole.
• They range from the Caribbean’s only carbon-neutral hotel to the world’s first platform fully dedicated to green bonds to the first all-women solar team in Lebanon.

HT

F-18 Naval Fighter Jets

• The United States of America (USA) has offered its F-18 naval fighter jets for the Indian Navy’s requirements of combat jets for its aircraft carriers.
• The Indian Navy had a few years ago expressed interest in the acquisition of 57 naval fighter aircraft for operations from its aircraft carriers including the present INS Vikramaditya and the under-construction Indigenous Aircraft Carrier.
• The US government has offered to sell their F-18 fighters along with the unmanned aircraft Sea Guardian to the Indian Navy along with a number of other systems to the Indian armed forces in recent times.
• At the moment, the Indian Navy has been assessing the F-18 and the Rafale naval fighters for its present and futuristic requirements as its present fighter is likely to be phased out by the end of this decade or the beginning of next.
• Both Rafale and F-18 have been showcasing the simulated capability of their respective fighter aircraft to take off and land at the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier to the Indian Navy.
• In the recent past, the Indian Navy has moved towards American equipment in a big way as its long-range surveillance aircraft fleet consists of 12 P-8I aircraft and would have six more of these in near future.
• The Sea King multirole helicopters would also be replaced by 24 MH-60 Romeos which are being acquired under a government to government deal.
• American equipment including The C-17 heavy-lift and the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, M-777 ultra-light howitzers, Apache attack and Chinook heavy-lift choppers along with the SiG Sauer assault rifles have become mainstays in the Air Force and the Army in the last one decade.

ET

NISAR Mission

• The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite is on course to be launched by 2022 with India and the United States agreeing to share Space Situational Awareness Information expected to accelerate efforts to create a safe and sustainable space environment.

What is NISAR?

• The NISAR satellite is Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Satellite that makes use of dual-frequency technology.
• The satellite uses advanced radar imaging to map the Earth’s land and ice masses and measure subtle and complex changes on the planet’s surface as a result of natural and human processes.
• The voluminous data that the satellite will gather can be used towards assessing and mitigating damage caused by natural disasters like tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes and landslides.
• As more of the planet’s human population locate themselves in high-risk areas, the likelihood and scale of human and financial losses continue to increase.
• Key to mitigating these losses is understanding how these natural hazards take place by taking detailed measurements of the planet’s natural processes over the hazard cycle.
• Several natural disasters cause subtle deformities on the Earth’s surface before causing a large-scale event.
• The NISAR mission will allow scientists to track these changes and respond more swiftly.
• Moreover, with water becoming an increasingly scarce resource, the mission will provide invaluable insights that will assist in constructing safer and more resilient water storage and distribution systems.
• The data that the NISAR mission gathers will be open access, allowing policymakers across the world to use it towards achieving scientific or commercial objectives.

TIMES NOW

 Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region

• With the President signing the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020, a statutory authority to track and combat air pollution in and around the National Capital Region has come into existence.
• The Commission, the Ordinance says, will supersede bodies such as the central and state pollution control boards of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan and will have the powers to issue directions to these state governments on issues pertaining to air pollution.

What does it change on the ground?

• The one body with powers similar to the new Commission’s was the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA).
• It was not a statutory body but drew legitimacy from the Supreme Court, which has been looking at cases of air pollution as part of the judgment in M C Mehta vs Union of India (1988).
• The EPCA was not, however, supported by a legal framework in the form of a law.
• It did have the authority to issue fines or directions and guidelines to the governments in other states.
• It had no state representatives, just two permanent members. The Commission, on the other hand, will have representation from the state.

What is the role of the Commission vis-à-vis states?

• The ordinance makes it clear that state as well as central bodies will not have jurisdiction over matters related to air pollution:
• “No other individual, or body, or authority, constituted either under the law enacted by Parliament or by state government or nominated in terms of judicial order shall act upon or have jurisdiction in relation to the matters covered by this ordinance.”

• The ordinance says the Commission will look at coordination between states, planning and execution of policy and interventions, operations of industry, inspections, research into the causes of pollution etc.
• Experts say the ordinance means that the power to issue fines may also lie with the new Commission.
• In case the directions issued by a state and the Commission clash, the decision of the Commission will be implemented. 

How does it help?

• Experts say the move doesn’t automatically guarantee action on the ground.
• Environment activist Vimlendu Jha said that by forming a new commission, the government has taken the issue of air pollution out of the purview of the judiciary.
• As per the Ordinance, only NGT, and not civil courts, is authorised to hear cases where the commission is involved. 

What are the challenges?

• According to the Ordinance, the committee has been formed to do away with “ad-hoc measures” and to replace them to “streamline participation” from states and experts.
• The Commission has a large number of members from the central government, which has not gone down well with the states.
• Political differences will also now play a part in the functioning of the Commission because states are not happy with the overarching powers being vested in it.

IE

Threat Of Space Debris

• The Canadian company NorthStar Earth and Space has contracted Thales Alenia Space to build the first three satellites of its Skylark space traffic monitoring system, with LeoStella, a Seattle-based firm, overseeing the final assembly.
• This will make NorthStar the first commercial company to monitor space traffic from space.
• The service will alert users to potential collisions between satellites, both operational and defunct, and other large pieces of debris.
• The service will become increasingly important as new satellites, especially the mega-constellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, are launched.
• In the coming decade more than 50,000 satellites are expected to be placed in orbit.
• The first three satellites are expected to be launched in 2022.

THE GUARDIAN