Facts in News
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Faceless or e-assessment Scheme
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- Recently, The Income Tax department has notified three official email IDs for taxpayers to register their grievances over different aspects of the faceless assessment scheme.
Key Points
- It was launched by the Income Tax Department in October 2019.
- Under it, a taxpayer or an assessee is not required to visit an I-T department office or meet a department official for income tax-related businesses.
- Administered -Faceless assessment is administered through separate units within the tax department each of which has a specific and important role in the process, viz assessment units, verification units, technical units and review units. All these units work closely with the National e-assessment Centre (NeAC) and Regional e-assessment Centre (ReAC).
- Aims -To streamline tax administration, minimise physical interface from taxmen, increase accountability and introduce team-based assessments.
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PM Ujjwala Yojana 2.0
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- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).
Key Points
- It is a scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for providing LPG connections to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households. It was launched in 2016.
- During Ujjwala 1.0, a target was set to provide LPG connections to 5 crore women members of BPL households.
- Subsequently, the scheme was expanded in April 2018 to include women beneficiaries from seven more categories (SC/ST, PMAY, AAY, Most backward classes, tea garden, forest dwellers, Islands).
- Also, the target was revised to 8 Crore LPG connections.
- This target was achieved in August 2019, seven months ahead of the target date.
- PMUY 2.0:
- In the Union budget for FY 21-22, provision for an additional one crore LPG connection under the PMUY scheme was announced.
- These one crore additional PMUY connections (under Ujjwala 2.0) aim to provide deposit-free LPG connections to those low-income families who could not be covered under the earlier phase of PMUY.
Other Benefits:
- Ujjwala 2.0 will provide the first refill and hotplate free of cost to the beneficiaries.
- The enrollment procedure will require minimal paperwork.
- In Ujjwala 2.0, migrants will not be required to submit ration cards or address proof.
- A self-declaration for both ‘family declaration’ and as a ‘proof of address will suffice.
- Ujjwala 2.0 will help achieve the Prime Minister’s vision of universal access to LPG.
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Snakebite Envenoming (SE)
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- India has seen an estimated 1.2 million (12 lakh) snakebite deaths from 2000 to 2019 according to a new study by the Indian Council of Medical Research.
About
- Snakebite envenoming is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by toxins in the bite of a venomous snake.
- Envenoming can also be caused by having venom sprayed into the eyes by certain species of snakes that have the ability to spit venom as a defence measure.
- The snakebite envenoming (poisoning from snake bites) was classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a high-priority neglected tropical disease.
- About 5.4 million (54 lakh) snake bites occur globally each year, resulting in 1.8 to 2.7 million cases of envenoming.
- There are between 81,410 and 1,37,880 deaths and around three times as many amputations and other permanent disabilities each year, caused by snakebites.
- India has the highest number of snakebite cases and accounts for nearly 50% of the global snakebite deaths
- Complications: Many snakebite victims, mostly in developing countries, suffer from long-term complications such as deformities, contractures, amputations, visual impairment, renal complications and psychological distress.
- Envenoming can cause severe paralysis that may prevent breathing, making immediate medical attention critical.
- People may also experience bleeding disorders that can lead to fatal haemorrhages or irreversible kidney failure.
- Treatment and Measures: Snake antivenoms are effective treatments to prevent or reverse most of the harmful effects of snakebite envenoming and are included in the WHO list of essential medicines.
- The availability and accessibility of these antivenoms, along with raising awareness on primary prevention methods among communities and health workers, are the best ways to limit serious consequences and deaths from snakebite envenoming.
- Steps: WHO launched its roadmap with an aim to halve death and disability from snakebite by 2030.
- Much before the WHO roadmap was launched, researchers from ICMR-NIRRH and Public Health Department, Maharashtra, started community awareness and health system capacity building from the year 2013.
- They are continuing their work through a national study funded by the National Task Force on snakebite.
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Inner Line Permit (ILP)
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- The Ladakh administration has scrapped the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system from the tourist attractions in the ‘protected’ regions.
About
- It will make it easier for Indian tourists who need to take permission from the government to visit such areas.
Inner Line Permit (ILP) system
- An Inner Line Permit is a travel document that is required by non-natives to visit four Northeastern states, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.
- Both the duration of stay and the areas allowed to be accessed for any non-native are determined by the ILP.
- The ILP is issued by the concerned state government and can be availed both by applying online or in person.
History:
- The Inner Line Permit is an extension of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act 1873.
- The Britishers framed regulations restricting entry in certain designated areas.
- This was done to protect the Crown’s interest in certain states by preventing “British subjects” (Indians) from trading within these regions. In 1950, the term ‘British subjects’ was replaced with ‘Citizens of India’.
- Today, all non-natives require a permit. This was done to protect the indigenous tribal communities of these states from exploitation.
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India Internet Governance Forum 2021
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- India is going to host its first-ever ‘Internet Governance Forum’, an Internet Governance policy discussion platform starting from October 20, 2021.
About
- It will bring together representatives from various platforms to discuss internet policy issues.
- The theme of the forum is ‘Inclusive Internet for Digital India’.
- It will conduct over 25 workshops in domains such as Digital Economy, Digital Governance, Trust, Security, Stability, Sustainability, among others.
Background
- Internet governance was one of the most controversial issues during the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS-I), held in Geneva in December 2003.
- It was recognised that understanding Internet governance was essential in achieving the development goals of the Geneva Plan of Action.
- The UN Secretary-General set up a Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) to explore these issues and prepare a report to feed into the second phase of WSIS (WSIS-II).
Significance for India
- India is the second-largest broadband subscription country in the world and also has the highest data consumption per user per month.
- This will ensure that the growth of broadband adheres to the lifestyle and requirements of the Indian community.
- It informs and inspires those with policy-making power in both the public and private sectors.
Internet Governance Forum
- It is an Internet Governance policy discussion platform to bring representatives together from various groups, considering all at par to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet.
- It is referred to as the multi-stakeholder model of Internet Governance, which has been the key feature for the Internet’s success.
- Adopted by the UN General Assembly on 16 December 2015.
- The multi-stakeholder concept is well adopted by IGF (Internet Governance Forum) under United Nations and by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
- US-based not-for-profit organisation for coordinating & maintenance of several databases.
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Nomura India Business Resumption Index (NIBRI)
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- The Nomura India Business Resumption Index (NIBRI) rose to a record high of 99.4 for the week ending August 8 as against 94.0 for the previous week.
About
- The Nomura India Business Resumption Index is compiled with data from various trackers, such as Google, Apple driving index and electricity demand. These are known as high-frequency data because they change frequently.
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