News In Short-21-02-2025

Article 101(4)

Syllabus: GS2/Polity and Governance

Context

• Amritpal, who faces charges under the stringent National Security Act, might lose his MP seat under Article 101(4).

About

• Article 101(4) of the Indian Constitution deals with the disqualification of a Member of Parliament (MP) due to their absence from the sessions of Parliament.
• Disqualification for Absence: MPs can be disqualified if they are absent from all meetings of either the Lok Sabha (House of the People) or Rajya Sabha (Council of States) for a period of 60 days without seeking permission from the House.
  • Effectively, the period of absence is only calculated based on the actual sittings of Parliament.
• Permission: The absence must be without permission from the respective House of Parliament. If the MP obtains permission, the disqualification does not apply.
• This provision ensures that MPs actively participate in legislative proceedings and remain accountable to the people they represent.

Source: IE

Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression

Syllabus: GS2/Polity and Governance

Context

• The criminal proceedings against India’s Got Latent over alleged obscene remarks have sparked a debate on freedom of speech under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.

About

• Article 19(2) of the Indian Constitution deals with the reasonable restrictions that can be placed on the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a). 
• Conditions under which speech can be restricted by the state:
  • Security of the State, Public Order, Decency or Morality, Contempt of Court, Defamation, and Incitement to Offense.
• Right to Take Offense: Article 19(2) of the Constitution does not recognise offensive speech as a distinct category.
  • Therefore, the notion of a right to take offence lies beyond the ambit of constitutionally permissible limitations.
• Constitutional Morality: It’s a nuanced, evolving concept, not an inherent sentiment.
  • Must be cultivated and developed over time.
  • Dr. B.R. Ambedkar believed the legislature, not the Constitution, should decide forms of administration.

Source: TH

SC Directions on Remission

Syllabus: GS2/Governance 

In News

The Supreme Court directed states with remission policies to consider the premature release of prisoners, even if they haven’t applied for remission beforehand.

• The ruling applies to all prisoners, except those convicted of certain serious crimes.

Remission Law

• Remission refers to reducing the sentence of a convicted person.
  • Article 72 gives the President the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites, remissions, or commute sentences, including death penalties and military court cases.
  • Article 161 gives the Governor similar powers but only for state law offenses, excluding death sentences.
• Section 473 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and Section 432 of the CrPC give states the power to remit sentences at any time, with conditions such as regular reporting to police officers.
  • Life sentence convicts cannot be released before serving at least 14 years in prison.

Supreme Courts Ruling 

• Previous: In 2013, the SC ruled that remission cannot be granted suo motu (on the court’s initiative) and must be initiated by a convict’s application.
  • This judgment was based on the idea of avoiding arbitrary releases, especially during festive occasions.
• Recent :  The SC observed that many states now have remission policies that provide eligibility criteria for early release.
  • It ruled that if a remission policy is in place, states have an obligation to grant suo motu remission, without waiting for the convict’s application.
  • Failing to do so would violate the right to equality under Article 14 of the Indian Constitution.
• States must create a detailed remission policy within two months if one doesn’t exist.
• Conditions should account for factors like the motive of the crime and public safety.

Do you know ? – Prisons in India have an occupancy rate of 131.4%, with 5,73,220 inmates against a capacity of 4,36,266. – Most prisoners (75.8%) are undertrials, awaiting final decisions in their cases. – In 2020, 2,321 prisoners were released prematurely; in 2021, 2,350; and in 2022, the number increased to 5,035.

Source :TH

Ayushman Bharat Scheme in Delhi

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

Context

• Delhi Cabinet approved the implementation of Ayushman Bharat scheme in the National Capital.

Ayushman Bharat Scheme

• It was launched in 2018 with the aim of achieving universal health coverage. It has two key components;
  • Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri- Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) 
  • Ayushman Arogya Mandir 

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri- Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)

• AB PM-JAY is the largest publicly funded health assurance scheme in the world which provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
  • The Scheme will apply to all aged 70 and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status
• Coverage: It covers up to 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days of post – hospitalization expenses such as diagnostics and medicines.
  • The beneficiary can visit any empanelled public or private hospital in India to avail cashless treatment.
  • There is no restriction on the family size, age or gender.
• Eligibility:  The inclusion of households is based on the deprivation and occupational criteria of the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011) for rural and urban areas, respectively.
  • This number also includes families that were covered in the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) but were not present in the SECC 2011 database.
• Funding: The funding for the scheme is shared by the Centre and the state in a 60:40 ratio.
  • However, for North-Eastern states, Himalayan states (such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh), and Union Territories, the ratio is 90:10.

Ayushman Arogya Mandir

• The component led to creation of 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), renamed as Ayushman Arogya Mandir.
• They are created by upgrading the Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and rural and urban Primary Health Centres (PHCs), to bring health care closer to the community. 
• The aim is to provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) along with the provision of follow-up care to the patients in the community. 
• The essential health services along with the provisioning of essential medicines and diagnostics are provided closer to the community through these centers.

Source: BS

Predatory Pricing

Syllabus: GS 3/Economy 

In News

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has released the draft Competition Commission of India (Determination of Cost of Production) Regulations, 2025 for Predatory pricing.

About Predatory Pricing

• It is the sale of goods or services below the cost of production to eliminate competition.
• It is a strategy used by market giants with deep pockets, involving setting prices below average variable costs to sustain short-term losses and eliminate competition. 
• Impacts:  While this may benefit consumers in the short term, it can harm the market and consumers in the long run by driving competitors out.
• Regulation:  The Competition Act, 2002 prohibits predatory pricing under Section 4(2)(a)(ii) as an abusive practice by dominant enterprises.

Draft Regulations:  Latest Developments 

• The draft regulations update the methodology for determining the costs involved in allegations of predatory pricing, replacing the 2009 regulations. 
• This move is part of a broader regulatory overhaul following the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023, aimed at modernizing India’s competition law framework.
• The new regulations aim to align India’s approach with global practices and contemporary economic theories.

Source :TH

REITs and InvITs

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

Context

• The SEBI proposed a framework for undertaking fast-track follow-on offers by real estate investment trusts (REITs) and infrastructure investment trusts (InVITs) to make fundraising more efficient.

What are REITs?

• Real Estate Investment Trusts or REITs are investment trusts (like mutual funds) that pool funds from investors to own and operate income-generating real estate properties. 
• They pool funds from investors offering them a liquid way of entering the real estate market while helping them diversify their portfolio and earn regular income plus long-term capital appreciation.

What are InvITs?

• Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) are investment vehicles that pool funds from investors to own and operate infrastructure assets like highways, pipelines, and power plants. 
• They offer regular income through dividends and long-term capital appreciation while helping monetize assets and attract private investment in public infrastructure.

Source: ET

Technology Adoption Fund (TAF)

Syllabus: GS3/Science and Technology

Context

• The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), an indigenous arm of the Department of Space (DoS), has launched the ₹500-crore Technology Adoption Fund (TAF).

About

• Aim: To accelerate the development of indigenous space technology, reducing reliance on imported solutions. 
• Features: Provide financial support up to 60% for startups/MSMEs in space tech and 40% for larger industries, with a cap of Rs 25 Crores per project.
  • Encourage creation of intellectual property and new space products.
  • Open to all eligible Non-Government Entities (NGEs) with commercial potential.
  • Offers partial funding and technical guidance/mentoring for product development.
• Significance:
  • Invest in domestic R&D and foster collaboration between government and private sector.
  • Position India as a global leader in the space industry.
  • Enhance technology, production processes, and meet market demands.
  • Contribute to job creation and economic growth.

Source: DD News

Software-Defined Radios (SDRs)

Syllabus :GS 3/Defence

In News

• The Defence Ministry signed two contracts worth ₹1,917.47 crore for the procurement of software-defined radios (SDR) and rough terrain forklift trucks (RTFLT).

About Software-Defined Radio (SDR)

• It  is an advanced radio system where traditional hardware functions, like circuit boards and filtering algorithms, are replaced by software.
• It wirelessly transmits and receives signals in the radio frequency (RF) spectrum, with software performing tasks such as frequency selection and other physical layer functions.
  • A ₹1,220.12 crore contract was signed  for 149 SDRs for the Indian Coast Guard. 
  • These radios will transition to multi-band, multi-mode, and multi-role radios for future operations.

Source :TH