Current Affairs – 25th Jan 2024

Articles Covered:

  1. OPERATION SARVASHAKTI
  2. 14th National Voters’ Day (NVD) -25th January 2024
  3. QUAD- GROUP
  4. NATO
  5. Model Code of Conduct and its objectives
  6. Odisha to establish a melanistic tiger safari – a first of its kind in the world
  7. BUDGET AND CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS
  8. Jal Jeevan Mission

OPERATION SARVASHAKTI:

Army launching Operation Sarvashakti to flush out terrorists

Large-scale operation will be on the lines of Sarpvinash of 2003, which was launched against terrorists south of Pir Panjal range

The Indian Army launched Operation Sarvashakti, a strategic initiative aimed at eliminating terrorists responsible for a series of ambushes on Indian troops in the Rajouri and Poonch regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

  1. The Chinar Corps in Srinagar and the White Knight Corps in Nagrotawill conduct simultaneous operations as part of this initiative.
  2. The operation is on the lines ofOperation Sarpvinash of 2003, which was launched against terrorists south of the Pir Panjal range, which lasted three months and resulted in the elimination of nearly 100 terrorists.

14th National Voters’ Day (NVD) -25th January 2024:

  • Election Commission of India is celebrating 14th National Voters’ Day (NVD)on 25th January 2024. Hon’ble President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmuwill be the Chief Guest at the national function being organized in New Delhi by the Election Commission of India.
  • Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (Independent Charge), Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal will grace the function as Guest of Honour.
  • The event will also be attended by Heads and representatives of Election Management bodies viz. Maldives, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan.  Dedicated to the voters,

 NVD 2024 theme – ‘Nothing Like Voting, I Vote For sure’ is a continuation from last year’s theme.

Election Commission of India:

The Election commission of India is a permanent, autonomous, quasi-judicial and constitutional body created under Article 324 in part 15 of the constitution. It is the supreme body vested with powers of supervision, control and direction over all aspects of electoral governance in the country.

  1. The Election Commission of India (ECI) is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administeringUnion and State election processes in India.
  2. ECI was established on 25thJanuary 1950.
  3. Thebody administers elections to the LOKSABHA, RAJYASABHA State Legislative Assemblies, and the offices of the PRESIDENT and VICE- PRESIDENT in the country.

Structure of the Commission:

  1. Originally the commission had only one election commissioner but after the Election Commissioner Amendment Act 1989, it has been made a multi-member body.
  2. The commission presently consists of one Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commissioners (ECs).
  3. The secretariat of the commission is located in New Delhi.

QUAD- GROUP:

QUAD, also known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or simply the Quad, is a strategic forum comprising four countries: the United States, Japan, India, and Australia:

  • The Quad is aimed at promoting regional securityand economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • The four countries share a common interest in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, and countering China’s expanding influence in the region.
  • The Quad has held several meetings at the ministerial and leaders’ level to discuss issues such as maritime security, infrastructure development, and supply chain resilience.
  • The Quad is seen as a mechanism for balancing China’s influence in the region, although its members have stressed that it is not a military alliance and is open to other countries who share their values and interests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NATO:

At present, NATO has 31 member countries (31 member states – 29 European and two North American). These countries, called NATO Allies, are sovereign states that come together through NATO to discuss political and security issues and make collective decisions by consensus.

  1. Formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty, NATO is a security alliance of 30 countries from North America and Europe.
  2. Recently, Finland joined the alliance as 31stmember.
  3. NATO’s fundamental goal is to safeguard the Allies’ freedom and security by political and military means.
  4. It is a system of collective defencewhere independent member states agree for mutual defence in case of any attack by external party.
  • Article 5of the Washington Treaty states that an attack against one Ally is an attack against all.
  • This article forms the core of the Alliance, a promise of collective defense.

Headquarter – Brussels, Belgium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Model Code of Conduct and its objectives:

MODEL CODE OF CONDUCT (MCC):

The MODEL CODE OF CONDUCT (MCC) is a set of norms and principles to guide the political parties and candidates during elections, evolved with the consensus of political parties to abide by the principles embodied in the said code and also binds them to respect and observe it in its letter and spirit.

  1. The ELECTION COMMISSION ensures observanceof the MCC by a political party in power and contesting candidates for conducting free and fair elections under Article 324 of the constitution of India.
  2. MCC also ensures that official machinery for electoral purposes is not misused. Further, it is also ensured that electoral offenses, malpractices, and corrupt practices are prevented by all means.
  3. The Model Code of Conduct is enforced from thedate of announcement of the election schedule by the Election Commission and is operational till the process of elections is completed.
  4. During general elections to THE LOKSABHA the code is applicablethroughout the country. During general elections to the Legislative Assembly of the state, the code is applicable in the entire State.
  5. During BYE- ELECTIONS the Model Code of Conduct would be applicable in the area of the concerned Constituency only.

BACKGROUND:

  • The origin of the MCC lies in the Assembly elections of Kerala in 1960, when the State administration prepared a ‘Code of Conduct’ for political actors.
  • Subsequently, in the Lok Sabha elections in 1962, the ECI circulated the code to all recognized political parties and State governments, and it was wholeheartedly followed.
  • It was in 1991 after repeated flouting of the election norms and continued corruption, the EC decided to enforce the MCC more strictly.

SUPREME COURT:

  1. K.G. Uthayakumar v. The State: The court held that the accused had violated the Model Code of Conduct of Elections by staying at the Public Works Department’s building.
  2. M.V Nikesh Kumar v K.M Shaji: The petitioner claimed that the respondent, a Muslim candidate, and party member, approached Muslim voters based on religion.
  3. K.K Ramesh vs National Human Rights Commission: The candidate established temporary flex boards and temporary Dias for public meetings which caused traffic congestion.

Odisha to establish a melanistic tiger safari – a first of its kind in the world:

The Similipal Tiger Reserve is the only home for melanistic tigers in wild in the world, says State Forest and Environment department.

  • The STR (SIMILIPAL TIGER RESERVE) is the only home for melanistic tigers in wild in the world. As per the last All India Tiger Estimation Report published by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2018, melanistic tigers have been found in wild only in the Similipal Tiger Reserve.
  1. Black Tigers are a rare colour variant of the Bengal tiger and are not a distinct species or geographic Also known as Melanistic Royal Bengal Tiger.
  2. Recorded only in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha. In the 2022 All India Tiger Estimation, Similipal Tiger Reserve reported 16 tigers, with 10 being melanistic.
  3. The NTCA issued a Standard Operating Procedure for active management of tiger rehabilitation in source areas.
  4. Recognized as a unique genetic cluster, Similipal Tiger Reserve obtains funding through Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-IDWH) for conservation of tigers, raising awareness on tiger & other wildlife conservation, habitat management, etc under the Tiger Conservation Plan.
  • Similipal Biosphere Reserve: It was formally designated a tiger reserve under Project Tiger in May 1973. It was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in 1979 with an area of 2750 sq. Km.
  • The park derives its name from ‘Simul’, which are red silk cotton trees growing in the area.
  • UNESCO Biosphere Reserve: The park was declared a biosphere reserve by the Government of India in 1994. It is a part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2009.
  • Part of: Similipal is part of the Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve. Other Protected Areas Include:
  1. Similipal Tiger Reserve,
  2. Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
  3. Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary

BUDGET AND CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS:

According to Article 112 of the Indian Constitution, the Union Budget of a year is referred to as the Annual Financial Statement (AFS).

It is a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the Government in a financial year (which begins on 01 April of the current year and ends on 31 March of the following year).

In addition to it, the Budget contains:

  • Estimates of revenue and capital receipts,
  • Ways and means to raise the revenue,
  • Estimates of expenditure,
  • Details of the actual receipts and expenditure of the closing financial year and the reasons for any deficit or surplus in that year, and
  • The economic and financial policy of the coming year, i.e., taxation proposals, prospects of revenue, spending programme and introduction of new schemes/projects.

In Parliament, the Budget goes through six stages:

  1. Presentation of Budget.
  2. General discussion.
  3. Scrutiny by Departmental Committees.
  4. Voting on Demands for Grants.
  5. Passing of Appropriation Bill.
  6. Passing of Finance Bill.

The Budget Division of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Finance Ministry is the nodal body responsible for preparing the Budget.

Changes Introduced in 2017

  • Advancementof Budget presentation to February 1 (earlier presented on the last working day of February),
  • Mergerof Railway Budget with the General Budget, and
  • Doing away with plan and non-plan expenditure.

Key Words:

Receipts: It indicates the money received by the government. This includes:

  1. the money earned by the government
  2. the money it receives in the form of borrowings or repayment of loans by states.

Plan Expenditure: All expenditures done in the name of planning (i.e. Five Year Plans) were called plan expenditures. For example expenditure on electricity generation, irrigation and rural developments, construction of roads, bridges, canals, etc.

Non-plan Expenditure: All expenditures other than plan expenditure were known as non-plan expenditure. For example interest payments, pensions, statutory transfers to States and Union Territories governments, etc.

Provision

Description

 Article 112  THE PRESIDENT SHALL every financial year, cause to lay an annual financial statement before both Houses of PARLIAMENT a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the Government of India for that year.
 Article 113 No demand for a grant shall be made except on the recommendation of the President.
 Article 114 No amount can be withdrawn from the CONSOLIDATED FUND OF INDIA (CFI) without authorization from the Parliament.
 Article 266 All revenues received by the government shall be credited to the “Consolidated Fund of India”. All other public money, such as provident fund, Postal insurance, etc, shall be credited to the  PUBLIC ACCOUNT OF India.
Article 267 Parliament may by law establish a Contingency Fund of India to meet unexpected or unforeseen expenditures.

Jal Jeevan Mission:

The main objective of the Jal Jeevan Mission is to supply 55 liters of water per person per day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024. Rainwater harvesting and water conservation are also the most important aspects of the mission.

Jal Jeevan Mission:

  1. Launched in 2019, it envisages supply of 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.
  2. JJM looks to create a jan andolan for water, thereby making it everyone’s priority.
  3. It comes under Jal Shakti Ministry.

Aims:

  1. The mission ensuresfunctionality of existing water supply systems and water connections, water quality monitoring and testing as well as sustainable agriculture.
  2. It also ensures conjunctive use of conserved water; drinking water source augmentation, drinking water supply system, GREYWATER treatment and its reuse.

Features:

  1. JJM focuses on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level.
  2. Creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, like rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and management of household wastewater for reuse, is undertaken in convergence with other government programmes/schemes.
  3. The Mission is based on a community approach to water and includes extensive Information, Education and Communication as a key component of the mission.

Performance:

  1. At the State level, Goa, Telangana and Haryanahave achieved 100% tap connectivity to all households in the State.
  2. Union territories likePuducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu have also provided 100 % of their households with tap water connections.
  3. States with over 90 % FHTC (Functional Household toilet coverage) coverageare (approximate figures are in brackets) – Punjab at 99.72 %, Gujarat at 95.91 %, Himachal Pradesh at 93.05% and Bihar at 92.74%.
  4. States with the least FHTC coverage are— Rajasthan at 24.87 %, Chhattisgarh at 23.10 %, Jharkhand at 20.57% and Uttar Pradesh at 13.86%.
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