Facts in News

Facts in News

Enchanting Ladakh

• It is the annual handloom and handicraft expo, held at Dilli Haat.
• It is organised by the UT’s Department of Industries and Commerce to promote handicrafts of the region.
• It has a wide variety of products that showcase the work of over 70 artisans from different parts of Ladakh.
• Their uniquely crafted handloom and handicraft products include pashmina shawls (called Lena), clay models, dry fruits, hand-knitted items and seabuckthorn products.
• The products provide a platform to artisans from remote villages of Kargil and Leh, showcase their crafts & expose them to the commercial world while instilling a sense of confidence in them.
• All the proceeds will go directly to the artisans and the UT administration takes care of all the boarding and lodging in Delhi.

Trojan Horse

• It is a type of malicious computer software (malware) disguised within legitimate or beneficial programs or files.
• It usually spreads through instant-messaging software, e-mail attachments, or Web downloads.
• Once installed on a user’s computer system, the computer becomes a “bot” or zombie, allowing the malware developer remote access to the host computer, subjecting the host computer to various destructive or undesired activities.
• These are used for a variety of malicious purposes: browsing the hard drive to steal data, logging keystrokes to acquire personal passwords or account numbers, erasing files, shutting down the computer at random, sending spam from the user’s email account, or deleting the entire hard drive.
• They are frequently used for illegal activities as well such as corporate espionage, blackmail, fraud, identity theft and cyber-warfare however, relatively few of those responsible have been identified and prosecuted.
• Precautions: Separation of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT), and updation, password management, enhancement of the web application security and a strengthening of the cybersecurity system.

Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY)

• It is also known as the Van Dhan Scheme and was launched on 14th April 2018.
  • It is a component of the ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP’.
• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) as the nodal agency at the National level.
  • TRIFED is the apex national organisation involved in the improvement of the livelihood and empowerment of these tribal people.
• It is a 100% centrally funded scheme.
• Aims: To improve tribal income through value addition of MFP like non-timber items such as bamboo and other grasses, edible or useful roots, seeds, fruits, flowers and plants, etc.
  • Collection and sale of MFPs contribute 40-60 % of tribal annual earnings and further value addition helps in tripling or quadrupling their income.
• Locations, MFPs and tribal gatherers are identified and transformed into entrepreneurs.
• A large number of tribal community owned Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) have been set up in predominantly forested tribal districts.
  • A ‘Kendra’ generally constitute 15 tribal Self Help Groups (SHGs), each comprising up to 20 tribal non-timber MFP gatherers or artisans, i.e. about 300 beneficiaries per Van Dhan Kendra.

Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)

• It is a tax treaty signed between 2 or more countries to help taxpayers avoid paying double taxes on the same income.
• It is applicable in cases where an individual is a resident of one nation, but earns income in another.
• Needed when there is a free flow of trade, investment, and transfer of technology between two countries because
  • Both countries have the right to tax the person and there is ample probability of double taxation which is unfair to the person/ entity doing business.
• There are more than 85 nations with whom India has signed DTAA as per different media reports.

Two broad types of DTAAs

• Comprehensive, meaning it encompasses income from all sources.
  • Eg: India’s DTAAs with Australia, Canada, Germany, Mauritius, Singapore, UAE, the UK and the US
• Limited to earnings in some specific sectors, such as shipping, airlines, inheritance etc.
  • Eg. Air transport pact with Afghanistan.
  • DTAA on capital gains with Cyprus, Singapore and Egypt, etc.

• Advantages to Business
  • Not getting subjected to double taxation on the same income.
  • tax neutrality companies.
  • Low Tax deduction at source or TDS (i.e. lower withholding tax)
  • Most DTAA provide for tax credits in the country of operations or the source to avoid double taxation.
  • Tax exemption and Tax rate concessions
• Advantages to Government
  • Reducing the possibility of tax evasion in both or either of the signatory countries.
  • Making each country more attractive to investors of the other.
• In News
  • NRIs and foreign nationals stuck in India due to the Covid-19 pandemic and facing double taxation can submit the details to the Income Tax Department by March 31 to avail relief.
  • A CBDT circular provided for appeal to Principal Chief Commissioner of Income-tax (International Taxation), if any individual is facing double taxation even after claiming the relief provided by DTAA.

Contempt of Court

• Contempt of Court Act of 1971 defines 2 types:
  • Civil contempt: Wilful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or other process of a court or wilful breach of an undertaking given to a court.
  • Criminal contempt: Publication or any act scandalising or lowering authority of court or interfering with any judicial proceeding or obstructing administration of justice in any other manner.
  • In general, prior permission of the Attorney General is required for filing Criminal Contempt Cases.
    • However, as stated in Prashant Bhushan Case, courts can also take Suo moto cognizance as per Article 129.
    • Civil Contempt doesn’t require such prior permission.
• 2006 Amendment: Included “truth and good faith” as a defence.
  • Punishments granted only if the act of the other person substantially interferes, or tends to interfere with the due course of justice.
• Punishment: Imprisonment upto 6 months or fine of Rs. 2000 or both.
• Recently, Telangana High Court has sentenced Rajanna- Sircilla Collector and two others with 3 months’ jail for contempt case.
• **Note**: ‘Contempt of Court’ is not defined in the Constitution but the word has been mentioned over there. It’s definition comes from Contempt of Court Act, 1971.
• Criticism
  • Reminiscent of british colonialism in india
    • Abolished in the UK itself.
  • Judicial overreach
  • Vague Definitions of Scandalised authority and Interference in Judicial Provisions.
  • High numbers of contempt cases pending delays the justice administration by an already overburdened judiciary.
• View of Law Commission, 2018
  • The contempt powers are derived from Article 129 and Article 215 of Constitution rather than just 1971 Act.
    • Article 129: The Supreme Court shall be a court of record and shall have all the powers of such a court including the power to punish for contempt of itself.
    • Article 215: Every High Court shall be a court of record and shall have all the powers of such a court including the power to punish for contempt of itself.
  • India has a high number of criminal contempt cases, while the last contempt in the UK was recorded in 1931.
    • It may be a reason for its abolition in the UK.
  • The Commission observed that abolishing the offence in India would leave a legislative gap.
  • Diluting the Act would expose the subordinate judiciary to acts of contempt of court.
  • Adequate safeguards to exclude instances which may not amount to criminal contempt are already in place in 1971 Act.

National Book Trust

• It is an apex body established by the Government of India (Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development) in the year 1957.
• Objectives
  • To produce and encourage the production of good literature in English, Hindi and other Indian languages.
• To make such literature available at moderate prices to the public and to bring out book catalogues, arrange book fairs/exhibitions and seminars and take all necessary steps to make the people book minded.

Minimum Support Price

• It is a form of market intervention by the Government of India to insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices.
• It is announced by the Government of India at the beginning of the sowing season for certain crops on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
  • The CACP takes into account demand and supply, the cost of production and price trends in the market among other things when fixing MSPs.
• Objectives
  • To protect the producer – farmers – against excessive fall in price during bumper production years.
  • To support the farmers from distress sales and to procure food grains for public distribution.

Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City

• The GIFT City project was conceptualised in 2007.
• However, the actual groundwork of the project, originally a joint venture between the Gujarat Urban Development Company Ltd and Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS), started in October 2011 as the global meltdown following the Lehman crisis adversely impacted the project.

• It is an emerging global financial and IT services hub, a first of its kind in India.
• It is supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure encompassing all basic urban infrastructure elements along with excellent external connectivity.
• It is changing the economic face of Gujarat and would keep India on the global map as a Centre of excellence in the Financial & IT/ITeS Services domain.