{"id":2761,"date":"2024-09-06T10:31:27","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T10:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawentranceindia.com\/blogs\/?p=2761"},"modified":"2024-09-06T10:35:15","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T10:35:15","slug":"mlc-daily-current-affairs-06-september-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawentranceindia.com\/blogs\/mlc-daily-current-affairs-06-september-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"MLC Daily Current Affairs – 06 September 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today in History (September 6th<\/sup>, 2018)<\/h1>\n

On September 6th, 2018 the five-judge Bench partially struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, decriminalising same-sex relations between consenting adults. LGBT individuals are now legally allowed to engage in consensual intercourse.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Revise<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

A)Recently Lothal was in news due to a study by IIT Ahmedabad, what it is? <\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. It\u2019s an ancient Airport<\/li>\n
  2. It\u2019s an ancient granary <\/li>\n
  3. It\u2019s was ancient dockyard<\/li>\n
  4. It was a worship place<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Answer: C)<\/strong>
    \nRationale:<\/strong> Recently a new study by the Indian Institute of Technology-Gandhinagar has found evidence for Lothal dockyard of Harappan Civilization.
    \nB) Lothal is located in which of the Indian state? <\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Maharashtra<\/li>\n
    2. Gujrat<\/li>\n
    3. Rajasthan<\/li>\n
    4. Uttar Pradesh<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Answer: B)<\/strong>
      \nRationale:<\/strong> Lothal \u2013 It is situated approximately 30 km inland from the Gulf of Khambhat on the western coast of India in Gujarat. It served as a bustling port during the Bronze Age Harappan period (2600 BCE to 1900 BCE)
      \nC) Lothal is associated with ____<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Early Vedic Civilisation<\/li>\n
      2. Later Vedic Civilisation<\/li>\n
      3. Palaeolithic and prehistorical period<\/li>\n
      4. None of the above<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Answer: D)<\/strong>
        \nRationale:<\/strong> None of the above option is correct because Lothal \u2013 It is situated approximately 30 km inland from the Gulf of Khambhat on the western coast of India in Gujarat. It served as a bustling port during the Bronze Age Harappan period (2600 BCE to 1900 BCE).
        \nD) Mohanjodaro is famous for _____<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Modern film industry in Pakistan<\/li>\n
        2. A harappan site in Pakistan<\/li>\n
        3. A Vedic age site in Uttar Pradesh<\/li>\n
        4. A Harappan site in India<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Answer: B)<\/strong>
          \nE) Dholavira is currently located in _____<\/strong><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. India<\/li>\n
          2. Pakistan<\/li>\n
          3. Bangladesh<\/li>\n
          4. Afghanistan<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Answer: A)<\/strong>
            \nRationale:<\/strong> The ancient city of Dholavira is an archaeological site at Kachchh District, in the state of Gujarat. In 2021 UNESCO has announced the Harappan city of Dholavira in Gujarat as India\u2019s 40th world heritage site. It is the first site of Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) in India to be included on the coveted list.
            \nF) Indian PM visited Brunei which is located in which of the Ocean?<\/strong><\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Indian Ocean<\/li>\n
            2. Atlantic Ocean<\/li>\n
            3. Pacific Ocean<\/li>\n
            4. Southern Ocean<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Answer: C)<\/strong>
              \nRationale:<\/strong> Brunei is located in the Pacific Ocean. Brunei is bordered by the South China Sea in the north and on all other sides by Malaysia.
              \nG) Which one is the capital city of Brunei?<\/strong><\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Bandar Seri Begawan<\/li>\n
              2. Kuala Belait <\/li>\n
              3. Seria<\/li>\n
              4. Tutong<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                Answer: A)<\/strong>
                \nRationale:<\/strong> Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital city of Brunei and other options are the towns\/cities\/districts in Brunei.
                \nH) Krishna river originates from ___<\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Easter Ghats<\/li>\n
                2. Western Ghats<\/li>\n
                3. Himalayas<\/li>\n
                4. None of the above<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  Answer: B)<\/strong>
                  \nRationale:<\/strong> The origin of Krishna River is from Western Ghats just north of Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra).
                  \nI) Krishna River empties its water in ____<\/strong><\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. Arabian Sea<\/li>\n
                  2. Gulf of Kutch<\/li>\n
                  3. Bay of Bengal<\/li>\n
                  4. Sundarbans Delta<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    Answer: C)<\/strong>
                    \nRationale:<\/strong> It (Krishna River) ultimately empties into the Bay of Bengal at Hamasaladeevi on the eastern coast of Andhra Pradesh.<\/p>\n

                    Summary of Today\u2019s News<\/strong><\/h2>\n

                    Rajasthan Cabinet approves 33% reservation for women in police force<\/span><\/h3>\n

                    Earlier states like Bihar, Gujrat, Odisha, and Maharashtra have also provided for women quotas in the police force.
                    \n\u2022\tIn 2022, women made up about 12% of the state police. Chandigarh had the highest at 22%, while Jammu and Kashmir had the lowest at 3.3% (India Justice Report, 2022).
                    \nNeed for more women in Police Force <\/strong>
                    \n\u2022\tLegal Mandate: POCSO Act and major criminal laws now require every case of sexual assault to be recorded and investigated by a female police officer.
                    \n\u2022\tThe arrest of a woman and searching a woman must be done by a woman only.
                    \n\u2022\tBetter reporting of Crime Against Women: Presence of women can foster trust among female victims, encouraging them to report crimes.
                    \n\u2022\tImproved police-community relations: This is because women’s use of excessive force is less common.
                    \nChallenges in increasing women representation in Police<\/strong>
                    \n\u2022\tStereotype: Women are seen to be unfit for long and unpredictable hours of the police system.
                    \n\u2022\tPolicy gap: Absence of reservation policy in many states (Police is a state subject under the 7th Schedule of the Constitution)
                    \n\u2022\tImplementation gap: E.g., Bihar provides 35% reservation for women, but actual number in police force is about 17.4%.
                    \nInitiatives to increase women representation in Police force<\/strong>
                    \n\u2022\tMinistry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued advisories to all the States\/UTs to establish at least one all-women police station in each district.
                    \n\u2022\tMHA issued advisories to all the States\/UTs to increase representation of women police to 33% of the total strength.
                    \n\u2022\tCreches and Day Care Centres have been provided by the CAPFs to women employees.
                    \n\u2022\tAll female candidates are exempted from payment of application fee in CAPFs exams.<\/p>\n

                    What is vertical fiscal imbalance?<\/span><\/h3>\n

                    \u2022\tThe role of the 16th Finance Commission should be to eliminate vertical fiscal imbalance in federal relations. What should it do when revenues are concentrated with the Union government, and the States are burdened with expenditure responsibilities?
                    \n\u2022\tThe financial relationship between the Union government and the States in India is asymmetrical, as in many other countries with a federal constitutional framework.
                    \n\u2022\tAs the 15th Finance Commission noted, States incur 61% of the revenue expenditure but collect only 38% of the revenue receipts.
                    \n\u2022\tIn short, the ability of the States to incur expenditures is dependent on transfers from the Union government.
                    \n\u2022\tConsequently, there is the problem of Vertical Fiscal Imbalance (VFI) in Indian fiscal federalism where expenditure decentralisation overwhelms the revenue raising powers of the States.<\/p>\n

                    Why should VFI be reduced?<\/span><\/h3>\n

                    \u2022\tConstitutionally, the financial duties of the Union government and the States are divided.
                    \n\u2022\tOn the revenue front,
                    \n\u2022\tto maximise the efficiency of tax collection, the Personal Income Tax, the Corporation Tax and a part of indirect taxes are best collected by the Union government.
                    \n\u2022\tBut on the expenditure front, to maximise the efficiency of spending,
                    \n\u2022\tpublicly provided goods and services are best supplied by the tier of the government closest to its users.
                    \n\u2022\tIt is in this context that the extent of VFI merits attention.
                    \n\u2022\tThe 15th Finance Commission had noted that India has had a larger, and rising, vertical imbalance than most other federations.
                    \n\u2022\tThese imbalances were further magnified during periods of crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which drove a large wedge between one\u2019s own revenues and expenditure responsibilities at the sub-national level.
                    \n\u2022\tThe problem of VFI falls under the purview of the Finance Commission, and it deals with broadly two questions.
                    \n\u2022\tThe first question is how to distribute the taxes collected by the Union government to the States as a whole. These transfers are made as a prescribed share of the \u201cNet Proceeds\u201d (Gross Tax Revenue of the Union less surcharges, cesses and costs of collection).
                    \n\u2022\tThe second question is how to distribute taxes across States. The matter of VFI arises as part of the first question.
                    \n\u2022\tApart from devolving taxes, the Finance Commissions also recommend grants to States in need of assistance under Article 275 of the Constitution.
                    \n\u2022\tBut these are generally for short periods and for specific purposes.
                    \n\u2022\tThere are also transfers to the States that fall outside the Finance Commission\u2019s ambit. For example, the Union government spends substantial amounts \u2014 under Article 282 of the Constitution \u2014 on subjects falling in the State and Concurrent lists through centrally sponsored schemes and central sector schemes.
                    \n\u2022\tBut such grants are tied transfers that include conditionalities. In sum, the devolution of taxes from the net proceeds is the only transfer to the States that is untied or unconditional.<\/p>\n

                    Calculating VFI in India<\/strong>
                    \n\u2022\tHere we try to estimate the VFI in India after the devolution of taxes to the States.
                    \n\u2022\tWe measure VFI at the level of \u201call States\u201d, and not separately for each State.
                    \n\u2022\tFor this, we use a globally accepted method.
                    \n\u2022\tWe first estimate a ratio where the numerator is the sum of the Own Revenue Receipts (ORR) and the tax devolution from the Union government for all States.
                    \n\u2022\tThe denominator is the Own Revenue Expenditure (ORE) for all States.
                    \n\u2022\tIf this ratio is less than 1, it implies that the sum of own revenue receipts and tax devolution of the States is inadequate to meet the ORE of the States.
                    \n\u2022\tIf we subtract this ratio from 1, we get the deficit in receipts. It is this deficit that we use as a proxy for VFI after devolution.
                    \n\u2022\tWe can then ask the simple question: how much should tax devolution rise over and above that recommended by the past Finance Commissions to equalise the ratio to 1?
                    \n\u2022\tEquating the ratio to 1 would eliminate VFI. The average share of net proceeds devolved to the States between 2015-16 and 2022-23 should have been 48.94% to eliminate the VFI.
                    \n\u2022\tBut the shares of tax devolution recommended by the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions were only 42% and 41%, respectively, of the net proceeds.<\/p>\n

                    Raising tax devolution<\/strong>
                    \n\u2022\tMany States have raised the demand that the share of tax devolution from the net proceeds must be fixed at 50% by the 16th Finance Commission.
                    \n\u2022\tThey add force to this demand by pointing to the exclusion from the net proceeds of the substantial amounts of cesses and surcharges, which truncates the net proceeds within the gross tax revenue.<\/p>\n

                    Way Forward<\/strong>
                    \n\u2022\tThe share of net proceeds devolved to the States must rise to about 49% to eliminate VFI.
                    \n\u2022\tSuch an increase in devolution would place more resources in the hands of the States to spend on their citizens.
                    \n\u2022\tIt would also ensure that States\u2019 expenditures better respond to jurisdictional needs and priorities, and that the efficiency of expenditures is enhanced.
                    \n\u2022\tOverall, it will be a move towards a healthy system of cooperative fiscal federalism.<\/p>\n

                    Conclusion <\/strong><\/p>\n

                    \u2022\tAs the 15th Finance Commission noted, States incur 61% of the revenue expenditure but collect only 38% of the revenue receipts. In short, the ability of the States to incur expenditures is dependent on transfers from the Union government.
                    \n\u2022\tThe problem of VFI falls under the purview of the Finance Commission.
                    \n\u2022\tMany States have raised the demand that the share of tax devolution from the net proceeds must be fixed at 50% by the 16th Finance Commission.<\/p>\n