CURRENT AFFAIRS 2017(JAN TO JULY)

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NATIONAL HIGHWAYS

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SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARD 1955 to 2017

Full details about sahitya academy award for Tamil literature from 1955 to 2017
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

         All aspects related to implementation and working of GST (A question was asked in Mains 2017 on it)

Problems associated with GST

The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) raised much hope that it would herald the emergence of a ‘good and simple tax’ with ‘one nation, one market, one tax’There has been considerable concern with the new tax, both in its structure and operational details, including the ease of paying the tax and filing returns. Trade and industry have been grappling with the problem of payment, filing the returns and claiming input tax credit, and exporters have been facing liquidity crises

History of GST

GST is a standard policy recommendation for every country going in for the structural adjustment programme of the International Monetary Fund The GST has taken centre-stage in many countries and is considered important in view of the competitive reduction in corporation tax rates due to high mobility of capital of over 165 countries which have adopted GST in one form or another, only five have repealed it (Belize, Ghana, Grenada, Malta and Vietnam), but have reintroduced the tax later

Desirable features of GST

It is important not to have too low thresholds Reasonably high thresholds will reduce the compliance burden to a large number of small businesses without much impact on revenue In developing countries, a threshold closer to $100,000 would eliminate 75% of the taxpayers with a revenue loss of less than 4%

2. GST should have fewer rates

Multiple rates create classification problems, are harder to administer and would require the general rate of tax to be higher. It would also invite a lot of lobbying by special interest groups

3. It is important to prepare well before the plunge

Most countries take at least two years to prepare for the introduction of reform to ensure a smooth transition. This is particularly necessary for developing and testing the technology platform, educating the tax collectors and taxpayers and to avoid any anomalies in the structure of the tax

Indian version of GST

Given that the reform had to be evolved by taking into account the views of 29 States, two Union Territories with legislatures and the Union government, compromises are inevitableIt is impossible to expect the structure of the tax to be idealSome bad initial features may be an essential compromise to get the tax accepted in the first place. Having four tax rates and three rates of cesses should have been avoidedIt enormously complicates the technology platform to ensure input tax credit mechanism

Way Forward

Problems of transition to a major tax reform are unavoidable and most countries go through this all traders, in one way or the other, are being brought into the formal sector which would hurt some of them. It appears desirable to move immediately towards three slabs with the final goal of reducing the slabs to two
and to fix the threshold at ₹50 lakh.

PROFIT OF BITCOINS

Undeclared Bitcoins Profits?

Ready To Pay 200% Penalty!
Reports are emerging from reputed publications, regarding Govt. latest move to milk bitcoin profits from Indians, and no one will be spared it seems.

If we believe Business Standard, then a 30% capital gains tax can be mandated on all bitcoin profits, if they are held for less than 3 years, and 20% capital gains tax, if they are held for more than 36 months. A concept borrowed from stock trading.

A senior Govt. official close to the developments said,

“Bitcoin taxation is a grey area at the moment. We are yet to look into it in detail. A panel may examine each issue. There are no guidelines at the moment. A clarification may come,”
Besides, some heavy penalty has been devised for those, who fail to declare profits from bitcoins. A penalty of 50-200% is being devised for such instances, when a tax payee fails to declare bitcoin earnings in a financial year, besides levying an interest of 12% per year, for the same.

Govt. Committee Will Decide Fate Of Bitcoin Profits in India

The value of bitcoins has surged past $19,000 (currently $16,000), and this astronomical surge of over 1200% value within a year has clearly unsettled the Govt. and RBI.

Reports say that a special panel be would be established, which will decide how to tax bitcoin earnings, and more importantly, whether GST rules can be applied on bitcoin investments or not.

This is in directly contradiction to what RBI had recently said about bitcoins in India, while ‘warning’ Indians against its usage:

“it (RBI) has not given any licence or authorisation to any entity or company to operate such schemes or deal with Bitcoin or any VC.”
This was RBI’s 4th warning against bitcoin usage in the last few years, and it clearly shows that although RBI is not willing to allow bitcoins in India, they are not banning it as well. And now, they want to tax it as well.

But, to be fair to RBI, they have already admitted that blockchain is a technology which will immensely help banking system in coming years, and bitcoins are based on blockchain tech.

Pretty confusing situation for a person who is a bitcoin investor, and wants to be clean in the tax rules and regulations.

Supreme Court has already asked the Centre to respond to a plea regarding bitcoin regulation in India, and the matter is subjudice.

In April this year, there were rumors of taxation policies for bitcoin users in India, and now, with recent reports, it seems that Govt. wants to indirectly control bitcoins, but cannot come out in the open, and accept that bitcoins has the power to change everything.

TNPSC TARGET 180+

GENERAL APTITUDE FOR YOU

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RS AGARWAL GENERAL APTITUDE

INDIA'S BIGGEST OIL REFINERY

Thousands of farmers from Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra have been on the roads for the last five days opposing joint land measurement exercise by government officials marking the beginning of yet another long-drawn protest in Konkan, this time against India’s biggest oil refinery proposed on the western coastline.

The Issue

Over 15,000 acres in and around Nanar in Rajapur tehsil of the district has been notified as an industrial area under Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Act, instead of Land Acquisition Act, 2013.

After going through the process of seeking objections from the villagers, the government has now begun the next step of joint measurement of land.


People ignored

The Act under which land is to be acquired is draconian and gives no voice to the people, who were not consulted on the project.

The villagers are concerned at the pollution caused by the refinery once it is operational.

The government, while announcing the project, had said this is green project.

Green word is being used to fool the people. No refinery in the world is green.

Over location

The refinery’s location is another cause for concern among locals.

It will stand next to world’s biggest nuclear power project, the proposed 9900 MW Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP).

A desiltation project and a 1,500 MW thermal power project are also proposed in the vicinity.

And this is disastrous and will completely kill the natural habitat of the region.

IMPORTANT HISTORY

TNPSC IMPORTANT HISTORY

The Aadhar Act, 2016

The Governments Announcement

Bringing relief to millions of Non Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has said that Aadhaar as an identity document should be sought only from those who are eligible for the unique ID as per the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.

This means that government agencies can now exempt those belonging to these categories from furnishing Aadhaar identity for availing services as they are not eligible for enrolling for the unique ID.

The circular stated that the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2017 and the Income Tax Act, 1961 clearly stipulate that the linking of Bank Accounts and PAN respectively is for those persons who are eligible to enrol for Aadhaar as per the Aadhaar Act, 2016.

And individuals who were not assigned Aadhaar numbers shall be offered alternate and viable means of delivery of subsidy, benefit or service.

What was the need for this announcement?

What made the situation tricky for NRIs, PIOs and OCIs is that the Act as it stands today, allows only “residents” of India to enroll for the unique identity.

The circular said the UIDAI had received several representations from these sections, informing about difficulties faced by them as various authorities demanded Aadhaar from them in respect of various services/benefits etc like maintaining existing NRE and NRO bank accounts and appearance by students in different exams in India.

The Provisions of the Aadhar Act, 2016

The Act says every resident shall be entitled to obtain an Aadhaar number by submitting his demographic information and biometric information by undergoing the process of enrolment.

Who is a resident is further defined as an individual who has resided in India for a period or periods amounting in all to one hundred and eighty-two days or more in the twelve months immediately preceding the date of application for enrolment.

Source : The Hindu

TNPSC AYAKUDI MATERIAL

TNPSC AYAKKUDI 🌲 MATERIAL WITH SOME EXTRA POINTS FOR UPCOMING EXAMS

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THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT — 100 YEARS OF HISTORY

A timeline of the conflict which has its roots in the late 19th century.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has its roots in the late 19th century when Jews fleeing anti-Semitism in Russia and central Europe began emigrating to Palestine.

Here is the timeline:

A Jewish homeland promised
In 1917,during World War I,the British capture Palestine from the Ottomans and,in the Balfour Declaration of November 2,promise the Jews a "national home" there.

Oppositionfrom the Palestinians first emerges at a congress in Jerusalem in 1919.

In1922,the League of Nations sets out the obligations of a British mandate in Palestine,including securing "establishment of the Jewish national home",the future Israel.

Britaincrushes the great Arab revolt in Palestine of 1936-1939.

Palestinesplit
Palestine is partitioned into Jewish and Arab states under United Nations Resolution 181,approved in November 1947.Jerusalem is put under international control.

Inthe split,the West Bank including east Jerusalem goes to Jordan and the Gaza Strip to Egypt.

Thestate of Israel is finally created on May 14,1948,provoking an eight-month war with Arab states.

Morethan 400 Palestinian villages are razed by Israeli forces and around 760,000Palestinian refugees flee to the West Bank,Gaza and neighbouring Arab countries.

ThePalestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)is created in 1964.
Occupationand war
In the Six-Day War in June 1967,Israel defeats Egypt,Jordan and Syria and occupies east Jerusalem,the West Bank,the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights.

Jewishsettlement of the occupied territories starts shortly afterwards and continues in the West Bank,east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights today.

Arabstates attack Israel on October 6,1973,the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.Israel repels the attack.

Israelinvades civil war-wracked Lebanon on June 6,1982,to attack Palestinian militants after initially sending in its forces in 1978.Israeli-backed Lebanese militias kill hundreds in Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut.Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon until May 2000.

Thefirst intifada,or Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule,rages from 1987 to 1993.

Abortivepeace process
In 1993,Israel and the PLO sign a declaration on principles for Palestinian autonomy after six months of secret negotiations in Oslo,launching an abortive peace process.

PLOleader Yasser Arafat returns to Gaza in July 1994 to create the Palestinian Authority.Self-rule is established for the first time in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho.

InSeptember 2000,right-wing Israeli opposition leader and future prime minister Ariel Sharon visits the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem,a site holy to Muslims and Jews,who refer to it as the Temple Mount,sparking the first clashes of the second intifada.

Respondingto a wave of suicide bombings,Israel in 2002 invades the West Bank in its largest operation there since the 1967 war.

ModerateMahmud Abbas takes over the leadership of the Palestinian Authority in January 2005,after the death of Arafat.

Thelast Israeli forces leave Gaza after a 38-year occupation in September 2005.

Palestinianfactions
In June 2007,Islamist movement Hamas seizes control of the Gaza Strip after ferocious fighting with its rivals in the Fatah faction led by Abbas,who remains in power in the West Bank.

In2014,Israel launches a new operation against Gaza in an attempt to stop rocket fire and to destroy tunnels from the Palestinian territory.

Hamasand Fatah sign a reconciliation accord in October 2017 aimed at ending a decade of discord.

TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS

TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS PART-1 & 2

OCTOBER MONTH CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR UPCOMING COMPETITIVE EXAMS 

Part-1

Part-2

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ICAN- NOBEL PEACE PRIZE?

Ican? What do they do and why did they win the 2017 Nobel ☮️ Prize?

Anti-nuclear weapons campaign group says the 'spectre of nuclear conflict looms large' after winning Nobel prize

The group holds protests in 101 countries around the world Ican

"The Nobel Peace Prize 2017 has been awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons"

The group - known by its acronym Ican - is a coalition working to mobilise people in countries around the world to pressure governments to ban nuclear weapons.

Inspired by the progress in banning the use of land mines, Ican was first formed in Australia but officially launched in Austria in 2007. It now operates in 101 countries.

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WON BY CAMPAIGN TO ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS

With the support of high profile figures including the former UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, Ican has campaigned for the establishment of a special UN working group on advancing nuclear disarmament.

The biggest milestone in the history of Ican came this year with the adoption by 122 countries of the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The treaty was hailed as the result of collective efforts by Ican alongside the Red Cross, UN agencies and individual countries.

It is hoped the treaty, which prohibits states from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, acquiring, possessing, or stockpiling nuclear weapons, will lead to the elimination of all nuclear arms.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Ican was awarded the peace prize for its work “to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons”.

ICAN campaign video: It's time to ban nuclear weapons

Commenting on their win, Ican said: “This is a time of great global tension, when fiery rhetoric could all too easily lead us, inexorably, to unspeakable horror. The spectre of nuclear conflict looms large once more.

“If ever there were a moment for nations to declare their unequivocal opposition to nuclear weapons, that moment is now.

“We applaud those nations that have already signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and we urge all others to follow their lead.

“It offers a pathway forward at a time of alarming crisis. Disarmament is not a pipe dream, but an urgent humanitarian necessity.”

NEW REPORT ON MEASLES

According to a report by the the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), around 20.8 million children across the world are still missing their first measles vaccine dose

More than half these unvaccinated children live in six countries
(1) Nigeria (3.3 million), (2) India (2.9 million), (3) Pakistan (2.0 million), (4) Indonesia (1.2 million), (5) Ethiopia (0.9 million), and (6) Democratic Republic of the Congo (0.7 million)

India’s situation

India has the second highest population of children who haven’t been vaccinated against measles

It happened despite the government’s focused campaign to check the highly contagious infection

Measles

Measles is a highly contagious infection caused by the measles virus

• Initial signs and symptoms typically include fever, often greater than 40 °C (104.0 °F), cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes

• Two or three days after the start of symptoms, small white spots may form inside the mouth, known as Koplik’s spots.

• A red, flat rash which usually starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body typically begins three to five days after the start of symptoms.

• Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days.[5][6] Complications occur in about 30% and may include diarrhea, blindness, inflammation of the brain, and pneumonia among others

Rubella (German measles) and roseola are different diseases.

For more information refer:
https://www.healthline.com/health/measles#overview1

FIRST CABINET OF FREE INDIA SHORTCUTS

First Cabinet of Free India (1947)
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Electronic Voting Machine in INDIA

Difference of INDIAN EVM with other Countries



Free and fair elections are central to the democratic ethos of any country. This includes fair, accurate, and transparent electoral process with outcomes that can be independently verified. Conventional voting accomplishes many of these goals. However, electoral malpractices like bogus voting and booth capturing pose a serious threat to spirit of electoral democracy. It has, thus, been the endeavour of the Election Commission of India to make reforms in the electoral process to ensure free and fair elections. EVMs, devised and designed by Election Commission of India in collaboration with two Public Sector undertakings viz., Bharat Electronics Limited, Bangalore and Electronics Corporation of India Limited, Hyderabad, is a major step in this direction.

Electronic Voting Machines ("EVM") are being used in Indian General and State Elections to implement electronic voting in part from 1999 elections and in total since 2004 elections. The EVMs reduce the time in both casting a vote and ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES declaring the results compared to the old paper ballot system. Bogus voting and booth capturing can be greatly reduced by the use of EVMs. Illiterate people find EVMs easier than ballot paper system. They are easier to transport the EVMs compared to ballot boxes.

EVM has become the leitmotif of the world's largest democratic exercise and gets smarter with each avatar. Here is an attempt to briefly trace the evolution of the EVM and its use in the world's largest democracy.

EVMs were first used in 50 polling stations of Parur Assembly Constituency of Kerala in May 1982. These machines could not be used after 1983 after a Supreme Court ruling that necessitated legal backing for the use of Voting machines in elections. The law was amended by Parliament in December, 1988 and a new section 61A was inserted in the Representation of the People Act, 1951 empowering the Commission to use voting machines. On 24th March, 1992, necessary amendment to the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 was notified by the Government in the Ministry of Law and Justice. An Expert Committee was constituted by the Govt. of India which concluded that these machines are temper proof. Since, November 1998, EVMs have been using in each and every general/ bye elections to Parliamentary and Assembly Constituency. India turned into an e-democracy in General Elections 2004 when EVMs were used across all polling Stations in the country. Since then, all elections were conducted by EVMs .

The process of electronic voting can be of three types:

(i)Direct Recording Machines placed at designated polling station,

(ii)Internet Voting

Remote Online Voting

At Designated Polling Stations

(iii)Optical Scanners

Stand-alone

Networked for centralized counting of results

EVMs used in India fall under the first type of stand-alone direct recording machines with no possibility of any kind of network connectivity where voters cast their votes at an assigned polling station on the day of election under strict administrative security ensured by the ECI.

Difference from International EVM's

Even though ECI EVMs are also direct recording machines ECI EVMs are completely different from any of the EVMs used internationally either for direct recording or for internet voting or for optical scanning. This is clearly highlighted in the comparative analysis of ECI EVMs with the DRMs used in countries like Germany, Netherland, Ireland, and USA as follows:

Germany:

In Germany, the e-voting machines manufactured by NEDAP were used in between 2005 - 2009 before it came under criticism and finally discontinued. The Bundesverfassungsgericht (the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany) ordered the discontinuation of the use of NEDAP machines in 2009 because of the below-mentioned reasons:

The use of Nedap electronic voting machines violated the principle of the public nature of elections (Article 38 in conjunction with Article 20.1 and 20.2 of the Basic Law) that requires that all essential steps in the elections are subject

INTERIM GOVERNMENT SHORTCUTS

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SAUBHAGYA SCHEME

          The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (‘Saubhagya’)

It claims to ensure electrification of all willing households in the country

It makes promises to provide a free electricity connection to all willing BPL households

And to all others on a payment of Rs. 500 (which shall be recovered by the power distribution companies/power departments in 10 instalments along with electricity bills)

Some issues related to this scheme

It expects the poor to pay the bills without providing any subsidy to ease their burden

Even to the best of their abilities the poor would often not be in a position to pay regular electricity bills, which in turn could result in disconnection

The government has conveniently overlooked the fact that for the poor in some States, the inability to pay an electricity bill is a big impediment

This new scheme is just a way of refurbishing the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY)

The DDUGJY scheme of rural electrification launched in July 2015, which aimed to electrify all un-electrified villages by May 2018

Was DDUGJY successful?: Under DDUGJY, the government managed to electrify 14,701 villages while 2,760 villages remain un-electrified; out of these, work is still in progress in a total of 2,611 villages

However, out of the 14,701 villages, only in 8%, i.e. 1,198 villages, do all households have connectivity

The Saubhagya scheme may only be able to plug the gaps and address the issues of entry barrier, last mile connectivity and release of connections

But it can guarantee neither regular electricity supply nor continuation of those connections in case of non-payment

A free electricity connection may provide some relief as far as the financial burden is concerned

However, expecting poor households to bear the recurring burden of bills as per the prevailing tariff of DISCOMs is unimaginable

Issue with the definition of an ‘electrified village’

Even if we take into consideration the fact that so many villages have been “electrified”, the next point of contention is the definition used

According to the definition, a village is considered to be electrified if 10% households have an electricity connection and related basic infrastructure

Furthermore, even in these 10% of households, there is no promise of minimum hours of supply

Regular supply of electricity is not possible in current circumstances

Even if the programme is successful, hypothetically, and all households are provided a connection, there would still be the problem of regular supply

Industry estimates suggest that this scheme would potentially require an additional 28,000 MW and additional energy of about 80,000 million units per annum, which is roughly 7% of India’s current installed power capacity

There is a power shortage even at this moment leading to scheduled and unscheduled load shedding, often up to 10 hours or more

The problem is graver still in interior rural India

The way forward certainly, Saubhagya has some positives such as provision for households outside the reach of grid lines 

However, our contention is that the policy has set a standard for itself without enough focus on its capacity to deliver results

The policy statement echoes the commitment to facilitate economic growth and social development.

BHAGAT SINGH SENSE OF NATIONALISM

Bhagat Singh’s sense of nationalism differ from other stalwarts of the national movement. Discuss. Comment

Model Answer:

Difference between Bhagat Singh and other Freedom Fighters

1) He initially sought revolutionary mass movement against the colonial rule, many other prominent leaders resorted to non-violent struggle under Gandhi at the latter end of the freedom movement.

2) He later resorted to individual act of Revolutionary Terrorism because of rapid change of time and shocked at the death of Lala Lajpat Rai. Though he preferred mass struggle, he wanted to educate the people through his deed. It was considered as "Propaganda by deed".

But other stalwarts believed in long-struggle which involved "S-T-S" (Struggle Truce Struggle).

3) Propagated Anarchism- abolition of state, freedom from obsession of religion, money or other worldly desire. Though seemed quite radical he explained that absence of "state" did not mean absence of "order", but merely absence of chains on the body or control.

4) While Bhagat Singh abjured religion in political affairs and was conscient not to discriminate between his comrades. Other freedom fighters like Tilak, though with best intentions, had resorted to Hindu religious ceremonies for enlisting mass support. This had lead to religious conscience in the masses.

5) Bhagat Singh did not discriminate between his subjects and wrote against overt beliefs in God. Gandhiji being a conservative Hindu upheld religion in political affairs by saying that politics without ethics (religion) is dangerous.

Bhagat singh strand of nationalism was of a progressive one,wherein he wanted a dismantle of all systems which make exploitation of one man by another possible.
He stood for emancipation of a nation from all its social evils emphasising on rationality,secularism and personally adhering to atheism

His nationalism was not confined to preserving territorial integrity but ushering in social revolution.

CROPPING SYSTEM IN INDIA

Explain the types of Cropping Systems. Comment

CROPPING SYSTEM IN INDIA

Model Answer:

          Cropping pattern indicates the proportion of area under different crops at a point of time. Cropping activities go on all the year round in India provided water is available for the crops.
In India, the cropping pattern follows two distinct seasons; Kharif season from July to October and Rabi season from October to March. The crops grown between March to June called zaid.
The crops are grown solo or mixed (mixed-cropping) or in a definite sequence (rotational cropping). The land may be occupied by one crop during one session (mono cropping) or by two crops during one season (double cropping) which may be grown in a year in a sequence. We explain these cropping systems below.

Types of Cropping Systems

(a) Mono-cropping: Mono-cropping or monoculture refers to growing of only one crop on a piece of land year after year. It may be due to climatological and socioeconomic conditions or due to specialization of a farmer in growing a particular crop, e.g., under rainfed conditions, groundnut or cotton or sorghum are grown year after year due to limitation of rainfall. In canal irrigated areas, under waterlogged condition, rice crop is grown as it is not possible to grow any other crop.

(b) Multiple-cropping: Growing two or more crops on the same piece of land in one calendar year is known as multiple-cropping. It is intensification of cropping in time and space dimensions, i.e., more number of crops within a year and more number of crops on the same piece of land at any given period. It includes intercropping, mixed-cropping and sequence cropping. Double-cropping is a case where the land is occupied by two crops, which are grown in a year in sequence.

(c) Inter-cropping: Inter-cropping is growing of two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of land with a definite row pattern. For example, growing setaria and redgram in 5:1 ratio.
Thus, cropping intensity in space dimension is achieved. Inter-cropping was originally practiced as an insurance against crop failure under rainfed conditions. At present, the main objective of inter-cropping is higher productivity per unit area in addition to stability in production. Intercropping system utilizes resources efficiently and their productivity is increased.

For successful inter-cropping, there are certain important requirements:

(1) The time of peak nutrient demands of component crops should not overlap.
(2) Competition for light should be minimum among the component crops.
(3) Complementarity should exist between the component crops.
(4) The differences in maturity of component crops should be at least 30 days.
(d) Mixed-cropping: Mixed-cropping is growing of two or more crops simultaneously intermingled without any row pattern. It is a common practice in most of dry land tracts of India. Seeds of different crops are mixed in certain proportion and are sown. The objective is to meet the family requirement of cereals, pulses and vegetables.
(e) Sequence-Cropping: Sequence cropping can be defined as growing of two or more crops in a sequence on the same piece of land in a farming year. Depending on the number of crops grown in a year it is called double, triple or quadruple cropping involving two, three and four crops respectively. In addition to the above systems, relay cropping and ratoon cropping are also in existence. Relay cropping refers to planting of the succeeding crop before harvesting the preceding crops. Ratoon cropping or ratooning refers to raising a crop with re-growth coming out of roots or stalks after harvest of the crop.
(f) Integrated Farming System: Integrated farming system is a holistic method of combining several enterprises like cropping system, diarying, piggery, poultry, fishery, bee-keeping, etc. in a harmonious way so as to complement each other.

The objective is efficient resource utilisation and maximization of profit in such a way so as to cause least damage to soil and environment.

GIST OF KURUKSHETRA ABOUT GST

GOODS AND SERVICES TAX (GST)

Much awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) is set to be implemented from July L", 2017. It is being lauded as the most important tax reform since 1947. Following is a brief overview of GST:

Salient Features of GST:

(i) The GST would be applicable on the supply of goods or services as against the present concept of tax on the manufacture or sale of goods or provision of services. It would be a destination based consumption tax. This
means that tax would accrue to the State or the Union Territory where the consumption takes place. It would be a dual GST with the Centre and States simultaneously levying tax on a common tax base.

(ii) The GST would apply to all goods other than. alcoholic liquor for human consumption and five petroleum products, viz. petroleum crude, motor spirit (petrol), high speed diesel, natural gas and aviation turbine fuel. It would apply to all services barring a few to be specified. The GST would replace a host of indirect taxes such as - Central Excise Duty, Service Tax, Central Surcharges and Cesses so far as they relate to supply of goods and services, State VAT, Luxury Tax, Purchase Tax etc.

(iii) The list of exempted goods and services would be common for the Centre and the States.

(iv) Threshold Exemption: Taxpayers with an aggregate turnover in a Financial Year up to RS.20 lakhs would be exempted from tax. For eleven Special Category States, like those in the North-East and the hilly States, the exemption threshold shall be Rs. 10 lakhs.

(v) An Integrated tax (IGST) would be levied and collected by the Centre on inter-State supply of goods and services. Accounts would be settled periodically between the Centre and the States to ensure that the SGST/UTGST portion of IGST is transferred to the destination State where the goods or Services are eventually consumed.

(vi) Use of Input Tax Credit (ITC): Taxpayers shall be allowed to take credit of taxes paid on inputs (input tax credit) and utilize the same for payment of output tax.

(vii) Exports and supplies to SEZ shall be treated as zero-rated supplies.

(viii) Import of goods and services would be treated as inter-State supplies and would be subject to IGST in addition to the applicable customs duties. The IGST paid shall be available as ITC for further transactions.

Benefits

1. GST aims to make India a common market with common tax rates and procedures and remove the economic barriers, thus paving the way for an integrated economy at the national level. GST is a win-win situation for all the stakeholders of industry, government and the consumer. It will lower the cost of goods and services, give a boost to the economy and make the products and services globally competitive.

2. GST is largely technology driven. It will reduce the human interface to a great extent and this would lead to speedy decisions. GST will bring more transparency to indirect tax laws.

3. GST will give a major boost to the 'Make in India' initiative of the Government of India by making goods and services produced in India competitive in the National as well as International market.

4. Under the GST regime, exports will be zerorated in entirety unlike the present system, where refund of some taxes may not take place due to fragmented nature of indirect taxes between the Centre and the States. This will boost Indian exports in the international market.

5. GST is expected to bring buoyancy to the Government Revenue by widening the tax base and improving the taxpayer compliance. GST is likely to improve India's ranking in the Ease of Doing Business Index and is estimated to increase the GDP growth by 1.5 to 2 per cent.

6. The taxpayers would not be required to maintain records and show compliance with a myriad of indirect tax laws of the Central and the State Governments. They would only need to maintain records and show compliance in respect of Central GST, State GST and Integrated GST.

Other provisions of GST:

(i) Valuation of goods shall be done on the basis of transaction value i.e. the invoice price, which is the current practice under the Central Excise and Customs Laws. Taxpayers are allowed to issue supplementary or revised invoice in respect of a supply made earlier.

(ii) New modes of payment of tax are being introduced, viz. through credit and debit cards, National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) and Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS). (iii) E-Commerce companies are required to collect tax at source in relation to any supplies made through their online platforms, under fulfillment model, at the rate notified by the Government.

(iv) An antiprofiteering measure has been incorporated in the GST law to ensure that any benefits on account of reduction in tax rates results in commensurate reduction in prices of such goods/ services.

IT preparedness:

Putting in place a robust IT network is an absolute must for implementation of GST. A Special Purpose Vehicle called the GSTN has been set up to cater to the needs of GST. The functions of the GSTN would, inter alia, include: (i) facilitating registration; (ii) forwarding the returns to Central and State authorities; (iii) computation and settlement of IGST; (iv) matching of tax payment details with banking network; (v) providing various MIS reports to the Central and the State Governments based on the taxpayer return information; (vi) providing analysis of taxpayers' profile; and (vii) running the matching engine for matching, reversal and reclaim of input tax credit. The target date for introduction of GST is 1st July, 2017. The GSTN will also make available standard software for small traders to keep their accounts in that, so that straight away, it can be uploaded as their monthly returns on GSTN website. This will make compliance easier for small traders.

All States/UTs except the State of Jammu & Kashmir, are ready for roll-out of GST with effect from 1st July, 2017

As of 21st June, 2017, all the States and Union Territories (having assemblies), except the State of Jammu & Kashmir, have approved the State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) Act. The State of Kerala issued an Ordinance approving State GST Act while the State of West Bengal had issued an Ordinance in this regard on 15thJune, 2017. Now the only one State that is yet to pass the State GST Act is the State of J&K. Thus, almost the entire country including all the 30 States/UTs are now on board and ready for the smooth roll-out of GST with effect from 1st July, 2017.

HAMA - HINDU ADOPTIONS AND MAINTENANCE ACT

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is set to initiate amendments to the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA) so as to disallow any further adoptions under the personal law and instead bring it under the purview of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Why such a move?

A study that showed that among the adoptable 48,000-odd children across child care institutions, only 2,000 are linked to adoption agencies under JJ Act, half of them are children with special needs.

The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) presently has a waitlist of more than 17,000 prospective parents.

There cannot be two parallel systems as it makes it very difficult to check instances of child trafficking.

The adoption provisions under HAMA need to be repealed so that adoptions happen only through JJ Act.



THE HINDU ADOPTIONS AND MAINTENANCE ACT, 1956 (HAMA)

HAMA allows couples from Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh communities to adopt children of parents belonging to these communities through a simple agreement.

Adoptions under HAMA are between two individuals and it is very difficult to monitor cases of misuse, selling or trafficking of children.

The JJ Act states that nothing in this Act shall apply to the adoption of children made under the provisions of the HAMA.

Another recent study, by CARA, showed the extent of unregistered adoptions under HAMA.

For Example-In Delhi less than 50 adoptions were officially registered in a year under HAMA, but 3,200 stamps were sold for the stated purpose of adoption where the deeds were simply notarised.

What is the problem?

As per the adoption regulations of the JJ Act, all child-care institutions were to be registered with CARA within six months of the legislation coming into force in January 2016.

Twenty months later, 10 per cent of the total institutions are both linked to adoption agencies and registered under the Act.

The recent ministry study found that there are 9,400 child-care institutions across the country, over half of which are unregistered.

The ministry will issue an ultimatum to all child-care institutions asking them to register under the JJ Act by December 31, else shut down operations.

This is aligned with May 2017 order by a Supreme Court bench in a case regarding exploitation of children in a Tamil Nadu orphanage that held that all child-care institutions have to be registered under JJ Act by the year end.

Many institutions hold on to the children as their funding agencies give them grants based on the number of children with them.

TNPSC SCIENCE AYAKUDI MATERIAL PART-4

TNPSC AYAKKUDI 🌲 SCIENCE MATERIAL WITH SOME EXTRA POINTS FOR UPCOMING EXAMS

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OBJECTIVES AND MANDATES OF WTO

What are the objectives and mandates of WTO? Challenges lie for India in negotiation? Comment

Model Answer:

The World Trade Organization — the WTO — is the international organization whose primary purpose is to open trade for the benefit of all.

The WTO provides a forum for negotiating agreements aimed at reducing obstacles to international trade and ensuring a level playing field for all, thus contributing to economic growth and development. The WTO also provides a legal and institutional framework for the implementation and monitoring of these agreements, as well as for settling disputes arising from their interpretation and application.

More specifically, the WTO's main activities are:

• negotiating the reduction or elimination of obstacles to trade (import tariffs, other barriers to trade) and agreeing on rules governing the conduct of international trade (e.g. antidumping, subsidies, product standards, etc.)
• administering and monitoring the application of the WTO's agreed rules for trade in goods, trade in services, and trade-related intellectual property rights
• monitoring and reviewing the trade policies of our members, as well as ensuring transparency of regional and bilateral trade agreements
• settling disputes among our members regarding the interpretation and application of the agreements
• building capacity of developing country government officials in international trade matters
• assisting the process of accession of some 30 countries who are not yet members of the organization
• conducting economic research and collecting and disseminating trade data in support of the WTO's other main activities
• explaining to and educating the public about the WTO, its mission and its activities.

Challenges for India:

1) Permanent solution on Public stockholding for food security purposes.
2) Finality on the agricultural special safeguard mechanism.

The SSM is to allow developing nation to temporarily hike tariffs to counter sudden import surges on price falls.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

What is RCEP? What are the issues in the context of India and suggest measures? Comment

Model Answer:

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six states with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).

1) E- commerce: Placing great limitation on digital policy making by any country in the name of promoting E-commerce.

Problems for India:

• India is still stuck in the IT realities of yesterday.
• India is on a threshold of a digital society.

2) Intellectual property: Monopolies are adopted at this meeting , the repercussion may be permanently damaging for people’s access to affordable medicines like in generic drugs by India.
3) Data exclusivity:Japan and korea demanding the period of no less than 5 years .Data exclusivity creates a barrier to entry for generic producers .India has purposely not adopted it .
4) Procurement policy:pressure to free procurement policy to unlock over 300 billion dollar market by other countries to India. India is not a signatory to the govt procurement agreement within the WTO framework because it wants to retain its policy space to meet its development need through public procurement process.
5) On tariff liberalization:China wants hive level of elimination of duties under it that will lead to surge of Chinese products in the market.

Suggestion:

1) A well articulated and diplomatic policy needed.
2) Need of the understanding of current global situation in the context of domestic growth.

FOLLET

Question : "Legitimate authority flows from coordination, not coordination from authority (Follet). Comment" (10 Marks/150 Words)
Model Answer : 

To Follet coordination leads to self adjustment which in turn leads to scheme of planning. According to her, coordination , definition of purpose and anticipation are three critical functions of a leader. A leader is the one who derives authority from law of situation. It is this legitimate authority that instills heightened self respect and increases efficiency among subordinate. Follet says that central authority should be replaced by authority of function in which individual has final authority within the allotted functions which defines one’s responsibility also. A leader should have a total clear interrelatedness to exercise authority. Orders without proposition cause resentment and the resultant conflict is not constructive. It hinders circular behaviour and ultimately organisational efficiency has to bear the toll. Thus Follet stresses that legitimate authority flows from coordination and not vice versa. (Total Words- 134)

Neo classic school

Discuss the extent to which we can call human relations school as 'neo-classical' School 🏫. (30 Marks/350 Words)    

Model Answer : 

The human relations writer like the scientific management theorists, acknowledge the importance of ‘management’ in production, they differ from them in their basic approach to the organization which they characterize as a Social system consisting of individuals, informal groups and inter-group relationships in addition to the formal structure.

The human relations theory is called the ‘neo-classical theory' because it accept efficiency and productivity as the legitimate values of organization, although it relies on a different set of techniques to achieve these values. Both the classical and human relations theories are alike in their objectives but differ in the approaches adopted to accomplish those objectives. the human relationists seek to maximize the values of efficiency and productivity by eliminating dehumanization approach of the classical approach. The human relations theory differs from the classical theory and Neo-classical theory in the following respects-

Classical Theory :

1) focus on structure, order, the formal organization, economic factor and rationality
2) formal organization structure consisting of jobs and job descriptions as spelled out in the charts and manuals.
3) Takes the atomistic view of man and considers workers as various cogs in a machine.
4) For workers motivation consider economic rewards and physical conditions are regarded as important factors
5) Authoritarian style of supervision

Neo-Classical Theory:

1) Informal group as major explanation of the behaviour in the organization.
2) informal organization concern with social relationships of individual workers within the organization.
3) Consider workers essentially as social beings who react to management, organization and work itself as members of group rather than as individuals
4) Consider Social-psychological rewards and group sanctions are important motivators for work.
5) Democratic type of supervision.

It shows that both approach have taken two views of organizations. Neither of the approaches is wholly right , although each is partially right. In reality , an organization is both a formal structure and informal relations among employees. These two aspects of an organization are not contradictory but allied to each other. Thus in terms of achieving common end objective Human relations school as widens the scope of Classical Theory and can be considered as Neo –Classical.