Quick, decisive steps required to curb ‘second peak’, says PM
Warning of another possible nationwide COVID-19 outbreak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged the States and the Union Territories to work towards stopping the emerging “second peak” of infections immediately, and stressed the need for quick and decisive steps.
Mr. Modi reiterated that the States and the Union Territories should follow up on sending samples for genome testing to track virus variants of concern.
- “All States and Union Territories have been tagged to 10 national labs under the INSACOG consortium with the National Centre for Disease Control as the nodal institute. The standard operating procedures issued by the Health Ministry for surveillance of international travellers and their contacts must be implemented rigorously,” he said.
- He stressed the need to be serious about “test, track and treat”, and said it was important to track every infected person’s contacts in the shortest time and keep the RT-PCR test rate in the country above 70%.
- The PM said over 96% of patients in India had recovered, and the country was currently reporting one of the lowest fatality rates in the world.
- He, however, expressed concern over the high positivity rate in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and the rising number of cases in Punjab and Maharashtra.
Genome Testing
INSACOG consortium
RT-PCR test
-Focus for Prelims
No decision on national NRIC ‘till now’, Centre tells Rajya Sabha
The Centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that “till now”, the government had not taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) at the national level.
However, in the same month in 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that the NRC was a “necessary exercise for any sovereign country for mere identification of citizens from non-citizens”.
Background:
- In 2018, before the passage of the CAA, the then minister of State (MoS) for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir informed the Rajya Sabha that “as per the provisions contained in Rule 3 of the Citizenship Rules 2003 framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955, the Registrar General of Citizen Registration shall establish and maintain the National Register of Indian Citizens and prepare the Population Register”.
- On November 16, 2016 former MoS Home Kiren Rijiju stated: “The Government has approved the preparation of Population Register comprising details of usual residents in the country.
- The preparation of Population Register is a part of preparation of NRIC under provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 read with the Citizenship Rules (2003).”
The NPR’s link with the NRC and yet to be implemented CAA, 2019 has been opposed by many States and civil society groups.
Though the government is now denying that the NRC is on the cards, the Citizenship Rules framed in the year 2003 say that NPR is the first step towards compilation of NRC.
NPR was first collected in 2010 and then updated in 2015; it already has a database of 119 crore residents. The rules have not been amended or scrapped.
About CAA
- The CAA passed by the Parliament on December 11, 2019 allows citizenship on basis of religion to six undocumented communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
- There are apprehensions and fear that the CAA, followed by a countrywide NRC, will benefit non-Muslims excluded from the proposed citizens’ register, while excluded Muslims will have to prove their citizenship.
- An NRC has been compiled in the State of Assam on the directions of the Supreme Court and more than 19 lakh of the 3.29 crore applicants in Assam were left out of the final register.
NRIC
Citizenship Act, 1955
CAA
-Focus for Prelims
High Court dismisses case filed by DMK
The Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed a writ petition filed by the DMK challenging the constitutional validity of Section 60 (c) of the Representation of the People Act of 1951, which empowers the Election Commission of India (ECI) to notify a class of voters such as those above 80 years of age, the physically challenged, those under quarantine due to COVID-19 and people involved in essential services who can choose to cast their votes through postal ballot instead of visiting the polling stations.
- Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy also rejected the DMK’s contention that the ECI had no jurisdiction to issue guidelines with regard to the manner in which such postal votes could be cast.
- The judges said the Commission had a plenary authority conferred on it under Article 324 of the Constitution to have superintendence and control of elections.
- They further did not find any arbitrariness on the part of the Commission in its choice of persons who could be permitted to cast votes through postal ballot.
- The consideration appears to have been for those who may not be able to physically attend a polling booth to cast their vote, the first Division Bench said and added: “If such is the consideration, there is no arbitrariness in the classes of persons enumerated by the amendments of 2019 and 2020 to the Conduct of Election Rules of 1961, particularly as the object appears to be to afford such classes of persons their basic right to participate in the democratic process.”
- It also rejected the argument that there had been excessive delegation of powers on the Commission.
- “If there is excessive delegation in favour of the Election Commission, then there may be little room to question the Commission’s authority. On the other hand, if the Election Commission is seen to be acting in excess of its brief qua the 1961 Rules, no case of excessive delegation would be made out. In any event, in the backdrop of the rule-making provision in Section 169 of the Act of 1951 mandating consultation with the Election Commission, the Rules of 1961, particularly the amendments brought about in 2019 and 2020, do not amount to excessive delegation.”
The DMK had filed the case contending that the postal ballot system might lead to external influence and voters might lose the independence and secrecy that they enjoy while voting through EVMs in a closed enclosure in polling booths.
Section 60 (c) of the Representation of the People Act of 1951
Conduct of Election Rules of 1961
Article 324
-Focus for Prelims
The Trinamool Congress releases its election manifesto, promises minimum basic income to 1.6 crore families
The Trinamool Congress’ election manifesto, released by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on March 17, revealed an intensification of Trinamool’s dole politics in the face of its toughest electoral battle until now. From providing a “minimum basic income” to 1.6 crore families to increasing the financial assistance to farmers and issuing a new credit card scheme for students, the Trinamool’s manifesto is an attempt to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) promise, if it comes to power, of ushering in a “Sonar Bangla” (golden Bengal) and “Sabka Vikas” (development for all).
Universal Basic Income
-Focus for Prelims
Lok Sabha passes Appropriation Bill
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday cleared the Appropriation Bill, allowing the Central government to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for its operational requirements and implementation of various programmes.
The Bill was passed after Speaker Om Birla put it through guillotine, a legislative mechanism to approve the fast-tracking of the passage of outstanding demands for grants without discussion. Over the past few days, the Lok Sabha discussed the demands for grants for railways, education and health ministries.
On Wednesday, 26 members of the House participated in a debate on the Demand for Grants under the Health Ministry.
In his reply to the debate, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan listed the steps taken by the Narendra Modi-led government to improve the healthcare infrastructure, emphasising on the initiatives to contain the pandemic.
Appropriation Bill & Finance Bill – Procedure involved in their passing
Guillotine
-Focus for Prelims
Quad Summit strengthens America’s hand before talks with China: U.S. official
The U.S. has sought to build strength before engaging China later this week and the Quad Summit is an example of this, a senior administration official said on Tuesday night during a briefing call with reporters.
Quad and its members
-Focus for Prelims
Sugar mills rush to sign for exports as prices rally
Indian mills have contracted to export 4.3 million tonnes of sugar so far in the 2020-21 season ending on September 30, a trade body said on Wednesday, as a rally in global prices to a four-year high and an export subsidy makes overseas sales lucrative.
Higher exports from the world’s second-biggest sugar producer could cap gains in global prices, which have been buoyed by lower production in Thailand, the world’s second-biggest exporter.
The exports will help India reduce stockpiles and support local prices of the sweetener, crucial in ensuring millions of cane farmers get government-mandated prices.
“Around 4.3 million tonnes of export contracts have already been signed,” the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said in a statement.
Facts given in the news
Impact of the step on economy – Positives & negatives
-Focus for Prelims
