17 July 2024, The Indian EXPRESS
Centre reconstitutes NITI Aayog, brings in allies as special invitees
Page no-
GS2- Issues and Challenges Pertaining to the Federal Structure
- The government on Tuesday reconstituted the NITI Aayog, increasing the number of special invitees from five to 11, including five ministers from the BJP’s allies — H D Kumaraswamy (JD-S), Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM), Rajiv Ranjan Singh (JD-U), K R Naidu (TDP) and Chirag Paswan (LJP-Ram Vilas).
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains the Chairperson and economist Suman K Bery will continue to be the Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog, according to the notification.
- Scientist V K Saraswat, agricultural economist Ramesh Chand, paediatrician V K Paul and macro-economist Arvind Virmani will also continue to be full-time members of the government think-tank. BVR Subrahmanyam will also remain the CEO.
Top court quashes Bihar decision to classify Tanti-Tantwa as SC
Page no-
GS2-Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections of the population by the Centre and States and the Performance of these Schemes
- The Supreme Court Monday ruled states cannot make changes to the Scheduled Caste list published under Article 341 of the Constitution and quashed the 2015 Bihar government notification categorising Tanti-Tantwa community as Scheduled Caste.
- A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Prashant Kumar said the Patna High Court had made a “serious error by upholding the notification on a completely wrong premise without referring to Article 341 of the Constitution”.
India releases fresh list of 346 military hardware
Page no- 6
GS3-Indigenization of Technology and Developing New Technology
- India on Tuesday announced a fresh list of 346 military hardware, including “strategically important” systems and weapons, that will only be procured from state-run domestic manufacturers after a ban on their import kicks in under a staggered time-line.
- The defence ministry said over 12,300 items have already been indigenised in last three years as part of efforts to boost domestic defence industries.
- The fifth positive indigenisation list comprising 346 items has been notified and the items will be produced by the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs), the ministry said.
Key issue will be back in SC: What constitutes a Money Bill?
Page no- 9
GS2-Structure, Organization and Functioning of the Judiciary
- The Supreme Court has agreed to “take the call” on hearing petitions challenging the “Money Bill route” taken by the government to push through contentious legislation in Parliament.
- With the Union Budget scheduled for July 23, Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and Indira Jaising approached the Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Monday, seeking an urgent hearing in the matter.
Children deaths in Gujrat: What is the Chandipura virus infection?
Page no- 9
GS3-Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life
- The Gujarat government on Monday (July 15) said that six children have died of suspected Chandipura virus (CHPV) infection in the state since July 10. So far, a total of 12 suspected cases have been reported.
- “Four of these 12 patients are from Sabarkantha district, three from Aravalli, and one each from Mahisagar and Kheda.
- Two patients are from Rajasthan, and one is from Madhya Pradesh. They received treatment in Gujarat,” Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said.
PM SHRI, the showcase schools scheme the centre is pushing in states
Page no- 9
GS2-Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education
- The Centre has stopped funding for the umbrella program for school education in three opposition-ruled states that have refused to implement its PM SHRI scheme.
- The Samagra Shiksha Scheme, for which funding has been stopped in West Bengal, Punjab, and Delhi, supports implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
- Samagra Shiksha funds for the third and fourth quarters of 2023-24 and the first quarter of 2024-25, amounting to Rs 330 crore, Rs 515 crore, and Rs 1,000 crore for Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal respectively, have not been released.
She isn’t just a labharthi
Page no- 10
GS1-Role of Women and Women’s Organization
- Last week, a buzzy news story from Maharajganj district in Uttar Pradesh intrigued many of us.
- Eleven married women apparently eloped with their lovers after receiving Rs 40,000 from the government.
- The payment was the first instalment, transferred as a benefit under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), India’s cash-for-housing welfare scheme.
- Local police authorities received complaints from the jilted husbands about the alleged misuse of funds by the women.
- In response, programme administrators decided to halt the second instalment of PMAY scheme benefits to these missing beneficiaries.
- Investigations also found four other women who had implemented precisely the same plan using PMAY, in Barabanki district a year ago. Serious economists would label these incidents as cases of “leakage” in welfare schemes.
New codes, the same old
Page no- 11
GS2-Indian Constitution—Historical Underpinnings, Evolution, Features, Amendments, Significant Provisions and Basic Structure
- First and foremost, it is not at all difficult to have a new and thorough parliamentary debate on the Nyaya Sanhitas, provided the government has the humility or the contrition to reopen and rediscuss all the new criminal codes through an amendment process.
- Admittedly, they were pushed through Parliament unceremoniously and were entirely unenriched by the Opposition’s inputs.
- But I know that this is worse than starry-eyed dreaming because of the two missing conditions — humility and contrition.
AI law may not prescribe penal consequences for violations
Page no- 13
GS3-Awareness in the fields of IT
- The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) is working on an artificial intelligence (AI)-specific law, under which it may not prescribe any penal consequences for violations, in a recognition that the technology’s benefits outweigh its downsides, The Indian Express has learnt.
- The law, which could be released as a standalone piece of legislation, could require social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X to add watermarks and labels to content that has been generated using AI.
SEBI proposes to bring ‘new asset class’ with minimum investment limit of rupees 10 lakh
Page no- 13
GS3-Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development
- Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Tuesday proposed to introduce a new asset class or product category to bridge the gap between mutual funds (MFs) and portfolio management services (PMS).
- The minimum investment threshold under the new asset class has been proposed at Rs 10 lakh per investor.
