CURRENT AFFAIRS
Topics :
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GST collections
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Centre to hold sessions on gig workers’ rights
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Har Ghar Dastak campaign
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The European Union’s ban on Russian oil
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National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
GST collections
- Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues in May rose 44% from a year earlier to 1,40,885 crore
- This is only the fourth time the monthly GST collection crossed 1.4 lakh crore mark since the inception of GST
Reasons for higher tax collection
- Receipts from domestic transactions and services imports rising at a matching pace.
- Goods imports yielded 43% higher taxes.
- Revenue growth was buoyant across most States.
- As many as 20 States and Union Territories saw revenues rise faster than the 44% national average.
About GST:
- Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a comprehensive indirect tax on manufacture, sale, and consumption of goods and services throughout India.
Features:
- It is established by the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act.
- It is a destination-based taxation system
- It created the GST Council (279A) to decide upon any matter related to GST
- GST council Chairman is Union Finance Minister of India with ministers nominated by the state governments as its members.
- The council is devised in such a way that the centre will have 1/3rd voting power and the states have 2/3rd.
- The decisions are taken by 3/4th majority.
- GST divided into three types they are CGST (central GST), SGST (stare GST) & IGST (integrated GST)
- GST introduced to reduce cascading effect of taxes and to improve tax compliance and business climate in the country.
Centre to hold sessions on gig workers’ rights
Context:
- The three day programme beginning on June 13 will discuss the mechanisms to be evolved on the proposed Social Security Fund for unorganised workers, gig workers and platform workers
About gig economy:
- A gig economy is where organizations /businesses hire temporary workers or freelancers instead of full-time long-term employees.
- There are certain benefits for youth and migrant workers, such as quick money and flexible work hours in the gig platforms.
- An estimated 56% of new employment in India is being generated by the gig economy companies.
- Unemployment rise after covid-19 pandemic, this gig platforms are becoming potential employment generators.
Concerns:
- Largely unregulated economy
- No job security and with very little benefits are given to workers
- Social security issues
- Demand and supply mismatch may worse the conditions in future with depressing wages.
- No skill development
- Poor participation of women in the work due to its nature
How this session is going to be helpful
- The V.V. Giri Institute, the training arm of the Union Labour Ministry, is organising the programme aimed at sharing information and good experiences on policies and global practices relating to gig and platform workers and their social security.
- The Centre has decided to train officials of the Union and State governments on technological change, new forms of employment, working conditions and mechanisms to protect labour and Social security rights of these workers
- Experiences and interventions of Australia, New Zealand, China, Thailand and Malaysia in this sector will be discussed in the sessions.
- It looks into Employer-employee relationship in the context of the gig economy
- Workers’ employment relationships are not recognised in law in this case and gig workers are largely excluded from labour and social security rights, both in terms of law and in practice
- Social security for platform workers in the transport sector of Thailand and Malaysia, where there are online models under which 2% for every ride is deducted for health and accident insurance and for social security will be taken up during the session
- Uncertain working hours and insufficient income are still considered major issues that need governmental address
Har Ghar Dastak campaign
Context;
- The two month Har Ghar Dastak 2.0 campaign commenced on Wednesday to expedite COVID19 vaccination coverage by including all eligible beneficiaries through door to door campaigns.
FOCUS
- The focus will be on people in old age homes, schools and colleges, prisons and brick kilns.
- It is targeted at out of school children (for focused coverage of the 12-18 population)
- The focus of the exercise is to vaccinate and cover the eligible population groups for first, second and precaution doses through door to door campaigns.
- The States have been asked to undertake effective monitoring with respective micro plans based on due lists of all eligible beneficiaries.
- The national COVID19 vaccination drive has so far ensured that 193.57 crore doses have been administered across the country.
The European Union’s ban on Russian oil
Context:
- As part of the sixth package of sanctions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union member states on May 30 reached an agreement to ban 90% of Russian crude oil imports by the end of the year.
- Criticism on Europeans that they are bankrolling Russia’s war.
How will the sanctions affect Russia?
- The Russian economy is heavily dependent on energy exports.
- EU paying billions of dollars every month to Russia for its crude and refined products.
- Analysts calculate that a two thirds cut in Europe’s imports of Russian oil would mean a reduction of 1.2-1.5 million barrels a day in oil, and one million barrels in refined products
- This might cause Russia an annual loss in revenue of $10 billion.
- Given Russia’s limited storage infrastructure, the cutback in demand would force Russia to find other markets.
- Since that won’t be easy, Russia might have to cut production by 20-30%.
How will the sanctions affect Europe?
- It will increase fuel inflation in Europe.
- European countries will face a cost of living crisis.
- European lifestyles have tended to take cheap Russian energy for granted (Russian gas which accounts of 40% of Europe’s natural gas imports)
- If inflation peaks further, the EU runs the risk of losing public support for harsh sanctions
- Instability in European region.
- However, in the context of two long term EU objectives — reducing fossil fuel dependence in favour of renewables, and eliminating dependence on Russian energy for greater strategic autonomy and energy security member states agreed to make a start by phasing out Russian oil.
Indian context
- Due to European sanctions prices of crude oil and natural gas are expected to stay high, in this context, with Russia reportedly offering discounts of $30-35 per barrel.
- India has found it convenient to make the most of the cheap Russian crude on offer.
- Indian private refiners profit from cheap Russian crude
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
Context:
- 5.6-crore tourist facility had come up in the core or critical tiger habitat of the Manas national park.
- This was a blatant violation of the NTCA of tiger reserve guidelines by the local authorities (Normative Standards for Tourism and Project Tiger) Guidelines, 2012.
About National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
- It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
- It was established in 2005
- It is constituted under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
- Project tiger is an ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change
- This scheme provide a central assistance to the tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves.
- About Manas National Park
- It is a national park, Project Tiger reserve, biosphere reserve and an elephant reserve in Assam, India. Located in the Himalayan foothills.
- The 500 sq. km Manas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles Assam and Bhutan, is about 140 km west of Guwahati
- The Manas river flows thorough the west of the park. It is a major tributary of Brahmaputra river.
UPSC Civil Services Daily Current Affairs 2nd June 2022
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