05 October 2022

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

 1 – Gambling in India: GS III – Topic Internal Security of India:

Context:

• The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Monday prohibited advertising or airing advertisements for online betting platforms or any fictitious goods that resemble them on online news websites, OTT services, and private TV networks.
• In Indian culture, betting is very common. Bets are made while playing cards, before to cricket events, and even during street animal fights. Irish philosopher Edmund Burke claimed that the idea of gambling is entrenched in human nature. Indian regulations have not evolved in the last century to reflect how society views gambling, which is increasingly seen as an acceptable form of entertainment.
• The Public Gambling Act, which outlined penalties for public gambling as well as guidelines for the maintenance of shared gaming facilities, was India’s initial attempt to regulate gambling. Each territory (now each State) was given permission to extend the Act to the State under Section 2 of the Act.
• In 1887, the Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act became a legal document. Both gambling and gaming are considered forms of gaming under the Act.
• The state laws are inconsistent and mostly pertain to actual gambling. Since they are not covered by the constitution, state governments are free to adopt their own legislation.
• Online gambling is only tangentially mentioned under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act of 2000, which forbids the dissemination of information that “corrupts” individuals online.
• It may be deduced from the numerous Central and State Act sections that while gambling is not allowed in private residences, it is prohibited in public or open gaming establishments.
• Gambling vs. betting: High stakes card games are typically considered gambling, but playing casino games and placing bets on things like sporting events are generally considered betting.
• Despite the fact that gambling and gaming are a state responsibility, States have mostly based their gambling regulations on the antiquated Public Gambling Act of 1867. Ironically, despite India still adhering to a British prohibitionist rule, the U.K. legalised and regulated a variety of gambling and betting activities decades ago.
• In order to start a much-needed change, the Law Commission of India’s examination into whether or not gambling and betting should be legalised in the nation is crucial.

Why legalise gaming?

• Law enforcement agencies are unable to halt the enormous amount of gambling that is already occurring.
• After failing to regulate illegal betting, which occurs on a vast scale and deprives the state of a significant opportunity to make money, legalising, regulating, and taxing the ensuing revenues is the only option left. According to rumours, criminal syndicates control the majority of gaming and betting, and they use the unreported profits to fund nefarious acts like terrorism.
• Legalizing the practise will not only assist criminal organisations in cutting off a significant source of black money, but it will also generate a sizeable quantity of tax revenue for the government, which can be applied to a number of beneficial social programmes.
• Although other, more recent assessments place a larger value on the Indian gambling industry, its size is believed to range from $60 billion to $80 billion. According to a 2010 KPMG report, this is the case. Even a reasonable assessment suggests that legalising sports betting may result in the government collecting hundreds of rupees in taxes. Additionally, the expected tax revenue would be significantly larger if casinos and online gambling were legalised.
• Many jobs and financial opportunities will be generated by a controlled, legal gaming industry. Global employment opportunities have significantly risen as a result of gambling legislation. For instance, the legal gaming sector in the United States employs more than 2.5 million people, compared to more than 1 lakh in the United Kingdom.
• It must be kept in mind that gambling is still pervasive and unrestrained in today’s culture despite being widely prohibited, despite worries that it might lead to addiction and financial disaster. At many social gatherings, gambling has long been accepted as a form of amusement. Despite the fact that there are several instances of people losing their jobs and taking their own lives as a result of careless gaming, authorities still choose to ignore the issue.
• The Lodha Committee has previously advocated for the legalisation of gambling.

Several Important Decisions:

• Supreme Court cases have addressed the legality of numerous betting-related activities, including horse races and card games. In K.R. Lakshmanan v. State of Tamil Nadu, it was determined that horse racing was a game of skill rather than chance, and in State of Andhra Pradesh v. K. Satyanarayana & Ors., it was determined that rummy was a game of skill rather than solely reliant on chance.

Source The Hindu

 2 – Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: GS I – Topic Modern Indian History

Context:

• In a letter to former MP Tarlochan Singh, a trustee of the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust, the Centre stated its desire to “address the concerns” related to the memorial’s renovation and stated that a team of professionals would go to the site for an examination.

Rowlatt Act:

• The Rowlatt Act (Black Act), passed on March 10, 1919, gave the government the right to detain or arrest anyone connected to seditious activity without a court hearing. This caused turmoil throughout the nation.
• The Satyagraha movement was started by Gandhi Ji to protest the Rowlatt Act.
• On April 7, 1919, Gandhi published a piece titled Satyagrahi in which he offered suggestions for thwarting the Rowlatt Act.
• In private, the British officials deliberated on the best course of action to be applied to Gandhi and the other Satyagraha participants.
• Gandhi received a warning to stay away from Punjab and was threatened with arrest if he refused.
• Two well-known individuals who advocated for peace between Muslims and Hindus, Drs. Satyapal and Saifuddin Kitchlew, organised a peaceful demonstration in Amritsar against the Rowlatt Act.

Massacre in Jallianwala Bagh:

• On April 13, 1919, British Indian Army soldiers under Colonel Reginald Dyer’s command opened fire at a throng of unarmed protestors and pilgrims who had congregated at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, to celebrate Baisakhi.
• Because Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew represented Hindu-Muslim harmony and had organised a peaceful protest against the Rowlatt Act, the mob had calmly gathered in Amritsar to condemn their incarceration.
• The massacre claimed the lives of roughly 350 individuals, according to the official estimate from the British administration; however, the Congress party asserted that the death toll may have surpassed 1,000.

After the massacre in Jallianwala Bagh:

• Martial law was declared in Lahore, Amritsar, Gujranwala, Gujarat, and Lyallpore two days after the slaughter.
• After martial law was established, the Viceroy was given the authority to quickly order the court-martial trial of anyone suspected of taking part in revolutionary operations. Tagore renounced his knighthood as soon as word of the massacre circulated throughout the country.

Hunter Commission:

• The Disorders Inquiry Committee was established to investigate the killings on October 14, 1919. The name Hunter Commission was then given to it.
• The conclusions of the Hunter Commission about the legality—or lack thereof—of the government’s actions had to be made public. General Dyer and Mr. Irving were the only two British government representatives who were questioned. They were both involved in the control of the unrest in Amritsar.

Source The Hindu

3 – National Medical Commission: GS II – Topic Government Organizations:

Context:

• According to the National Medical Commission, medical colleges have until October 7 to provide information regarding medical students (undergraduate and graduate) who committed suicide in the previous five years as well as those who left the programme (NMC).

The National Medical Commission’s history:

• The 33-member NMC has been informed by the Center that Suresh Chandra Sharma will serve as its chairman for three years.
• The Chairman, 10 ex-officio members, and 22 part-time members chosen by the Central government will make up the NMC.

Features of NMC:

• establishing guidelines for the administration of medical facilities and practitioners.
• determining the infrastructure and staffing needs for the healthcare industry.
• ensuring that the State Medical Councils adhere to the rules outlined under the Bill.
• establishing guidelines for the charging of fees for up to 50% of seats in private medical facilities.

Source The Hindu

4 – UNCTAD: GS II –  Topic International Organizations

Context:

• The Congress criticised the government on Tuesday, calling its claim that imports are to blame for the country’s economic problems a “smoke screen” and asserting that it is “singularly accountable” for the issues. This came in response to a major U.N. agency’s forecast that India’s economic growth would stall.
• According to the Trade and Development Report 2022 from UNCTAD, which was published on Monday, India’s economic growth would slow to 5.7% this year from 8.2% in 2021 due to higher finance costs and lower public spending.

Regarding UNCTAD:

• The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was founded in 1964 to encourage the development of developing nations’ advantageous integration into the world economy.
• Permanent intergovernmental organisation UNCTAD is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Its reports that have been made public include:

• Trade and Development Report
• World Investment Report
• The Least Developed Countries Report
• Information and Economy Report
• Technology and Innovation Report
• Commodities and Development Report

Source The Hindu