29 August 2022

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – Digital India: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

The Digital India Vision Is Centered on:

• For all citizens, digital infrastructure is a resource.
• Governing and on-demand services.
• Digital empowerment of citizens

Objectives:

• To prepare India for a future based on knowledge.
• Understanding that IT Will Result from IT (Indian Talent) + IT (Information Technology)
• Putting an emphasis on technology to facilitate change.

Plans for the various Digital India Programs:

• The Diksha Initiative, or Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing
• It serves as the country’s digital infrastructure for education. Every teacher in the nation will have access to the newest digital technology.
• eNAM: Launched on April 14, 2016, this pan-Indian electronic trading platform links Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) from all the States.
• The telemedicine service platform operated by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is known as eSanjeevani.
• DigiBunai: DigiBunai helps weavers create digital artwork and translate saree designs into loom-compatible formats.
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) project to provide street vendors with low-cost loans. It promotes the use of digital transactions by street vendors.
• One of the digital solutions proposed by the Covid-19 was the contact tracing software Aarogya Setu.
• The Digital India programme is accessible to a number of key government initiatives, including BharatNet, Make in India, Startup India and Standup India, industrial corridors, etc.

Significant achievements:

• Enhanced Electronic Payments: With the introduction of the UPI, digital payments became more favourable across the country.
• Everyone, from large corporations to independent street vendors, benefits from UPI’s assistance with payments and transactions.
• Furthermore, it encourages other private actors to provide alternatives to digital payments, which have fundamentally altered the Indian economy.
• Business Processes Simplified: The Electronic Customer Identification System (e-KYC), the Electronic Document Storage System (DigiLocker), and the Electronic Signature System (eSign) were established to help firms streamline their operations.
• Beyond the JAM Trinity In order to stop system leaks, the JAM trinity (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, and Mobile) was first activated. This simple effort has since sparked the entire Covid immunisation campaign, making India the only nation after the United States to administer 20 crore COVID 19 Jabs.

Way Ahead:

• Its successful implementation is being hampered by a number of issues, such as taxation issues, inadequate infrastructure, poor internet, a lack of cooperation among different authorities, and digital illiteracy. Several difficulties need to be overcome in order for this programme to reach its full potential.
• As we celebrate six years since the introduction of Digital India, here are six particular measures that could assist the nation in becoming the new standard for digital. 4.0 is assisting India in realising its objectives and achieving a five trillion dollar GDP.
• Fostering a scientific outlook where perception has no bearing on decision-making.
• Reduced device costs and data accessibility, especially for smartphones.
• Speedy technology and seamless connectivity (5G, 6G).
• High-quality local language content.
• A secure and safe online setting with dedicated spaces for ombudsmen, grievance representatives, and dispute settlement.
• Last but not least, more departments will engage with one another and more government services will be made available online. A constant supply of power, green technology, and renewable energy
• Digital India, which has been constructing the infrastructure for years, has made it feasible for rising technological interventions in the domains of agritech, health tech, smart cities, e-governance, retail management, and easy banking and payment solutions.

Source The Indian Express

2 – Comptroller and Auditor General of India: GS II – Appointment to various Constitutional Posts

Introduction:

• According to Article 148 of the Indian Constitution, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India holds an independent post (CAG).
• He is the chairman of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department and one of the cornerstones of India’s democratic system of governance.
• As the guardian of the public purse, he is in charge of managing the whole financial system of the country on both the federal and state levels.
• He is in charge of upholding the Indian Constitution and parliamentary laws in the realm of financial management.

Constitutional Requirements for the Office of the CAG:

• The appointment, oath, and duties of the CAG are covered in broad terms in Article 148.
• Article 149 deals with the responsibilities and powers of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
• In accordance with Article 150, the President may specify a format based on recommendations from the CAG for the Union and State accounts.
• The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India’s reports on the Union’s financial statements must be presented to each House of Parliament, per Article 151, at the president’s request.
• Section 279: The calculation of “net proceeds” is determined and certified by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, and his or her certificate is final.

Appointment, Duration, and Removal:

• The CAG is chosen via a warrant that is signed and sealed by the President of India.
• Until they turn 65 or for a period of six years, whichever comes first, the CAG serves in that capacity.
• He has the right to quit at any time by submitting a letter to the president.
• He is also vulnerable to dismissal by the president on the same grounds and in the same methods as a Supreme Court justice. In other words, if both Houses of Parliament pass a resolution to that effect with a special majority, either on the grounds of shown wrongdoing or incapacity, the president has the ability to remove him.

The following clauses have been placed into the Constitution to safeguard and protect CAG’s independence:

• He has a secure tenure and may only be fired with the President’s authority and in accordance with the Constitution’s procedures. As a result, although being chosen by the president, he is not officially in office until the president declares him to be such.
• He is not qualified for any other position after quitting his current one, either with the Indian government or any state.
• His salary and other service conditions are decided by the Parliament. His salary is on line with that of a justice on the Supreme Court.
• Neither his pay nor his rights with respect to a leave of absence, pension, or retirement age may be altered adversely after his appointment.
• The administrative expenses of the CAG’s office, such as all employee wages, benefits, and pensions, are paid out of the Consolidated Fund of India. These expenses do not require approval from Parliament.
• No minister may speak in the Parliament (both Houses) on behalf of the CAG or be questioned about any of his actions.

Objectivity of CAG

• The CAG audits the accounts of the Consolidated Fund of India, the Consolidated Fund of every state, and the UT with a legislative assembly.
• All expenditures are audited by CAG for the Public Account of India, the Contingency Fund of India, and the Public Account and Contingency Fund of each state.
• The Central Accounting Group (CAG) performs an audit of all trading, manufacturing, profit and loss, balance sheets, and other subsidiary accounts kept by any department of the Central Government and the State Governments.
• All bodies and authorities that are largely funded by Central or State revenues, government corporations, and other corporations and bodies have their revenue and expenses audited by CAG as needed by applicable laws.
• He determines and certifies the net proceeds of any tax or duty, and his certificate is decisive in the issue.

Reports:

• His audit reports on the Center’s and the State’s accounts are given to the President and Governor, who then provide them to the Houses of Parliament and the State Legislature, respectively.
• He presents the President with three audit reports: one on financial accounts, one on public undertakings, and one on appropriation accounts.

Regarding PAC and CAG:

• He serves as the mentor, friend, and philosopher of the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament.
• The audit reports on public sector undertakings, finance accounts, and appropriation accounts are among the three CAG reports that the PAC examines.
• Furthermore, CAG contributes to the discussions of the committee by providing a list of the topics that demand the PAC’s immediate attention.
• He also helps the committee and the witnesses understand the acts of the government and the committee, respectively.
• The CAG’s position can occasionally be that of an interpreter and translator, communicating to politicians the views of officials and vice versa.
• The CAG is still liable for further matters. He needs to monitor the implementation of the corrective action he suggested. He brings issues to the PAC’s attention when he observes that nothing has been done.

Concerns the CAG is facing:

There are no established criteria:

• Independence can be ensured if the conditions are clearly established. The attributes a candidate must possess in order to be chosen as a CAG as well as the selection procedure would be included in such criteria. The procedure must be transparent.

Accessibility Problem:

• Currently, the CAG is chosen by the prime minister after the finance minister submits a shortlist to the Cabinet Secretary.
• The prime minister recommends to the president one candidate from such list. A warrant with the president’s signature and seal is used to appoint the CAG if the president agrees.
• Due to the potential for an interest conflict, such a procedure is defective.

Diluted accountability:

• The CAG conducts an audit of the prime minister-led Indian government.
• If the leader of the auditee selects the person to audit his organisation, there is a chance that person could become the CAG, which could diminish accountability.

Delays and reductions in the CAG Report:

• Reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) have been postponed and are currently pending; detractors call this being “CAGed”.
• The overall number of CAG reports referring to central government ministries and departments plummeted from 55 in 2015 to just 14 in 2020, a decrease of over 75%, according to a recent answer to a Right To Information (RTI) request.

Changes necessary:

Setting Up Independence:

• The majority of countries have passed laws establishing certain qualifications as well as the process of appointment to ensure that the head of their Supreme Audit Institution operates independently and is not influenced by the Executive, whose performance he is required to evaluate and give an audit opinion on attaining the objectives.
• The Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts shall jointly select the CAG, who will then be confirmed by the House of Commons, according to the Exchequer and Audit Act of the UK, as revised in 1983. Discretion in Appointment:
• India has to set up an institutional mechanism to encourage openness and objectivity in the CAG selection procedure.
• One might compile a list of candidates who meet these requirements. Following that, a high-level committee may evaluate the personalities of the contenders and recommend to the president a list of three candidates, from which only one may be chosen.

Eliminating Delays:

• Auditors should have priority access to papers within seven days, similar to the citizen’s right under the RTI Act of 2005 to receive information within a month; if not, heads of departments should be required to provide a justification for the delay.

How to improve CAG’s efficiency:

• Positive developments after the Big Data revolution include the CAG’s publishing of a Big Data management strategy and the opening of a Centre for Data Management and Analytics in Delhi.
• The CAG of India hosted the 2017 Commonwealth Auditors General Conference. Using technology in public audit and environmental audit were the two conference subjects. The conference promoted partnerships between Commonwealth countries for the advancement of public auditing expertise.
• The dependability of Indian CAG is demonstrated by the fact that CAG was able to audit the UN headquarters, which entails various intricate tasks.

Conclusion:

• The CAG helps the parliament and state legislatures hold their respective administrations accountable, hence reforms at the CAG office are essential.
• He is one of the foundational elements of India’s democratic political system and, in B.R. Ambedkar’s words, holds the most important position under the Indian Constitution.

Source The Hindu

3 – PM CARES Fund: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a stay of execution on a Central Information Commission (CIC) ruling asking the Income Tax Department to release copies of all files PM CARES Fund produced when requesting an exemption under the Income Tax Act and file notations confirming the request.

How does the PM-CARES Fund work?

• The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, or PM CARES Fund, was formed in March 2020 to meet challenging situations like the COVID-19 epidemic.
• All donations to the fund are voluntary and come from both individuals and organisations; it receives no financial support.
• Donations are no longer tax deductible but can now be used to fulfil a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations.
• Furthermore, it is exempt from the International Contribution (Regulation) Act of 2010 and accepts contributions from overseas, despite the fact that the Centre has in the past declined international aid in the wake of disasters like the Kerala floods.
• The formal chair of the fund is the prime minister, who also has the power to suggest to the Board of Trustees three accomplished people in related fields.
• The Ministers of Defense, Home Affairs, and Finance are ex-officio Trustees of the Fund.

Which issues is the PM-CARES Fund facing?

• disregards other monies, such as the National Disaster Response Fund and the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) (NDRF).
• There are questions about the legitimacy of the PM CARES Fund’s use of the title of prime minister, national symbols, the official PMO website (gov.in), tax exemptions through an order, etc. because it was not created in accordance with the Indian Constitution or any other law.
• Because the money it collects does not go to the Consolidated Fund of India, it is not audited by CAG, which raises concerns about accountability and transparency.
• The central government or any state governments have no control over how the trust is run.
• The PM CARES Fund might become a for-profit organisation if it is not connected to the government, which would prevent the prime minister and the three ministers from retaining their individual constitutional posts.
• The PM CARES Fund must be accessible in accordance with Section 2(f) of the RTI Act since the trustees are required by Section 19 of the Indian Trusts Act to give beneficiaries information on the trust property.
• According to the Thalappalam Service Coop. Bank Ltd. vs. State of Kerala case, a test for evaluating whether an organisation qualifies as a public authority for purposes of the RTI Act is whether the trustees have a significant amount of influence over it.
• The PMO must answer our inquiries about the fund because it is a public body as per the RTI.

Source The Indian Express

 4 – Dragon Fruit Cultivation: Prelims Specific Topic

Context:

• Because of its numerous health benefits, dragon fruit is considered to as a “super fruit” and the Centre has decided to assist its cultivation. This choice is consistent with the policies of the Gujarat and Haryana governments. The Center thinks that given its affordability and the strong demand for it globally due to its nutritional advantages, the fruit’s cultivation in India can be boosted. Currently planted on 3,000 hectares, this exotic fruit will spread to 50,000 hectares in five years.

Introduction:

• The dragon fruit originated in the Americas (Hylocereus undatus). It is a member of the cactus family.
• Additionally, it is known as “Pitaya,” “Pitahaya,” strawberry pear, noblewoman, and queen of the night internationally. In India, it is also known as “Kamalam.”
• It grows well in a range of climates and soil types, particularly in the semi-arid and arid regions of India.
• It prefers slightly acidic soil and can tolerate certain salts in the soil.
• India’s dragon fruit trees bloom and produce fruit during the monsoon season (June to November).

Features:

• Its blossoms are naturally hermaphrodite and open at night (contain both male and female organs).
• The plant is useful for industries that add value through processing, has a yield that lasts for more than 20 years, and is rich in nutraceutical properties (which have therapeutic effects).
• Numerous vitamins and minerals are present.

Indian favorability:

• In India, backyard gardens began to feature dragon fruit in the 1990s.
• Dragon fruits’ low maintenance needs and high profitability have attracted India’s farming population.
• Several north eastern states, as well as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, have seen a sharp increase in the cultivation of dragon fruit as a result.
• The country produces roughly 12,000 tonnes of the fruit annually.

Related worries:

• High Cost: Because dragon fruit is a climber, farmers must spend roughly Rs. 3.5 lakh per acre on infrastructure.
• The initial investment’s cost is also increased by drip watering.
• difficulties with flowering Sunburn is a prevalent problem in semi-arid and arid regions that can be managed by creating 25–30% shade, either by growing shade-producing trees (such moringa, sesbania, and Melia dubia) or by installing shade netting during the searing summer months.

Government initiatives:

• The Maharashtra government has taken the initiative to promote the production of dragon fruit in various regions of the state through the Mission on Integrated Development of Horticulture by offering premium planting supplies and financial aid for its growth (MIDH).
• The MIDH programme, which is centrally funded, aims to promote the horticulture sector in its entirety. This includes growing plants like bamboo, coconuts, cashews, roots and tubers, mushrooms, spices, flowers, and fragrant trees.
• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will put MIDH into place starting in 2014–15.

Source The Down To Earth Magazine