Daily Current Affairs – 29th April 2021
Topics/Highlights
- Maharashtra’s two-child norm for govt employees
- Article 217 of the Constitution of India
- Leaders call for House panels’ meetings.
- Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
- Exercise Varuna 2021
- Python-5.
Focus
1. Maharashtra’s two-child norm for govt employees
In News
- Recently, a woman officer in the Maharashtra Prison Department was removed from her services after a revelation that was violating the Maharashtra Civil Services (Declaration of Small Family) rules.
- She had three children instead of two, which the rules asked her to have.
Key Points
- According to the Maharashtra Civil Services (Declaration of Small Family) Rule of 2005, a small family comprises a wife, husband, and two children.
- Further, a child by definition doesn’t include an “adopted” child.
- The definition of child under these rules does not include adopted children.
- Maharashtra is one of the states where there is a “two children” policy for appointment in government jobs, or for running for elections in local government bodies.
- Other such states include Odisha, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat.
Source – Indian Express
2. Article 217 of the Constitution of India
In News
- Smt. Justice Vimla S. Kapoor has been appointed the Additional Judge of Chhattisgarh High Court.
- The President appointed her under Article 217 of the Indian Constitution.
Overview of Article 217 (1)
Appointment and conditions of the office of a Judge of a High Court:
- The President appoints every Judge of a High Court by warrant under his hand and seal after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the Governor of the State, and, in the case of appointment of a Judge other than the chief Justice, the chief Justice of the High court, and shall hold office, in the case of an additional or acting Judge, as provided in Article 224, and in any other case, until he attains the age of sixty two years Provided that:
- Judge may, by writing under his hand addressed to the President, resign his office.
- Judge may be removed from his office by the President in the manner provided in Article 124 for the removal of a Judge of the Supreme Court.
- The office of a Judge shall be vacated by his being appointed by the President to be a Judge of the Supreme Court or by his being transferred by the President to any other High Court within the territory of India.
Source – PIB
3. Leaders call for House panels’ meeting
In News
The Parliamentary members who have appealed to M. Venkaiah Naidu (Rajya Sabha Chairman) and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to allow virtual meetings of the Parliamentary panels.
What are Parliamentary Committees?
- A parliamentary committee is a committee appointed/elected by the House/nominated by the Speaker and which works under the direction of the Speaker.
- It then presents its report to the House/to the Speaker and the Secretariat.
- Parliamentary Committees are of two kinds – Standing Committees and ad hoc Committees.
- The former are elected/appointed every year/periodically and their work goes on, more or less, on a continuous basis.
- The latter are appointed on an ad hoc basis as need arises and they cease to exist as soon as they complete the task assigned to them.
Constitutional Provisions
Article 105: Privileges of Parliamentary members.
Article 118: Parliamentary authority to make rules for the regulation of its procedure and conducting the business.
Composition of Departmentally-related standing committees (DRSCs):
- Until the 13th Lok Sabha, each Departmentally-related standing committee comprises 45 members — 30 nominated from Lok Sabha and 15 from the Rajya Sabha.
- But after restructuring in July 2004, each DRSC has 31 members — 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.
- They are to be nominated by Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha chairman, respectively.
- Appointed for a maximum period of one year and the committees are reconstituted every year cutting across party lines.
Composition of Financial Committees:
- The Estimates Committee has 30 members, all from the Lok Sabha.
- Both the Public Accounts Committee and the Committee on Public Undertakings have 22 members each — 15 elected from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha.
Source – thehindu
4. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund
In News
- Agriculture Infrastructure Fund has crossed the Rs. 8000 crore mark after receiving 8,665 applications.
- The largest share of the fund is contributed by Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) (58%), agri-entrepreneurs (24%) and individual farmers (13%).
About the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund
- The fund is a medium – long term debt financing facility which is for investments in viable projects for community farming assets, and post-harvest management infrastructure through credit guarantee and interest subvention.
- The duration of the scheme is from FY 2020 to FY 2029 (10 years).
- Under the scheme, Rs. 1 Lakh Crore will be provided by banks & financial institutions as loans with interest subvention of 3% per annum and credit guarantee coverage under CGTMSE for loans up to Rs. 2 Crores.
Eligible Beneficiaries
- Farmers
- Farmer Producer Organizations,
- PACS
- Marketing Cooperative Societies
- Self Help Groups
- Joint Liability Groups (JLG)
- Multipurpose Cooperative Societies
- Agri-entrepreneurs
- Start-ups, and Central/State agency or Local Body sponsored Public-Private Partnership Projects.
Interest subvention
- All loans under this financing facility will have interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a limit of Rs. 2 crore.
- This subvention will be available for a maximum period of seven years.
Credit guarantee
- Credit guarantee coverage will be available for eligible borrowers from this financing facility under Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme for a loan up to Rs. 2 crore.
- The fee for this coverage will be paid by the Government.
- In case of FPOs the credit guarantee may be availed from the facility created under FPO promotion scheme of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DACFW).
Source – PIB
5. Exercise Varuna 2021
In News
- Exercise Varuna is an Indo-French naval exercise held annually.
- 2021 was the 19th edition of the exercise, which was held in Arabian Sea.
6. Python-5
- DRDO conducts a maiden trial of the Python-5 Air to Air Missile.
- Python is a family of air-to-air missiles (AAMs) built by the Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
- Python 5 can engage enemy aircraft from very short ranges and near beyond visual range.
Source – All India Radio
