PIB Summary- 19th July, 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Digital Time Vouchers

Why in News?
Recently, the Election Commission of India has decided to issue digital time vouchers to National & State political parties for campaigning on Doordarshan & All India Radio during elections.

About Digital Time Vouchers

• The Election Commission of India has made amendments to the existing scheme for the use of Government-owned electronic media by political parties.
• A provision for issuing digital time vouchers through an Information Technology (IT) platform has been introduced.
• Each party will receive time vouchers of different denominations, such as 5 minutes and 10 minutes, equivalent to the total allotted time for telecasts on Doordarshan and broadcasts on AIR.
• Parties can choose representatives to utilize the time vouchers, but no individual representative can use more than 20 minutes of the total allotted time on Doordarshan or AIR.

Background

• The scheme was initially notified on January 16, 1998, and holds a statutory basis under Section 39A of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
• It aims to ensure fair access to government-owned electronic media for election campaigning.
• Each National Party and Recognized State Party is allocated equitable base time on DD & AIR.
• Additional time is allotted based on the party’s performance in the last assembly elections or general elections to Lok Sabha.
• The specific date and time for telecasts/broadcasts are determined through a lottery process conducted by the Prasar Bharati Corporation in consultation with the Election Commission and political party representatives.

Advance Authorisation Scheme

Why in News?
Recently, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) implemented the Advance Authorisation Scheme under the Foreign Trade Policy, which allows duty-free import of inputs for export purposes.

Advance Authorisation Scheme

• The Advance Authorisation Scheme permits duty-free import of inputs that are physically incorporated into an export product. It also includes inputs such as packaging material, fuel, oil, and catalyst consumed or utilized during the production process of the export product.
• Participants under this scheme are prohibited from selling the imported products in the domestic market.
• The validity period of an Advance Authorisation is 12 months from the date of issuance.

Eligibility

• This scheme is available to either a manufacturer exporter directly or a merchant exporter in partnership with a supporting manufacturer.
• It covers physical exports, intermediate supply, and supplies made to specified categories of deemed exports.

Duty Exemption

• The imported inputs under the Advance Authorisation are exempt from various duties, including Basic Customs Duty, Additional Customs Duty, Education Cess, Anti-dumping duty, Safeguard Duty, Transition Product-Specific Safeguard duty, Integrated tax, and Compensation Cess (if applicable), subject to specific conditions.