PIB Summary- 26th January, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC)

Context: Grant of Presidential Awards to the officers of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) on the occasion of Republic Day, 2021.

About the Documentation Identification Number (DIN) system

• From now on, any CBIC communication will have to have a Documentation Identification Number.
• The government has already executed the DIN system in the direct tax administration. 
• This step is to further the government’s objectives of bringing transparency and accountability in the indirect tax administration also, through the widespread use of information technology.
• To begin with, in the indirect tax administration, the DIN would be used for search authorisation, summons, arrest memo, inspection notices and letters issued in the course of any enquiry.
• From now onwards, any communication from GST or Custom or Central Excise department without a computer-generated DIN, would be treated as invalid and shall be non est in law or deemed to be as if it has never been issued.
• It would also provide the taxpayer a digital facility to verify any communications.
• Now all such specified communications with DIN would be verifiable on the online portal cbicddm.gov.in.

About the Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC)

• The Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC) is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• The CBIC is the apex body for administering the levy and collection of indirect taxes of the Union of India.
• It deals with the tasks of formulation of policy concerning levy and collection of Customs, Central Excise duties, Central Goods & Services Tax and IGST, prevention of smuggling and administration of matters relating to Customs, Central Excise, Central Goods & Services Tax, IGST and Narcotics to the extent under CBIC’s purview.
• It is the administrative authority for its subordinate organizations, including Custom Houses, Central Excise and Central GST Commissionerates and the Central Revenues Control Laboratory.
• Functions of the CBIC
  • Regulatory functions: 
    • Levy and collection of Customs and Central Excise duties, CGST & IGST 
    • Registration and monitoring of units manufacturing excisable goods and service providers
    • Receipt and scrutiny of declarations and returns filed with the department 
    • Prevention of smuggling and combating evasion of duties and service tax 
    • Enforcement of border control on goods and conveyances
    • Assessment, examination and clearance of imported goods and export goods 
    • Implementation of export promotion measures
    • Clearance of international passengers and their baggage
    • Resolution of disputes through administrative and legal measures
    • Sanction of refund, rebate and drawback
    • Realization of arrears of revenue
    • Audit of assessments for ensuring tax compliance
  • Service functions:
    • Dissemination of information on law and procedures through electronic and print media
    • Enabling filing of declarations, returns and claims through online services. 
    • Providing information on the status of processing of declarations, returns and claims
    • Assisting the right holders in protecting their intellectual property rights 
    • Responding to public enquiries relating to Customs, Central Goods and Service Tax matters
    • Providing Customs services such as examination of goods and factory stuffing of export goods at clients’ sites, as per policy
  • The CBIC was formerly known as the Central Board of Excise & Customs. The name was changed in 2018 after the introduction of the GST (which subsumed indirect taxes).

National Family Planning Program

Context: Union Health Minister addresses the event “Family Planning 2020: Celebrating Progress, Transforming for the future”. 

Background

• India was one of the first countries in the world to formulate a National Family Planning Program way back in 1952.

National Programme for Family Planning

• India was the first country in the world to launch a national programme for family planning when it did so in 1952.
• In India, family planning has been chiefly due to the efforts of the government.
• The programme has undergone a massive transformation from its early days when the focus was in terms of a clinical approach to today when the focus is on reproductive health, and in the reduction of maternal and infant mortality rates, child mortality and morbidity.
• The National Population Policy (NPP) launched in 2000 has helped in the reduction of fertility. You can read about the National population Register – NPR on the linked page.
• As part of the programme, the government established several clinics for reproductive health and family planning.
• There is also much awareness through various media propagating family planning, the need for spacing between children, and for having a lesser number of children per couple.
• The government has popularized the slogan, “Hum Do, Humare Do”, for promoting the Two-Child Norm.
• There are also fines such as not providing government jobs if a person has more than two children, etc. But, these might have backfired in some places leading to more sex-selective abortions, etc.

Family Planning History

• The National Family Planning Programme was launched in 1952.
• The chief objectives of the programme were:
  • Lower fertility rates
  • Slow population growth as a means to push economic growth
• The programme was tied to the Five Year Plans of the government. 
• Over the course of the years, the preferred method of birth control shifted from rhythm method to sterilisation and IUDs.
• In the 1970s, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had executed a forced sterilisation programme which led to people having an aversion to sterilisation.
• By the year 1996, the family planning programme had successfully averted an estimated 16.8 crore births.
• However, there is a variance between regions in the country in family planning adoption.

Contraceptive services under the Programme

• Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCPs)
  • Delivery of OCPs at the doorstep by ASHA. Pills are also available free of cost. 
• Condoms
  • Free brand ‘Nirodh’ available at government facilities.
• Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCD)
• Female sterilisation
• Male sterilisation
• Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP)

Family Planning Programme Achievements

• The fertility rate is on a decline. In 1966, it was 5.7 births per woman, while as on 2014 (latest data), it is 2.3 births per woman. This is only 0.2 less than the ideal replacement rate of 2.1.
• There is more awareness of more modern methods of contraception.
• There has been an increase in the usage of contraceptives including condoms, which are also essential to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
• There is increased awareness of female sterilisation techniques, which are safer. 
• Among educated women and high-income groups, the fertility rate is low.
• The annual exponential growth in the population of the country has been decreasing, from 2.20% in 1971, it was 1.64% in 2011.

Bharat Parv 2021

Context: Bharat Parv 2021 inaugurated. 

About Bharat Parv 2021

• It is a virtual national festival showcasing the country’s diverse culture, cuisines and handicrafts.
• It is being organised for about six days in January 2021 by the Tourism Ministry in collaboration with other ministries.
• The programme showcases the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.
• Various Central Ministries and other organizations such as Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Ayush, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Development Commissioner Handlooms, Development Commissioner Handicrafts, Lalit Kala Academy, Archaeological Survey of India, National Museum, National Gallery of Modern Arts, media units of I&B Ministry , Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC), etc. display handicrafts, handlooms, music, dance, paintings , literary material and other features from all over India during the celebration.
• This virtual Bharat Parv 2021 will showcase multiple videos/films, images, brochures and other information of various organizations.