Test: Current Affairs Polity November 2020 - UPSC MCQ

The aim to update rural land records, providing record of rights to village households and issue property cards. SVAMITVA is a central scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development and will be implemented across the country in a phased manner over the next four years, covering around 6.62 lakh villages.

The scheme focuses on mapping rural-inhabited lands using drones as land records are inaccurate or do not exist for vast areas across India.

It was constituted based on the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission.

Funding: The Central Government contributes 75% of SDRF allocation for general category States/UTs and 90% for special category States/UTs.

Heads: The state executive committee headed by the Chief Secretary is authorized to decide on all matters relating to financing the relief expenditure from the SDRF.

Disaster (s) covered under SDRF: Cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, frost and cold waves.

Local Disaster: A State Government may use up to 10 percent of the funds available under the SDRF for providing immediate relief to the victims of natural disasters that they consider to be 'disasters' within the local context in the State and which are not included in the notified list of disasters of the Ministry of Home Affairs subject to the condition that the State Government has listed the State-specific natural disasters and notified clear and transparent norms and guidelines for such disasters with the approval of the State Authority, i.e., the State Executive Authority (SEC).

• The Union Cabinet approved an expansion of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to include 10 more labour-intensive industry segments, including advance chemistry cell batteries, electronic and technology products, automobiles and auto components manufacturing, among others.

• The scheme for these sectors will be in addition to the PLI schemes for mobile phones and allied equipment manufacturing, pharmaceutical ingredients and medical devices.

• The PLI scheme aims to boost domestic manufacturing and reduce imports by providing cash incentives on incremental sales from products manufactured in the country. Besides inviting foreign companies to set shop in India, the scheme encourages local companies to set up or expand, existing manufacturing units.

• The new sectors included under the PLI scheme are mostly labour-intensive and will be implemented by the respective ministries. For instance, the Niti Aayog will implement the PLI scheme to manufacture advanced chemistry cell batteries. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is the nodal ministry for the implementation of the PLI scheme for mobile phone manufacturing.

• Any new sector for PLI will require fresh approval of the Union Cabinet.

• The renewable energy Ministry has expanded the PM-KUSUM scheme scope to enable greater solar energy generation in the farm sector.

• The Ministry has amended the scheme's guidelines based on learning from its implementation during the first year.

• Besides barren, fallow and agricultural lands, solar power plants can also be installed on pasture land and marshy land of farmers.

• To support small farmers, states based on techno-commercial feasibility may allow solar projects smaller than 500 kW.

The scheme now consists of three components.

• The first is 10,000 MW of decentralized ground-mounted grid-connected renewable power plants up to 2 MW.

• The second is an installation of 20 lakh (up from 17.50 lakh) stand-alone solar-powered agriculture pumps.

• The third component is solarisation of 15 lakh (up from 10 lakh) grid-connected solar-powered agriculture pumps.

to all rural households in India.

The work is usually on projects to build durable assets like roads, canals, ponds and wells.

The Act stipulates a minimum wage-material ratio of 60:40.

MGNREGA is to be implemented mainly by gram panchayats (GPs). The involvement of contractors is banned.

States can indeed amend central laws enacted under the Concurrent List, subject to the condition that provisions repugnant to the parliamentary Acts will have to get the President's assent, without which they do not come into force.

The Punjab Bills note that agriculture is under the States' legislative domain, as the subject falls under the State List in the Seventh Schedule. The Centre has enacted its farm sector Bills by invoking Entry 33(b) in the Concurrent List, which concerns trade and commerce in, and production, supply and distribution of,

"foodstuffs". By stretching the entry's meaning to include agriculture, Parliament has managed to pass laws in the States domain. In these circumstances, States aggrieved by the farm sector laws will either have to adopt Bills that would require presidential assent or challenge the validity of the central laws in the Supreme Court.

The Act to set up CBI was not passed by Parliament. It was created by executive order of the government. In that sense, the CBI is not a statutory body.

The CBI functions under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions of the central government, and is exempted from the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

CBI is India's officially designated single point of contact for liaison with the Interpol.

The Anti-Corruption Division that probes cases of corruption against public servants.

The Economic Offences Division probes financial malfeasance crimes, bank frauds, money laundering, black money operations, and the like. However, the CBI usually transfers cases of money laundering to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

There is a Special Crimes Division investigating cases of violence such as murder, crimes related to internal security such as espionage, narcotics and banned substances, and cheating. This division of the CBI generally handles cases that get wide media coverage, for example, actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case.

Recently, a Calcutta High Court order expanded its jurisdiction to investigate the central government employees in West Bengal without seeking the state government's specific consent.

For other matters, the CBI needs the state government's consent in whose territorial jurisdiction, the CBI has to conduct an investigation. Unlike other central government agencies, for example, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which by law, enjoys an all-India jurisdiction.

Section 6 of the DPSE Act authorises the central government to direct CBI to probe a case within the jurisdiction of any state on the concerned state government's recommendation. The courts can also order a CBI probe, and even monitor the progress of the investigation.

The CBI manual says, "The central government can authorise CBI to investigate such a crime in a state but only with the consent of the concerned state government. However, the Supreme Court and High courts can order CBI to investigate such a crime anywhere in the country without the consent of the state."

NCW receives funds from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, while to be fully independent. It should perhaps be allocated funds under the Consolidated Fund of India like NHRC.

A government proposal in 2014-2015 was to give the NCW powers on par with civil courts so that it could issue warrants and conduct judicial proceedings and was submitted to the PMO.