CONTENTS
- Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF)
- Mullaperiyar dam dispute
- Revised wage rate under MGNREGA
- UN Human Rights Council
- Indian Tent Turtles
Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF)
Context:
In the Union Budget of 2021-22, Finance Minister introduced a new provision to tax income on provident fund contributions from employees beyond ₹2.5 lakh a year.
Relevance:
GS III- Indian Economy
Dimensions of the Article:
- About Employees’ Provident Fund
- About Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)
- Latest development on the PF tax
- At what rate will taxes be deducted from income on taxable contributions’ account?
Click Here To Read More: Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF)
Mullaperiyar Dam Dispute
Context:
Recently, The Supreme Court said any “half-baked” arrangement will “destroy the dam” and refused to overhaul the court-formed Mullaperiyar dam supervisory committee, which will continue to oversee the safety and maintenance aspects of the 126-year-old dam until the new authority under the Dam Safety Act, 2021 becomes fully operational in a year.
Relevance:
GS-II: Polity and Constitution (Interstate water disputes), GS-I: Geography (Water Sources), GS-III: Disaster management
Dimensions of the Article:
- About Mullaperiyar Dam
- About the Dispute regarding Mullaperiyar river
- Background on Dams in India
- Ageing dams in India: Highlights of the UN Report
- Issues with Ageing Dams in India
- Way Forward
Click Here To Read More: Mullaperiyar Dam Dispute
Revised Wage Rate Under MGNREGA
Context:
The Ministry of Rural Development recently announced new wage rates for the financial year 2022-23 under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Relevance:
GS-II: Social Justice and Governance (Health and Poverty related issues, Government Interventions and Policies, Issues arising out of the design and implementation of Government Policies)
Dimensions of the Article:
- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
- How MGNREGA came to be?
- Features of MGNREGA
- Objectives of MGNREGA
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA, is an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’. This act was passed in September 2005.
- It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
- It covers all districts of India except the ones with 100% urban population.
- MGNREGA is to be implemented mainly by gram panchayats (GPs). The involvement of contractors is banned.
- Apart from providing economic security and creating rural assets, NREGA can help in protecting the environment, empowering rural women, reducing rural-urban migration and fostering social equity, among others.
- The MGNREGA wage rates are fixed according to changes in the CPI-AL (Consumer Price Index-Agriculture Labour), which reflects the increase in the inflation in rural areas.
Revised Rates
- 21 out of 34 states and Union Territories getting less than 5 % increase and 10 states getting more than 5 % hike.
- Of the 31 states and UTs that saw salary increases, Goa saw the highest increase at 7.14 percent.
- Meghalaya has the lowest increase of 1.77 percent, while Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura had no change in their wage rates.
How MGNREGA came to be?
- In 1991, the P.V Narashima Rao government proposed a pilot scheme for generating employment in rural areas with the following goals:
- Employment Generation for agricultural labour during the lean season.
- Infrastructure Development
- Enhanced Food Security
- This scheme was called the Employment Assurance Scheme which later evolved into the MGNREGA after the merger with the Food for Work Programme in the early 2000s.
Features of MGNREGA
- It gives a significant amount of control to the Gram Panchayats for managing public works, strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions.
- Gram Sabhas are free to accept or reject recommendations from Intermediate and District Panchayats.
- It incorporates accountability in its operational guidelines and ensures compliance and transparency at all levels.
Objectives of MGNREGA
- Provide 100 days of guaranteed wage employment to rural unskilled labour
- Increase economic security
- Decrease migration of labour from rural to urban areas.
-Source: Indian Express
UN Human Rights Council
Context:
Recently, The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was scheduled to vote on a draft resolution to suspend Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council as part of the global response to the alleged war crimes in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv, where more than 300 bodies of civilians have been found after the withdrawal of the Russian forces.
Relevance:
GS II- International Relations (Bilateral Groupings & Agreements)
Dimensions of the Article:
- About UN Human Rights Council
- Working of the Council
- Membership
- Issues
Click Here To Read More: UN Human Rights Council
Indian Tent Turtles
Context:
Indian tent turtle is now listed in Schedule –I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and is thereby provided the highest degree of protection.
Relevance:
GS III- Species in News
Dimensions of the Article:
- Indian Tent Turtles
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
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