PIB 16th June 2021

ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA

Focus: GS II- Constitution

Why in news?

ECI organised a virtual conference of Chief Electoral Officers.

About Election Commission of India:

• The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India.
• The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative Assemblies in India, and the offices of the President and Vice President in the country.

Articles related to Elections
324	Superintendence, direction and control of elections to be vested in an Election Commission.
325	No person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special, electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex.
326	Elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assemblies of States to be on the basis of adult suffrage.
327	Power of Parliament to make provision with respect to elections to Legislatures.
328	Power of Legislature of a State to make provision with respect to elections to such Legislature.
329	Bar to interference by courts in electoral matters.

Composition of Election Commission

Article 324 of the Constitution has made the following provisions with regard to the composition of the election commission:

• The President appoints the Chief Election Commissioner and other election commissioners.
• When any other EC is so appointed, the CEC acts as the Election Commission’s Chairman.
• The President can also appoint regional commissioners to assist the Commission, if necessary after consulting with the Election Commission.
• The tenure of office and the conditions of service of all the commissioners shall be determined by the country’s President.

Some Powers:

• The Election Commission of India is considered the guardian of free and reasonable elections.
• It issues the Model Code of Conduct in every election for political parties and candidates so that the decorum of democracy is maintained.
• It regulates political parties and registers them for being eligible to contest elections.
• It publishes the allowed limits of campaign expenditure per candidate to all the political parties, and also monitors the same.
• The political parties must submit their annual reports to the ECI for getting tax benefit on contributions.
• It guarantees that all the political parties regularly submit their audited financial reports.

Other powers handled by the Election Commission of India are as follows:

• The Commission can repress the results of opinion polls if it deems such an action fit for the cause of democracy.
• The Commission can recommend for disqualification of members after the elections if it thinks they have violated certain guidelines.
• In case, a candidate is found guilty of dishonest practices during the elections, the Supreme Court and High Courts consult the Commission.
• The Commission can postpone candidates who fail to submit their election expense accounts timely.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION

Focus: GS II- International Groupings

Why in news?

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare  addressed the 42nd session of FAO Conference.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

• The Food and Agriculture Organization is an specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
• FAO is also a source of knowledge and information and helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, ensuring good nutrition and food security for all.
• Formation: 16 October 1945, in Quebec City, Canada
• Headquarters: Rome, Italy
• The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-2) also aims to “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” by 2030.
• It maintains regional and field offices around the world, operating in over 130 countries.
• It also conducts research, provides technical assistance to projects, operates educational and training programs, and collects data on agricultural output, production, and development.
• Composed of 197 member states, the FAO is governed by a biennial conference representing each member country and the European Union, which elects a 49-member executive council.
• The Director-General serves as the chief administrative officer.

DEDICATED FREIGHT CORRIDOR

Focus: GS III- Infrastructure

Why in news?

The Indian Army conducted a successful trial by moving a military train loaded with vehicles and equipment from New Rewari to New Phulera validating the efficacy of the DFC. 

About Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC):

• It is a high speed and high capacity railway corridor that is exclusively meant for the transportation of  goods and commodities.
• It involves integration of better infrastructure and state of the art technology.

Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC):

• It starts at Sahnewal (Ludhiana) in Punjab and ends at Dankuni in West Bengal.
• The EDFC route has coal mines, thermal power plants and industrial cities.
• The EDFC route covers Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal
• The World Bank is funding a majority of the EDFC.

Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC):

• The other arm is the around 1,500-km WDFC from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai, touching all major ports along the way.
• The WDFC covers Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
• It is being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
• Connecting Link for Eastern and Western Arm: It is under construction between Dadri and Khurja.

Benefits:

• Logistics costs will be reduced.
• Higher energy efficiency.
• Faster movement of goods.
• It is environmentally friendly.
• It will provide ease of doing business.
• Helps in generating more employment.

SANKALP SE SIDDH

Focus: GS II- Government policies and Interventions

Why in news?

TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched “Sankalp se Siddhi – Mission Van Dhan”

About Sankalp se siddh

• It is a 100 day drive which was stared from 1st of April.
• The drive will entail 150 teams visiting ten villages each of which 10 in each region from TRIFED and State Implementation Agencies, visiting ten villages each.
• The main aim of this drive is to activate the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras in these villages. 
• The visiting teams will also identify locations and shortlist potential Van Dhan Vikas Kendras for clustering as TRIFOOD, and Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries- SFURTI units as larger enterprises. 
• TRIFOOD aims to enhance the income of tribals through better utilization of and value addition to the Minor Forest Produce collected by the tribal forest gatherers.
• It is expected that Sankalp Se Siddhi will aid in effecting a complete transformation of the tribal ecosystem across the country.