National Womens Day is observed on 13 February
Context :
National Women’s Day is observed on 13 February every year. The day marks the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu. The day was first celebrated on 13 February 2014 marks the 135th birth anniversary of late Sarojini Naidu. The day was designated to honour the work and contribution of Sarojini Naidu.
Sarojini Naidu :
- Sarojini Naidu was born on 13 February 1879. She was nicknamed as the ‘Nightingale of India’ because of her poems. In 1928, the British government awarded Kaiser-i-Hind for her work during the plague epidemic in India.
- She was the first female governor of India. She served in the United provinces (present Uttar Pradesh) from 1947-1949. She participated actively in the Indian National Movement for the independence of India.
- Golden Threshold, The Bird of Time: Songs of Life, Death, and the Spring, Feast of Youth, The Magic Tree, The Wizard Mask, Muhammad Jinnah: An Ambassador of Unity, The Sceptred Flute: Songs of India, Allahabad: Kitabistan, The Indian Weavers are the literary works of Sarojini Naidu. She died on 2 March 1949 due to a heart attack.
Note: International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March every year.
New Zealand unveils first AI police officer called Ella
Context :
New Zealand Police has recruited an Artificial Intelligence (AI) cop called Ella to the force. New Zealand’s Intela AI and Soul Machines led the AI and digital human development of the AI cop.
AI cop Ella :
- Ella is a life-like virtual assistant. It uses real-time animation to emulate face-to-face interaction in an empathetic way.
- It will be stationed in the lobby of the force’s national headquarters in Wellington from 17 February.
- It will welcome visitors to the building, telling the staff that they’ve arrived, and directing them to collect their passes.
- It can talk to visitors about certain issues, such as the force’s non-emergency number and police vetting procedures.
- After reviewing its current roles, a range of new responsibilities will be added in the future.
Vivad Se Vishwas scheme
Context :
The vivad se vishwas scheme was announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her budget speech on February 1, 2020. The scheme aims to settle the huge number of pending direct tax cases.
About Vivad Se Vishwas Scheme : The Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020:
- The amnesty scheme, at present, covers disputes pending at the level of commissioner (appeals), Income Tax Appellate Tribunals (ITAT), high courts, the Supreme Court and those in international arbitration.
- It offers a complete waiver on interest and penalty to the taxpayers who pay their pending taxes by March 31.
- The scheme aims to benefit those whose tax demands are locked in dispute in multiple forums.
- If a taxpayer is not able to pay direct taxes by March 31st then, he will get further time till June 30th. However, in that case, he would have to pay 10 percent more on the tax.
How much :
- In case it is just the interest and the penalty which is in dispute, the taxpayer will have to pay 25% of the disputed amount till March 31, and subsequently, it will be 30%.
- If a taxpayer is not able to pay within the March 31 deadline, he gets a further time till June 30, but in that case, he would have to pay 10% more on the tax.
- In case it is just the interest and the penalty which is in dispute, the taxpayer will have to pay 25% of the disputed amount till March 31, and subsequently, it will be 30%.
Significance:
The scheme aims to resolve 483,000 direct tax-related disputes pending in various appellate forums.
Pesticides Management Bill, 2020
Context :
The Pesticides Management Bill, 2020 has been approved by the Union Cabinet.
- The Bill will regulate the business of pesticides and compensate farmers in case of losses from the use of agrochemicals.
- Agrochemicals imply chemicals used in agriculture, such as a pesticide or fertilizer.
- Currently, the pesticide business is regulated by rules under the Insecticides Act 1968.
Key Features of the Bill :
- Pesticide Data: It will empower farmers by providing them with all the information about the strength and weakness of pesticides, the risk and alternatives. All information will be available openly as data in digital format and in all languages.
- Compensation: The Bill has a unique feature in the form of a provision for compensations in case there is any loss because of the spurious or low quality of pesticides.
- If required, a central fund will be formed to take care of the compensations.
- Organic Pesticides: The Bill also intends to promote organic pesticides.
- Registration of Pesticide Manufacturers: All pesticide manufacturers have to be registered and bound by the new Act, once it is passed. The advertisements of pesticides will be regulated so there should be no confusion or no cheating by the manufacturers.
Use of Pesticides in India :
- India is among the leading producers of pesticides in Asia.
- In the domestic market, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana are among the states with the highest recorded consumption.
- Spurious Pesticides:
- They harm crop, soil fertility and the environment.
- Spurious agrochemicals are responsible for the losses of not just farmers but also producers of genuine agrochemicals and the government, which loses revenue from the sales of the counterfeit versions of the real farm inputs.
Jal Jeevan Mission
Context :
Rajasthan has demanded higher central assistance for Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to achieve the targets of the mission.
Jal Jeevan Mission :
- Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) envisages supply of 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.
- JJM focuses on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level.
- Creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, like rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and management of household wastewater for reuse, would be undertaken in convergence with other government programmes/schemes.
- The Mission is based on a community approach to water and includes extensive Information, Education and Communication as a key component of the mission.
- JJM looks to create a jan andolan for water, thereby making it everyone’s priority.
- Funding Pattern: The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and states is 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern States, 50:50 for other states, and 100% for Union Territories.
- The Central government has recently released the operational guidelines for JJM.
- For the implementation of JJM, following institutional arrangement has been proposed:
- National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) at the Central level
- State Water and Sanitation Mission (SWSM) at the State level
- District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM) at the District level
- Village Water Sanitation Committee (VWSC) at Village level
- Every village will prepare a Village Action Plan (VAP) which will have three components:
- Water source & its maintenance
- Water supply and
- Greywater (domestic wastewater) management.
- For the implementation of JJM, following institutional arrangement has been proposed:
Source:TH