Daily Current Affairs : Date 11/1/2019

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE

Topics Covered

1. National Clean Air Programme
2. Visual SLAM
3. GST council
4. Capital Conservation Buffer
5. Constitution Bench
6. Amendment to the Fundamental Rights 

1 . National Clean Air Programme

Context : The Centre has launched a programme to reduce particulate matter (PM) pollution by 20-30% in at least 102 cities by 2024. The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which was formally unveiled is envisaged as a scheme to provide the States and the Centre with a framework to combat air pollution.

Background

• The World Health Organisation’s database on air pollution over the years has listed Tier I and Tier II Indian cities as some of the most polluted places in the world. In 2018, 14 of the world’s 15 most polluted cities were in India. A study in the journal Lancet ranked India as No.1 on premature mortality and deaths from air pollution.
• In the past year, the 102 cities, identified as hotspots of pollution, were asked to submit a plan for how they would address the problem. Broadly, the plans include increasing the number of monitoring stations, providing technology support, conducting source apportionment studies, and strengthening enforcement. For achieving the NCAP targets, the cities will have to calculate the reduction in pollution keeping 2017’s average annual PM levels as the base year.

About National Clean Air Programme

• The tentative national level target of 20%–30% reduction of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀  concentration by 2024 is proposed under the NCAP taking 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration. Hence NCAP will be a mid-term, five-year action plan with 2019 as the first year
• Overall objective of the NCAP is comprehensive mitigation actions for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution besides augmenting the air quality monitoring network across the country and strengthening the awareness and capacity building activities.
• The approach for NCAP includes collaborative, multi-scale and cross-sectoral coordination between the relevant central ministries, state governments and local bodies. Dovetailing of the existing policies and programmes including the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and other initiatives of Government of India in reference to climate change will be done while execution of NCAP.
• There will be use of the Smart Cities program to launch the NCAP in the 43 smart cities falling in the list of the 102 non-attainment cities.
• City specific action plans are being formulated for 102 non-attainment cities identified for implementing mitigation actions under NCAP. Cities have already prepared action plans in consultation with CPCB. Institutional Framework at Centre and State Level comprising of Apex Committee at the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change in the Centre and at Chief Secretary Level in the States are to be constituted.
• Other features of NCAP include, increasing number of monitoring stations in the country including rural monitoring stations, technology support, emphasis on awareness and capacity building initiatives, setting up of certification agencies for monitoring equipment, source apportionment studies, emphasis on enforcement, specific sectoral interventions etc.

2 . Visual Slam Technology

Context : Delivery robots, most of them wheeled, with focussed missions make a mark at Las Vegas Gadget Show. Nearly all of these robots use a technology called visual SLAM, short for simultaneous localisation and mapping

About Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) Technology

What is SLAM

• Simultaneous localization and mapping, or SLAM for short, is the process of creating a map using a robot or unmanned vehicle that navigates that environment while using the map it generates. SLAM is technique behind robot mapping or robotic cartography.  
• The robot or vehicle plots a course in an area, but at the same time, it also has to figure out where its own self is located in the place.
• The process of SLAM uses a complex array of computations, algorithms and sensory inputs to navigate around a previously unknown environment or to revise a map of a previously known environment.  
• SLAM enables the remote creation of GIS data in situations where the environment is too dangerous or small for humans to map.

What is VSLAM

• Visual SLAM is a specific type of SLAM system that leverages 3D vision to perform location and mapping functions when neither the environment nor the location of the sensor is known. Visual SLAM technology comes in different forms, but the overall concept functions the same way in all visual SLAM systems.

How it works

• Most visual SLAM systems work by tracking set points through successive camera frames to triangulate their 3D position, while simultaneously using this information to approximate camera pose. Basically, the goal of these systems is to map their surroundings in relation to their own location for the purposes of navigation.
• This is possible with a single 3D vision camera, unlike other forms of SLAM technology. As long as there are a sufficient number of points being tracked through each frame, both the orientation of the sensor and the structure of the surrounding physical environment can be rapidly understood.
• All visual SLAM systems are constantly working to minimize reprojection error, or the difference between the projected and actual points, usually through an algorithmic solution called bundle adjustment. Visual SLAM systems need to operate in real-time, so often location data and mapping data undergo bundle adjustment separately, but simultaneously, to facilitate faster processing speeds before they’re ultimately merged.

3 . GST Council

Context : The GST Council in its 32nd meeting on Thursday — the last before the Budget — took a slew of decisions aimed at reducing the tax and compliance burden on small and medium enterprises, including increasing the threshold limit below which companies are exempt from GST, extending the Composition Scheme to small service providers, and allowing small companies to file annual returns

About GST Council

• Goods & Services Tax Council is a constitutional body for making recommendations to the Union and State Government on issues related to Goods and Service Tax.
• The GST Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and other members are the Union State Minister of Revenue or Finance and Ministers in-charge of Finance or Taxation of all the States.

Complete Details about the GST Council – Click Here

Important decisions taken by GST Council

• Increase in Turnover Limit for the existing Composition Scheme: The limit of Annual Turnover in the preceding Financial Year for availing Composition Scheme for Goods shall be increased to Rs 1.5 crore. Special category States would decide, within one week, about the Composition Limit in their respective States.
• Compliance Simplification: The compliance under Composition Scheme shall be simplified as now they would need to file one Annual Return but Payment of Taxes would remain Quarterly (along with a simple declaration).
• Higher Exemption Threshold Limit for Supplier of Goods: There would be two Threshold Limits for exemption from Registration and Payment of GST for the suppliers of Goods i.e. Rs 40 lakhs and Rs 20 lakhs. States would have an option to decide about one of the limits within a weeks’ time. The Threshold for Registration for Service Providers would continue to be Rs 20 lakhs and in case of Special Category States at Rs 10 lakhs.
• Composition   Scheme for Services: A Composition Scheme shall be made available for Suppliers of Services (or Mixed Suppliers) with a Tax Rate of 6% (3% CGST +3% SGST) having an Annual Turnover in the preceding Financial Year up to Rs 50 lakhs. The said Scheme Shall be applicable to both Service Providers as well as Suppliers of Goods and Services, who are not eligible for the presently available Composition Scheme for Goods. They would be liable to file one Annual Return with Quarterly Payment of Taxes (along with a Simple Declaration).
• Free Accounting and Billing Software shall be provided to Small Taxpayers by GSTN.
• Matters referred to Group of Ministers:

1. A seven Member Group of Ministers shall be constituted to examine the proposal of giving a Composition Scheme to Boost the Residential Segment of the Real Estate Sector.
2. A Group of Ministers shall be constituted to examine the GST Rate Structure on Lotteries.

• Revenue Mobilization for Natural Calamities: GST Council approved Levy of Cess on Intra-State Supply of Goods and Services within the State of Kerala at a rate not exceeding 1% for a period not exceeding 2 years.

About Composition Scheme

• Composition scheme under the law is for small businesses. This is to bring relief to small businesses so that they need not be burdened with the compliance provisions under the law. Thus, an option has been provided where they can opt to pay a fixed percentage of turnover as fees in lieu of tax and be relieved from the detailed compliance of the provisions of law.

4 . Capital Conservation

Context : The Reserve Bank on Thursday deferred the implementation of the last tranche of Capital Conservation Buffer (CCB) by a year, a move that would leave about an estimated Rs. 37,000 crore capital in the hands of banks.

What is Capital Buffer

• A capital buffer is mandatory capital that financial institutions are required to hold in addition to other minimum capital requirements.
• Regulations targeting the creation of adequate capital buffers are designed to reduce the procyclical nature of lending by promoting the creation of countercyclical buffers as set forth in the Basel III regulatory reforms created by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.

What is Capital Conservation Buffer

• The CCB is the capital buffer that banks have to accumulate in normal times to be used for offsetting losses during periods of stress.
• It was introduced after the 2008 global financial crisis to improve the ability of banks to withstand adverse economic conditions.

5 . Constitution Bench

Context : CJI constituted a five-judge Bench to hear the Ayodhya appeals, Justice Gogoi observed that it was always open for the CJI to constitute Benches of such strength that he deemed proper.

When is Constitutional Bench Created

• Usually, constitution Benches are constituted to answer substantial questions of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution or in case of a reference from the President. Constitution Benches are also formed in the Supreme Court on judicial references made by smaller Benches of the court.

What the Article 143 of the Constitution says

• The minimum number of Judges who are to sit for the purpose of deciding any case involving a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of this Constitution or for the purpose of hearing any reference under Article 143 shall be five:
• Provided that, where the Court hearing an appeal under any of the provisions of this chapter other than Article 132 consists of less than five Judges and in the course of the hearing of the appeal the Court is satisfied that the appeal involves a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of this Constitution the determination of which is necessary for the disposal of the appeal, such Court shall refer the question for opinion to a Court constituted as required by this clause for the purpose of deciding any case involving such a question and shall on receipt of the opinion dispose of the appeal in conformity with such opinion

Why is a Constitution Bench created in the Ayodhya case

• In a judicial order explaining his recent administrative decision to constitute a five-judge Bench to hear the Ayodhya appeals, Justice Gogoi observed that it was always open for the CJI to constitute Benches of such strength that he deemed proper.
• Justice Gogoi justified his administrative order to form a Constitution Bench by referring to Order VI, Rule 1 of the Supreme Court Rules of 2013. This provision provides that cases in the apex court should be heard by a Bench of minimum two judges. That means it is completely left to the discretion of the CJI to decide the numerical size of a Bench.
• The wide discretion of the CJI again is found in the ‘Practice and Procedure’ rule book followed by the Supreme Court.Here again, under the head ‘Constitution Bench’, it is found that The Chief Justice may, from time to time, constitute a Bench consisting of five or more Judges for the purpose of hearing any other cause, appeal or matter

6 . Amendment to the Fundamental Rights

Context : Bill providing 10% reservation to economically weaker section may not require ratification by legislative assembly as it is an amendment to the fundamental right

How the bill affects Fundamental Rights

• The Bill, passed by both the Houses of Parliament, adds new clauses to Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution. Both the Articles come under the part of ‘Fundamental Rights’ in the text of the Constitution. They are part of the ‘right to equality’ section of the fundamental rights envisaged in the Constitution.
• The new clause (6) to Article 15 allows the government to carve reservation for the economically weaker sections of society in higher educational institutions, including private ones, whether they are aided or not by the State. Minority educational institutions are exempted.
• Likewise, the new clause (6) to Article 16 provides for quota for economically deprived sections in the initial appointment in government services

Why it need not be ratified by States

• The proviso to Article 368 makes it clear that when a Constitution amendment of a fundamental right is in question, the Bill concerned need not be sent to the States’ Legislative Assemblies for ratification.
• Only Constitution amendments which affect the Centre-State relations or division of powers in a federal structure require subsequent ratification by the States’ Legislatures before the Presidential assent