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  • What are Scheduled Banks?

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has informed that Airtel Payments Bank Ltd. has been categorized as a Scheduled Bank.

    Why such a move?

    • With this, the bank can now pitch for government-issued Requests for Proposals (RFP) and primary auctions.
    • It can undertake both Central and State Government businesses participating in government-operated welfare schemes.

    What are Scheduled Banks?

    • Scheduled Banks refer to those banks which have been included in the Second Schedule of Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
    • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in turn includes only those banks in this Schedule which satisfy the criteria laid down vide section 42(6)(a) of the said Act.
    • Every Scheduled bank enjoys two types of principal facilities: it becomes eligible for debts/loans at the bank rate from the RBI; and, it automatically acquires the membership of clearing house.
    • Banks not under this Schedule are called Non-Scheduled Banks

    Types of Scheduled Banks

    There are two main categories of commercial banks in India namely:

    1. Scheduled Commercial banks
    2. Scheduled Co-operative banks

    Scheduled commercial Banks are further divided into 5 types as below:

    1. Nationalised Banks
    2. Development Banks
    3. Regional Rural Banks
    4. Foreign Banks
    5. Private sector Banks

    Payment bank (currently four banks Airtel Payments Bank, Fino Payments Bank, India Post Payments Bank, Paytm Payments Bank have been granted Scheduled bank status).

    Scheduled Co-operative banks are further divided into 2 types namely:

    1. Scheduled State Co-operative banks
    2. Scheduled Urban Co-operative banks

     

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  • India’s first open Rock Museum in Hyderabad

    The Ministry of Science & Technology has inaugurated India’s first open rock museum displaying different types of rocks gathered from different States of ages ranging from 3.3 billion years to around 55 million years.

    Rock System in India

    Based on this complex and varied geological history, the Geological Survey of India has classified rock systems of the country into 4 major divisions:

    1. Archaean Rock System
    2. Dravidian Rock System
    3. Purana Rock System
    4. Aryan Rock System

    [I] Archaean Rock System:

    The Archaean group of rocks consists of two systems-(a) Achaean granites and gneisses, and (b) Dharwarian sedimentary:

    Archaean Gneisses and Schists (pre-2500 million years)

    • The Archean System contains the first formed rocks of the earth.
    • The rocks are primarily gneisses and granites, having no marks of fossils.
    • They often underlie the strata formed subsequently and the system is generally known as the basement complex or fundamental gneisses.
    • The Archaean rocks cover two-thirds of peninsular India. They also occur in the roots of the mountain peaks all along the Greater Himalayas, trans-Himalayan ranges of Zaskar, Ladakh and Karakoram.

    Dharwar System (2500-1800 million years ago)

    • The weathering of the Archaean rocks yielded the earliest sediments and formed the oldest sedimentary strata, the Dharwar system.
    • These are found today in metamorphic forms and do not contain fossils.
    • These rocks occur in scattered patches in parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, central and eastern parts of Chotanagpur plateau, Meghalaya plateau, Aravalis, Himalayan region etc

    Mineral contents:

    • They contain gneisses (which range from granite to gabbro) and schists (crystalline rocks such as mica, talc etc.).
    • These rocks have metallic and non-metallic minerals like copper, tin, graphite, lead, zinc, etc.

    [II] Dravidian Rock System:

    • This is also known as carboniferous rock system and formed during the Paleozoic era, i.e., from 600- 300 million years ago.
    • They are not much abundant in India.
    • They have plentiful fossils and beginning of coal formation can be seen in this period. The quality of carboniferous coal is high.
    • They are found in extra- Peninsular regions of the Himalayas and the Gangetic plains.

    Mineral content

    • This type of rock system comprises of limestones, shale and quartzite and Mount Everest is formed of upper Carboniferous limestones.
    • Most of the coal is not of the Carboniferous period, which is found in India.
    • The meaning of Carboniferous in geology is coal-bearing.

    [III] Purana Rock System:

    The Purana rock system has two divisions: Cuddapah system and Vindhyan system. The word ‘Purana’ was used in place of a Proterozoic era in India.

    Cuddapah Rock system:

    • They are observed in Cuddapah districts of Andhra Pradesh.
    • The non-fossiliferous clay, slates, sandstones and limestones were accumulated in the depression between two-fold mountains which is known as synclinal basins.
    • They also have a large accumulation of building purpose cement grade limestones and quartzites.
    • This type of rock contains ore of iron, cobalt, nickel, manganese etc.

    Vindhya Rock System:

    • This type of rock system is also ancient or old sedimentary rocks which are superimposed on the Archaean rock base and derived its name from Vindhya mountains.
    • The recognition of fossils is negligible, only traces of few animal and plant life were found.
    • This rock system has diamond-bearing regions from which Golconda and Panna diamond mined.

    [IV] Aryan Rock System

    The Aryan rock system in India has the following four subsystems:

    1. Gondwana rock system
    2. Jurassic Rock System
    3. Cretaceous system/ Deccan Trap
    4. Tertiary rock system

    (1) Gondwana Rock System:

    • These are found mainly in Raniganj, Jharia regions of Jharkhand, Damodar valley, Pench valley in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
    • They are called so after the name of Gondwana tribe (indigenous people especially residing in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh region).
    • In this type of rock system, you found metallic minerals like iron, manganese, uranium etc. other than coal.
    • They have low carbon content as it is much younger than Carboniferous coal. These rocks have nearly 98% of India’s coal reserve.

    (2) Jurassic Rock System

    • During the latter part of Jurrasic when sea level rises as compared to land and shoreline moves towards ground or land which result in a flood. In geology, this phenomenon is called marine transgression.
    • This gives rise to a thick series of shallow-water deposits kin Rajasthan and Kutch. Between the Guntur and Rajamundry, another transgression in the east coast of Peninsula.
    • In Kuchchh, coral limestone, shales and conglomerates are found.

    (3) Deccan traps

    • These are formed by the flow of magma over the solidified rock system in layers.
    • Deccan trap gets rise due to volcanic outburst over a major area of Peninsular India from the end of Cretaceous till the beginning of Eocene.
    • The meaning of trap is “stair” or “step” in Swedish and called due to deposition of the volcanic outburst which has a flat top and steep sides.
    • It is mainly found in parts of Kuchchh, Saurashtra, Maharashtra, the Malwa plateau and Northern Karnataka and presently cover near 5 lakh sq. Km.
    • Regur, which is black soil, is formed due to the weathering of these rocks for a long time.

    (4) Tertiary rock system

    • The formation of this type of rock system occurs from 60 to 7 million years ago.
    • It is the most noteworthy period in India’s geological history as the Himalayas were born and recent form came in this period.

    Also read:

    The Geological Structure of India

     

     

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  • [Yojana Archive] GI Tagging of Rural Products

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    Background

    • India realized the need to protect its indigenous, unique, and reputed products through GI when an American company was given a patent of Basmati rice, and India had to resort to an expensive procedure of challenging the patent in the US court of law.
    • This necessitated India to enact the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 in 2003 to give protection for GI through sui generis legislation.
    • To facilitate this process, the Geographical Indications Registry of India was set up in Chennai.
    • Darjeeling tea was the first Indian product that was awarded the GI tag in 2004 for its naturally occurring quality, flavor, and market potential.

    Arriving at GI framework

    • The present international framework on the Geographical Indications (GIs) derives its strength from Article 22 of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
    • It defines GIs as ‘indications which identify a good as originating in the territory of a member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristics of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin’.
    • GI are also covered as an element of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) under Articles 1(2) and 10 of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.

    What is Geographical Indication (GI)?

    • GI is not a property right given to an individual to use it, rather it is attributed to goods or services specific to a region which allows every producer in the specified region to use the said GI.
    • It is applicable as long as the quality of the GI goods is similar to the specified qualities of the identified product of the said region.
    • This mandates member countries to provide for the protection of all GIs, where the obligation is for the members to provide the’ legal means for interested parties’, to secure protection of their GIs.

    Need for GI

    In general, GIs backed up by solid business management can bring competitive advantage by:

    • More added value to a product
    • Increased export opportunities
    • Strengthened brand of produce
    • Protect Indian products
    • Better price and branding
    • Recognition of uniqueness

    Initiatives taken by India

    In a bid to popularize India’s GI-tagged products and works of artisans, the government is aiming to market the products in international markets.

    • GI Logo and taglines: While launching the new logo for the GI products, a new tagline for promotion ‘Invaluable Treasure of Incredible India’ has been selected.
    • Marketing: The Ministry of Commerce is working with the Ministry of Civil Aviation as well as the Ministry of Railway to arrange a display for GI-tagged products.
    • Dedicated GI stores: India’s very first GI Store of Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPCI) was launched in 2019, at the departure terminal of Goa.
    • Export promotion: India’s Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2021-2026, which targets to achieve the exports value to USD 1.0 trillion by 2025, has recognized GI-tagged Agri commodities as one of the growth drivers.
    • Various exemptions: Another small but important step to boost indigenous toys production to support artisans and MSMEs is the government adopting Toys (Quality Control) Second Amendment Order, 2020 which exempts goods manufactured and sold by artisans and those registered as GI from Quality Control Orders.
    • Buyer-Seller Meets: Many agencies as well as the State governments are now frequently organizing Buyer-Seller Meet with a specific focus on GI-tagged products.

    Way forward

    • Awareness: There is a need to prepare a strategy to raise awareness about various GI products, and the difference between GI and non-GI products amongst local farmers, consumers, and other relevant stakeholders.
    • Promotions through policy input: The Central Government needs to come out with some long-term policy to provide Indian GI products an assured domestic as well as international market.
    • FPOs promotion: The Central Sector Scheme of promotion and nurturing of 10,000 Agri-based Farmers Producers Organisations (FPOs), is being implemented through three national agencies, NABARD, SFAC, and NCDC, and a few other agencies.
    • Cluster approach: Ex. One District One Product (ODOP) has been adopted to increase value addition, marketing, and exports which will benefit small, marginal, and landless farmers by giving access to technological inputs, finances, and better markets and prices for their crops.
    • Necessary infrastructure: The government needs to make efforts for creating required infrastructures such as customs clearance facilities, laboratory testing facilities, pack-houses, and pre-cooling facilities, which would harness and boost the exports potential of GI products.

    Conclusion

    • Despite GI tagging, the commercial performance of many GI products is not up to the mark, even in the domestic market.
    • Therefore, the govt may identify such product-place clusters and evaluate them commercially to develop them in their entirety.
    • Setting up an incubation centre for helping users/farmers/entrepreneurs for obtaining GI and traceability solutions of their produce may help GI products to grow.

    Click here to read all GI tags in news:

    GI(Geographical Indicator) Tags

  • How to control cyber crime against women

    Context

    The open-source app, Bulli Bai, hosted on the web platform GitHub for “auctioning Muslim women” has laid bare the harassment women face online.

    Cybercrimes against women

    • As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) there were around 825 million internet users in India at the end of March 2021.
    • The minuscule amount of rogue elements among these internet users have the lethal capability to create havoc in the nation, its polity, economy and the personal and professional lives of citizens.
    • Reluctance to file case: Many times, police officers are approached by anxious parents, days before marriage, seeking help about fake profiles or morphed photographs of their daughters on the internet.
    • A formal police case is thus never lodged.
    • The stark reality is that cyber blackmailing, stalking and bullying is a humongous issue, causing a lot of stress to women and their families.
    •  NCRB statistics show that total cyber crimes in India during 2020 were 50,035, and those specifically against women were only 10,405.

    Steps need to be taken

    • Promt reporting and registration: To find out the true magnitude of cyber crime, prompt reporting and registration are the only options.
    • International cooperation through treaties: There are many international gangs which successfully avoid detection as “servers” used by them are located outside India.
    • International cooperation through formal treaties and informal channels has to be pursued.
    • CERT-IN has been doing commendable work in this regard.
    • Registering a criminal case is the first crucial step as it sets the law into motion, leading to tracing, arresting and prosecuting the rogues even if they are located outside the country.
    • Increase awareness:  There is need to increase awareness about cyber safety and security so that youth, especially young girls and women, take proper precautions while surfing the virtual world.
    • Better policing: As for the police, we do need better infrastructure, more special cyber cells and police stations, regular training, and collaboration with cyber experts on a continuous basis.
    • Strengthening the capability of forensic laboratories can lead to timely collection of evidence of cyber bullying, threatening, morphing and profiling.
    • Many state labs do not have sufficient numbers of cyber experts to seize, preserve and store images of digital evidence essential for securing conviction in courts.
    • The central government has given funds to states and Union territories under the Cyber Crime Prevention Against Women and Children (CCPWC) scheme to start “cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories”.
    • Fast trial: Fast trial of cyber crimes would indeed help. As per the NCRB, during 2020, court trials were completed in only nine cases of cyber blackmailing and threatening with a 66.7 per cent conviction rate — 393 such cases are pending in courts.
    • Systematic training of prosecutors and judicial officers in dealing with cyber crimes would definitely speed up trials.

    Conclusion

    Prompt reporting of cyber crime by citizens, technically proficient investigation by police adequately supported by forensics, and time-bound completion of court trials are essential for catching cyber offenders who are terrorising people, especially women, in the virtual as well as the real world.

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  • Significance of Delhi government’s recognition to fifth Sikh Takht

    The Delhi Assembly has passed an amendment Bill to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1971, recognizing Takht Damdama Sahib as the fifth Takht of Sikhs.

    What is a Sikh Takht?

    • A Takht, which means a throne, is a seat of temporal authority for Sikhs.
    • There are five Sikh Takhts, three in Punjab and one each in Maharashtra and Bihar.

    (1) Akal Takht

    • Located in Amritsar, it is the oldest of the Takhts, and considered supreme among the five.
    • It was set up in 1606 by Guru Hargobind, whose succession as the sixth Guru after the execution of his father, Guru Arjan Dev, is considered a turning point in Sikh history.
    • The Akal Takht, a raised platform that he built in front of the causeway leading to the sanctum sanctorum of the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple).
    • It symbolised the coming together of the temporal authority and the political sovereignty of the Sikh community (miri) with the spiritual authority (piri).
    • It is seen as the first marker of Sikh nationalism.

    The other four Takhts are linked to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru.

    (2) Takht Keshgarh Sahib

    • Located in Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. It was here that Guru Gobind Singh raised Khalsa, the initiated Sikh warriors, in 1699.

    (3) Takht Patna Sahib

    • Guru Gobind Singh was born here in 1666.

    (4) Takht Hazur Sahib

    • In Nanded, where Guru Gobin Singh spent time and where he was cremated in 1708.

    (5) Takht Damdama Sahib

    • In Talwandi Sabo of Bathinda. Guru Gobind Singh spent several months here.

    What does the amendment to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act mean?

    • Simply put, it adds one more ex officio member in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managament Committee (DSGMC) house.
    • Earlier, there were four ex officio members in the house — the chiefs (jathedars) of the other four Sikh Takhts.

    Is it the first time it has been recognised as the fifth Takht?

    • It was back in 1999 that Takht Damdama Sahib was recognised as the fifth Sikh Takht by the Union Home Ministry.
    • It included it as such in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 (Punjab Act VIII of 1925) with a notification dated April 23, 1999.
    • Before that, an SGPC sub-committee had declared it the fifth Takht of Sikhs back in November 1966 after Punjab was carved out as a separate state through the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.

    How politically significant is the move?

    • It comes ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, where the, Delhi’s ruling party, has high stakes.

    What is the role of the Sikh Takhts?

    • The Takhts are known to issue hukumnamas (morality orders) from time to time on issues that concern the Sikh community.
    • Akal Takht is supreme among them because it is the oldest and was created by a Sikh Guru himself, say Sikh scholars.
    • Any edict or order concerning the entire community is issued only from Akal Takht.
    • It is from Akal Takht that Sikhs found to be violating the Sikh doctrine and code of conduct are awarded religious punishment (declared tankhaiya).

    Who appoints the jathedars of the Takhts?

    • The three Takhts in Punjab are directly controlled by the SGPC, which appoints the jathedars.
    • The SGPC is dominated by SAD members.
    • It is widely understood that SAD puts the final seal on the appointment of these three jathedars.
    • The two Takhts outside Punjab have their own trusts and boards.

     

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  • China’s bridge over Pangong Tso

    China is building a bridge across the Pangong Tso area connecting the North and South Banks which will significantly reduce the time for moving troops and equipment between the two sides.

    About Pangong Tso

    • Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,350 m.
    • It is 134 km long and extends from India to the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China.
    • Approximately 60% of the length of the lake lies within the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
    • The lake is 5 km wide at its broadest point. All together it covers 604 sq.km.
    • During winter the lake freezes completely, despite being saline water.
    • It is not a part of the Indus river basin area and is geographically a separate landlocked river basin.
    • Earlier, Pangong Tso had an outlet to Shyok River, a tributary of Indus River, but it was closed off due to natural damming.

    Tactical significance of the lake

    • It lies in the path of the Chushul approach, one of the main approaches that China can use for an offensive into Indian Territory.
    • During the 1962 war, this was where China launched its main offensive — the Indian Army fought heroically at Rezang La under Maj. Shaitan Singh.
    • Not far away, to the north of the lake, is the Army’s Dhan Singh Thapa post, named after Major Dhan Singh Thapa who was awarded the country’s highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra.
    • Major Thapa and his platoon were manning the Sirijap-1 outpost which was essential for the defense of the Chushul airfield.

    Connectivity in the region

    • Over the years, the Chinese have built motorable roads along their banks of the Pangong Tso. This points to the importance accorded by the Chinese to the area.
    • Even during peacetime, the difference in perception over where the LAC lies on the northern bank of the lake makes this contested terrain.
    • In 1999, when the Army unit from the area was moved to Kargil for Operation Vijay, China took the opportunity to build 5 km of a road inside the Indian Territory along the lake’s bank.
    • From one of these roads, Chinese positions physically overlook Indian positions on the northern tip of the Pangong Tso Lake.

    What is the importance of the bridge over Pangong Tso?

    • The bridge over Pangong Tso is located around 25 kms ahead of the LAC in Chinese territory and will significantly reduce the time for movement of Chinese army.
    • The Indian Army gained tactical advantage over the PLA on the south bank in end August 2020 by occupying several peaks lying vacant since 1962 gaining a dominating view.
    • This has prompted China to build deep alternate roads behind the friction points away from the line of sight.

    How is India responding to developments on the ground?

    • The bridge is well within Chinese territory.
    • The implications of this new bridge will have to be factored in the Indian Army’s operational planning for the future.
    • On its part, over the last few years India has been focusing on infrastructure development in forward areas and improving connectivity to the forward areas.
    • Large-scale construction of roads, bridges and tunnels is underway all along the LAC.

     

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  • Traditional vaccines just as effective, say US Scientists

    Vaccines like Biological E’s Corbevax and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin that are made by traditional methods are “just as effective” as the latest mRNA technology-based vaccines a/c to US scientists.

    What are Vaccines?

    • A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease.
    • It typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins, or one of its surface proteins.

    Types of Vaccines

    There are several types of vaccines, including:

    • Inactivated vaccines
    • Live-attenuated vaccines
    • Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines
    • Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines
    • Viral vector vaccines

    [1] Inactivated vaccines

    • Inactivated vaccines use the killed version of the germ that causes a disease.
    • Inactivated vaccines usually don’t provide immunity (protection) that’s as strong as live vaccines.
    • So you may need several doses over time (booster shots) in order to get ongoing immunity against diseases.
    • Inactivated vaccines are used to protect against: Hepatitis A, Flu (shot only), Polio (shot only), Rabies etc.

    [2] Live-attenuated vaccines

    • Live vaccines use a weakened (or attenuated) form of the germ that causes a disease.
    • Because these vaccines are so similar to natural infection that they help prevent, they create a strong and long-lasting immune response.
    • Just 1 or 2 doses of most live vaccines can give you a lifetime of protection against a germ and the disease it causes.
    • They need to be kept cool in refrigerated conditions.
    • Live vaccines are used to protect against Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), Rotavirus, Smallpox, Chickenpox, Yellow fever

    [3] Messenger RNA vaccines

    • Researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades and this technology was used to make some of the COVID-19 vaccines.
    • mRNA vaccines make proteins in order to trigger an immune response.
    • mRNA vaccines have several benefits compared to other types of vaccines, including shorter manufacturing times and, because they do not contain a live virus, no risk of causing disease in the person getting vaccinated.

    How does mRNA vaccine work?

    • The mRNA vaccines function differently from traditional vaccines.
    • Traditional vaccines stimulate an antibody response by injecting a human with antigens.
    • mRNA vaccines inject a fragment of the RNA sequence of a virus directly into the cells, which then stimulate an adaptive immune response mRNA fragment is a specific piece of the virus that carries instructions to build the antigen of the virus.
    • An advantage of RNA vaccines is that they stimulate cellular immunity.

     

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  • Sansad TV Perspective: Protecting E-Com Consumers

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    Context

    • Every year, 24th of December is observed as National Consumer Day.
    • On this day, the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the president.
    • The enactment of this Act is considered as a historic milestone in the consumer movement in the country.

    This day presents an opportunity to highlight the importance of the consumer movement, the need to make people aware of their rights as consumers, and to ensure consumers with effective safeguards against different types of exploitation such as defective goods, deficiency in services and unfair trade practices.

    In this age of e-commerce, which facilitated creation of new approaches to service and product delivery, the challenges of ensuring customer protection have grown manifold. It has raised multiple questions:

    1. How are the interests of e-commerce consumers being protected?
    2. How free and fair competition in e-com market is being encouraged?
    3. How redressal mechanisms for consumer grievances are being strengthened?

    E-Commerce boom since Pandemic

    • The significance of e-commerce has gained attention especially at time of pandemic where the entire value chain and flow of goods and services were dependent on e-commerce.
    • It was discussed that the emergence of the e-commerce market has created several avenues for online frauds, counterfeit products that affect consumer safety.

    Various threats to consumers on E-Com platforms

    [A] INFORMATION

    • Sharing unwanted program- Adware
    • Spyware
    • Browser parasites
    • Cyber-stalking
    • Risks to behavioural data

    [B] ORDERING OF PRODUCTS

    • Risk of misuse of behavioural pattern data
    • Malicious recommender algorithm

    [C] PAYMENT

    • Phishing (Threat to login credentials and credit card numbers)
    • Pharming attacks (fake websites)
    • Salami attacks (very small amounts of money from thousands of bank accounts is manipulated at once)
    • Risks to transaction data

    [D] DELIVERY

    • Breach of contract. Ex. Product quality, delivery time etc.

    [E] SUPPORT

    • Processing of cancellation
    • Refund
    • Service related issues

    Rationale for Consumer Protection in E-commerce

    • All consumers need to have access to e-commerce.
    • To build consumer trust/confidence in e-commerce, the continued development of transparent and effective consumer protection mechanisms is required to check fraudulent, misleading, and unfair practices online.
    • All stakeholders-government, businesses, consumers, and their representatives- must pay close attention to creating effective redress systems.

    E-Commerce Rules

    • Framed under Consumer Protection Act, 2019, it regulates goods and services sold over digital or e-networks.
    • It lays down duties, liabilities for all e-commerce entities.
    • Rules don’t apply to activities taken in personal capacity. It applies to entities not set up in India, but offering business here.
    • Fair pricing: No e-commerce entity should manipulate the price of goods/services offered
    • Authentic information: No fake customer reviews, advertisements inconsistent with actual features, access or usage of goods
    • Seller information: It must provide details about the sellers including registration status
    • Dedicated grievance redressal mechanism: Every e-com company must establish mechanism for grievance redressal
    • Compliance officer: The firm has to appoint a person to ensure compliance with this Act
    • Headquarters: Platform should provide legal name, address of headquarters and its branches
    • Timely resolution of complaints: Grievance officer to acknowledge receipt of complaint within 48 hrs and must resolve the complaint within a month
    • Refunds in compliance with RBI: Every entity shall affect all refund payment requests as per rules laid by the RBI

    Also read

    Explained: Consumer Protection Act, 2019

    Various Rights of Customer

    • Right to safety
    • Right to be informed
    • Right to choose
    • Right to be heard
    • Right to seek redressal
    • Right to consumer education

    Where to file complaint?

    • National Consumer Helpline (NCH) App / Website
    • UMANG App
    • Toll free number 14404

    Way forward

    • With the changing technology and trending trade policies it is recommended that there needs to be effective interventions by the government to implement the consumer outreach programmes.
    • There is an essential role played by social media in spreading awareness among consumers which can be further promoted and added on to the exemplary campaign like “ Jago Grahak Jago”.
    • Special and effective awareness campaigns must be brought into the rural areas.
    • Data privacy and data security of the consumers must be ensured to prevent cybercrime threats.

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  • Challenges facing the Civil Society Organisations

    Context

    Recently, the Missionaries of Charity established by Nobel Laureate Mother Teresa was in the news for the cancellation of its permission under the FCRA.

    Detailed scrutiny delaying permission for grant

    • The levels of due diligence and the information sought on the one hand and the annual declarations to be given by the board members of civil society organisations on the other have increased significantly.
    • The mandatory opening of bank accounts for foreign contributions has been centralised in one branch of the State Bank of India.
    • The linking of Permanent Account Number (PAN), Aadhaar number and mapping it with the bank account/s of the individual board members are happening.
    • The registrations under Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) have been long necessitated in order to undertake due diligence of the causes for which the organisation is working for and also to have a handle on the traceability of funds.
    • The dashboard shows a little under 17,000 active organisations — which have either got permission or will know their fate by March 2022, while around 33,000 organisations have either lost their permission or it has expired.

    Various restrictions

    • Restriction on sub-grant: In the past, the amendments in the FCRA that restricted the ability to sub-grant, killed many of the niche organisations working in very remote areas which had no direct access to international funding but were doing it through larger non-governmental organisations.
    • Restriction on administrative expenses: The other amendment restricting the proportion of expenses on administration almost choked organisations that worked for the rights of the disposed.
    • The increasing level of surveillance type of data sought has resulted in many organisations losing people on their governance structure and resulting in problems in funding.

    Why do we need Civil Society Organisations?

    • We need them because they usually work on what can be called an unreasonable agenda.
    • This unreasonableness falls in three large verticals.
    • [1] Ensuring efficiency and accountability from state: The first is that they ask for greater efficiency, delivery and accountability from the state.
    • Whether is it about rehabilitation and compensation in the case of land acquisition or setting up a great accountability framework as was done through the movement led by the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan for the Right to Information.
    • [2] Correcting extractive nature of market: The second vertical is in correcting the extractive nature of markets.
    • The groups asking for environmental accountability are looking at inter-generational justice on a matter that is not very precisely measurable but is palpable.
    • [3] Picking up niche causes: The third is basically picking up causes that are so niche that it is beyond the capability of the state to come up with such initiatives.
    • For example, a drama school set up in a village called Heggodu, Karnataka, or an idea of distributing clothing for work as done by Goonj.
    • These initiatives cannot be put into specific business plans, spreadsheets or government schemes.
    • They, therefore, need a grant-based, cause-based revenue stream model.

    Should these organisations accept foreign funding?

    • Causes have no boundaries: “Causes” have no boundaries and funding for such socially desirable belief systems could come from beyond borders.
    • Some causes carried out by organisations such as Doctors Without Borders, or Reporters Without Borders are by definition international in nature.
    • Similar is the case with the Jaipur foot provided by the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti.
    • The humanitarian work by the Missionaries of Charity is beyond the capability of a state.
    • Such causes do not have a rational basis to be explained in terms of a financial model; how do you put a price tag to press freedom?
    • The niche funding will happen from agencies that may be beyond the borders.
    • The duality of welcoming foreign investments (which takes away capital gains and dividends) while actively discouraging foreign aid to charities is staring us in the face.

    Conclusion

    The government needs to ensure that the regulations do not create hurdles for the civil society organisations in their functioning and receiving fundings.

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  • Western Disturbances to bring rain in New Delhi

    Under the influence of two consecutive western disturbances, New Delhi is in for a wet spell.

    Western Disturbances

    • A western disturbance is an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings sudden winter rain to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.
    • It is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the westerlies.
    • The moisture in these storms usually originates over the Mediterranean Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.
    • Extratropical storms are global phenomena with moisture usually carried in the upper atmosphere, unlike their tropical counterparts where the moisture is carried in the lower atmosphere.
    • In the case of the Indian subcontinent, moisture is sometimes shed as rain when the storm system encounters the Himalayas.
    • Western disturbances are more frequent and strong in the winter season.

    Impact: Winter Rainfall and Extreme Cold

    • Western disturbances, specifically the ones in winter, bring moderate to heavy rain in low-lying areas and heavy snow to mountainous areas of the Indian Subcontinent.
    • They are the cause of most winter and pre-monsoon season rainfall across northwest India.
    • An average of four to five western disturbances forms during the winter season.

    Its significance

    • Precipitation during the winter season has great importance in agriculture, particularly for the rabi crops.
    • Wheat among them is one of the most important crops, which helps to meet India’s food security.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. Consider the following statements:

    1. The winds which blow between 30°N and 60°S latitudes throughout the year are known as westerlies.
    2. The moist air masses that cause winter rains in the North-Western region of India are part of westerlies.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) Only 1

    (b) Only 2

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

     

     

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