Notes from The Hindu- 24 MAY 2022

24th May

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IPEF- Indo - Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)

Location: Tokyo

Participants: 40% of Global GDP

1. 7 out of 10 ASEAN ( Association of South East Asian Nations) members.      

 Excluded  ones are Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos ( believed to be close to china).

2. 4 Quad countries- India, US, Australia & Japan

3. New Zealand

4 Pillars:

1. trade

2. supply chain resiliency

3. clean energy and decarbonization

4. taxes and anti- corruption measures

USA quit CPTPP (Trans- Pacific Partnership) in 2017

TPP has 11 countries

World Economic Forum 

Location- Davos, Switzerland

India attending it- 25 years this year

World of Work report- International labour organization (ILO)

This year- 9th edition

Observations- 

1. Number of hours worked decreased globally

2. India's gender gap in work hours deteriorated

Antara Raj- Rajasthan's software 

Rajasthan first state to develop a software to reduce the dropout of women using injectable contraceptive

Project Udaan and  IPE Global (a consulting group) supports this app. 

Project Udaan - a joint initiative of the Rajasthan government and CIFF- Children's Investment Fund Foundation

Dowry Death - section 304 B

Matrimonial cruelty for dowry - 498 A

Abetment to suicide - 306 IPC

Section 3 and 4 of Dowry Prohibition Act

Community Weather monitoring system, Wayanad, Kerala

1. Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology, Kalpetta, Kerala

2. Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research, Cochin 

3. University of Science and Technology 

4. District Disaster Management Authority

Inflation based on the Consumer Price Index- 7.8% ( 95- month high)

Whole sale price- 15.15 (multi-decade high)

V-Dem Institute (Varieties of Democracy)

Founder- Professor Staffan l. Lindberg

HQ- Department of political science, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

5 indices - 1. The Electoral Democracy Index

2. Liberal Democracy Index

3. Participatory Democracy Index

4. Deliberative Democracy Index

5. Egalitarian Democracy Index

Freedom House:

Freedom in the World Index, Freedom of the Press and Freedom on the Net.

Founded in 1941

Founders- Wendell Willkie & Eleanor Roosevelt

Freedom of press (RSF) - India among the 30 worst countries of 180 (Partly Free)

World Values Survey

Pew Research Centre- Think tank

Established- 2004

Location- Washington D.C., U.S.

Proportionality test

1. State action should be sanctioned by law

2. The proposed action should have a legitimate state aim

3. The extent of interference by the proposed state action should be proportionate to the need for such interference - any other less restrictive measure should not exist to achieve the same legitimate state aim.

Entry 6 of the State List (Schedule 7 of the Constitution)- under this, states can legislate and take effective measures on issues concerning 'public health'.

Asha Ranjan v. State of Bihar (2017)- Supreme court- community interest prioritized over individual interests. the community interest cannot be sacrificed at the altar of individual interests especially in a situation where a fear psychosis is running through the community

India is a signatory to the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 

ICESCR- multilateral treaty adopted in UN General Assembly 1966, came in force in 1976

National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5)

The Total Fertility Rate in year 2019-21 is 2.0 (it was at 3.4 in 1990-92)

mCPR- modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

Family planning projects- 

Mission Parivar Vikas

PRACHAR project- Bihar

Yari Dosti programme- Mumbai

GEMS project- Goa

T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad case (1996)- 'deemed forest'- land with the "characteristic of the forests irrespective of the ownership".

State's sales tax 

Based on the sum of the Centre's excise duty, the base price of petrol and the dealer's commission. 

A drop in the Centre's excise duty (regardless of the component deducted) reduces the State's VAT collections

Components of Centre's excise duty on petrol -

1. Basic excise duty

2. Special additional excise duty

3. Agriculture infrastructure and development cess

4. Road and infrastructure cess