Bail or jail Intro:-The Law Commission, in its 268th Report- rich and powerful to get bail with ease, while others languish(द र बल) in prison. Headed by former SC judge B.S. Chauhan observes that the existing system of bail in India is inadequate and inefficient to accomplish its purpose. Should not be influenced to the detriment of the person accused of an offence by factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, financial conditions or social status. 67% of the current prison population is made up of undertrials is the great inconsistency in the grant of bail. The Supreme Court had noticed this in the past Commission s report recommending a set of significant changes to the law on bail deserves urgent attention Section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure - prisoner shall be released on bail on personal bond if he or she has undergone detention of half the maximum period of imprisonment specified for that offence.
Continue Commission recommends that those detained for an offence that would attract up to seven years imprisonment be released on completing one-third of that period. Those charged with offences attracting a longer jail term, after they complete half of that period. For those who had spent the whole period as undertrials, the period undergone may be considered for remission(क षम ). Commission cautions the police against needless arrests It gives an illustrative list of conditions that could be imposed in lieu of sureties(जम नत). Report warns, reform is not the panacea(र मर ण) for all problems of the criminal justice system. The solution lies in expediting(त ज ल न ) the trial process. For, in our justice system, delay remains the primary source of injustice.
Is an executive body established by an order of the Government of India. Its major function is to work for legal reform. Its membership primarily comprises legal experts. The Commission is established for a fixed tenure Works as an advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice. First Law Commission was established during the British Raj era in 1834 by the Charter Act of 1833. First Law Commission of independent India was established in 1955 for a three-year term The 20th Law Commission was established in 2013 under the Chairmanship of SC Judge, D.K Jain- Its tenure was fixed till 2015. Justice Ajit Prakash Shah as the New chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India in place of D.K Jain who has taken over as president National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission Present Law Commission was established in 2015, and has tenure to 2018 Law Commission of India
Maduro s excesses Intro:- Venezuela needs an immediate end to its one-man rule. President Nicolás Maduro, - prosperous nation into complete paralysis. But Mr. Maduro seems in no mood to mend his ways. Parliament + Supreme Court- Rethink Mr. Maduro s overall approach Collapse in oil prices. Nation with the world s largest oil reserves- people struggling to get essential commodities 700% rate of in lation and chronic shortages of food and medicines. Criticism of Mr. Maduro s autocratic style. Venezuela needs an immediate end to its one-man rule- Only then will the nation see a semblance of normality return to the lives of its citizens
The bleak new academic scenario In 1991 came the dramatic announcement of a new economic policy. Facilitate India s integration into the global economy. Even then, education didn t receive specific attention. Some critics of the new economic- state withdrawal from its prime role and responsibility in sectors like education and health. P.V. Narasimha Rao spoke about liberalisation as the central theme of the new economic policy. Under this programme, the World Bank offered a safety net for primary education. The District Primary Education Programme (DPEP), which later mutated into Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), symbolised the safety net approach. Right to Education (RTE) law through Parliament. Governments of many States registered their anxiety over their capacity to fund the implementation of RTE after the Central assistance. Children of the poor who attend these schools.
New policies related to education- Higher education should respond to market demands in terms of knowledge and skills. Both Central and State universities have been starved of financial resources. Cutting down on permanent staff, both teaching and nonteaching, has emerged as the best strategy to cope with financial crunch. The constraints(कम ) were both social and cultural, but as electoral democracy advanced, political constraints gained ground. Q-Does liberalisation promote liberal values? The answer is, It hasn t. Rather, it has eroded our society s institutional capacity to train young people who might pursue liberal values by exercising an independent voice.
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Should agricultural income be taxed? Z This kind of thinking was doing the rounds even in British India, when as early as 1925 famous attempt in post Independence India was the K.N. Raj committee report of 1972. The Kelkar task force report of 2002 estimated that 95% of the farmers were below the tax threshold. Growth of agriculture in the post-reform period 1991 to 2016, the share of agriculture decreased from 32% to 15%. Compared with this, the workforce dependence on agriculture is still very high, at 49.7%. Education and health privatisation has increased the cost of rural households The average per month income of a farm household in India in 2012-13 as per the National Sample Survey Office was just 6,491. The agrarian sector is in deep crisis. Instead of finding a viable policy to solve the crisis, floating the idea of taxing farming income is a great disservice to the sector.
Continue Agricultural income must be taxed. This is a State subject Before Independence, farmers had to pay tax. Horticulture/plantations in some States continue to be taxed as these are seen as commercial crops Tax the rich farmer Develop our GDP only when our agriculture income is taxed. My suggestion is, have a slab of taxes In 1972, a committee on agriculture taxation was headed by K.N. Raj recommended taxing the rich farmer- recommendations were not implemented. Similarly, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said he favoured taxing agricultural income. Rich must be taxed more and the poor less Now is the time for devising new means of examining income from agriculture
Continue Taxing agricultural income has not found favour mainly because of two factors A majority of farmers in India nearly 60% are small farmers- Their incomes are erratic(अननयनमत) No climate insurance for them 40% of these farmers are women Even for crops like pulses, the prices have collapsed- Chilli farmers Markets and monsoon determine the fate of the farmer. Tax would add to the stress I d say, don t give subsidies after a certain threshold- Take them away. M Imp- concern should be food security, and we are still far away from realising that. Young people are not attracted to farming any more. Recommended fixing the minimum support prices (MSP) Before we tax, we should aim at increasing the flow of credit, especially to those who are dependent on the rains, or in coastal and hilly areas
News Analysis Page-1,10- Sushma thanks Pakistan for Uzma s return In a rare instance of mutual understanding, India on Thursday thanked Pakistan s diplomats and judiciary after an Indian national returned home. External A airs Minister praises Foreign, Home Ministries and judiciary for aiding the victim s comeback
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Continue Page-10- Plan to honour Major: NHRC to hear plea The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) will hear two separate petitions on the Army s move to award a Major who faces charges of using a civilian as a human shield in central Kashmir on April 9. Page-11 Prices of 31 more drugs capped The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) capped the prices of 31 more drugs. brings under price control intrauterine devices used for birth control; a lifesaving medicine, a pain killer, a powerful antibiotic etc. Brought 791 medicines under price control.
Continue Page-13- In- flight Wi-Fi Net access soon Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sent a revised proposal Centre needs to amend the Telegraph Act, 1885, to allow this. Civil Aviation Ministry sources said the Home Ministry had raised concerns about security Page-13- Service providers must shun discriminatory phone tariff s Reliance Jio had earlier this year filed a complaint with TRAI alleging arbitrary discrimination between the subscribers of same class by Bharti Airtel, leading to violation of tariff rules. As per the terms and conditions at Airtel website the Free Data for 12 months worth 9,000 offer can be availed only by the subscribers with new 4G handsets, that is 4G handsets that have previously not been used on Airtel s network.
Continue Page-14- GST will help establishtrace ability of gold: WGC There was a lack of clarity on the rate and on certain operational issues and the transition would be a time consuming affair. It may take about 18 months for the industry to settle. The number of jewellers has been estimated between 3.85 and 4.1 lakh of whom 70% were unorganised However, the market share of organised player has increased from 5 to 30 %, in the five years since 2000, and is projected to rise to 40% by 2020, according to the report. Page-17- Experts say that if automation takes 2 jobs, it creates 10 more
Continue Page-14- Centre alters definition of a start-up By broadening the term to include scalability of business model with a potential for employment generation or wealth creation.
Q- Ans India's foreign Intelligence Agency - RAW(Research and Analysis Wings) Domestic Intelligence Agency- IB (Intelligence Bureau) English Channel Separate- Southern England from Northern France Ordinance Part-V of Indian Constitution(U/A-123)