The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 17 August 2023

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis for UPSC

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 14 August 2023

• The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a scheme to add 10,000 e-buses to city bus services across the country, and to shore up urban infrastructure under green mobility initiatives with a focus on cities having no organised bus services.
• An e-bus is any bus whose propulsion and accessory systems are powered exclusively by a zero-emissions electricity source.

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• The PM e-bus Sewa scheme will have an estimated cost of ₹57,613 crore, of which the Centre will provide ₹20,000 crore and the remaining will be borne by the States.
• It will support bus operations for 10 years, an official statement said.
• In 169 cities, 10,000 e-buses will be deployed using the public-private partnership (PPP) model; in 181 other cities, infrastructure will be upgraded under the green urban mobility initiatives.

• Career woman, fallen woman, faithful or obedient wife, eve-teasing, hermaphrodite: the Supreme Court has identified these words and many others as gender-unjust terms that are often heard in Indian courts.
• In a new handbook released on Wednesday, the top court offered the correct terms that should be used instead: woman, woman, wife, street sexual harassment, intersex.
• The 30-page Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes aims to free the judiciary and the legal community from the mechanical application of gender stereotypical language in judgments, orders, and court pleadings.

• August 2017, by the Supreme Court of India in the first Puttaswamy decision. The Court reaffirmed the fundamental right to privacy while requiring the Union Government to introduce a data protection law in Parliament, “as per this judgment”.
• It is most visible in digital public goods built with vast state resources and the personal data of every citizen.

• Exemptions –
• Rights of the data principal and obligations of data fiduciaries (except data security) will not apply in specified cases. These include
• prevention and investigation of offences, and
• enforcement of legal rights or claims.
• The central government may, by notification, exempt certain activities from the application of the Bill. These include
• processing by government entities in the interest of the security of the state and public order, and research, archiving, or statistical purposes.
• Data Protection Board of India –
• The central government will establish the Data Protection Board of India.
• Key functions of the Board include monitoring compliance and imposing penalties, directing data fiduciaries to take necessary measures in the event of a data breach, and hearing grievances made by affected persons.

• The recent introduction of three Bills transforming India’s criminal laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita to replace the Indian Penal Code; the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill to replace the Indian Evidence Act.
• Bills exhibit moderative modifications fostering gender inclusivity and replacement of anachronistic terms such as ‘unsoundness of mind’ with ‘mental illness’. There is also a measured reconfiguration in punishments for minor and serious offences.
• Newly created offences such as terrorism, organised crime, mob lynching, and negligent acts too add novel dimensions.
• The amended laws must strike a balance between state security imperatives and individual freedoms.

• A series of landslides has crumbled buildings and blocked highways. The immediate explanation for the landslides is the unexpectedly copious rainfall that these States have received and that these in turn are due to a surfeit of Western Disturbances (WD).
• It is in the context of these altered weather patterns that warnings by scientists and environmentalists of the perils of wanton construction in the Himalayas must be factored in.
• While State governments tend to search for short-term solutions such as demanding compensation from the Centre for ‘disaster relief’, it is time that more serious thought is given to the nature of infrastructure development and, if need be, restrictions imposed in the larger interest of minimising hazards and maintaining stability.

• The announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of a scheme to help the urban poor build houses in cities is a signal that the government is to undertake one more plan to address the problem of a shortage in urban housing.
• In the last eight years since the launch of PMAY-U, only two–thirds of the sanctioned houses, or 76.25 lakh houses out of about 1.19 crore sanctioned, were either completed or handed over as on August 14.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)
• PMAY falls under the Government’s mission – Housing for All by 2022 for urban housing being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• It makes home loans affordable for the urban poor by providing a subsidy on the Interest Rate of a home loan during repayment by way of EMI

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved the “PM Vishwakarma” scheme with an outlay of ₹13,000 crore. The scheme, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech, will be available for traditional craftspeople and artisans from 2023-24 to 2027-28.
• Eighteen traditional trades such as carpenter, boat maker, armourer, blacksmith, hammer and tool kit maker, locksmith, goldsmith, potter, sculptor, stone breaker, cobbler, mason, basket/mat/broom maker/coir weaver, traditional doll and toy maker, barber, garland maker, washerman, tailor and fishing net maker will be covered under the scheme.
• Artisans and craftspeople will get PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card, credit support up to ₹1 lakh (first tranche) and ₹2 lakh (second tranche) at a concessional interest rate of 5%. Briefing reporters, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said there will be two types of skilling programmes — basic and advanced under the scheme and a stipend of ₹500 per day will also be provided to beneficiaries while undergoing skill training.
• On India’s 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister announced the upcoming launch of the ‘Vishwakarma Yojana’ which is set to be introduced on Vishwakarma Diwas (September 17).
• This scheme aims to benefit individuals skilled in traditional craftsmanship, especially from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community.
• Skilled artisans like weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, laundry workers, and barbers, among others, will be empowered through this scheme.
• The scheme will encompass various elements such as financial aid, modern and green technology training, brand promotion, market connectivity, digital payments, and social security.
• The initiative is in line with other successful government schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana, PM SvaNidhi, and Ujjwala, and seeks to empower artisans and strengthen the agri-tech sector, including women self-help groups, by providing them with 15,000 drones and necessary training.

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