PRS Capsule - September 2024

• 14 Oct 2024

Key Highlights of PRS

• Polity and Governance 
  • SC clarifies that browsing or storing child pornography is an offence  
  • Bombay HC strikes down IT Rules establishing fact check unit  
  • 23rd Law Commission constituted 
  • Cabinet expands Ayushman Bharat to include all senior citizens  
  • Uniform Code for Marketing Practices in medical devices released  
  • Finance Ministry launches pension scheme for minors  
  • Cabinet approves Tribal development scheme  
• Economy 
  • SEBI approves various decisions at board meeting  
  • Cabinet approves PM E-DRIVE scheme to promote electric mobility  
  • Cabinet approves implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana - IV  
  • Cabinet approves Nutrient Based Subsidy rates on fertilisers for Rabi season 2024  
  • Cabinet approves continuation of schemes to prevent volatility in prices  
• Environment & Science and Technology 
  • Cabinet approves Mission Mausam to enhance weather research and services 
  • Cabinet approves continuation of Bio-RIDE scheme to promote R&D in Biotechnology 

Polity and Governance

SC Clarifies that Browsing or Storing Child Pornography is an Offence  

• The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 criminalises the storage or possession of pornographic material under these conditions:  
  • With the intention to share or transmit. 
  • For displaying (unless for the purpose of reporting). 
  • For commercial purposes. 
• The Supreme Court overruled the Madras High Court judgement which had held that mere possession was not an offence, as there is no intent to share. 
  • It said that possession was the first step before sharing. Failure to delete or report it signalled intention. 
  • The Court further provided certain suggestions to the Parliament and the central government. These include: 
    • Substituting the term ‘child pornography’ with ‘child sexual exploitation and abuse material’ in the POCSO Act, 2012. 
    • Constituting a committee to devise a comprehensive programme for health and sex education. 
    • Creating an online portal for registering complaints under the POCSO Act, 2012. 

Bombay HC Strikes Down IT’s Rules Establishing Fact Check Unit (FCU) 

• The Bombay High Court struck down a 2023 amendment to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. 
  • The Court held that the amended Rules violated the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 of the Constitution.  
  • Any restriction placed on this right must be reasonable and conform to the restrictions provided under the Constitution.  
  • The Court further held that as the FCU will be appointed by the executive, the Centre will become the final arbiter of what constitutes false or misleading, violating the principle of natural justice.  
  • In addition, the Court found the terms ‘false or misleading’ to be vague and overbroad in the absence of any guidelines to identify such items.  
  • The Court also noted that the amendment was beyond the scope of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and therefore could not be a part of the Rules under this Act.   

23^rd Law Commission Constituted  

• The Ministry of Law and Justice constituted the 23rd Law Commission of India. 
• The tenure of the 23rd Law Commission will last from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2027.  
  • However, the Chairperson and Members have not been appointed yet. 

Cabinet Expands Ayushman Bharat to Include All Senior Citizens  

• The Union Cabinet approved the expansion of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY) to all citizens aged 70 years and above. 
• Senior citizens already covered under the scheme will individually receive an extra five lakh rupees as health insurance. 
• Expansion of the scheme will extend insurance coverage to 4.5 crore families (six crore senior citizens).  
  • This will also include senior citizens who are already availing benefits of other public and private insurance schemes.  

Uniform Code for Marketing Practices in Medical Devices Released  

• The Department of Pharmaceuticals released the Uniform Code for Marketing Practices in Medical Devices, 2024. 
• The Code regulates the branding and promotion of medical devices in the country. 
• Key Features: 
  • Claims: Claims made by medical device companies regarding the usefulness of a medical device must be based on the latest evidence.  
  • Promotion: Any promotional material must contain details including: 
    • Generic/brand name of the medical device. 
    • Name/address of the manufacturer/importer and the business name/address of the marketeer. 
  • Ethics Committee: An Ethics Committee for marketing practices in medical devices must be established in all Indian medical device associations.  
    • It will address grievances regarding compliance with the Code. The Committee should pass an order within 90 days of receiving a complaint.  
    • The Committee’s decision can be appealed before the Apex Committee, headed by the Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals within 15 days. 

Finance Ministry Launches Pension Scheme for Minors  

• The Ministry of Finance announced the National Pension System (NPS) Vatsalya scheme for minors. 
• Key Features: 
  • It will be regulated and administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory Authority of India (PFRDA).  
  • All minor citizens up to the age of 18 years can open an account.  
  • A minimum contribution of Rs 1,000 will be needed to open the account.  
  • Thereafter, a minimum annual contribution of Rs 1,000 can be deposited in the account.  
  • The account will be opened in the name of the minor and managed by their guardian till adulthood.  
  • On completing 18 years of age, the NPS Vatsalya account will transition to a regular account under NPS.  

Cabinet Approves Tribal Development Scheme  

• The Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan. 
  • The programme aims to uplift tribal communities by addressing gaps in key sectors such as social infrastructure, health, education, and livelihood.  
• It comprises 25 interventions that will be implemented by ministries governing relevant sectors.  
• The programme will cover about 63,000 villages and aims to benefit about five crore tribal people.  
• The goals are: 
  • Building enabling infrastructure. 
  • Promoting skill development and self-employment. 
  • Improving access to quality education and affordable healthcare. 
• Certain initiatives under the programme include 1000 tribal home stays, sustainable livelihood for 22 lakh forest rights holders,  improvement of infrastructure in tribal and government residential schools, affordable management of sickle cell disease, and 100 multipurpose marketing centres for promoting tribal products.  

Economy

SEBI Approves Various Decisions at Board Meeting

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved various decisions at its meeting. 
  • Same-Day Settlement: SEBI increased the scope of the optional same-day settlement cycle for securities. The same-day settlement will co-exist with the current next-day (T+1) settlement cycle. 
  • Approval for New Mutual Fund Product: It seeks to bridge the gap between mutual funds and portfolio management services by offering greater flexibility in portfolio construction. 
    • It will have a minimum investment limit of Rs 10 lakh per investor across products offered by a single asset management company. 
  • Regulatory Framework for Passive Mutual Funds: SEBI also approved a new regulatory framework for passively managed mutual funds.  
  • Funds for Sustainable Finance: SEBI decided to expand the scope of instruments that can be used by corporates to raise funds for sustainable finance.  
    • It will specify frameworks for issuing social bonds, sustainability bonds, and sustainability-linked bonds. 

Cabinet Approves PM E-DRIVE Scheme to Promote Electric Mobility  

• The Union Cabinet approved the ‘PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement’ scheme (PM E-DRIVE) for the promotion of electric mobility in the country. 
• Key Features: 
  • E-vouchers: Consumers will be provided with e-vouchers at the time of purchase of the electric vehicle.  
    • These vouchers can be used to avail subsidies on the purchase price of the vehicle from the dealership. 
  • Allocation for Electric Ambulances, Trucks, and Buses: Funds have been allocated under the scheme for deploying electric ambulances and trucks. 
    • Priority will be given to states that procure electric buses after scrapping existing buses at authorised scrapping centres. 
  • Installation of Public Charging Stations: Public charging stations will be installed in cities with high EV usage.  
  • Upgradation of Test Agencies: The electric vehicle testing agencies under the Ministry of Heavy Industries, will be modernised under the scheme. 

Cabinet Approves Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana - IV  

• The Union Cabinet approved the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana – IV (PMGSY – IV) between 2024-25 and 2028-29. 
• Under this phase, financial assistance will be provided for constructing 62,500 km of all-weather roads that will connect 25,000 unconnected habitations.  
• This will cover habitations with a population exceeding: 
  • 500 in plain areas 
  • 250 in North Eastern and hilly states 
  • 100 in districts affected by left-wing extremism 
• PMGSY-IV will receive a total outlay of Rs 70,125 crore for five years, which will be borne between the centre and states in a 70:30 ratio. 

Cabinet Approves Nutrient-Based Subsidy Rates on Fertilisers for Rabi Season 2024  

• The Union Cabinet approved Nutrient Based Subsidy rates for phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilisers for the Rabi season 2024 (October 2024 to March 2025). 
• The budgetary requirement for the subsidy is estimated to be around Rs 24,476 crore.  

Cabinet Approves Continuation of Schemes to Prevent Volatility in Prices  

• The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of schemes under the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA). 
• These schemes include: 
  • Price Support Scheme 
  • Price Stabilisation Fund 
  • Price Deficit Payment Scheme 
  • Market Intervention Scheme 
• The objective of these schemes is to provide remunerative prices to farmers and control the price volatility of essential commodities for consumers.  
• Under the Price Support Scheme for notified pulses, oilseeds, and copra, the Centre has decided to procure 25% of national production at minimum support price from 2024-25 onwards. 
• To encourage states to implement the Price Deficit Payment Scheme for notified oilseeds, the Centre has increased support by enhancing coverage of the scheme from 25% to 40% of state production of oilseeds.  
• Under the Market Intervention Scheme, the support has been increased from 20% to 25% of production for perishable horticulture crops such as onions and tomatoes.

Environment

Cabinet Approves Mission Mausam to Enhance Weather Research and Services 

• The Union Cabinet approved Mission Mausam to improve weather and climate-related research and services in the country. 
  • It aims to support research and development in weather surveillance, modelling, forecasting, and management.  
  • It will help deal with extreme weather events and the impact of climate change.  
  • The programme will facilitate the use of technologies in weather research and forecasting. These will include use of: 
    • Artificial intelligence and machine learning 
    • Next-generation radars and satellite systems 
    • High-performance supercomputers.  
  • Three institutes under the Ministry of Earth Sciences will be responsible for implementing the Mission. These are: 
    • The India Meteorological Department 
    • The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology 
    • The National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting

Cabinet Approves Continuation of Bio-RIDE Scheme to Promote R&D in Biotechnology  

• The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of the two umbrella schemes of the Department of Biotechnology, merged as one scheme, namely ‘Biotechnology Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development’ (Bio-RIDE). 
• The scheme aims to promote bio-entrepreneurship and advanced research through:  
  • Grants and incentives 
  • Academia-industry collaborations 
  • Extra-mural funding 
  • Capacity building 
• A new component of the scheme will also focus on Biomanufacturing and Biofoundry. 
  • Under this component, Indigenous solutions will be promoted to enhance: 
    • Healthcare outcomes 
    • Agriculture productivity 
    • The state of the bioeconomy 
    • The commercialisation of bio-based products like biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and bio-plastics