Governance Community

According to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the government is investing close to $30 billion to create a strong digital infrastructure in rural areas and assure network accessibility for 4G and 5G in every village across the nation. The minister added that the government has already contacted more than 1.5 lakh gram panchayats. Regarding the framework for digital regulation, the minister stated that telecom forms the very core of Digital India. In order to bring high-quality, fast broadband connectivity to every village in the nation and involve people in the growth process, the union minister added, “We are now creating a whole ecosystem of village entrepreneurs, channelising the energies of youngsters to take good quality, high-speed data connectivity to every village in the country while making them a part of the growth journey.” According to Vaishnaw, the government should focus on three major areas of fintech: social inclusion, a digital regulatory framework, and establishing a strong digital infrastructure.

The National Broadband Mission of the government tweeted on Saturday that the introduction of 5G services in India will take place at the India Mobile Congress at Pragati Maidan on October 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host an event to launch the 5G services, according to the National Broadband Mission. “Taking India’s digital transformation & connectivity to new heights, Hon’ble PM, @narendramodi, will roll out 5G services in India; at India Mobile Congress; Asia’s largest technology exhibition,” it said. Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s minister of electronics and information technology, had previously stated that the country is preparing for the October launch of 5G services. The services will be expanded following the inauguration, the Union minister added. When speaking at a gathering last week, Ashwini Vaishnaw remarked, “The journey of 5G is going to be very exciting and noted that many countries took multiple years to reach 40 per cent to 50 per cent coverage. But we are targeting a very aggressive timeline and the Government has given a target of 80 per cent coverage in a short time frame and we should definitely cover at least 80 per cent in a very short timeframe.” The Union minister had instructed operators to prepare for the launch of 5G services following the release of spectrum allocation letters in August. On Twitter, the telecom minister wrote: “Spectrum assignment letter issued. Requesting TSPs to prepare for 5G launch”. Service providers including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Adani Data Networks, and Vodafone Idea have paid the DoT a total of about 17,876 crore for the spectrum they just acquired in an auction. A record 1.5 lakh crore worth of bids were submitted for the nation’s largest-ever telecom spectrum auction, with Mukesh Ambani’s Jio winning nearly half of the airwaves sold with a bid of 87,946.93 crore.

In a meeting where it was noted that the initiative has a larger vision on successfully responding to emergency and distress circumstances, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the people for contributing wholeheartedly to the PM CARES Fund, according to his office on Wednesday. Tuesday’s meeting of the Board of Trustees of the PM CARES Fund was presided over by Prime Minister Modi, and during it, a presentation on the different initiatives carried out with the aid of the PM CARES Fund, including the PM CARES for Children scheme, which is assisting 4,345 children, was presented. At a time when the nation needed the fund most, the trustees recognised its importance. According to the statement, Prime Minister Modi expressed gratitude to the nation’s citizens for their kind donations to the PM CARES Fund. It was mentioned that PM CARES has a larger vision for effectively responding to emergency and distress situations, not only by providing relief assistance but also by taking precautions against them and building capacity. The PM welcomed the trustees as an integral part of the PM CARES Fund. PM CARES Fund trustees Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman both attended the meeting. In addition, newly appointed trustees of the PM CARES Fund Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, Justice K T Thomas, a former Supreme Court justice, and Kariya Munda, a former deputy speaker, were present. The trust also chose to propose Anand Shah, a co-founder of Teach for India and a former CEO of Indicorps and Piramal Foundation, Rajiv Mehrishi, the former Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Sudha Murty, the former Chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, and others for the position of members of the PM CARES Fund’s advisory board. According to the statement, Prime Minister Modi stated that the addition of new trustees and advisors will provide the PM CARES Fund’s operations broader perspectives. Source: PTI    

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Logistics Policy to address difficulties in the transportation sector in an effort to develop the logistics sector. Through a comprehensive multidisciplinary, cross-sectoral, and multi-jurisdictional architecture supported by a strong technological foundation, there will be a seamless interoperability. He stated that the policy intends to speed up last-mile deliveries, helping businesses save time and money, at a big launch event in Vigyan Bhavan. It aims to address issues affecting the transport industry and reduce company logistics costs from 13–14% to under 10%. The new strategy, in conjunction with PM GatiShakti’s aim to augment infrastructure, will solve deficiencies, according to him. It tackles issues facing the logistics sector. India needs to improve its support infrastructure if it wants its products to succeed on international markets. The modernization of the support system is aided by the National Logistics Policy. According to PM Modi, international experts believe that India is becoming a democratic superpower and are astounded by its remarkable talent ecosystem. “Experts are appreciating India’s determination and progress.”  He claimed that the government is bolstering the logistics industry through technology. E-way bills and FASTag are improving efficiency in the logistics industry, and faceless assessment has begun in customs. He stated that drones will enhance the logistics industry when discussing the drone policy. He claimed that the government is strengthening the logistics sector through technology. Customs has begun using faceless assessment, and the logistics industry is becoming more efficient due to e-way bills and FASTag. He added that ports now have a higher carrying capacity and that the turnaround time for container vessels has been shortened from 44 hours to 26 hours. According to him, the Sagarmala project has begun to strengthen logistics connectivity and methodical infrastructure development work by connecting ports and designated freight corridors.

The government intends to partially compensate state-owned oil marketing corporations (OMCs) including Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation with a $2.5 billion payment, according to a Bloomberg report, in order to cover their significant quarterly losses. The OMCs suffered losses as a result of having to absorb fluctuations in global petroleum prices, but the report, citing unnamed sources, claimed that the Finance Ministry only consented to a $2.5 billion cash settlement, despite the Petroleum Ministry having requested a much higher sum. According to the Bloomberg report, the partial payout to OMCs has also been designed to control cooking gas prices. It went on to say, citing sources, that although a decision has not yet been made, conversations about compensation payout are already advanced. Despite the government’s attempts to lessen their financial hardship, the Bloomberg report claimed that these initiatives will increase pressure on the exchequer, which is already under pressure from excise duty reductions on fuel prices and a greater fertiliser subsidy, to combat inflation. Over 85% of the oil used by the OMCs is imported, and they benchmark the fuels they produce to market rates. Their losses resulted from those going up after a worldwide demand recovery combined with decreased US gasoline production capacity and fewer exports from Russia, according to the report. Source: Bloomberg

The Center has decided to test push button procurement (PBP) for purchases up to Rs. 1 lakh through the Government eMarketplace (GeM) for government entities, offices, and PSUs. PBP will rely on technology to determine valuation and eliminate the need for certification, relieving pressure on government departments, particularly infrequent customers who frequently make small value purchases. Government buyers must certify that the selected offer’s pricing is appropriate. “It has come to the notice that sometimes especially infrequent government buyers find it difficult to certify reasonability of rates. They normally do not possess requisite skills in making procurement decisions. It delays the procurement process,” according to the Department of Expenditure. Government purchases made through GeM up to Rs 1 lakh are exempt from price certification. The Center has agreed to test push button procurement (PBP) for purchases up to Rs. 1 lakh through the Government e-Marketplace for governmental bodies, offices, and PSUs.

A new electric vehicle policy that offers financial advantages to EV owners in the state has been enacted by the Rajasthan government. The government has granted a total contribution of Rs 40 crore towards the purchase of electric vehicles under the new Rajasthan Electric Vehicle Policy (REVP). The five-year-long policy’s objective is to promote the use of electric vehicles throughout the state. The pollution that diesel and petrol vehicles produce in the state will decrease as the number of electric vehicles rises. The policy was unveiled by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in the 2019–20 budget. Later, in May of this year, the draft policy was approved. The government agreed to the suggested one-time payment for the purchase of electric vehicles as well as an additional budgetary provision of Rs 40 crore for the reimbursement of State Goods and Services Tax (SGST). For two-wheelers, the state government would pay compensation in the range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 for SGST. Depending on the vehicle’s battery capacity, a reimbursement of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 will be given for the purchase of three-wheelers. A sum of Rs 40 crore has also been given to the transport department to settle any outstanding grants for the purchase of electric vehicles. A grant of Rs 5 crore from the total amount of Rs 40 crore will shortly be given to 3,000 vehicle owners in the state who bought their automobiles during the current fiscal year.

Justice Uday Umesh Lalit was sworn in as the 49th Chief Justice of India on Saturday, one day after Justice NV Ramana announced his retirement. Justice Lalit was sworn in as Chief Justice of India by President Droupadi Murmu in the early hours of the day at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Justice NV Ramana, who retired on August 26, is succeeded by him. As per tradition and seniority rules, Justice Ramana had recommended Justice Lalit as his replacement. Justice Lalit’s appointment as the next CJI was subsequently confirmed by the President. As the head of India’s judiciary, Justice Lalit will hold office for just 74 days, leaving on November 8. At Justice Ramana’s farewell celebration yesterday, Justice Lalit stated that during his roughly three-month term, he will concentrate on three main areas, with the making of listing of cases simple, clear and as transparent as possible being one of his top priorities. In addition, Justice Lalit has vowed to uphold a transparent structure that allows any urgent issues to be raised openly before the appropriate benches of the top court. He pledged that the Supreme Court would have at least one Constitution Bench operating throughout the year. Justice Lalit said, “I have always believed that the role of the Supreme Court is to lay down law with clarity, consistency, and the best possible way to do it is to have larger benches as early as possible, wherever the matters are referred to such benches so that the issues get clarified immediately, the matter has consistency and the people are well aware of what exactly are the contours of the peculiar positions in law.” On his last day of work, outgoing CJI Ramana apologised for not being able to name every case that was still pending and stated that the court had been dealing with a backlog of cases that had significantly risen during the months prior. Justice Lalit was a well-known senior advocate before being chosen to serve as a Supreme Court justice. He was selected to serve as a Supreme Court justice on August 13, 2014. Justice Lalit will be the second Chief Justice of India to be elevated from the Supreme Court bench straight from the bar. Justice SM Sikri, who became the 13th Chief Justice of India in January 1971, was the first lawyer to be promoted directly to the top court bench. On November 9, 1957, in Solapur, Maharashtra, Justice Lalit was born. His father, UR Lalit, served as a prominent Supreme Court advocate as well as an additional judge at the Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench. In June 1983, Justice Lalit applied to become an advocate. From 1983 to 1985, he worked as a criminal law specialist in the Bombay High Court. In January 1986, he shifted his practise to Delhi, and the Supreme Court designated him a senior advocate in April 2004. Later, he was chosen by the CBI to serve as a special public prosecutor for the case involving the allotment of 2G spectrum. On November 8, Justice Lalit will retire, and it is anticipated that Justice DY Chandrachud will be named the 50th Chief Justice of India. Source: ANI

The Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY will now provide comprehensive healthcare services to trans individuals. Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Minister for Health, stated on Wednesday that the action will guarantee transgender persons a “rightful and respectable” status. According to Mandaviya, an MoU that will make this possible will enable all healthcare benefits to be provided to transgender people nationwide who possess a transgender certificate from the National Portal for Transgender Persons. “We have the registry. This is to give the members of the community the respect they deserve,” he added. He added that a comprehensive package, including the existing AB PM-JAY packages as well as particular packages like Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and treatment for transgenders, is being prepared for the transgender category. He also added that individual members will be treated as “family” to qualify for the Rs 5 lakh cover under the scheme. The ministry has also chosen to issue unified Ayushman cards that will feature both the centre and state logos. According to the minister, this will benefit both the beneficiaries and the States. Few States, including Tamil Nadu and Telangana, have not yet endorsed this concept, according to ministry officials.