DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

31 MARCH 2022 – CA

1 – ABOUT THE LABOUR CODES:

GS II

Topic – Government Polices and Interventions

• Context:
• The long-awaited implementation of four labour codes, which was supposed to happen at the start of the current fiscal year, could take at least three months longer because all states have yet to draught rules.
• What exactly is the problem:
• The Constitution’s Concurrent List includes Labour. A total of 23 states have enacted legislatin governing the codes. Only seven states remain.
• Background:
• Wages, social security, occupational safety, and industrial relations are all covered under the four labour codes.
• A variety of facets of employment and work culture, in general, may alter as a result of these new standards, including employees’ take-home pay, working hours, and the number of weekdays.
• Opposition:
• In the aftermath of the government’s decision to abolish the three agriculture laws, trade unions have decided to intensify their campaign against the codes this week.
• What are the demands of the labour movement:
• The two laws we accepted — on salaries and social security — should be adopted right now, while the two we objected to — industrial relations and occupational safety — should be reconsidered.
• In terms of labour laws:
• Wage Code, Social Security Code, Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code, and Industrial Relations Code are among the 44 labour laws consolidated in the new set of rules.
• All four Codes have previously been ratified by Parliament, and the President has given his approval.
• The four codes are as follows:
• The Wages Code of 2019, which applies to all employees in the organised and unorganised sectors, aims to govern salary and bonus payments in all occupations and to provide comparable recompense to employees performing equivalent labour in any industry, trade, business, or manufacture.
• The 2020 Code on Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions aims to regulate the health and safety of workers in establishments with ten or more employees, as well as in all mines and docks.
• The Social Security Code of 2020 unifies nine statutes concerning social security and maternity benefits.
• The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the Trade Unions Act, 1926, and the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 are all consolidated in the Code on Industrial Relations, 2020. The Code intends to improve the country’s business environment by minimising the burden of labour compliance on businesses.
• Problems with these codes include:
• Regular workers do not have the ability to set work hours beyond eight hours per day because of the work hours provisions.
• Part-time employees are likewise not covered by the codes’ uniform provisions.
• There are provisions that affect employee wages as well.
• Fines for non-compliance with provisions, second offences, and officer-in-default are also spelled out in the labour codes. In the current pandemic, the majority of small firms are unable to accept and implement changes to the labour legislation.
• Source – The Hindu

2 – DETAILS OF THE PM YUWA SCHEME:

GS II

Topic – Government Polices and Interventions

• Context:
• The government has determined that the books chosen under the PM-YUVA Scheme will be translated into various Indian languages in order to promote ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ and ensure the interchange of Indian culture and literature.
• What is the Prime Minister’s Yuva Yojana:
• The Ministry of Education announced the Pradhan Mantri – Mentorships Scheme for Young Writers (PM-YUVA) on May 29, 2021, for young writers under the age of 30.
• The goal of this programme is to develop young aspiring authors into skilled writers who can portray India’s rich heritage.
• New authors will be able to engage in the plan and become future writers through a mentorship programme.
• The scheme’s main goals are as follows:
• Involve the country’s youth in the rich history and culture of India.
• Developing a pool of youthful authors who would serve as modern/young ambassadors for Indian literature.
• Develop young people to take on leadership responsibilities in the future and to represent the country on an international level.
• To assist young authors in putting their ideas on a worldwide stage, allowing them to promote Indian literature and culture around the world.
• Expert mentoring is used to develop skilled writers from fresh aspiring authors in a variety of genres.
• Implementation:
• The National Book Trust, which is part of the Ministry of Education, will carry out the initiative. The scheme would be executed in a step-by-step manner.
• The NBT would provide three months of instruction to the selected individuals in Phase I.
• Phase II– Through an interactive approach at various international events, such as book fairs, the candidates selected would broaden their expertise and refine their talents.
• Source – The Hindu

3 – ALL ABOUT RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN:

GS II

Topic – Government Polices and Interventions

• Context:
• In the lack of a central statute, numerous local courts have lately concluded that the right to be forgotten, or to be left alone, is a part of the right to privacy, which India’s Supreme Court recognised as a basic right in 2017. (Puttaswamy Judgment).
• With the increasing rise of social media and other online platforms, it has become a hot-button issue around the world, but few countries have legislation that addresses it.
• The right to be forgotten is addressed in a long-awaited data protection measure.
• Background:
• The Centre told the Delhi High Court in December that the “right to be forgotten” is a component of the fundamental right to privacy, but that it has no role to play in the case.
• This “right” — a legal idea that is not yet established by statute in India — has been the subject of petitions in several courts.
• What does it mean to have the right to be forgotten:
• It enables a person to request that private information be removed from the Internet. The concept has gained acceptance in certain countries outside of the United States, particularly in the European Union.
• What does it mean to have the “Right to be Forgotten” in India:
• The Right to be Forgotten is part of an individual’s right to privacy, which is governed by the Personal Data Protection Bill, which Parliament has yet to adopt.
• The Supreme Court proclaimed the right to privacy a basic right (under Article 21) in a landmark decision in 2017. (Puttuswamy case).
• “The right to privacy is safeguarded as an integral aspect of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms granted by Part III of the Constitution,” the court stated at the time.
• Recognition is required:
• At least eight applications have been filed in the Delhi High Court, asking for the removal of private information from the Internet, as well as court records of previous convictions and processes, and news accounts from previous occurrences. So yet, just a few people have been able to obtain that relief from the courts.
• Which countries have legislation like this:
• The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union (GDPR)
• In 2015, Russia passed a law allowing users to request that a search engine remove links to personal information if they are irrelevant, inaccurate, or in violation of the law.
• Turkey and Siberia recognise the right to be forgotten to some extent, and Spanish and English courts have decided on the issue.
• Source – The Hindu

4 – ABOUT HARICHAND THAKUR:

Prelims Specific Topic

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Matua community virtually during the start of the “Matua Dharma Maha Mela 2022” on the 211th birth anniversary of Sri Sri Harichand Thakur.
• Harichand Thakur laboured among the Bengal presidency’s untouchables.
• He was born in the Bangladeshi town of Orakandi in the year 1812.
• Thakur’s ancestors were Vaishnavite Hindus who formed the Matua sect of Vaishnavite Hinduism.
• Members of the Namasudra community followed this, and they were dubbed Chandalas as a result. They were thought to be untouchables.
• This group resisted caste injustice and later drew followers from other populations, such as Malis and Telis, who were marginalised by the upper castes.
• Thakur’s devotees regard him as God and refer to him as Thakur, a Vishnu or Krishna avatar. As a result, he was given the name Sri Sri Harichand Thakur.
• Source – The Hindu