UPSC EXAM QUIZ 16.12.2024

Explanation:

• Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in collaboration with the State Governments, Research Institutes, and other concerned agencies has taken several initiatives to promote natural pearl farming in India.

Pearl Farming

• Pearl farming is the process of cultivating pearls within freshwater or saltwater oysters in a controlled environment.
• It involves the process of cultivating pearls by inserting an irritant (nucleus) into the body of a mollusk, which then secretes layers of nacre around it. Over time, these layers form a pearl.
• Nacre (the mother of pearl) is an organic-inorganic composite system, produced by some mollusks as an inner shell layer. The material is strong, resilient, and iridescent, and this is what the pearls are composed of.

Explanation:

• Supreme Court has committed to take strong steps to eliminate manual scavenging in India. This effort is a follow-up to the landmark 2023 judgment that directed the Central and State Governments to eliminate manual scavenging and hazardous cleaning practices.

Manual Scavenging

• Manual scavenging means cleaning human excreta from sewers, dry latrines, or drains using bare hands or simple tools. The practice is associated with marginalized communities in the Indian caste system.

Highlights of the 2023 judgment

• Phased policies to eliminate manual scavenging: Directs the Centre and States to formulate plans.
• Holistic rehabilitation: Ensuring rehabilitation measures for sewer workers and the families of the deceased.
• Development of a portal: A transparent portal for sharing information related to compensation and incidents.
• Compensation hike: Compensation in case of death in sewers increased from ₹10 lakh to ₹30 lakh.

Explanation:

• Indian scientists have developed a novel gene therapy to treat severe haemophilia A. The therapy, which has been published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), promises a potential one-time cure for a condition that currently requires lifelong management.

Haemophilia A

• Haemophilia A is an inherited disorder caused by a deficiency of a clotting protein called Factor VIII.
• It leads to severe, spontaneous, and potentially life-threatening bleeding episodes.

Severity of the condition

• Severe haemophilia A: when clotting factor is <1%.
• Statistics in India: Estimated 40,000-1,00,000 patients, second highest in the world

Explanation:

• India witnessed a significant rise in women's participation in the labour force.
• The study titled 'Female Labour Force Participation Rate: An Observational Analysis of the Periodic Labour Force Survey' has been released.
• It showed trends in women's involvement in the economy from 2017-18 to 2022-23.
• Rural female LFPR has increased nearly 70 per cent, from 24.6 per cent in 2017-18 to 41.5 per cent in 2022-23.
• States like Jharkhand and Bihar saw huge growth, with rural LFPR rising by 233 per cent in Jharkhand and six times in Bihar.
• Married women in rural areas, particularly in Rajasthan and Jharkhand, showed a significant increase in LFPR.
• Rural Bihar has shown considerable improvement despite the lowest LFPR in the past.
• Punjab and Haryana have persistently low female LFPR.
• Western and Southern India also witnessed growth in rural female LFPR, although urban areas have seen only a modest increase.
• The female LFPR has risen due to several government initiatives, particularly those targeting rural women.

Explanation:

• Switzerland will suspend the most favored nation (MFN) clause in DTAA with India.
• It will suspend the MFN clause in its double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) with India from 1 January, 2025.
• As a result of this step, the withholding tax rate on dividends paid to Indian tax residents will double from 5% to 10%.
• The decision has come after a Supreme Court ruling of 2023.
• The Supreme Court ruling clarified that the MFN clause is not automatically applicable in case a country joins the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), especially if a prior tax treaty is in place.
• In tax agreements, the MFN clause ensures equal treatment for all parties involved.
• Nestle, a Swiss company, requested a reimbursement of dividend withholding tax.
• It claimed the benefits of India-Switzerland tax treaty's MFN clause.
• At first, Switzerland thought that the MFN principle should automatically apply.
• But the 2023 Supreme Court decision proved otherwise.
• Supreme Court made it clear that the MFN clause could not be implemented automatically without official notification under Section 90 of the Indian Income Tax Act.
• Swiss authorities reconsidered the unilateral reduction of the withholding tax rate as a result of this clarification.
• Additionally, Switzerland's decision is not likely to affect European Free Trade Association (EFTA) investments into India.