CIVIL SERVICES ACHIEVERS' POINT,

THE ASSAM TRIBUNE ANALYSIS Date - 26 September 2020

(For Preliminary and Mains Examination) As per New Pattern of APSC

(Also useful for UPSC and other State Level Government Examinations)

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ANSWERS to MCQs of 25-09-2020

1. (b) 1 and 2 only 2. (c) India has already signed such agreement with US, Japan and Germany 3. (c) 1 and 2 only 4. (d) Dengue 5. (a) 3,4

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MCQs of 26-09-2020

1. Most pandemics have arisen from influenza 2. Total number of member countries in viruses from which of the following animals? UN general assembly is- a) Pigs a) 197 b) Wild birds b) 195 c) Bats c) 201 d) Humans d) 193

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3. Budapest convention is related to which of 4. In context with Insolvency and the following: Bankruptcy code (IBC), when can a bank initiate a corporate insolvency resolution (a) Missile technology control process in relation to a corporate debtor? (b) Space nuclearisation (a) On determination of default by (c) Women rights National Company Law Tribunal. (d) Cybercrime (b) Occurrence of default. (c) On net-worth of the debtor becoming negative. (d) On the bank classified the account as Non-Performing Asset.

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5. Which of the following are the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals?

1) Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources 2) Reduce inequality within and among countries 3) Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

(a)1, 3 (b) 2, 3 (c) 1, 2 (d) All of the above

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CONTENTS

 Steps to boost State tea sector  Panel formed to delimit BTC constituencies  SP Balasubrahmanyam dies after fighting COVID-19  Yamin Hazarika award conferred on author-historian Rana Safvi  Sankardeva Award  Anandaram Dhekial Phookan remembered  CBDT launches faceless income tax appeals  Israel tests sea-to-sea missile system

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EDITORIAL

o Helping hand

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NEWS ARTICLES

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Steps to boost State tea sector (General Studies on Assam: Economic Development)

oTo give relief to the crisis-hit tea industry, the State government today announced interest subvention and capital subsidy schemes, particularly targeting the orthodox tea production.

oThe government will provide 3 per cent interest subvention on working capital loans, with a cap of Rs 20 lakh per annum, borrowed from commercial banks, Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. An agriculture income tax holiday for three years was also announced for the tea industry.

oSarma further said the State government will pay a subsidy of Rs 7 per kg of orthodox tea produced in the State, with effect from April 1 this year, which will be in addition to Rs 3 per kg subsidy provided by the Tea Board of India.

oMoreover, a 25 per cent capital subsidy for purchase of machinery to produce orthodox tea will also be provided by the State government.

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oSarma added that the State government will encourage more production of orthodox tea as it has high demand globally.

oMeanwhile, the State government has declared 20 per cent bonus for workers of the Assam Tea Corporation Ltd (ATCL) gardens. The fund will be provided under State Budget as the ATCL is not in a position to bear the financial burden.

oSarma also appealed the private tea gardens to declare similar bonus for their workers, pointing out that the State government has come up with a number of schemes for the tea industry to help them tide over the difficult phase the industry has been going through in the past few years.

oHe appreciated the role of the tea garden managements in providing ration to the workers even when work was halted in the initial phases of the COVID 19-induced lockdown.

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Panel formed to delimit BTC constituencies (General Studies on Assam: Polity)

oThe State government has formed a four-member commission for carrying out the delimitation exercise of the BTC constituencies.

o“According to a clause of the Bodo Accord, villages with over 50 per cent Bodo population can apply for inclusion in the BTR and those with more than 50 per cent non- Bodo inhabitants can apply for exclusion. These villages will have to be in the peripheries of BTR. For this exercise we have constituted the four-member commission,” Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

oThe commission will be headed by former Chief Secretary PP Verma and comprise present administrator of BTC IAS officer Rajesh Prasad, ABSU representative Jayanta Basumatary and Dalim Bayong who will represent the non-Bodo communities.

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oThe commission will also give recommendations on increasing the number of seats in the BTC from 40 to 60 besides delimitation of the constituencies.

oThe Verma commission has been given six months time to give its recommendations. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Sarma had a detailed discussion with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on implementation of the Bodo Accord at New Delhi on September 20.

oSarma also said work on declaration of Bodo language as additional official languageof the State and formation of Bodo Kachari Welfare Council, as per the accord, for Bodos living outside BTR will also start within a month.

o“We shall be taking measures for implementation of the accord in a phased manner,” he said, adding that the Governor has approved renaming of BTAD as BTR.

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oSarma also indicated that elections for Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), which were announced for April but had to be postponed due to the pandemic, are unlikely to take place before December.

o“From the health department, we have informed the State Election Commission that there can be no elections before November 30. Our team will observe how the Bihar State polls are held, and depending on that, we may take a call, but not before December,” he said.

oThe Chief Minister is scheduled to hold an all-party meeting over the poll issue soon and discuss the matter with all concerned, he added.

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SP Balasubrahmanyam dies after fighting COVID-19 (General Studies-1: Culture)

oCelebrated playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, who held sway over millions of fans with his golden voice rendering a record 40,000 plus songs over five decades, died on Friday at a hospital, plunging music lovers in grief.

oAfter waging 52 days of grim battle for life following COVID-19 infection, the 74 year old singer suffered a cardio-respiratory arrest and the end came in the afternoon, a day after his condition turned extremely critical, a statement from MGM Healthcare, where he was treated, said.

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oThough at the time of admission, the popular singer himself had said in a video message that the infection was “very mild” and he would return home in two days, his health deteriorated later and was put on life support measures – ventilator and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support.

oCondolences poured in from the who’s who of the nation with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the film world paying rich tributes to the departed singer.

oSPB, who strode like a colossus in the film and stage music world with numerous hits in 16 languages, more dominantly in South Indian films especially Tamil and his mother tongue Telugu, is survived by wife, a son and a daughter.

oA six-time national award winner, Balasubrahmanyam, honoured with Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Bhushan in 2011 has sung over 40,000 songs in films and albums in 16 languages.

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oA recipient of a slew of other honours and awards, SPB was influenced by veteran singer Mohammed Rafi and had worked with generations of music composers.

oAs the news of his death broke, his fans thronged the hospital and later his Nungambakkam residence, where the body was brought, teemed with well wishers for paying last respects as police had a tough time in controlling the emotionally charged crowd.

oCondolences poured in from the who’s who of the nation with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying rich tributes to the departed singer.

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oSocial media was flooded with SPB’s unforgettable Tamil song clips like “Sangeethgamegam...indha degam maraindhalum” which meant “even if this body disappears, I would rise again in the form of music.”

oKovind said: “In the passing of music legend SP Balasubrahmanyam Indian music has lost one of its most melodious voices.”

oModi said the unfortunate demise of the singer has left “our cultural world” a lot poorer.

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Yamin Hazarika award conferred on author-historian Rana Safvi (General Studies on Assam: Culture)

oThe sixth Yamin Hazarika Woman of Substance Award for the year 2020 was conferred on historian and author Rana Safvi on Wednesday.

oThe chief guest on the occasion was Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Editor of the The Hindu, while the guest of honour was Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, DGP, Assam Police.

oRana Safvi is a passionate believer in India’s Ganga jamuni tehzeeb (syncretic culture), which she documents through her writings, podcasts and videos.

oIn 2011, she started the Twitter forum #shair which popularized online. It is a unique platform which is going strong with over 20,000 members.

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oShe has published seven books so far on culture, history and monuments of India. These are Tales from the Quran and Hadith, the Delhi Trilogy: Where Stones Speak,

oThe Forgotten Cities of Delhi and Shahjahanabad the Living City of Old Delhi. She has translated both the editions of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s seminal work on Delhi – Asar us Sanadid, Dastan e Ghadar and four accounts of the 19th and the 20th century Delhi from Urdu to English.

oShe is also a regular contributor to various national newspapers and magazines. Her blog ranasafvi.com is a repository of cultural, literary and historical heritage.

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oThe award is presented every year by a collective of women professionals in memory of the first woman from the Northeast to join the Central Police Services, Yamin Hazarika, who was DCP Delhi Police.

oThe award recognizes and celebrates women who have made a notable contribution to the greater good of society. Yamin Hazarika was the first woman from Northeast India to be selected for the NCT of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Island, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli Police Service (DANIPS), a federal police service in India, administering Delhi and the Union Territories in 1977.

oHazarika succumbed to cancer in the year 1999, but her great legacy lives on, inspiring millions, especially women, in the law enforcement sector. The awardees for the previous years include author Indrani Raimedhi, athlete Tayabun Nisha, actress Moloya Goswami, environmental activist Purnima Devi Barman and social activist Hasina Kharbhih.

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Sankardeva Award (General Studies on Assam: Culture)

 Bashishtha Dev Sarma, the Burha Satradhikar of Barpeta Satra, will receive the prestigious Srimanta Sankardeva Award on September 26.

 Dev Sarma, a scholar in the field of Satriya culture, will receive the award from Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a function to be held at Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati.

 Two magistrates from Barpeta will escort the scholar along with 20 Adhikars of Sakha Satra of Barpeta Satra.

 Born in 1938, Dev Sarma, after 14 years as Deka Satriya, was named as the Burha Satriya in 2007.

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Anandaram Dhekial Phookan remembered (General Studies on Assam: History)

oAn august function was held at conference hall of the Morigaon District Journalists’ Association on September 24 to mark the 172nd birth anniversary of Anandaram Dhekial Phookan, one of the most illustrious sons of Assam and the stalwart of and literature as well as the renaissance of 19th century’s Assam.

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oThe memory of the doyen of Assamese language Anandaram Dhekial Phukan is on the verge of oblivion among the youths of Assam today.

oPhookan who established the Assamese language at the official level during the British rule in Assam way back in 1848 is not known to most Assamese youths today.

oHe published his book, A Few Remarks on Assamese Language and on Vernacular Education when he was a Magistrate at during the British days and this book was submitted to the then Governor General at Calcutta thereby establishing Assamese as an official language in Assam.

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CBDT launches faceless income tax appeals (General Studies-3: Economic Development)

oThe Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) launched the Centre’s much-publicised reform measure of faceless income tax appeals. Under faceless appeals, all income tax appeals will be finalised online under the faceless ecosystem with the exception of appeals relating to serious frauds, major tax evasion, sensitive and search matters along with international tax and the Black Money Act.

oOn August 13, while launching the Faceless Assessment and Taxpayers’ Charter as part of “Transparent Taxation- Honoring the Honest” platform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launching of ‘Faceless Appeals’ on September 25.

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o“From now on in income tax appeals, everything from e-allocation of appeal, e- communication of notice/questionnaire, e-verification/e-enquiry to e-hearing and finally, e-communication of the appellate order, the entire process of appeals will be online, dispensing with the need for any physical interface between the appellant and the department,” said the statement.

oThere will be no physical interface between the taxpayers or their counsels and the Income Tax Department, it said, adding that the taxpayers can make submissions from the comfort of their home and save their time and resources.

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oAccording to the CBDT, the faceless appeal system will include allocation of cases through data analytics and artificial intelligence under the dynamic jurisdiction with central issuance of notices which would be having Document Identification Number (DIN).

oAs part of dynamic jurisdiction, the draft appellate order will be prepared in one city and will be reviewed in some other city resulting in an objective, fair and just order.

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o As per the CBDT, the faceless appeal will provide not only great convenience to the taxpayers but also it will ensure that it will ensure just and fair appeal orders and minimise any further litigations.

o The new system will also be instrumental in imparting greater efficiency, transparency and accountability in the functioning of the Income Tax Department, it said.

o As on date, there is a pendency of almost 4.6 lakh appeals at the level of the Commissioner (Appeals) in the Department.

o Out of this, about 4.05 lakh appeals, or about 88 per cent of the total appeals, will be handled under the faceless appeal mechanism and almost 85 per cent of the present strength of Commissioners (Appeals) shall be utilised for disposing off the cases under the faceless appeal mechanism.

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Israel tests sea-to-sea missile system (General Studies-Technology)

oThe Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced that it has conducted a successful test of a new sea-to-sea missile system.

oThe IDF said in a statement that the system was designed to “ensure Israel’s continued naval superiority”.

oThe announcement comes a month after its rival Iran revealed its Abu-Mahdi long range cruise missiles for its navy.

oIn recent years, the Israeli defence establishment has invested heavily in fortifying its naval abilities. According to the statement, the new Israeli missile system has precision capabilities.

oThey have a longer range and expanded offensive options. A series of tests included firing a missile at a dummy target vessel. Join our Regular/Online Classes. For details contact 8811877068 CIVIL SERVICES ACHIEVERS' POINT, GUWAHATI

EDITORIALS

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Helping hand (General Studies-2: International Relations)

oOn April 20 this year, the 193 members of the UN General Assembly had adopted a resolution asking Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to “identify and recommend options, including approaches to rapidly scaling manufacturing and strengthening supply chains that promote and ensure fair, transparent, equitable, efficient and timely access to and distribution of preventive tools, laboratory testing, reagents and supporting materials, essential medical supplies, new diagnostics, drugs and future Covid-19 vaccines”.

oThat call for cooperation had come as research laboratories and pharmaceutical companies began launching a costly search for vaccines and other therapeutics that might be critical in fighting the pandemic.

oNeedless to say, much of the research had been undertaken by the more affluent, developed nations while the poor, developing nations, even where there was a similar effort, had been left way behind.

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oNow that the possibility of safe and effective vaccines against Covid-19 being available soon has become real, it has become more imperative that a global mechanism be devised to ensure that no nation is deprived of succour just because it is poor or does not wield enough clout on the international political scenario.

oThis is why so many world leaders at this week’s virtual United Nations General Assembly Summit have reiterated the hope that Covid-19 vaccines would be made available and affordable to all countries, rich or poor.

oBy now more than 150 countries have joined the World Health Organization-led entity called COVAX, in which richer countries agree to buy into potential vaccines and help finance access for poorer ones.

oUnfortunately, key players like the US, China and Russia have opted out of any collaborative effort to distribute vaccines, though they have informally pledged to share any vaccine they develop, after helping their own citizens first.

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oOn the other hand, there have been reports galore of some rich countries striking deals with pharmaceutical companies to secure millions of potential doses for internal use.

oThis phenomenon has given rise to the term ‘vaccine nationalism’, which occurs when a country manages to secure doses of vaccine for its citizens before they are made available in other countries through pre-purchase agreements between a government and a vaccine manufacturer.

oThere is clear and present danger that vaccine nationalism would come in the way of equitable distribution of vaccines so that a helping hand can be extended to every member of the world community. If Covid-19 vaccines are not made available affordably to those who need them, the consequences will likely be disproportionately severe for vulnerable and marginalized populations.

oAt a game-changing period in the history of humanity, when the need for the international community is to come together and help each other out is more exigent than ever, it would indeed be a pity if we allow ‘vaccine nationalism’ to deviate us from a sought for goal.

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