TNPSC Current Affairs May 06, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs May 06, 2020 (06/05/2020)

Topic: Public Awareness and General Administration, Profile of States

Sources of revenue for the states

After incurring high losses due to the pandemic, states such as Delhi and Andhra Pradesh are levying 70-75% additional fee on liquor purchases.

Manufacture and sale of liquor are major sources of revenue for states. A ban on alcohol sales was a crucial part of the lockdown, but it deprived states of critical revenue.

How is excise duty levied and collected?

Excise duty is an indirect tax levied by the government on goods manufactured within India, and compares with custom duty, which is levied on imported items.

Excise duty refers to the tax amount included in the final selling price of an item. As excise duty is a tax on the manufacture of goods, the goods do not have to be sold for the excise duty to be collected.

Who levies the excise duty on liquor?

The excise duty on liquor is levied by the respective state governments in India. State excise duty on alcohol is the second or third largest contributor to the own tax revenue of states.

It accounts for 10-15% of the tax receipts for a majority of the states. Licences to sell alcohol, fines and confiscation of alcoholic products also add to the exchequer of states.

Topic: Political Systems in India, Profile of Staes

Darbar Move in J&K

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has asked the Centre and the Union Territory (UT) administration to take a final call on the continuation of Darbar move- the 148-year-old practice of shifting capitals annually between Srinagar and Jammu.

What is it?

Darbar Move is a century-old practice in which the government functions for six months each in the two capitals of the State, Srinagar and Jammu.

The practice was reportedly started in the late 19th century by Ranbir Singh, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, who used to shift his capital between Srinagar in the summer and Jammu in the winter to escape extreme weather conditions in these places.

The government will function in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State, till late October and then move to Jammu, the winter capital, in the first week of November.

Hundreds of trucks are usually plied to carry furniture, office files, computers, and other records to the capital.

Regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir advocated the continuation of the practice “to help in the emotional integration between two diverse linguistic and cultural regions of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Topic: Current Socio-Economic Issues

Silent hypoxia

Many Covid-19 patients have reported a condition called ‘silent’ or ‘happy’ hypoxia, in which patients have extremely low blood oxygen levels, yet do not show signs of breathlessness.

Many are now advocating for its early detection as a means to avoid a fatal illness called Covid pneumonia.

What is hypoxia?

Hypoxia is a condition wherein there is not enough oxygen available to the blood and body tissues. Hypoxia can either be generalised, affecting the whole body, or local, affecting a region of the body.

Normal arterial oxygen is approximately 75 to 100 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg), and normal pulse oximeter readings usually range from 95 to 100 per cent. Values under 90 per cent are considered low.

What is silent hypoxia?

It is a form of oxygen deprivation that is harder to detect than regular hypoxia. Patients appear to be less in distress.

In many cases, Covid-19 patients with silent hypoxia did not exhibit symptoms such as shortness of breath or coughing until their oxygen fell to acutely low levels, at which point there was a risk of acute respiratory distress (ARDS) and organ failure.

Topic: Profile of States, Latest Diary of Events

Bishnu Sendra Parva

It is an annual hunting festival observed by tribals of Jharkhand and the neighbouring Odisha and West Bengal. This year, for the first time in living memory, not a single animal was killed in event because of a complete lockdown across the state.

Topic: Latest Diary of Events, General Administration

Operation Samudra Setu

Indian Navy has launched Operation Samudra Setu – meaning Sea Bridge, as a part of national effort to repatriate Indian citizens from overseas.

Indian Naval Ships Jalashwa and Magar are presently enroute to Malè in Maldives to commence evacuation operations as part of Phase-1. A total of one thousand persons are planned to be evacuated during the first trip.

Topic: Awards and Honours, Persons in News

Pulitzer Prize 2020

Three photojournalists from Jammu & Kashmir have won Pulitzer Prize 2020 in feature photography. These include Yasin Dar, Mukhtar Khan, and Channi Anand.

About the Prize:

Pulitzer Prize was established in 1917 and has been awarded for the achievements in magazine, newspaper, online journalism, musical composition, and literature.

The award was established by the provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, he made his fortune as a newspaper publisher. The award is administered by Columbia University.

Topic: New Appointments, International Diary of Events

Indian American nominated as OECD Envoy by the US President Trump

The US President Donald Trump appointed Indian American Diplomat Manisha Singh as his envoy to OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development).

Manisha Singh was the secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs. She will now act as US representative to OECD. She had also served as secretary of economic growth, environment and energy.
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Topic: Latest Reports and Events

UNICEF “Lost at Home” report

UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has published a report named UN the “Lost at Home” report.

Key findings:

Almost 33 million new displacements were recorded in 2019 — around 25 million were due to natural disasters and 8.5 million as consequence of conflict and violence.

Natural disasters resulted in more new displacements than conflict and violence. Almost 10 million new displacements in 2019 were recorded in East Asia and the Pacific (39 %) — and almost the same number in South Asia (9.5 million).

Coronavirus intensifying suffering: Camps or informal settlements are often overcrowded, and lack adequate hygiene and health services. Physical distancing is often not possible, creating conditions that are highly conducive to the spread of disease.

Risks internally displaced children face include child labour, child marriage, trafficking.

The largest number of internally displaced children due to conflict are found in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and sub-Saharan Africa. Internally displaced persons are concentrated in two regions — the Middle East and North Africa and West and Central Africa.

India and neighbours:

More than five million people were internally displaced in India due to natural disasters, conflict and violence in 2019, constituting the highest number of new internal displacements in the world during the period followed by the Philippines, Bangladesh and China.

India, the Philippines, Bangladesh and China accounted for 69% of global disaster-induced displacements. These were overwhelmingly caused by extreme conditions created by dangerous storms and floods.