1. ARTICLE 60 (OATH OR AFFIRMATION BY THE PRESIDENT)
Droupadi Murmu took oath of office as the 15th President of India and created history by being the first tribal head of State and the second woman to occupy the country’s highest constitutional post.
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- Every President and every person acting as President or discharging the functions of the President shall, before entering upon his office, make and subscribe in the presence of the Chief Justice of India or, in his absence, the senior most Judge of the Supreme Court available, an oath or affirmation in the following form, that is to say -
- "I, A.B., do swear in the name of God / solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of President (or discharge the function of the President) of India and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law and that I will devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of India."
Source : The Hindu
2. THE TRADITION OF 25 JULY AND DROUPADI MURMU’S SWEARING-IN AS PRESIDENT
25 July, will go down in the annals of Indian history as Droupadi Murmu is sworn in as the first tribal President of the country.
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- Records show that since 1977, successive Presidents have taken the oath of office on 25 July.
- Murmu’s swearing-in on 25 July makes her the 10th successive President to take oath on 25 July since 1977. At 64, Murmu is the youngest and India’s first president to be born after Independence.
Significance of 25 July
- There is no written rule as to why presidents since 1977 have been sworn in on this date.
- The tenure of outgoing President of India, Ram Nath Kovind ended on 24 July, paving the way for Droupadi Murmu’s ascension to the topmost position in the country.
- Incidentally, Kovind was also sworn in as the 14th President of India on 25 July 2017.
- Since Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, the sixth President of India, took the oath on 25 July back in 1977, this practice has continued.
- Successive Presidents such as Giani Zail Singh, R Venkataraman, Shankar Dayal Sharma, KR Narayanan, APJ Abdul Kalam, Pratibha Patil, Pranab Mukherjee and Ram Nath Kovind have taken oath on 25 July.
Source : FirstPost
3. MODEL TENANCY LAW
More than a year since the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry circulated the Model Tenancy Act (MTA), only four States had revised their tenancy laws to be in line with the MTA, the Ministry said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
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- As per information available with MoHUA, the States of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Assam have revised Tenancy Acts on the lines of Model Tenancy Act (MTA).
- The Model Tenancy Act aimed to balance the rights of tenants and landlords, and to “create an accountable and transparent ecosystem for renting of premises in a disciplined and efficient manner”.
Source : The Hindu
4. LATEST GUIDELINES ON ARRESTS AND BAIL ORDERS
On July 11, a division bench of the Supreme Court of India in Satender Kumar Antil vs CBI laid down fresh guidelines on arrests in order to have strict compliance with the provisions of Section 41 and 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
About:
- These guidelines are in addition to the earlier ones which the apex court had already laid down in the case of Arnesh Kumar vs State of Bihar (2014).
- The Court in the present case has also emphasised upon separate legislation on the law relating to bail and has also issued specific directions in this regard.
- On July 16, even the Chief Justice of India (CJI) cautioned against “hasty and indiscriminate arrests”. He further commented on the delay in bails and the plight of undertrial prisoners.
What are Sections 41 and 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure?
- Section 41 of the Code provides for the circumstances in which arrest can be made by the police without a warrant and mandates for reasons to be recorded in writing for every arrest and non-arrest.
- Section 41A of the Code provides for the requirement of a notice to be sent by the investigating agencies before making an arrest in certain conditions prescribed by the Code.
Source : The Hindu
5. PROTECTION OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS FROM VIOLENCE
The Health and Family Welfare Ministry has withdrawn the draft legislation on protection of healthcare workers and healthcare institutions from violence, which proposed a jail term of up to five years and a fine of up to ₹5 lakh for the offenders.
About:
- This was revealed in the Ministry’s reply to a query filed under the Right to Information Act, seeking the status of the Healthcare Service Personnel & Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2019.
- During a debate on an Ordinance in the Rajya Sabha to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, the then Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said that there was a dramatic decline in the number of incidents of violence against health workers ever since the Ordinance was brought in.
- The Ordinance had proposed to make incidents of violence on health workers treating COVID-19 patients a non-bailable offence.
Source : The Hindu
6. N-TREAT TECHNOLOGY
To prevent sludge and sewage from 25 storm water drains between Bandra and Dahisar from flowing into the sea, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned in-situ treatment of sewage from the drains.
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- This will be done with the help of Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay’s (IIT-B) N-Treat Technology.
- N-Treat is a seven-stage process for waste treatment that uses screens, gates, silt traps, curtains of coconut fibres for filtration, and disinfection using sodium hypochlorite.
- It is a natural and environment friendly way for sewage treatment. Its set up takes place within the nullah channels, that is through the in-situ or on-site method of treatment, and does not require additional space.
Source : Indian Express
7. TRIBAL REVOLTS
As she took oath as the 15th President of India, Droupadi Murmu scripted history by becoming the country’s first tribal and only the second woman to occupy the country’s highest constitutional office.
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Addressing the nation after being sworn-in, she invoked four tribal revolutions that she said had strengthened tribal contribution to the freedom struggle.
- Santhal revolution: On June 30, 1855, over 10,000 Santhals were mobilised by their leaders — Kanho Murmu, Chand Murmu, Bhairab Murmu and Sidho Murmu – to revolt against the East India Company over oppression by revenue officials, zamindars, and corrupt moneylenders.
- Paika rebellion: In several recent descriptions, the 1817 Paika Rebellion in Odisha’s Khurda is referred to as the “original” first war of Indian Independence.
- Kol revolt: The Kols, tribal people from the Chhota Nagpur area, rose in revolt against the British in 1831.
- Bhil uprising: After the British intruded into the Bhil territory in Maharashtra’s Khandesh region, the tribals pushed back fearing exploitation under the new regime in 1818. The revolt was led by their leader, Sewaram and was brutally crushed using the British military might.
Source : Indian Express
8. HUMAN-ANIMAL CONFLICT
Minister of Environment tabled data in Lok Sabha on human-animal conflict.
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- Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, 222 elephants were killed by electrocution across the country, 45 by trains, 29 by poachers and 11 by poisoning.
- Among tigers, too, 29 were killed by poaching between 2019 and 2021, while 197 tiger deaths are under scrutiny.
- Among human casualties of conflict with animals, elephants killed 1,579 humans in three years — 585 in 2019-20, 461 in 2020-21, and 533 in 2021-22. Odisha accounted for the highest number of these deaths at 322.
- Tigers killed 125 humans in reserves between 2019 and 2021. Maharashtra accounted for nearly half these deaths, at 61.
Source : Indian Express
9. DEFENCE REFORMS
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the setting up of joint theatre commands of the tri-services to enhance coordination among the armed forces.
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- He was speaking during a programme organised by the Jammu Kashmir People's Forum here to pay tributes to the martyrs of the Indian Armed Forces.
- Referring to the defence production, Singh said, "India was the world's largest importer (of defence products). Today, India is not the world's largest importer but is among the top 25 nations engaged in defence exports," he pointed out.
- Singh said the country has started defence exports worth Rs 13,000 crore and it has fixed a target to increase it to Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 crore by 2025-26.
- This is Singh's second visit to Jammu in a little over a month. He visited the region on June 17 on the occasion of the 200th year of coronation of Maharaja Gulab Singh.
Source : Business Standard
10. GOODS AND SERVICE TAX (GST)
The Government of India clarified that fresh milk and pasteurised milk are fully exempted from Goods and Service Tax (GST).
About:
- Further, milk products like curd, lassi, butter milk and paneer are also exempted from GST if sold in forms other than those pre-packaged and labelled.
- In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said a nominal GST of 5 per cent applies to curd, lassi, butter milk and paneer when sold in pre-packaged and labelled form, and Ultra High-Temperature Milk.
- Further, a GST of 12 per cent applies to condensed milk, butter, ghee and cheese. GST exemptions and rates apply uniformly across States.
- She said GST rates are prescribed on the recommendation of the GST Council, which is a constitutional body comprising of representatives from both Centre and the States and Union Territories.