JALLIANWALA BAGH MASSACRE

• A British Colonel named Reginald Edward Harry Dyer ordered troops to surround the compound, situated between houses and narrow lanes, and launched indiscriminate firing on the assembled men, women and children who lacked the means to escape. Some of them jumped into a well located within the premises to escape the bullets
• According to the British, around 400 people were killed in the firing, the youngest of whom was nine-years-old and the oldest was 80. Indian historians peg the toll at 1,000
• While British rule in India led to numerous atrocities before and after Jallianwala Bagh, the nature of the violence that unfolded on unarmed civilians led to widespread condemnation later, including from British authorities
• Wartime British Prime Minister Winston Churchill went on to describe the day as “monstrous” and an inquiry was set up to probe Dyer’s orders

• April 13 saw celebrations for the Sikh festival of Baisakhi, which marks the onset of Spring and the harvest of winter crops
• Simultaneously, the movement for independence from British rule had been steadily gaining ground in recent years, and an event was held at Jallianwala Bagh to defy colonial orders and protest against the recently passed Rowlatt Bills
• These Bills curtailed the civil liberties of Indians and let colonial forces arrest people without any warrant or trial
• One of the Acts was pushed through the Legislative Council ignoring objections of elected Indian representatives, leading to resentment among Indians
• Some violent protests had been witnessed in cities of Delhi, Bombay (now Mumbai) and Lahore as well, even as MK Gandhi called for the launch of a non-violent peaceful protest at the time
• Sir Michael O’Dwyer imposed martial rule in Lahore and Amritsar on April 11, but the order reached Amritsar only on April 14
• He also sent Colonel Dyer, who was then holding the temporary rank of Brigadier General, from the Jalandhar cantonment to Amritsar
• On April 13, a Sunday, Col Dyer’s troops marched through the town to warn against the assembly of more than four people
• But the announcement did not reach most people, and devotees headed towards the Golden Temple
• By 4 pm, many gathered for a public meeting against the arrest of Dr Satyapal and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew for opposing the Rowlatt Act
• Dyer saw the assembly as a violation of government orders. “They had come to fight if they defied me and I was going to give them a lesson……I was going to punish them
• "My idea from the military point of view was to make a wide impression,” Dyer said to the Hunter Committee of 1920 

• The 1920 report noted that Dyer entered Jallianwala Bagh with 25 Gorkha soldiers and 25 Baluchis armed with rifles, 40 Gorkhas armed with only Khukris and two armoured cars. A crowd of around 10 to 12,000 was gathered there at the time
• According to the report “Without giving the crowd any warning to disperse, which he considered unnecessary as they were in breach of his proclamation, he ordered his troops to fire and the firing continued for about ten minutes,”
• It noted that no one in the crowd was carrying firearms though some may have been carrying sticks
• In all, the soldiers fired 1,650 rounds. A later investigation brought the number of killed up to 379
• No figure was given for the wounded and it was thought that it may have been three times the dead
• Indian leaders expressed their anger and protested in response to the killings. Notably, Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore gave up his knighthood

• Dyer was born in Murree in 1854, in present-day Pakistan, and was commissioned in the West Surrey Regiment in 1885 and then transferred to the Indian Army
• The Jallianwala Bagh incident led to focus on his actions in particular
•  After the incident too, Dyer was known to engage in barbarity against Indians in at least one other incident
• On April 10, 1919 Marcella Sherwood, a missionary, was cycling down the street in Amritsar when she was allegedly attacked. Some locals intervened and saved her
• Six days after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Dyer was informed of how Sherwood was attacked and he issued an order that no one would walk through the street where Sherwood was attacked
• Those who needed to pass through it, were told to crawl. Those disobeying these orders were to be flogged
• As part of the Hunter Committee report, statements from Dyer given to it show that he did not show particular regret for his action on April 13, believing them to be justified to quell the crowd
• He is quoted as saying in the report, “I had made up my mind. I was only wondering whether I should do it or not….The situation was very, very serious. I had made up my mind that I would shoot all men to death if they were going to continue the meeting.”

• The Hunter Committee condemned the incident but did not impose any punishment on Dyer
• Ultimately, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army directed Brig Gen Dyer to resign his appointment as Brigade Commander and informed him that he will receive no further employment in India
• However, Dyer remained a divisive figure at the time. Imperialists at home lauded Dyer for his actions against what they termed as unrest in India
• Conservative newspapers and organisations in the UK later arranged for a fund for Dyer and collected a significant amount
• Dyer would go on to retire and live in Britain. Incidentally, Michael O’Dwyer, the officer to order martial law, was later assassinated in 1940 in his retirement by Sardar Udham Singh, an Indian man who was present at Jallianwala Bagh and escaped the atrocities

DABBA TRADING

 

1. Context

In the past week, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) issued a string of notices naming entities involved in ‘dabba trading’. The bourse cautioned retail investors to not subscribe (or invest) using any of these products offering indicative/assured/guaranteed returns in the stock market as they are prohibited by law.

2. What is Dabba Trading?

• Dabba (Box) trading refers to informal trading that takes place outside the purview of the stock exchanges. Traders bet on stock price movements without incurring a real transaction to take physical ownership of a particular stock as is done in exchange. In simple words, it is gambling centered around stock price movements.
• Since it is illegal, there is no income tax on profit. Traders also don't pay Commodity Transaction Tax (CTT) or Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on their transactions. SEBI has taken several steps to curb the dabba trading system and encourage more investors to invest through the mainstream.

3. How does Dabba Trading work?

• The dabba system is also called box trading in India and bucket trading in the US market. The broker routes the investors to invest outside the stock market.
• The orders are placed through operators and all transactions are settled in cash every week. The operator books the trade in its record after receiving the order from its client. The operator charges money from its client to facilitate trades.
• Transacting in the bucketing market carries higher risk. It involves counterparty risks and actions conducted by respective authorities since it is an illegal transaction.
• The Dabba system is a pseudo-market without a settlement guarantee, meaning you may lose all your investments.
• In India, gold and silver are often traded in the parallel market, along with copper and crude oil.
• SEBI banned dabba trading as an illegal and prohibited activity under regulations 3 and 4 of SEBI's prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices.
• It is also punishable under the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act of 2000.

4. Difference between Legal Trading and Dabba Trading

• When an investor places an order to buy stocks, the broker executes the order on the stock market.
• The transaction incurs some expenses, like brokerage fees, exchange fees, SEBI turnover fees, and taxes paid to the Income Tax Department and Securities Transaction Tax (STT). An Rs. 100 transaction will cost Rs. 101 to the investor.
• On dabba trading, the agent will execute the trade outside the market, and no actual order is placed on the exchange. The buyers bet on the scrip at a price point.
• If the share price raises, the trader would gain the difference between the quoted price and the differences.
• Similarly, when the price falls, the customer will have to pay the difference. Traders don't need to have the money to transact in the dabba system.
• In a nutshell, dabba trading is betting on the stock price movement. Since there is no actual transaction, it does not incur any transaction cost.
• If the price moves in your favor, you will gain. Otherwise, you will pay for the difference.
• Despite all efforts from the market regulator, dabba trading is rising. It is a method to change black money into white.
• Most of the time, investors willingly participate in illegal trades. Sometimes, the brokers may engage in pseudo-trading without the knowledge of the client.
• The broker will make one transaction of a single share to fix the price point when the real deal contains ten or thousand shares. Once that is done, the trade gets squared off on the said date. The trades are purely based on trust.

5. Dabba Trading Software 

• Dabba trading software is a real thing. It has reached a level where traders use software specially made to carry out trades outside the stock market.
• Although SEBI is tightening its measures to curb unauthorized trading, there is a rise in the volume of Dabba trading.
• Dabba trading software and apps are reaching the audience, allowing them to transact with simple clicks. These applications are linked to the stock and commodity market to track live price changes.

6. Risks to dabba or box trading

• Dabba trading carries higher risks since it is not regulated. There is no guarantee of getting a settlement. Profit from a dabba trade depends on the loss of another party.
• Those operating in the dabba market are not members of the stock exchange. The operators place large orders in the stock market and bear the loss of profit from the deal, which makes box trading a vulnerable investment option.
• Dabba trading impacts the whole economy. It encourages tax evasion where lakhs and crores are betted outside the legal system.
• It deprives the government of thousands of crores in revenue.
• Secondly, it is akin to organized gambling which is illegal in India. Traders trade without the safety net provided by the exchange or SEBI. Sometimes, traders will place large orders of crores without having adequate money in reserve.
• So, even if you win the bet, you may fail to retrieve the money from the losing broker or investor.
• Hence, your money is always in danger as there is no exchange guarantee or margin safety.
• ‘Dabba trading’ is recognized as an offense under Section 23(1) of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act (SCRA), 1956, and upon conviction, can invite imprisonment for a term extending up to 10 years or a fine up to ₹25 crores, or both. 

 

For Prelims: National Stock Exchange (NSE), Stock Market, Dabba Trading or Box trading, Commodity Transaction Tax (CTT) or Securities Transaction Tax (STT), Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act (SCRA), 1956. For Mains: 1. What is Dabba Trading and explain how it works? Discuss the difference between Legal Trading and Dabba Trading. (250 Words)

Previous year Question

1. Consider the following statements : (UPSC 2010) In India, taxes on transactions in Stock Exchanges and Futures Markets are 1. Levied by the Union 2. Collected by the States Which of the statements given above is/are correct? A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both 1 and 2 D. Neither 1 nor 2 Answer: A   2. With reference to India, consider the following statements: (UPSC 2021) 1. Retail investors through demat accounts can invest in ‘Treasury Bills’ and ‘Government of India Debt Bonds’ in the primary market. 2. The Negotiated Dealing System Order Matching’ is a government securities trading platform of the Reserve Bank of India. 3. The ‘Central Depository Services Ltd.’ is jointly promoted by the Reserve Bank of India and the Bombay Stock Exchange. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? A. 1 only B. 1 and 2 C. 3 only D. 2 and 3 Answer: B

 

 

Source: The Hindu

MATERNITY BENEFIT TO ADOPTIVE MOTHERS

 

 

1. Context

The Supreme Court Wednesday agreed to hear a petition challenging the constitutional validity of Section 5(4) of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, which states that a woman who legally adopts a child below three months old will be entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave

The petition challenges Section 5(4) of the Act on grounds of being “discriminatory” and “arbitrary’ towards adoptive mothers and orphaned children over three months

 

2. About this 'Provision'

• The original 1961 legislation did not have specific provisions for mothers who adopt, and these were inserted with the 2017 amendment to the Maternity Benefit Act
• According to Section 5(4) of the amended Act, “A woman who legally adopts a child below the age of three months or a commissioning mother shall be entitled to maternity benefit for a period of twelve weeks from the date the child is handed over to the adopting mother or the commissioning mother, as the case may be.”
• The term “commissioning mother” refers to a surrogate mother and has been defined as “a biological mother who uses her egg to create an embryo implanted in any other woman.”
• A woman adopting a child older than three months gets no benefits
• The PIL challenges this provision on grounds of being “discriminatory” and “arbitrary” towards adoptive mothers
• “Section 5(4) apart from being discriminatory and arbitrary towards the adoptive mothers, also arbitrarily discriminates against orphaned, abandoned or surrendered children above the age of three months, which is completely incompatible to the object of the Maternity Benefit Act as well as the Juvenile Justice Act,” the plea contends
• Dubbing the purported benefit of 12 weeks’ maternity leave as “mere lip service”, the petition also states that when compared to the 26 weeks’ benefit for biological mothers, the provision fails to stand the basic scrutiny of Part III of the Constitution, which is linked to the concept of non-arbitrariness

3. Maternity benefit Act 1961

• The Maternity Benefit Act was originally passed by Parliament on December 12, 1961, to regulate the employment of women in “certain establishments” for the period before and after childbirth and “to provide for maternity benefit and certain other benefits.”
• Originally it applied to every establishment “being a factory, mine or plantation” and later in 1973, it was extended to “any such establishment belonging to Government” and “every establishment where persons are employed for the exhibition of equestrian, acrobatic and other performances.”
• It repealed the Mines Maternity Benefit Act, 1941 and Maternity Benefit Act, 1929
• Section 4 of the 1961 Act prohibited the employment of or work by women during a certain period and under sub-section (1) stated, “No employer shall knowingly employ a woman in any establishment during the six weeks immediately following the day of her delivery or her miscarriage.”
• The right to paid maternity leaves was also given under Section 5 of the 1961 Act, although the period of such leave could not exceed twelve weeks, “that is to say, six weeks up to and including the day of her delivery and six weeks immediately following that day.”
• Additionally, no woman could be allowed to avail maternity benefits if she had not worked in the establishment for at least “one hundred and sixty days in the twelve months immediately preceding the date of her expected delivery.”
• These benefits would be allowed without dismissing the female worker from service or reduction of wages
• Violating provisions of the Act could result in three months’ punishment, with or without a fine
• On March 9, 2017, the Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Act 2017, was passed by Parliament, which brought about key changes to the original Act

4. Amendments in 2017

• The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 amended Section 5 of the erstwhile Act to allow 26 weeks of paid leave after childbirth, although only to biological mothers
• The amendment also inserted Section 5(4) which said that adoptive or surrogate mothers legally adopting a child below three months will be entitled to a maternity benefit period of 12 weeks from the date the child is handed over to the mother
• Further, it inserted provisions to allow women to work from home under Section 5(5) which said, “…Where the nature of work assigned to a woman is of such nature that she may work from home, the employer may allow her to do so after availing of the maternity benefit for such period and on such conditions as the employer and the woman may mutually agree.”
• Under the amended Act, Section 11 was also inserted to say that, “Every establishment having fifty or more employees shall have the facility of creche within such distance as may be prescribed, either separately or along with common facilities.” 
•  It is also mandated that the employer allows four visits a day to the creche by the woman as well as rest intervals for her
• However, a much-received criticism of this Act is that it does not apply to the unorganised sector

5. Applicability to Sectors

• Women in the unorganised sector cannot avail the benefits of the Maternity Benefit(Amendment) Act 2017
• In 2020, a report by TeamLease – a human resource company, revealed that even three years after the amendment Act was passed, it was yet to “deliver a positive impact on job opportunities for women.”
• Besides this, the report said that women’s participation dropped in more than five out of 10 sectors since the implementation of the Act
• The report suggests that 7 out of the 10 sectors reviewed were expected to show positive momentum in women workforce participation in the medium term (1-4 years) owing to the Act
• However, 5 of the 10 sectors are lagging, and instead indicating a drop in the share of women in their workforce, as per the report
• After maternity, women face several challenges. Most of the women (30 per cent) cited wage cuts followed by resistance or lack of support from family (25 per cent) and access to childcare (20 per cent), as per the report.

 

 

Source: indianexpress

VIBRANT VILLAGES PROGRAMME

1. Context 

Recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was in Arunachal Pradesh for the launch of the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) in the border village of Kibithoo.

The constant threat along the country's border amid the ongoing standoff with China has led to a concerted push to upgrade infrastructure in the border areas.

To this end, the Union Cabinet on February 15 approved the allocation of Rs 4, 800 crores for the Centre's Vibrant Villages Programme.

 

2. Importance of Kibithoo village

 

• The Strategically key Kibithu military garrison on the banks of Lohit Valley along the Line of Actual Control and a Key road in this mountain hamlet.
• The military garrison looks after the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector.
• Chinese People's Liberation Army's Rima Post is just opposite the Indian garrison.
• Nestled in the mountainous and arduous terrain of the Lohit Valley, Kibithu is located near the LAC and is the easternmost military garrison of India.
• The small hamlet is inhabited by Meyor and Jarkin Tribes. Recently It was named after India's first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat.
• Lack of surface connectivity with the nearest road head at Meshai precluded movement to Kibithu which was air maintained till as late as 1997.
• A foot suspension bridge (FSB 17) was the sole link to the eastern bank of the Lohit River.
• The garrison is considered very important for its strategic location.
• Kibithu was first occupied by 2 Assam Rifles in December 1950 with one platoon. In 1959, the post was further strengthened with an additional Platoon.
• Kibithu endured the initial onslaught of Chinese aggression during the 1962 Sino-India War.

Image Source: Newsdrum

 

3.. About Vibrant Villages Programme

 

• This village development scheme was first announced in the 2022 Budget.
• The programme's targets are to provide comprehensive development of villages on the border with China and improvement in the quality of life of people living in identified border villages.
• The development in these villages will help prevent migration and thus also boost security.
• The Parliamentary Standing Committee in 2018 pointed towards backwardness, illiteracy and lack of basic facilities and infrastructure in our border areas. The VVP aims to address all these issues.

3. States come under VVP

 

• Under this centrally sponsored scheme, 2, 967 villages in 46 blocks of 19 districts have been identified for comprehensive development.
• These villages border the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Ladakh.
• In the first phase, around 662 villages have been identified for priority coverage.

 

4. Funds allocated for the programme

 

• According to Shah, a population of about 1.42 lakh people will be covered in the first phase.
• Under the programme, the government has allocated Rs 4, 800 crores for infrastructure development and to provide livelihood opportunities in the border areas.
• Out of the total outlay, Rs 2, 500 crores will be spent exclusively on the creation of road infrastructure.
• The total outlay is for financial years 2022-23 to 2025-26.
• There is a conscious effort to not overlap VVP with the Border Area Development Programme.

5. Objectives of the scheme

• The scheme aims to identify and develop the economic drivers based on local, natural, human and other resources of the border villages as per a press release by the Ministry of Home Affairs on February 15, 2023.
• Development of growth centres on the "Hub and Spoke Model" through the promotion of social entrepreneurship and empowerment of youth and women through skill development is also one of the objectives of VVP.
• Moreover, the programme also intends to leverage tourism potential through the promotion of local, cultural and traditional knowledge and heritage in the border areas, thus increasing the employment opportunities of the people and as a result, stemming migration.
• Development of sustainable eco-agribusinesses on the concept of "one village-one product" through community-based organisations, cooperatives, SHGs, NGOs etc are also aimed.
• The district administration will prepare action plans with the help of Gram Panchayats for the identified villages to ensure 100 per cent saturation of Central and State schemes.
• The scheme envisages that drinking water, 24×7 electricity, connectivity with all-weather roads, cooking gas and mobile and internet connectivity be made available in the border areas.
• Special attention will be given to solar and wind energy, tourist centres, multi-purpose centres and health infrastructure and wellness centres.
• Under this programme, the development work of villages will be done at 3 levels.
• The Government of India will take care of the facilities of every person living in the villages and the benefits of various schemes will be delivered to the people.
• There will not be a single house in the border villages which does not have basic amenities.

For Prelims: Vibrant Villages Programme, China-India border dispute, Border infrastructure development, one village-one product,  For Mains: 1. What is the Vibrant Villages Programme? Discuss how many states does it cover and Explain its objectives? (250 Words)

 

 

Previous Year Questions 1. What is/are the recent tension between India and China highlighted in the newspaper?  (TNPSC Group-I 2011) A. China's proposed dam on Brahmaputra B. PM's visit to Arunachal Pradesh C. China recently tried to block an ADB loan D. All of these   Answer:D

 

Source: The Indian Express

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