Aadhar Based Payment System (Prelims & Mains- Polity & Governance)
Why in News?
Centre defends Aadhaar-based wage payment, says it ensures greater inclusion, and efficiency.
The Union Rural Development Ministry, in a statement on 27th Octoberb 2024, defended using the Aadhaar-based Payment System (ABPS) for MGNREGS workers, calling it a “major reform” that helps in better targeting, increased efficiency, reducing delays in payments, and greater inclusion by curbing leakages.
The Ministry said that ABPS conversion was a major reform process, where benefits are credited directly into bank accounts based on the Aadhaar numbers of workers under the MGNREGS, doing away with several layers in the delivery process.
From January 1st 2024, the ABPS has been made mandatory.
All workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme are to receive their wages through an Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS) only. Earlier, the credit might either happen using the banks/Post office account details or using the Aadhaar number of the beneficiary with which the account may be linked.
About Aadhaar Based Payment System (ABPS)
The account details of the workers are being updated regularly in the MIS by the States, but in order to make Aadhaar Based Payments (ABP), there is a need for Aadhaar seeding and its mapping at National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) mapper by the banks.
Aadhaar seeding in the NREGASoft database:
The Aadhaar numbers of all active workers, enrolled must be seeded in the database. The computer operators in the Block/Gram Panchayat Office shall be mandated to do the data entry after due verification.
Working of Aadhaar Payment Bridge System (APBS) –
The APBS works only with the accounts which are on Core Banking System (CBS) platform. Under this system, all transfers into accounts are electronic and near real time based on the Aadhaar number of the worker seeded into the bank account of the said worker and mapped on the NPCI mapper. As and when a pay order is released, the NREGASoft shares the files with PFMS; PFMS, in turn, shares the file with the States Sponsor Banks. Then the States Sponsor Bank processes these payments through NPCI, debits the account, credits the beneficiary account and uploads the response file to the Public Fund Management System (PFMS). PFMS, then sends all transaction responses to NREGASoft through SSIS (Sql Server Integration Services). It has the capacity to eliminate delays and bring transparency into the payment process.
| The use of Aadhaar will be strictly in accordance with the order given by the Supreme Court. The provisions of Section 7 and 8 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services Act, 2016 (18 of 2016) are asunder: Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act: The Central Government or, as the case may be, the State Government may, for the purpose of establishing identity of an individual as a condition for receipt of a subsidy, benefit or service for which the expenditure is incurred from, or the receipt therefrom forms part of, the Consolidated Fund of India, require that such individual undergo authentication, or furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar numberSection 8 of the Aadhaar Act: “(1) The Authority shall perform authentication of the Aadhaar number of an Aadhaar number holder submitted by any requesting entity, in relation to his biometric The Supreme Court in its final judgement on Writ Petition 494/2012 dated 26th September, 2018 has opined as below: The central government or the State Government, can mandate that receipt of subsidies, benefits and services would be given only on furnishing proof of possession of Aadhaar number and such individual would undergo authentication at the time of receiving such benefits etc. |
Tardigrade resists high levels of radiation, implications for humans. (Prelims & Mains- Environment)
Why in news?
Tardigrades can help protect astronauts from radiation during space missions, clean up nuclear pollution or improve cancer treatment.
Tardigrades
They are free-living tiny invertebrates belonging to the phylum Tardigrada. They are considered to be close relatives of arthropods (e.g., insects, crustaceans).
They live in a variety of habitats worldwide: in damp moss, on flowering plants, in sand, in freshwater, and in the sea. They can survive punishing heat, freezing cold, ultraviolet radiation and even outer space. Tardigrades are hardy enough to survive large asteroid impacts and even supernova blasts.
The tardigrades can withstand unfavourable conditions by turning into a state of suspended animation called the “tun” state—in which the body dries out and appears as a lifeless ball (or tun). In this state, their metabolism may decline to 0.01 percent of its normal rate. Tardigrades can survive as tuns for years or even decades to wait out dry conditions.
Hypsibius henanensis – Six years ago, scientists discovered new species of Tardigrade
in Henan province of China and named it as Hypsibius henanensis, which can withstand high levels of radiation .“This discovery may help improve the stress tolerance of human cells, benefiting patients undergoing radiation therapy.”
They protect the microscopic animals’ DNA from damage and repair breaks,
The team of scientists exposed Hypsibius henanensis to radiation doses of gamma rays that were far beyond what would be survivable for humans.
The scientists discovered 2,801 of the genes in Hypsibius henanensis that were involved in DNA repair.
Scientists found three factors that help this species survive radiation.
- ability to quickly repair double-strand breaks in DNA due to radiation exposure by using a protein called TRID1
- a gene that was switched on during exposure to radiation, resulting in the generation of two proteins that are known to be important for mitochondrial synthesis… in tardigrades, it appears they also help with DNA repair,”
- ability to produce different types of antioxidant pigments called betalains. These pigments can mop up some of the harmful reactive chemicals that radiation causes to form inside cells.
The findings could one day be harnessed to help protect astronauts from radiation during space missions, clean up nuclear pollution or improve cancer treatment.
States to Regulate Industrial Alcohol (Prelims & Mains- Polity & Governance)
Why in News?
In an 8:1 majority in the State of Uttar Pradesh v Lalta Prasad Vaish, the Supreme Court Constitution Bench decision held that a state government, and not the Union, has the power to regulate industrial alcohol. It also held that states’ power to make laws on “intoxicating liquor” included the alcohol used for industrial purposes.
Background
- In Synthetics and Chemical Ltd. vs. State of U.P 1989, the Supreme Court gave judgement in favour of the the Centre.
- In State of Uttar Pradesh v Lalta Prasad Vaish the main contention of the State of Uttar Pradesh was that the term ‘intoxicating liquor’ should be given a wider interpretation to include ‘denatured spirit/ industrial alcohol’ and industrial alcohol should be brought under the state’s law-making powers.
- Entry 8 of the State List vests the power to regulate “intoxicating liquors”.
- Entry 52 of the Union List allows the Union to take control of industries through law made by Parliament. The Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951 is one such law. “Fermentation industries” finds a place in the First Schedule here, and it is defined as industries dealing with alcohol other than potable alcohol.
| Seventh Schedule List I—Union List52. Industries, the control of which by the Union is declared by Parliament by law to be expedient in the public interest. List II—State List8. Intoxicating liquors, that is to say, the production, manufacture, possession, transport, purchase and sale of intoxicating liquors. List III—Concurrent List33. Trade and commerce in, and the production, supply and distributionof,—(a) the products of any industry where the control of such industryby the Union is declared by Parliament by law to be expedient in thepublic interest, and imported goods of the same kind as such products; |
Arguments of the States
- The term ‘intoxicating liquor’ should be given a wider interpretation to include ‘denatured spirit/ industrial alcohol’
- It was further contended that when a central law (S. 18G of IDR Act) accidentally steps into areas usually controlled by state governments (referring to Entry 8 List II), it doesn’t mean the state loses its powers over those areas.
- The appellants contended that the decision in Synthetic Chemicals merits interference and should be overruled as it flaws in mixing up ‘industrial alcohol'(denatured) and ‘rectified spirit'(potable) as synonymous. While ‘rectified spirit’ or ethyl alcohol is fit for human consumption, industrial alcohol is not. It was further clarified that ‘denatured spirit'(non-suitable for human consumption) or ‘industrial alcohol’ was the offspring of ‘intoxicating liquor’. The process is that from the molasses there is rectified alcohol, from rectified alcohol ENA is obtained and then it is the ENA which is branched further to denatured alcohol/ industrial alcohol.
Arguments Raised By The Union
The Union asserted that as per S. 18 G whenever the Union deems fit, in the interest of economic welfare and market regulation of any specific industry, it may by a ‘notified order’ regulate the aspects of supply, distribution, trade and commerce of such a scheduled industry.
The Verdict
A nine-judge Bench has clarified the scope of Entry 8 in the State List under the Seventh Schedule in the Constitution to cover both ‘potable alcohol’ and alcohol that can be used to the detriment of public health. It takes in its fold the entire gamut of activities involving the production, sale and distribution of alcohol products, covering rectified spirit, extra neutral alcohol and denatured alcohol.
In other words, the entry is not limited to the popular understanding of intoxicating liquor as alcoholic beverages consumed by people. Parliament, according to the verdict, lacks legislative competence to take control of the entire industry of intoxicating liquor.