Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 07 February 2024 | Download PDF

About UCC:

• Article 44, enshrined in Chapter IV of the 1950 Constitution of India, outlines that “The State shall make efforts to ensure the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across all of India’s territories.”
• Chapter IV of the Indian Constitution elaborates on DPSP (Articles 36-51), which are guidelines for the State to enact policies for the overall welfare of society.
• Our Constituent Assembly adopted the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) from the 1937 Irish Constitution.
• The UCC seeks to establish uniform personal laws applicable to all religions in India.
• Areas covered by the UCC include Marriage, Inheritance, Maintenance, Guardianship, Succession, Adoption, and others.

• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami presents the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in the State Assembly.
• The UCC encompasses various aspects such as live-in relationships and divorce, aiming for uniformity across communities.
• Notably, Scheduled Tribes are excluded from the Bill’s provisions.

Key Provisions

• The UCC ensures equal rights in divorce matters, eliminating practices like ‘Halala’ and ‘Iddat’.
• Marriages under the UCC are restricted to one man and one woman, with specified ages for marriage.
• Registration of marriages and divorces becomes mandatory, penalizing non-compliance.
• The Bill addresses live-in relationships, imposing penalties for non-registration or false information.
• Children born from such relationships are recognized as legitimate under the UCC.
• Sons and daughters are granted equal rights in property inheritance, regardless of their status.
• Widows and children gain equal inheritance rights in a deceased person’s property, a departure from previous laws.

• Revenue Secretary, Sanjay Malhotra, forecasts India’s tax-to-GDP ratio to hit a record 11.7% in 2024-25, with direct taxes leading the increase.
• Simplification and rationalization of the tax regime are ongoing to minimize disputes and enforcement issues.

Key findings:

• This is primarily because of direct taxes increasing from 6.1% of GDP in 2022-23 to 6.6% this year and 6.7% next year.
• As the economy grows and per capita income increases,the tax-to-GDP also increases.
• Malhotra anticipates a surge in direct tax collection, driven by more taxpayers opting for the new tax regime.
• The new regime offers a higher tax-free income threshold but disallows deductions.

• Delimitation entails fixing the number of seats and boundaries of constituencies, including reserved seats for SC and ST, as per Article 82 and 170 of the Constitution. 
• It’s carried out by the Delimitation Commission after each Census.

Background:

• Delimitation has been frozen as per the 1971 Census in order to encourage population control measures.
• This was done through the 42nd Amendment Act till the year 2000 and was extended by the 84th Amendment Act till 2026.

Issues: 

• The uneven population growth among states poses challenges. 
• Discussions revolve around redistributing seats among states or increasing the total number of seats, both potentially disadvantageous to certain regions.

International Practices

• United States: Seats in the House of Representatives are redistributed after each Census, aiming for equal proportion representation among states.

• European Union: The EU Parliament allocates seats based on a principle of degressive proportionality, where population size influences the number of seats.

(Mentioned figure is just an estimate)

• The United Naga Council (UNC) Appeals for Non-involvement of Nagas in Meitei-Kuki-Zo Conflict.
• The UNC, representing Nagas in Manipur, seeks to distance Nagas from the ongoing ethnic strife between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos.

Overview of Ethnic Violence in Manipur

• On 3 May 2023, ethnic tensions flared up in Manipur, a north-eastern state in India, primarily between the Meitei community residing in the Imphal Valley and the Kuki-Zo tribal group inhabiting the surrounding hills.

Causes:

• Following a court directive on 14 April 2023, the Manipur High Court instructed the state government to forward a proposal to the central government regarding the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. 

Odisha Regional Specific News

• Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court.
• Odisha Governor Raghubar Das officiated the swearing-in ceremony at the Orissa High Court.
• His appointment was made by President Droupadi Murmu in consultation with Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.

About:

• Justice Subhasis Talapatra retired as the Chief Justice of Orissa High Court on October 3, 2023.
• Following Justice Talapatra’s retirement, Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi served as the Acting Chief Justice of Orissa High Court.
• Justice Singh has been serving as a judge at the Patna High Court since 2012.
• In 2023, he assumed the role of Acting Chief Justice at the Patna High Court.

• Rashmi Ranjan Parida, Founder and Director of Kalinga Literary Festival, announced that all four Kalinga Literary Awards for 2024 have been won by women writers.

Key points:

• Renowned Hindi novelist Nasira Sharma for her Hindi novels such as ‘Parijat’ and ‘Mere Priya Kahaniyaan’ and former United Nations diplomat Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri with a distinguished career in diplomacy and authorship of ‘Swallowing The Sun’ will be honored with Kalinga Literary Awards.
• Professor Bina Paudyal, a prolific Nepalese writer and researcher known for her extensive work on Nepali culture.
• Radhika Iyengar, a journalist and writer recognized for her work on the Dom community of Varanasi.

• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced the inclusion of an additional 30,000 beneficiaries in the Mukhyamantri Kalakar Sahayata Yojana, administered by the Odia Language, Literature, and Culture department.

Key points:

• With this inclusion, the total number of beneficiaries now stands at 80,000. 
• Under the scheme, each beneficiary receives a monthly assistance of Rs 1,200.

• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved the expansion of the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY), adding four lakh more beneficiaries to the scheme. 
• The move aims to extend social security benefits to a greater number of individuals in the state, increasing the total beneficiaries from 32.75 lakh to 36.75 lakh.

About:

• Under the purview of the Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities the scheme was launched on 1st January 2008.
• Its primary aim is to extend financial support to vulnerable segments including destitute, elderly, and disabled individuals residing in the state.
• The Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY) was established through the amalgamation of two pre-existing pension schemes: the Revised Old Age Pension Rules of 1989 and the Disability Pension Rules of 1985. 

• The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2024, passed in the Rajya Sabha.
• The new entries in the ST list are Muka Dora, Mooka Dora, Nuka Dora, Nooka Dora who are present in the undivided Koraput district.
• After Presidential approval, two new entries to be added to the ST list, expanding it to 64 communities.
• Two SC communities, Tamadia and Tamudia, to be removed from SC list and included in ST list under Bhumij category.

Inclusion of 4 PVTGs in ST list of Odisha

• Pauri Bhuyan, Paudi Bhuyan as synonyms of Bhuiya, Bhuyan
• Chuktia Bhunjia as synonym of Bhunjia
• Bondo as sub-entry under Bondo Poraja, Bonda Paroja, Banda Paroja
• Mankidia as synonym of Mankirdia

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