General Studies- II
Topic– Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)
Context
Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) celebrated its 5th Annual Day.
What is CARA?
- CARA is an apex body of Government of India for promoting and facilitating In-country Adoption.
- It is the designated Central Authority for regulating Inter-country Adoption.
- CARA was designated as a Statutory Body on 15 Jan 2016, under the provisions of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
- It worked under the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India.
- CARA is to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003.
Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption
- The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (or Hague Adoption Convention) is an international convention dealing with international adoption, child laundering, and child trafficking.
- The Convention was developed by the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
- It was concluded on 29 May 1993 and entered into force on 1 May 1995.
- It is an effort to protect those involved from the corruption, abuses, and exploitation which sometimes accompanies international adoption.
- 96 countries including India has signed and ratified this convention.
Objectives of Hague Adoption Convention
- To establish safeguards to ensure that intercountry adoptions take place in the best interests of the child.
- to establish a system of co-operation amongst Contracting States to ensure that those safeguards are respected and thereby prevent the abduction, the sale of, or traffic in children,
- To secure the recognition in Contracting States of adoptions made in accordance with the Convention.
General Studies-III
Topic- Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
‘Saksham’ 2020
Context
‘Saksham’, annual one-month long, people centric fuel conservation mega campaign of PCRA was launched by Government.
What is ‘Saksham’?
- ‘Saksham’, is an annual one-month long, people-centric fuel conservation mega campaign of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA).
- It is launched under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
- It aims to reach the nook and corner of the country with the message of fuel conservation, Greener Environment and better Health.
Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA)
- Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) is a registered society set up under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India.
- As a non-profit organization, PCRA is a national government agency engaged in promoting energy efficiency in various sectors of economy.
- It helps the government in proposing policies and strategies for petroleum conservation.
- It aims at reducing excessive dependence of the country on oil requirement.
Mandate
- PCRA is entrusted with the task of creating awareness amongst the masses about the importance, methods and benefits of conserving petroleum products & emission reduction.
- PCRA aims at making oil conservation a national movement.
- It sponsors R&D activities for the development of fuel-efficient equipment / devices and organizes multi-media campaigns for creating mass awareness for the conservation of petroleum products.
Objectives
- To formulate strategies and promote measures for accelerating conservation of petroleum products leading to environment protection, energy security and sustainable development.
- To create awareness among masses about the importance, benefits and methods of conserving petroleum products & clean environment by enhancing information and capacity building.
- To promote research, development and deployment efforts aimed at petroleum conservation & environment protection.
- To provide training and technical advisory services, designed to achieve economy & efficiency in use of petroleum products for cleaner environment.
- To function as a Think Tank to the Govt. of India for proposing policies and strategies on petroleum conservation and environment protection aimed at reducing excessive dependence on oil.
General Studies- II
Topic- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
HSN code
Context
No imports will be allowed without HSN code into the country : Union Minister of Commerce & Industry
What is HSN Code?
- HSN code stands for “Harmonized System of Nomenclature”.
- This system has been introduced for the systematic classification of goods all over the world.
- HSN code is a 6-digit uniform code that classifies 5000+ products and is accepted worldwide.
- It was developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and it came into effect from 1988.
- Harmonized System of Nomenclature number for each commodity is accepted by most of the countries.
- The HSN number remains same for almost all goods.
How does HSN code work?
- It has about 5,000 commodity groups, each identified by a six-digit code, arranged in a legal and logical structure.
- It is supported by well-defined rules to achieve uniform classification.
Why is HSN important?
- The main purpose of HSN is to classify goods from all over the World in a systematic and logical manner.
- This brings in a uniform classification of goods and facilitates international trade.
HSN in India
- India is a member of World Customs Organization(WCO) since 1971.
- It was originally using 6-digit HSN codes to classify commodities for Customs and Central Excise.
- Later Customs and Central Excise added two more digits to make the codes more precise, resulting in an 8 digit classification.
HSN Worldwide
The HSN system is used by more than 200 countries and economies for reasons such as:
- Uniform classification
- Base for their Customs tariffs
- Collection of international trade statistics
- Over 98% of the merchandise in international trade is classified in terms of the HSN.
Why is HSN important under GST?
- The purpose of HSN codes is to make GST systematic and globally accepted.
- HSN codes will remove the need to upload the detailed description of the goods.
- This will save time and make filing easier since GST returns are automated.
- A dealer or a service provider must provide HSN/SAC wise summary of sales in his GSTR-1 if his turnover falls in above slabs.
