Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) Scheme
- Context: To support exporters facing challenges related to freight costs and transport disruptions caused by the geopolitical crisis in West Asia, the Government of India has reinstated the full rates and value caps under the RoDTEP scheme, thereby lifting the previous 50% restriction.
About the RoDTEP Scheme
- RoDTEP is a flagship export promotion scheme launched on January 1, 2021.
- It is implemented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
-
- This scheme provides for the reimbursement of unrefunded Central, State, and local duties and taxes levied on exported products.
- It was introduced to replace the erstwhile Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS).
-
- It ensures that taxes are not exported—meaning taxes are not embedded in the cost of exported goods—thereby enhancing the global competitiveness of Indian products.
- It compensates for duties and taxes that are not covered under the GST or duty drawback schemes.
- The scheme aims to increase both the volume and value of India’s exports.
Current Facts
- Election Commission of India
- The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India.
- The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies in India, and the offices of the President and Vice President in the country.
- The Election Commission was established in accordance with the Constitution on 25th January 1950. The Commission celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2001.
- Originally the commission had only a Chief Election Commissioner. It currently consists of Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.
- For the first time two additional Commissioners were appointed on 16th October 1989 but they had a very short tenure till 1st January 1990. Later, on 1st October 1993 two additional Election Commissioners were appointed.
- The concept of multi-member Commission has been in operation since then, with decision making power by majority vote.
- Dengue
- Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the Dengue virus (genus: Flavivirus). It is primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
- There are four serotypes of the virus: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4.
Current Facts
- Evolution of the Collegium System
The Collegium system emerged through a series of judgments delivered by the Supreme Court.
- First Judges Case (1981): It was held that ‘consultation’ does not imply ‘concurrence.’ In other words, the government was not bound to strictly accept the Supreme Court’s opinion regarding the appointment of judges.
- Second Judges Case (1993): The term ‘consultation’ was redefined to mean ‘concurrence.’ A recommendation made by the Chief Justice of India (CJI)—after consulting with two other senior-most judges—was deemed binding on the government.
- Third Judges Case (1998): The Chief Justice of India was required to consult a panel (Collegium) comprising four senior-most judges. The opinion of the majority of these judges was deemed essential.
- NJAC Act (2014): The National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) was introduced as a replacement for the Collegium system. However, in order to safeguard the independence of the judiciary, the Act was declared unconstitutional and subsequently struck down.
