The Government of India, on 1 April 2015, came out with its Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-20 that would strengthen exports and create jobs while assisting the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ programmes.

Objective of Foreign Trade Policy

The overall objective of the Foreign Trade Policy is to concentrate on catering assistance to services and merchandise exports and comprises important initiatives such as concentration on export of high value addition products. It aims on improving ease of doing business and debottlenecking to make services globally competitive.

Furthermore, Foreign Trade Policy would concentrate on defense, pharma, environment friendly products and value added exports. The Government is going to continue to incentives units located in Special Economic Zones with an eye on employment-creating sectors and also encourage e-commerce.

Must Read: Special Economic Zone (SEZs)

Highlights of FTP

FTP 2015-20 caters a framework for enhancing exports of goods and services along with the generation of employment and enhancing value addition, in the country, in pursuit with the ‘Make in India’ programme.

The policy intends to capacitate India to meet the challenges of the external environment, keeping in step with a briskly evolving international trading structure and make trade a major contributor to the economic growth of the country.

Foreign Trade Policy has initiated two new programmes, namely Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) for export of specified goods to specified markets and Services Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) for enhancing exports of notified services.

Duely credited scrips circulated under MEIS and SEIS and the goods imported against these scrips are fully transferable. The countries have been categoriesed, for grants of rewards under MEIS, into three groups in which the rates of rewards under MEIS vary from 2 percent to 5 percent. Under SEIS selected services have to be rewarded at the rates of 3 percent to 6 percent.

e-commerce exports of handloom products, books/periodicals, leather footwear, toys and customized fashion garments through courier or foreign post office would also receive benefit of MEIS (for value up to INR 25,000)

Under Foreign Trade Policy, a slew or steps have been taken to promote manufacturing and exports under 100 percent EOU/EHT/STPI/BTP Schemes. The steps consist of a fast track clearance facilities for these units, allowing them to share infrastructure facilities, granting inter unit transfer of goods and services, allowing them to establish warehouse near the port of export and to use duty free equipment for trading purposes.

The other major focus areas in this new Foreign Trade Policy include trade facilitation and enhancement of the ease of doing business. One of the major objectives of new FTP is to march towards paperless working in 24 X 7 environment.

Read Also: Civil Services Day (CSD)

On the occasion of 10^th Civil Services Day, on 21 April, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, released two books namely; “The Change Makers” and “Transforming India”.

Prime Minister honoured civil servants for excellence in implementing Government’s kernel projects on this occasion.

Why 21^st April celebrated as CSD

It was on April21, 1947 that Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, had addressed the first batch of civil servants in Independent India at Metcalf House. It is here, he, in his speech, referred to civil servants as the “steel frame of India”.

About Civil Services Day (CSD)

Every year, on the 21^st of April, the Civil Services Day is observed by all Civil Servants to re-commit and dedicate themselves to the cause of the people. It caters a unique opportunity for introspection as also preparing future strategies to deal with the challenges being confounded by the changing times.

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On the occasion of Civil Services Day (CSD), all officers of Central and State Governments are honoured for excellence in public administration. The PM Award for Excellence in Public Administration is presented in three categories. These Awards, initiate in 2006, have been instituted with an intention to acknowledge, recognize and reward the extraordinary and innovative work done by officers of the Central and State Governments for the welfare of the common citizen.

Under this scheme all the officers individually or as a group or as an organization are eligible. The Award consists of a medal, scroll and a cash amount of Rs. 1 Lakh. In case of a group, the total award money is Rs. 5 Lakh subject to a maximum Rs. 1 Lakh per person. For an organization the cash amount is limited to Rs. 5 Lakh.

Civil Services Day, 2016

This year, a new category of excellence in priority programmed has been annexed to the Prime Minister’s awards. It has comprised Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, Swachh Vidyalaya and Soil Health Card Scheme.

Under the four priority programmes the Government is going to award 10 districts this year. These awards is going to presented in three Groups- the first group comprises of eight North-Eastern States and three Hill States of Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The remaining 18 States form the second group, while the third Group consists of the seven Union Territories.

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On Earth Day, celebrated every year on April 22, events are held worldwide to showcase support for environmental protection.

Earth Day, initiated in 1970, is presently coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated each year in more than 193 countries.

Mission of the Earth Day Network (EDN)

The Earth Day Network’s mission is to widen and diversify the environmental movement across the globe and mobilize as the most potent vehicle for preparing a healthy, sustainable environment, handling climate change and shielding the Earth for future generations.

The Earth Day Network, leading up to the celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day and stressing the theme of this year, has fixed a target of planting 7.8 million trees in the next five years. Elaborating on the importance of planting trees the United Nations (UN) on the International Day of Mother Earth website describe that trees help to combat climate change as they absorb excess CO2 that is harmful to the Earth’s atmosphere. In fact, in one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of CO2 produced by the average car 26,000 miles. In 2009, The UN General Assembly, via resolution no. A/RES/63/278, designated April 22 as International Mother Earth Day.

Must Read: Encroachment as Worship Places Insult to God: SC

Historic Earth Day, 2016

As this year’s Earth Day coincides with the ceremony of signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, a historic meeting is to take place on April 22. In this meeting all 155 countries, who have committed to sign the Paris Agreement are going to participate at the headquarter of the United Nations (UN) in New York.

This year’s International Mother Earth Day is considered historic as Ban Ki-Moon has invited the Governments to sign the Paris Agreement. Extending the invitation Ban Ki Moon said, “The world now has an agreement on universal, equitable, flexible, and durable climate our task is not over. In fact, it has just begun in 2016, we must move from words to deeds. The signing ceremony of the Paris Agreement, this April 22 is an essential step”.

About Paris Agreement on Climate Change (PACC)

The Paris Agreement was sanctioned by the 196 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention of the Climate Change (UNFCCC) in COP21 in Paris on 12 December, 2015. According to the Paris Agreement, all countries vowed to work to control the temperature rise overall below 2 degree Celsius, but are intending to achieve temperature rise below 1.5 degree Celsius.

After the completion of the Friday event at the UN headquarters, the period for signing the Agreement will remain open for one year so that all parties sign to validate the Paris Agreement and to ratify it.

Commitment of the Paris Agreement

The countries signing the Paris Agreement must also submit a proposal plan for actions for the Agreement to be effective.

The Paris Agreement on Climate Change, that is basically related to the Mother Earth Day, will become effective on the 30^th day after the date on which at least 55 parties, that cut at least about 55 per cent of total emissions of greenhouse gases, have attained the full requirements under the Paris Agreement.

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On April 19, the Supreme Court, hearing a petition filed in 2006 in which directions were passed to states to remove encroachment, including places of worship from public places, expresses its concern over inaction of authority for permitting the existence of encroachment as worship – place on roads and pavements across the country. The bench comprising Justice V Gopala Gawda and Arun Mishra observed: “You have to demolish such structures. We know that you are not doing anything. You have no right to allow it. God never intended to obstruct the path. But you are obstructing the path. It is an insult to God.”

The SC has issued warning to Chief Secretaries of the States and the Union Territories of serious consequences if they did not follow its order in letter and spirit directing removal of religious structures which came up on pavements and public land after 1 September 2011.

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Background

In September 2011, the SC had said that it had embarked on the exercise mainly to make sure that “hence forth no public land, public park, or public street is encroached for constructing religious structures.”

According to the Order of September 2011 of the Supreme Court all collectors and district magistrates  in the entire country were commanded to meticulously make sure that no further land is encroached in their respective districts; they had to make sure that no commercial activity is carried out from unauthorized structures on public land.

The districts magistrates were also instructed to send and submit their reports every month to the Chief Secretary of the State about fresh encroachment and the latest states of the existing encroachment. After getting the reports from the district magistrates, the Chief Secretaries were to file affidavits before the court once in a three month on regular basis.

However, none of the states have compiled with SC’s interim orders and were taking the matter very lightly by demanding time to file even the court mandated quarterly status report.

Causes of Concern for SC

The SC has expressed its concern by showing its anguish openly because it is worried that individual or groups inflicting encroachment on public places by setting up a place of worship, is becoming a rampant problem everywhere in India. Within this context, it is heartening as well most welcome that the Supreme Court has taken such a tough stance to establish sanity in Indian Society and among Indian Citizens.

Solution, The Way Ahead

Governments of all states and the Union Government too, must act promptly, immediately and sternly to send the message loud and clear that such encroachment on public places shall not be tolerated at any cost or on any ground or plea.

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