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A telco double dip attempt that threatens Net neutrality - Page No.6, GS 3
Defection business - Page No.6, GS 2
More light, less sound - Page No.6, GS 2
India, Bhutan to discuss new routes of regional connectivity - Page No.10 ‚ GS 2
Odd-even vehicle rotation scheme to return in Delhi - Page No.12, GS 2
Chief Information Commissioner - Page No.12, GS 2
Text and Context - States in Court against their Governors

A telco double dip attempt that threatens Net neutrality - Page No.6, GS 3

The attempt of telcos to double dip by charging both consumers and content providers is not only avaricious but also undermines net neutrality, as stated above.
Net neutrality is the principle that Internet access providers must treat all traffic originating from and terminating to the Internet in the same way.
The idea has been developed over time, but its modern articulation may be largely credited to Columbia Law School professor Tim Wu, who coined the term "net neutrality" in a 2003 paper titled "Network Neutrality, Broadband Discrimination."
Here, Wu proposed the concept of net neutrality to promote playing field on the Internet, ensuring that all data is treated equally without discrimination by Internet service providers (ISPs).
In July this year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), at the request of the government, invited a comprehensive consultation on the need and possible mechanisms for regulation of Over-The-Top (OTT) services.
For more than a decade now, telecom companies have seen revenue from traditional streams such as voice calls and Short Message Service (SMS) come under pressure, as competing OTT services are often free. At the same time, they have had to invest heavily in upgrading their infrastructure to handle increased data traffic, without necessarily seeing an equivalent rise in revenue.
It is also their lament that OTT services are not subject to the same level of taxation and licensing fees, leading to an uneven playing field.

What is Telecom Regulatory Authority of India?

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was established with effect from 20th February 1997 by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.

Composition:

TRAI consists of a chairperson and not more than two whole-time Members and not more than two part-time Members.

Functions:

To regulate telecom services, including fixation/revision of tariffs for telecom services which were earlier vested in the Central Government
Ensure quality of service and transparency in tariff
Advise the government on policy matters and licensing issues
The recommendations of the TRAl are not binding upon the Central Government.

Defection business - Page No.6, GS 2

Disqualification:

A member of a House belonging to any political party becomes disqualified for being a member of the House,
if he voluntarily gives up his membership of such a political party; or
if he votes or abstains from voting in such House contrary to any direction issued by his political party without obtaining prior permission of such party and such act has not been condoned by the party within 15 days.

Independent Members:

An independent member of a House becomes disqualified from remaining a member of the House if he joins any political party after such an election.

Nominated Members:

A nominated member of a House becomes disqualified for being a member of the House if he joins any political party after the expiry of six months from the date he takes his seat in the House.

Deciding Authority:

The Speaker of the House or the Chairman of the Legislative Council, as the case may be, has the authority to decide on questions relating to defection, and his or her decision is final and cannot be challenged in any court.

Rule-Making Power:

The presiding officer of a House is empowered to make rules to give effect to the provisions of the Tenth Schedule. According to the rules made so, the presiding officer can take up a defection case only when he receives a complaint from a member of the House.

Role of Whip:

The whip is responsible for communicating the party's position to its members and ensuring they vote in line with that position. In the case of a member defying the whip and voting against the party's official position, they may be subiect to disciplinary action under the anti-defection law.

More light, less sound - Page No.6, GS 2

In 2018, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research launched less noxious and less noisy 'green' crackers, whose use various statutory bodies have mandated.
The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000 stipulate that firecrackers cannot be burst in 'silence zones', designated by State governments, and anywhere after 10 p.m. From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (i.e., 'daytime') and in industrial areas, firecracker noise cannot exceed 75 dB(A) Leq.
The thresholds in commercial and residential areas are 65 dB(A) Leq and 55 dB(A) Leq, respectively. dB stands for decibel; A is a weight scale for human perception of loudness.
The rules allow people to register a complaint if the noise overshoots by 10 dB(A) Leq during daytime.
Because dB is a logarithmic unit, an increase of 10 dB implies a tenfold increase in acoustic pressure, which is often beyond the point at which the sound becomes harmful.
Research has found links between loud environs and sleep disorders, tinnitus, stress, anxiety, hearing loss, and cardiac health.
More than 80 dB(A) in offices has been associated with hypertension whereas above 50 dB(A) at night, when the body is unaccustomed to loud noises, could increase cortisol levels.

India, Bhutan to discuss new routes of regional connectivity - Page No.10 ‚ GS 2

King Jigme Khesar holds talks with PM; the two sides agree to go ahead with the final survey for the 58-km crossborder rail link between Gelephu and Kokrajhar in Assam; they will also explore a second rail link between Bhutan and West Bengal
Easing travel between the two countries, and allowing further exchanges to Bangladesh is expected to help raise Bhutanese opportunities for trade and travel, and bring in much-needed tourism revenues for the neighbouring country.

Odd-even vehicle rotation scheme to return in Delhi - Page No.12, GS 2

As air pollution in Delhi touched about 18 times the limit set by the World Health Organization on Monday, Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced that the government would implement an odd-even vehicle rotation scheme in the city from November 13 to 20 to reduce air pollution.
The odd-even scheme entails allowing vehicles whose registration number ends in even digits to ply on even dates and those with odd digits to ply only on odd dates.
AQI is a number, which is a measure of air quality. The higher the AQI, the worse the air.
There are six categories of AQI, namely 'Good' (0-50), 'Satisfactory' (50-100), 'Moderately polluted' (100-200), Poor' (200-300), 'Very Poor' (300-400), and 'Severe' (400-500).
It was launched by the central government in 2014 as part of the Swachh Bharat campaign.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, part of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the AQI transforms complex air quality data of various pollutants into a single number (index value), nomenclature and colour.
The pollutants measured include PM 10, PM 2.5, NO2, S02, CO, 03, NH3, and Pb.
PM2.5, PM10, Ammonia, Lead, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide.

Chief Information Commissioner - Page No.12, GS 2

About Central Information Commission (CIC):

Establishment: The CIC was established by the Central Government in 2005, under the provisions of the Right to Information Act (2005). It is not a constitutional body.
Members: It consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners.
Appointment: They are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
Jurisdiction: The jurisdiction of the Commission extends over all Central Public Authorities.
Tenure: The Chief Information Commissioner and an Informa Commissioner shall hold office for such term as prescribed by Central Government or until they attain the age of 65 years, is earlier.
They are not eligible for reappointment.

Text and Context - States in Court against their Governors

Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Punjab have approached the Supreme Court to decide a time-frame for which Governors have to either return or grant assent to Bills passed by Legislatures. Some of these Bills have been sitting with the Governors for years
Article 200 of the Constitution covers the options before the Governor when a Bill passed by both Houses of the Legislature is presented to him. The first proviso to the Article says the Governor could either declare his assent to the Bill or withhold the assent if it is not a Money Bill or reserve the law for the consideration of the President if he thinks the Bill derogates from or endangers the power of judicial review of the High Court.
Article 163 makes it clear the Governor is not expected to act independently. The top court in the Shamsher Singh case verdict has held that as a formal head of the State a "Governor exercises all his powers and functions conferred on him by or under the Constitution on the aid and advice of his Council of Ministers save in spheres where the Governor is required by or under the Constitution to exercise his functions in his discretion."
The 1988 Sarkaria Commission report on Centre-State relations had suggested consultation with the Governor while drafting the Bill and fixing a deadline for its disposal.
Kerala has asked the Supreme Court to form a seven-judge Bench to review a five-judge Bench judgment in the 1962 Purushothaman Nambudiri versus State of Kerala case which held the view that Article 200 did not provide "for a time limit within which the Governor.... should come to a decision on the Bill referred to him for his assent".
The State said that, at the time, the court did not consider the possibility of Governors holding back Bills for an indefinite time.

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