TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)
2. UNESCO-ABU Peace Media Awards 2021
3. Jigyasa Programme
4. All India Survey on Domestic Workers
5. Tidbits

1. Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)

Context:

Central Consumer Protection Authority issued Notice to e-commerce entities offering for sale Pressure Cookers in violation of compulsory BIS Standards.

Background:

• The CCPA has started a nationwide campaign to prevent the sale of spurious and counterfeit goods that violate Quality Control Orders released by the Central Government.
• The Authority has issued directions to the District Collectors to investigate unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights concerning the manufacture or sale of such goods.
• The identified daily use goods are helmets, pressure cookers and cooking gas cylinders.

What’s in News?

• The CCPA has taken suo-moto cognizance against e-commerce entities found to be selling Pressure Cookers in violation of the Domestic Pressure Cooker (Quality Control) Order, 2020.
• The order was issued by the government under provisions of the BIS Act, 2016.
• Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, selling goods that do not conform to the prescribed standards will amount to an ‘unfair trade practice’.
• The BIS Act also prohibits the sale of goods that do not conform to the standards prescribed by competent authorities.
• CCPA has sought response from the e-commerce entities within 7 days from the issuance of the notice, failing which necessary action may be initiated against them under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

About Central Consumer Protection Authority:

• The Central Consumer Protection Authority was established in July 2020 as per provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• The objective of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class.
• It investigates violations of consumer rights, and institutes complaints/prosecutions, orders recall of unsafe goods/services, orders the discontinuation of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements, and also imposes penalties.

2. UNESCO-ABU Peace Media Awards 2021

Context:

Doordarshan and All India Radio win awards at the UNESCO-ABU Peace Media Awards 2021.

About the awards:

• The awards were given by UNESCO in collaboration with Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) under ‘Together for Peace’ (T4P) initiative.
• The ABU-UNESCO T4P Media Awards highlight and promote the crucial role of independent, ethical journalism and citizens’ media literacy for building positive peace in human minds.

3. Jigyasa Programme

Context:

Union Minister launched India’s first Virtual Science Lab for children under the CSIR Jigyasa programme.

Details:

• The virtual lab provides quality research exposure and innovative pedagogy for school students to drive their scientific curiosity based on an online interactive medium with simulated experiments, pedagogy based content, videos, chat forums, animations, gaming, quiz, facility sharing, webinars, etc.

Know more about the Jigyasa Programme in PIB dated Sep 9, 2020.

3. All India Survey on Domestic Workers

Context:

Union Minister flags off the first-ever All India Survey on Domestic Workers.

Background:

• Domestic workers (DWs) constitute a significant portion of total employment in the informal sector.
• But there is a lack of adequate data on their conditions of work and other details.
• Hence, the survey is being conducted to fill this information gap.
• This is expected to help in data-driven policy and last-mile delivery of services.

Details of the survey:

• The survey is being conducted by the Labour Bureau, Chandigarh.
• The All India Survey on Domestic Workers (DWs) is aimed to estimate the number and proportion of domestic workers at National and State levels, percentage distribution of domestic workers with respect to Live-in/Live-out, formal/Informal Employment, Migrant/Non-Migrant, their wages and other socio-economic characteristics.
• Objectives of the survey:
  • Estimate the number/proportion of DWs at National and State levels.
  • Household Estimates of Live-in/Live-out DWs.
  • Average number of DWs engaged by different types of households.
• The survey will collect information such as household characteristics, demographic characteristics, information on DWs like age of entry, social group, migrant status, education, work details like duration of work, remuneration, distance travelled, etc.
• It will also collect information on employers such as preferences of DW regarding gender, marital status, etc.
• An estimated 1.5 lakh households will be covered under the survey encompassing 742 districts in all states/UTs.

4. Tidbits

ISRO’s 5-day Technology Conclave-2021

• The conclave highlighted the Futuristic and Disruptive Technologies to be developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation.
• Many futuristic and disruptive technologies are being undertaken by ISRO including quantum radar, self-eating rocket, self-healing spacecraft and space vehicle, self-destructive satellites, photon thruster, Space-Based-Solar-Power, a bunch of Artificial Intelligence models that range from agriculture, Land use Land Cover to planetary and deep space exploration.

Read previous PIB here.

November 22nd, 2021, PIB:- Download PDF Here