Daily Mains Practice Questions 12-01-2023

1) KEY POINTS

·        The framework proposed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for online gaming is a good first step to bring the fast-growing industry under regulatory ambit.

·        These games are proving to be a popular source of entertainment in the country with over 500 million users of whom 24 per cent deposit money and play.

·        According to Lumikai’s annual State of India Gaming report, the market in India was worth $2.6 billion in FY22.

·        The activity on these platforms therefore need to be supervised to ensure that due tax is paid on the income earned from the online games.

·        The framework proposed by the Centre, when formalised, will also give greater regulatory clarity to the companies operating in this segment.

·        The bans were questioned on the ground that the States were not differentiating between skill-based and chance-based games.

·        The States issued the ban based on their right to regulate chance-based gambling under the Public Gambling Act of 1857.

·        The new rules have implicitly stated that only skill-based online games are permissible.

·        The requirement that the identity of all users should be verified by the gaming intermediary will ensure that the tax authorities can keep track of these earnings.

·        Measures for grievance redressal and stipulations for appointment of compliance officers and nodal contact persons by the gaming platforms will aid users. Such clarity helps all stakeholders.

2) KEY POINTS

·        The two biggest challenges in the sustained availability of equitable healthcare in India are affordability and accessibility, especially for the under-served communities.

·        However, the pandemic has demonstrated how public-private partnerships (PPPs) might address these concerns in India by working together on diagnostics, technology and life-saving treatments.

·        PPPs in healthcare has evolved significantly since it became a health sector policy initiative post the 1990s economic reforms.

·        Policy support over the years ensured PPPs became one of the mainstays and integral part of India’s National Health Mission (NHM).

·        The government aims to spend at least 2.5 per cent of GDP on healthcare annually. Currently it spends 1.9 per cent, compared with 1.2 per cent in FY14.

·        Despite a consistent rise, the expenditure levels are still significantly lower than the 8-9 per cent of GDP spent annually by major economies. Hence, it is critical for the private sector to collaborate and plug this gap to the maximum extent possible.

·        As underlined by the World Economic Forum (WEF) recently, there are new avenues where PPPs can be explored to efficiently leverage upon the capital, expertise and technology available with private players in India.

·        India’s economy has shown resilience against a challenging external environment primarily due to strong macroeconomic fundamentals.

3) KEY POINTS

·        The year 2022 was a game-changing one for the telecom sector, which crossed new milestones on the way. Bold reforms announced in September 2021 helped to improve the sector’s viability.

·        The stage was set for the successful completion of 5G spectrum auctions, which fetched the exchequer over Es.1.5-lakh crore  higher than any other auction.

·        Once the Telecom Bill is finalised by mid-2023, it will pave the way for more game-changing reforms in the future.

·        However, broader business interest needs to be protected. Also, the ambit to cover new technology products/services may require a tailored approach.

·        Considering the strategic importance, the government has come up with a slew of reforms to enhance the ease of doing business and streamline clearances.

·        In 2023, significant investment is required to ramp up 5G network rollout across the country.

·        Operators have focused on offering enhanced mobile broadband as a key value proposition to start with as they look to steadily increase 5G coverage.

·        As has been the case globally, initial consumer 5G use cases in India focus on immersive content/gaming using a combination of AR/VR/MR.

·        A national dig-once policy can be formulated for fibre deployment across State and municipal roads and national highways. This will help to bring down costs and reduce time-to-market.

Q. 2 PPP model

5g

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