INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT EVENTS (PAPER – 2, UPSC …Oct 01, 2016 · Insights INSIGHTS DAILY...

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INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT EVENTS (PAPER – 2, UPSC MAINS)

October 2015

Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Nutrition bureau axed, anti-poverty schemes starved

The National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) has been shut down by the Union Health Ministry.

Why it was shut down?

• It is being said that since the bureau was running in project mode and Government programmes that run in a project mode for this long are not sustainable, it was shut down. The bureau was also among many research organisations hit by the government’s cash crunch.

• The Union Science and Technology Ministry had also recently asked scientific research organisations under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research to start self-financing projects, turning research projects into “for-profit” ventures over the next two years.

About NNMB:

• It was established in 1972 by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with a mandate to generate data on the nutritional status of socially vulnerable groups.

• The bureau had been critical in informing the government’s poverty alleviation interventions with periodic assessments of nutrient deficiency among tribal communities, pregnant women, adolescents and at-risk elderly population in India.


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Significance of NNMB:

• In countries such as India where nutrition has a cultural significance, organisations like NNMB provide a good understanding of what people eat and what, therefore, can be culturally accepted nutritional interventions.

• NNMB plays a very important role in projecting data in terms of what people are eating. The data gathered by the NNMB informs the policy intervention to address under-nutrition.

• The bureau was the only organisation involved in continuous collection of data on actual dietary intakes of households as a whole as well as by individuals belonging to different age and physiological groups in different States.

sources: the hindu, nnmb.

Maharashtra withdraws sedition order

The Maharashtra government recently told the Bombay High Court that it had withdrawn the controversial circular on sedition.

• The circular had left the field open for the police to register sedition charge against critics of the government. Hence, it was widely opposed.

• Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, who was arrested in 2012 under the sedition charge for his political cartoons and advocate Narendra Sharma had sought to quash the circular on the ground that it violated the constitutional rights of people and was liable to be misused.

About the circular:


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• The Maharashtra government through a circular had given police the powers to take action against those critical of the state or central government if it deemed such critiques to be particularly offensive.

• The order allowed the police to invoke a colonial era sedition clause — 124-A of the Indian Penal Code — against any person who “by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representation or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, dissatisfaction and provoking violence against the central or the state government.”

• According to the circular those who lawfully try to change the government without invoking anger or disaffection should not be charged with sedition. But it is still left to the police to determine whether someone is employing “hatred and contempt” while democratically protesting against the government.

sources: the hindu.

Income Tax Dept sets up panel to simplify tax law

The Income Tax Department has set up a panel to help simplify the Income Tax Act, 1961, as part of the government’s move to improve the ease of doing business.

• The committee will be chaired by Justice R.V. Easwar, a former judge of the Delhi High Court and former president Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.

• Objective of the committee is to study and identify the provisions or phrases in the Act that are leading to litigation due to different interpretations, impacting the ease of doing business, and those that can be simplified.

• The committee is also tasked with suggesting alternatives to these provisions or phrases “to bring about predictability and certainty in


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tax laws without substantial impact on the tax base and revenue collection.

• Members of the committee include accountants, advocates and current and former bureaucrats from the Indian Revenue Service.

sources: the hindu.

After IAF, Navy opens its doors to women pilots

Following the Air Force, even the Navy has decided to throw open its doors to women fighter pilots. All flying areas in the Navy will be opened for women, except where it requires staying overnight on carriers and ships.

• However, until the infrastructural needs are addressed, they will be shore-based.

• The army and the Navy are also looking at appointing women in combat roles.

These moves are aimed at giving women an almost equal status as long as there are no logistical, infrastructure and training issues. The Defence Ministry had recently announced that the first batch of women fighter pilots would be serving the Indian Air Force by June 2017.

Issue of Permanent Commission:

• In September 2025, in a landmark judgement, the Delhi High Court had granted Permanent Commission for women and had pulled up the Defence Ministry and the Navy for sexist bias and blocking women’s progress.

• However, the defence minister has observed that there was no gender bias in the Navy.


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What is a permanent commission?

A permanent commission means a career in the Army/Navy till one retires. A permanent commission also entitles 20 years of service and a pension.

Why women officers are demanding for Permanent Commission?

Due to their limited service span, women officers are not eligible for pension, which requires a minimum 20 years of service. Currently, in the navy women officers are entitled only to short service commissions for a maximum of 14 years.

sources: the hindu, pib, bs.

Cabinet decisions

The Cabinet has cleared two ordinances for expeditious settlement of commercial disputes that would improve ease of doing business in the country. It gave its nod to ordinances to amend the Arbitration and Conciliation Act and bring into force the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Bill, 2015 pending before a Parliamentary standing committee.

Nod to amend the Arbitration and Conciliation Act:

• The ordinance to amend the Arbitration and Conciliation Act is aimed at making India a favourable place to settle disputes through arbitration.

• The Cabinet move has come amid companies such as Vodafone choosing overseas courts for this purpose.


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• The amendments include specifying and restricting the term 'Public Policy of India' on whose ground an arbitral award could be challenged.

• According to the amendments, an award would be construed as against the Public Policy of India if it is induced or affected by fraud or corruption, or is in contravention of the fundamental policy of Indian law or is in conflict with the most basic notions of morality or justice.

• The amendments, based on the recommendations of the Law Commission, would also put various timelines for order of arbitration panel.

• There would also be a change in the existing law to the effect that mere filing of an application for challenging the award would not automatically stay execution of the award. The award can only be stayed where the court passed any specific order on an application filed by the party.

The Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Bill, 2015:

• The Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Bill, 2015 would enable setting up of commercial benches in high courts for expeditious resolution of disputes.

• The Department Related Standing Committee on Law and Personnel will table its report on the Bill in Parliament by November 30.

• After being referred to a Rajya Sabha Select Committee during the United Progressive Alliance's tenure, the Bill was sent to the Law Commission.

• Based on the law panel's recommendations, the National Democratic Alliance government re-drafted the Bill as part of its ease of doing business initiative.


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sources: PIB.

Karnataka, Gujarat lift ban on Maggi

The governments of Gujarat and Karnataka have lifted the ban on Nestle India's Maggi noodles, becoming the first two states to do so.

• Karnataka's move would allow Nestle India to manufacture the product at its plant in the state. The company's other Maggi manufacturing plants are in Goa, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

• These developments also come at a time when the country's apex food regulator FSSAI is unlikely to challenge court-directed retests that Maggi instant noodles cleared last week.

• Gujarat’s food and drug control agency removed the ban following the Bombay High Court’s verdict removing the ban across the country.

Background:

• The popular brand of Nestle India was banned on June 5 following a directive of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Central food watch dog.

• Some Maggi noodles samples were reportedly found to contain higher-than-permissible levels of monosodium glutamate (MSG).

• Maggi noodles has been at the centre of controversy since laboratory tests ordered by Uttar Pradesh food inspectors on a batch of maggi allegedly found eight times as much lead as permissible. Several states had banned the product since then.

About Monosodium glutamate (MSG):


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• It is one of the most common, naturally occurring non-essential amino acid, which is found in tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, potatoes, mushrooms, and other vegetables and fruits.

• In the food industry, it is used as a taste enhancer that increases the meaty, savoury flavor of food.

• Although the U.S Food and Drug Administration recognises MSG as safe, it is considered far more harmful in India. It has long-term effects, but show signs of discomfort among sensitive people whenever consumed.

• Typical MSG complaints include: Burning sensations of the mouth, head and neck Headaches Weakness of the arms or legs Upset stomach Hives or other allergic-type reactions with the skin.

• Scientists have also discovered that the compound can destroy Retina and parts of the Brain. It can also lead to nervous disorders and radical hormone fluctuations.

• Many studies have also shown that it is particularly harmful for pregnant women and nursing mothers as infants and very young children are succeptible to brain damage and underdevelopment.

sources: the hindu, wiki.

Kerala notifies stringent norms for transportation of livestock

The Kerala state government has notified stringent rules for livestock transportation. These rules are aimed at curbing cruelty to animals.

• These rules have been notified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways by amending the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 and by inserting a separate rule, 125 E, in the principal rules.


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Details:

• According to these rules, from January 1, 2016, the motor vehicles carrying animals should have permanent partitions so that the animals being transported are carried individually in each partition.

• For cows and buffaloes the partition should be 2 sq.m., while for horses and mares it should be 2.25 sq. m. The partition size should be 0.3 sq. m. for sheep and goats, 0.6 sq. m. for pigs, and 40 sq. cm. for poultry.

• The specifications of the Bureau of Indian Standards will have to be followed by the transporter or consigner of livestock.

• The motor vehicles meant for carrying animals will not be permitted to carry any other goods. The Regional Transport Officers have been asked to issue special licences for such vehicles.

At present, the transportation of animals falls under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 that came into force in 1978 and was amended in 2001 and 2009. The implementation of the rules had come in for criticism as it was a non-cognizable offence and the penalty was Rs. 50.

Implications of these new rules:

• It would end the horrendous nightmare being faced by animals while being transported by road.

• These rules will improve health of the animals and drastically improve the livestock transportation in the country.

However, the cost of transportation of livestock will go up as the transporters will be able to ferry only fewer animals in a vehicle.


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sources: the hindu.

Blood banks can borrow from one another

The Union Health Ministry has decided to allow blood banks to borrow blood units from one another in case of a shortage.

• The Ministry took this decision as part of reforms to the handling of blood units in the country.

• This decision is expected to sort out the issue of shortage.

Earlier, donated blood could not be transferred from one bank to another.

Background:

• A shortage of blood units has been a recurring problem since the Supreme Court, in 1998, banned paid donation.

• The government has been encouraging voluntary donation ever since. • When the Supreme Court banned paid donation, the government was

mandated, under the National Blood Policy (2002), to phase out replacement donation in five years.

What has been done to address the issue?


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• Since very few people donate blood regularly, hospitals ask family members of patients to donate blood so as to pre-emptively replace the blood withdrawn from the blood bank.

• The National and State Blood Transfusion Councils were also established in the 1990s to promote voluntary donations.

According to the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), India has 2,760 licensed blood banks. A 2012 World Health Organisation (WHO) report said nine million of 12 million blood units needed annually in India were collected through voluntary donation.

National Blood Policy:

The policy aims to ensure easily accessible and adequate supply of safe and quality blood and blood components collected / procured from a voluntary non-remunerated regular blood donor in well equipped premises, which is free from transfusion transmitted infections, and is stored and transported under optimum conditions.

• Transfusion under supervision of trained personnel for all who need it irrespective of their economic or social status through comprehensive, efficient and a total quality management approach will be ensured under the policy.

Important objectives of the policy:

• To reiterate firmly the Govt. commitment to provide safe and adequate quantity of blood, blood components and blood products.

• To make available adequate resources to develop and reorganise the blood transfusion services in the entire country.

• To make latest technology available for operating the blood transfusion services and ensure its functioning in an updated manner.


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• To launch extensive awareness programmes for donor information, education, motivation, recruitment and retention in order to ensure adequate availability of safe blood.

• To encourage appropriate clinical use of blood and blood products. • To strengthen the manpower through human resource development.

sources: the hindu, pib.

SC Bench strikes down NJAC Act as ‘unconstitutional and void’

The Supreme Court has rejected the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act and the 99th Constitutional Amendment which sought to give politicians and civil society a final say in the appointment of judges to the highest courts.

• It held that the collegium system, as it existed before the NJAC, would again become operative.

• The court declared that the judiciary cannot risk being caught in a web of indebtedness towards the government.

• It is after 35 years that a constitutional amendment has been quashed by the top court.

Observations made by the court:

• The amendment to constitute the NJAC sought to trample upon the primacy of the judiciary and the role of the CJI, who would be reduced to an individual figure from an institutional head in the panel that has the Law Minister and two eminent persons, as its other members.

• The sensitivity of selecting judges is so enormous, and the consequences of making inappropriate appointments so dangerous, that if those involved in the process of selection and appointment of


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judges to the higher judiciary, make wrongful selections, it may well lead the nation into a chaos of sorts.

• The appointment of judges, coupled with primacy of judiciary and the CJI, was part of the basic structure of the Constitution and that the parliament had no power to tinker with this structural distribution.

The Union government had previously argued that NJAC represented the will of the people. However, rejecting the Centre’s argument, court noted that “the will of the people is the Constitution while the Parliament represents the will of the majority at a given point of time which is subordinate to the Constitution”.

NJAC:

• NJAC was a proposed body responsible for the appointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary in India. It sought to replace the collegium system of appointing the judges of Supreme Court and 24 High Courts.

• The 99th Constitutional Amendment Act and the NJAC Act had proposed that appointments be done by a six-member body, headed by the Chief Justice of India, and including two seniormost SC judges, the Union Law Minister and two “eminent” persons. These two would be selected by a panel including the Prime Minister, the CJI and the leader of the largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha.

sources: the hindu.

Dr.Abdul Kalam’s birth place Rameswaram declared as AMRUT town


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Rameswaram town in Tamil Naidu has been included in Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformatin (AMRUT) for providing basic urban infrastructure. This was announced on the occasion of 84th birth anniversary of former President Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam.

• The Ministry of Urban Development has so far identified 497 cities and towns under Atal Mission under which basic infrastructure is to be developed in 500 cities and towns.

• Rameswaram is the 498th to be included in the Mission. With the addition of Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu would have 32 cities and towns under Atal Mission.

AMRUT:

AMRUT is the new avatar of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

• AMRUT adopts a project approach to ensure basic infrastructure services relating to water supply, sewerage, storm-water drains, transportation and development of green spaces and parks with special provision for meeting the needs of children.

• Under this mission, 10% of the budget allocation will be given to states and union territories as incentive based on the achievement of reforms during the previous year.

• AMRUT will be implemented in 500 locations with a population of one lakh and above.

• It would cover some cities situated on stems of main rivers, a few state capitals and important cities located in hilly areas, islands and tourist areas.

• Under this mission, states get the flexibility of designing schemes based on the needs of identified cities and in their execution and monitoring.

• States will only submit state annual action Plans to the centre for broad concurrence based on which funds will be released. But, in a significant departure from JNNURM, the central government will not appraise individual projects.


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• Central assistance will be to the extent of 50% of project cost for cities and towns with a population of up to 10 lakhs and one-third of the project cost for those with a population of above 10 lakhs.

• Under the mission, states will transfer funds to urban local bodies within 7 days of transfer by central government and no diversion of funds to be made failing which penal interest would be charged besides taking other adverse action by the centre.

sources: pib.

Govt. cannot insist on Aadhaar: SC

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Aadhaar Card may be used to avail government schemes including employment guarantee, pension and bank accounts.

• Now, the Aadhaar card can be used for availing the benefits of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act, Jan-Dhan Yojana, provident funds and pension schemes.

• Previously, as per the court's order, the card could have been used only voluntarily for availing subsidies under the public distribution system and purchasing kerosene and cooking gas.

• This ruling is being seen as a relief to the government which has been trying to persuade the Supreme Court to extend Aadhaar's uses after a slew of blows to the unique identity or UID programme following privacy petitions.

• The aadhar scheme was challenged in court over privacy concerns since it uses biometric data like fingerprint and iris scans.

About AADHAAR:


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Aadhaar is a 12 digit individual identification number which will serve as a proof of identity and address, anywhere in India.

• Aadhaar-platform is aimed at providing social security benefits / subsidies based on eligibility through direct benefit transfer.

• It helps bring transparency and eliminate corruption, leakage and inefficiency.

• It was conceived as an initiative that would provide identification for each resident across the country and would be used primarily as the basis for efficient delivery of welfare services.

• It is also also expected to act as a tool for effective monitoring of various programs and schemes of the Government.

Who assigns the number?

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) assigns Unique Identification Number “Aadhaar” to residents of India on voluntary basis.

Issues:

• Aadhaar lacks legal or statutory authority as of now. • The AADHAAR number is not recognized as a legal proof of residence

due to issues with the data protection. • India’s Intelligence Bureau claims anyone with an Aadhaar number

can introduce others without any documentation to get the identity number, which makes it vulnerable to terrorism and other issues.


Tightened DNA profiling Bill ready

Union Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan recently said that apprehensions expressed about misuse of the Human DNA Profiling Bill were addressed by the Central government and the legislation is ready for introduction in the next session of Parliament.


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• The Bill is in the advanced stage of becoming a law and it would be put up for consideration by the Cabinet.

higlhlights of the Human DNA Profiling Bill:

• The bill proposes to allow collection of samples from private parts of human body for DNA profiling and data preservation with the approval of a regulatory body.

• It suggests that a National DNA Profiling Board and a National DNA Bank be set up in Hyderabad, with every state having a regional DNA data bank. The DNA Data Bank would maintain records of samples found at crime scenes, or from suspects, offenders, missing persons, volunteers, etc.

• The bill also makes it clear that no DNA Laboratory shall undertake DNA profiling without the prior approval of the DNA Board.

• If a foreign country requests DNA profiling, the DNA Bank will coordinate through CBI or a concerned department.

• The bill mandates that the DNA profiles or samples be kept confidential, and they should be used only for establishing identity of a person and nothing else.

• Government investigation agencies and judiciary, among others, can seek information from Data Banks. For unauthorized use of data, a stringent punishment is provided.

What is DNA profiling?

It is a forensic technique used to identify individuals by characteristics of their DNA. A DNA profile is a small set of DNA variations that is very likely to be different in all unrelated individuals, thereby being as unique to individuals as are fingerprints.


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Anti-Defacement Bill hanging fire

Anti-Defacement Bill, mooted by the Kerala State Election Commission, has not yet been passed by the Kerala state government.

about the Anti-Defacement Bill:

The draft Anti-Defacement Bill was initiated by the state election commission in 2013. It was modelled on the laws that were already in force in West Bengal, Haryana and Goa to check defacement by indiscreetly putting up posters, bills and painting graffiti in government buildings, heritage structures and other public places during campaigning and also for commercial purposes.

• The bill was armed with provisions to prevent despoiling of heritage zones, public places, walls of government and educational institutions and also the thoughtless erection of huge arches as part of campaigning, be it during an election or for propaganda for commercial purposes.

• The Bill seeks to impose curbs on sticking posters and pictures on signboards, inconveniencing the public and also tourists.

• It also mandates prior clearance of the local government concerned for publicity at public places.

• As per the draft, if a representative of a candidate or an institution tends to violate the provisions of the Bill, the onus for the breach of law would be on the beneficiary and not on the representative who executes it.

• The Bill also ensured due protection for enforcing officers so that no one could initiate legal action against them for acting against those violating the law.


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The election commission had furnished a number of suggestions to add teeth to the Bill and make it an effective tool to check such practices. But the draft reportedly got entangled in bureaucratic wrangles and continues to remain in cold storage.

sources: the hindu.

Lok Adalats held Across the Country

Lok Adalats were recently held across the country for cases relating to Traffic, Petty matters, Municipal Matters, etc. that are at pre-litigation stage and also those pending in courts for their settlement.

• The aim was to reduce pendency as well as prevent additional litigation swathing the courts, by resolving litigation, where ever settlements are possible.

What is Lok Adalat?

Lok Adalat is a system of alternative dispute resolution developed in India. It roughly means “People’s court”.

Background:

• The idea of Lok Adalat was mainly advocated by Justice P.N. Bhagwati, a former Chief Justice of India.

• The first Lok Adalat was held on March 14, 1982 in Gujarat.

How they operate?


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Lok Adalat is a non-adversarial system, whereby mock courts (called Lok Adalats) are held by the State Authority, District Authority, Supreme Court Legal Services Committee, High Court Legal Services Committee, or Taluk Legal Services Committee.

• They are held periodically for exercising such jurisdiction as they determine.

• These are usually presided over by retired judges, social activists, or other members of the legal profession.

Their Ambit:

• The Lok Adalats can deal with all Civil Cases, Matrimonial Disputes, Land Disputes, Partition/Property Disputes, Labour Disputes etc., and compoundable criminal Cases.

How are these different from regular courts?

• These are less expensive and relations between litigants do not get strained.

• The focus in Lok Adalats is on compromise. When no compromise is reached, the matter goes back to the court. However, if a compromise is reached, an award is made and is binding on the parties.

• The disputing parties plead their case themselves in Lok Adalats. No advocate or pleader is allowed, even witnesses are not examined.

• No court fee is levied. Speedy justice is given to the people of all classes of society.

• Award has same effect as of a Civil Court decree.

It was the LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITY ACT 1987, which gave statutory status to Lok Adalat.


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sources: pib.

'Neeranchal’ programme gets Cabinet nod

The World Bank-assisted ‘National Watershed Management Project’ or ‘Neeranchal’ has received the approval for implementation by the Union Cabinet.

Neeranchal:

Neeranchal is designed to further strengthen and provide technical assistance to the Watershed Component of PMKSY, in particular and all components of PMKSY, in general and to enhance its delivery capacity.

Aim: The project aims to fulfil the watershed component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMSKY) to reduce surface runoff of rainwater, increase groundwater levels and better water availability in rain-fed areas.

• The cost of the project is estimated at Rs. 2,142.30 crore of which the Centre will be pitching in with Rs. 889 crore while Rs. 182 crore will be provided by the respective State Governments. The remaining 50% of the project cost will be financed by a World Bank loan.

• It will be implemented across nine States - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.

Neeranchal is primarily designed to address the following concerns:

• bring about institutional changes in watershed and rainfed agricultural management practices in India,

• build systems that ensure watershed programmes and rainfed irrigation management practices are better focussed, and more coordinated, and have quantifiable results,


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• devise strategies for the sustainability of improved watershed. management practices in programme areas, even after the withdrawal of project support,

• through the watershed plus approach, support improved equity, livelihoods, and incomes through forward linkages, on a platform of inclusiveness and local participation.

About the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMSKY):

It is a central scheme that aims at providing irrigation facilities to every village in the country by converging ongoing irrigation schemes implemented by various ministries.

• Under the project, a dynamic annual fund allocation methodology, which mandates states to allot more funds to irrigation sectors for becoming eligible to access funds under this scheme, is being considered.

• The Scheme intends to focus on ‘end-to-end solution’ in irrigation supply chain by implementing the new programme in a “project mode” with decentralised state-level planning and execution.

• The programme architecture of PMKSY aims at a ‘decentralized State level planning and execution’ structure, in order to allow States to draw up a District Irrigation Plan (DIP) and a State Irrigation Plan (SIP).

Implementation:

• The programme will be supervised and monitored at the national level by an Inter-Ministerial National Steering Committee (NSC) under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister with Union Ministers of all concerned Ministries.


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• A National Executive Committee (NEC) will be constituted under the Chairmanship of the Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog to oversee programme implementation, allocation of resources, inter ministerial coordination, monitoring and performance assessment, addressing administrative issues etc.

• At the state level the scheme will be administered by a State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC) to be Chaired by the Chief Secretary of the respective States. The committee will have all authority to sanction the project and also monitor the progress of the scheme.

• At the district level there will be a district level implementation committee for ensuring last mile coordination at the field level.

• The state agriculture department would be the nodal agency for implementation of PMKSY projects.

Eligibility and funds:

• A state will become eligible to access PMKSY funds only if it has prepared the district irrigation plans and state irrigation plans and sustained an increasing expenditure trend in irrigation sector in state plan.

• The programme has an outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore over a period of five years (2015-16 to 2019-20). The allocation for the current financial year is Rs. 5300 crore.

• PMKSY funds would be given to states as 75% grant by the central government and the remaining 25% share is to be borne by the state government. For northeastern region and hilly states, the funding pattern would be 90:10.

Sources: PIB.

‘Govt. can’t punish us for lack of education’


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Women candidates affected by Haryana’s new poll law imposing minimum educational qualifications to contest panchayat elections recently told the Supreme Court that “people do not choose to be illiterate.”

• They say it is the State’s failure to have not provided them with education and hence, they should not be punished for the State’s failure.

• According to them, India is a country where primary and secondary education is hardly available.

Background:

• This was the maiden hearing following the Haryana government’s decision to freeze its panchayat elections scheduled in October after the Supreme Court refused to stop questioning the constitutionality of imposing minimum educational qualifications on candidates aspiring to be part of grassroots democracy.

• Many candidates have been affected by the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015.

• The court had stayed the new amendments in the State’s panchayat poll law, seeing it as prima facie a move affecting poor illiterate people from contesting elections.

• The State government had gone ahead with the changes despite the Punjab and Haryana High Court staying the relevant ordinance in August 2015.

About the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015:

• According to the amendments, general category candidates require a minimum qualification of Class X pass, men contesting in the Scheduled Caste category and women in the general category need to be Class VIII pass, while women in the Scheduled Caste category need to be Class V pass to be eligible.


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• The amendments also require that candidates should not have any dues in co-operative banks, electricity bills should be paid up and there should be a functional toilet at home.

The petition also says that 83% of Dalit women and 71% women in general and 56% males would be excluded from contesting the panchayat polls by this law, affecting fundamental rights of the candidates.

sources: the hindu.

Road Safety Bill will give govt power to order recall of vehicles: Gadkari

In the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has underscored a clause in the pending Road Safety Bill that allows the government to direct a manufacturer to recall motor vehicles if a defect in that particular type of vehicle may cause harm to the driver or occupants or road users.

• According to the Bill, a manufacturer can be ordered to recall a particular type of motor vehicle if a specified number of users complain about a defect that can cause harm to them, their passengers, or any other road users.

• The Bill could not be introduced in the last session Parliament. • It is also to be noted that the Road safety Act falls in the purview of

concurrent list and both state governments and the Centre have rights.

Road Transport and Safety Bill:


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It is a Bill which aims to provide a framework for safer, faster, cost effective and inclusive movement of passengers and freight in the country thus enabling the mission of ‘Make in India’.

Highlights of the Bill:

• 2 lakhs lives to be saved in first 5 years due to reduction in road traffic accident deaths

• 4% GDP improvement on account of increased efficiency and safety of road transport sector

• 10 lac Jobs to be created with increase in investment in the sector • The new Bill makes significant departures from the 1988 Motor

Vehicle Act as it includes safety in construction, design, maintenance and use of motor vehicles and roads as a major component.

• The Bill provides for more stringent penalties to offenders. A graded penalty point system would now act as a deterrent and improve traffic condition whereas electronic detection and centralized information of offences would facilitate to identify repeat-offenders.

New proposed Agencies and systems:

• The Bill proposes to introduce an independent agency called the National Road Safety Authority of India, which will be an independent, legally empowered and accountable expert lead agency. It shall be accountable to the Parliament and Central Government.

• The new Bill provides for the establishment of State Safety Authorities which shall act in accordance with the directions issued by the National Authority.

• The Bill seeks to establish a unified driver licensing system in India which will be transparent. Such a system shall facilitate any time anywhere licence application mechanism in the country and mitigate duplication of licences from various regional transport offices.

• According to the Provisions of the Bill there will be a unified vehicle registration system to enable electronic and online submission of


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applications for registration at any registering authority leading to real time interchange of data relating to such an activity.

• On the safety issues, the Bill envisages for enforcement of modern safety technologies.

• It also contains the provision for creation of a motor vehicle accident fund for immediate relief to the accident victim. It gives special emphasis on safety of school children and security of women.

• The Bill also includes the setting up of a Highway Traffic Regulation and Protection Force (HTRPF).

Why are some against this Bill?

• Due to some provisions in the proposed bill. They say that the proposed fines are too high.

• According to provisions of the Bill, the Motor Vehicle Act 1988 will be scrapped and State RTOs will close. Instead, a Central authority will be created and private entities will issue and renew licences. This move is not being welcomed.

• The provisions in the Bill are said to be against the principles of jurisprudence.

• Some state governments allege that the bill encroaches upon the financial, legislative and administrative powers of state governments.

Sources: The Hindu, pib.

Natural gas price cut in line with new policy

The government has cut the price of natural gas by 18% to $3.81 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu) on a gross calorific value basis from the current $4.66 per mmBtu.


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• The new price will be in place for six months. This is in line with the policy adopted by the government in October 2014.

• This price cut is likely to help fertiliser and power firms.

In accordance with the New Domestic Natural Gas Pricing Guidelines, 2014, issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the price of natural gas is to be revised every six months on the basis of a weighted average of rates in countries such as the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Russia, all gas-surplus economies.

Salient features of the Domestic Natural Gas Pricing Guidelines, 2014:

• These guidelines will be applicable to all natural gas produced domestically, irrespective of the source, whether conventional, shale, CBM etc.

• The prices determined under these guidelines will be applicable to all consuming sectors uniformly.

• These guidelines will also be applicable for natural gas produced by ONGC/OIL from their nominated fields.

Natural Gas:

• It is by product of crude oil and is considered to be a clean fuel. • India imports 25% of its natural gas requirement. India has

significant natural gas reserves in offshore block.

Sources: The Hindu, PIB.

Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.


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New initiative to spread awareness about Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme

The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched a new initiative to spread awareness about the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme of the Ministry.

About the initiative:

• The initiative has been launched in partnership with Celltick Mobile Media India Pvt. Ltd. to generate awareness about BBBP Scheme to an estimated 100 million mobile users in India.

• Through the Celltick managed mobile services based on its patented Live Screen platform, available to over 100 million users in India, the user will be able to get messages that they can interact with on the homescreen of their device, enabling ease of use in accessing information about BBBP.

• The platform provides a means to reach users based on their location as well as their language of preference.

• The service will direct users to access more information about it.

About BBBP:

• This campaign is aimed at promoting gender equality and the significance of educating girls.

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal ministry for the Scheme.

• The Scheme is targeted at improving the Child Sex Ratio through multi sectoral interventions including prevention of gender biased sex selection and promoting girls’ education and her holistic empowerment.


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sources: pib.

First affordable housing projects under Housing for All Mission

Chattisgarh has become the first state to get central government’s approval for taking up affordable housing projects in urban areas under Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana (PMAY) launched in June this year.

• The Centre has approved state government’s proposals for building 26,034 houses in 11 cities and towns in the state. Of these, 12,670 are for beneficiaries belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and 13,364 for Low Income Group (LIG).

• The centre has also approved the release of first installment of Rs.76 cr to Chattisgarh government. State Urban Development Agency is the nodal agency for housing mission while Chattisgarh Housing Board is the implementing agency.

Housing for All:

It is scheme which proposes to build 2 crore houses across the nation by 2022.

The components of the scheme are as follows:

• Slum rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers with participation of private developers using land as a resource.

• Promotion of affordable housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy.

• Affordable housing in partnership with Public & Private sectors. • Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction or

enhancement.

Details of the scheme:


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• The scheme will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme except the credit linked subsidy component, which will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme.

• The scheme prescribes certain mandatory reforms for easing up the urban land market for housing, to make adequate urban land available for affordable housing.

• Houses constructed under the mission would be allotted in the name of the female head of the households or in the joint name of the male head of the household and his wife.

• A Technology Sub-mission under the Mission would be set up to facilitate adoption of modern, innovative and green technologies and building material for faster and quality construction of houses. The Technology Sub-Mission will also facilitate preparation and adoption of layout designs and building plans suitable for various geo-climatic zones. It will also assist States/Cities in deploying disaster resistant and environment friendly technologies.

• The Technology Sub-Mission will coordinate with various regulatory and administrative bodies for mainstreaming and up scaling deployment of modern construction technologies and material in place of conventional construction. The Technology Sub-Mission will also coordinate with other agencies working in green and energy efficient technologies, climate change etc.

• In the spirit of cooperative federalism, the Mission will provide flexibility to States for choosing best options to meet the demand of housing in their states.

sources: pib.

Govt. limits surrogacy to ‘infertile Indian couples’

The Centre recently told the Supreme Court that it does not support rent-a-womb commercial surrogacy and would make such exploitation of women and children wombs punishable under the law. However, the centre


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has said that it would allow only infertile Indian married couples to go for surrogacy.

• This provision will be made part of The Assisted Reproductive Techniques (Regulation) Bill, 2014, which is currently awaiting the comments of states.

A surrogacy arrangement or surrogacy agreement is the carrying of a pregnancy for intended parents.

The Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Regulation Bill, 2014:

• The proposed legislation aims at proper regulation and supervision of ART clinics and banks in the country and to prevent misuse of this technology, including surrogacy, and for safe and ethical practice of these services.

• Under the provisions of the bill foreign nationals will be barred from commissioning surrogacy in India.

• The Bill has stern rules for surrogates. It says that any woman agreeing to act as a surrogate shall be duty-bound not to engage in any act, including unprotected sex that may harm the foetus during pregnancy and the child after birth, until the time the child is handed over to the designated commissioning couple.

Need for such legislations:

• 7,000-8,000 surrogacy clinics operate in Delhi alone. Most of them operate illegally, according to estimates.

• Around 10,000 foreign couples visit India a year to commission surrogacy with nearly 30% being single or homosexual.

• Rs 2.5-6 lakh is the amount charged by surrogates in India. • $400mn is the surrogacy industry's value in India as per estimates.


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sources: the hindu, indiatoday, pib.

RSBY failing to provide risk cover

An evaluation of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) has concluded that the RSBY scheme has had little or no impact on medical impoverishment in India.

• The assessment was conducted by the Council for Social Development and the report is titled, “India: Social Development Report 2014.”

• The authors of the study compared data before and after the launch of RSBY to understand the emerging trends in out-of-pocket expenditure for medical care in India.

• The aim of the study was to study the impact of RSBY and evaluate how much financial risk protection it granted to beneficiaries.

Important findings:

• Despite high enrolment in RSBY, catastrophic health expenditures (when medical expenses push a family into poverty), hospitalisation expenditure and the percentage of total household outgo on out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses — medicines and other consumables that are not reimbursed by insurance — have steadily increased, for both in-patients and outpatients, over the last two decades.

• Between 2004-05 and 2011-12, hospitalisation expenses have increased at a much higher rate (9.2%) compared to outpatient expenses (4.5%) or medicines (4.85%).

• The poorer income sections in RSBY have experienced a rise in catastrophic headcount.


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These findings indicate that RSBY and other state run insurance programmes have failed to provide financial risk protection.

Why they have failed?

• According to the study, a major design flaw in RSBY and other such state health insurance programmes is their narrow focus on secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

• The study also says that RSBY was being used mostly by those who already had better access (to healthcare services) and the most marginalised sections were being excluded further.

RSBY and similar state run health schems are designed with the intention to address low-volume, high-value financial transactions that could result in catastrophic expenditure and impoverishment of households. However, these evidences suggest the opposite trend.

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY):

RSBY was launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India to provide health insurance coverage for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.

Details:

• Beneficiaries under RSBY are entitled to hospitalization coverage up to Rs. 30,000/- for most of the diseases that require hospitalization.

• Government has even fixed the package rates for the hospitals for a large number of interventions.

• Pre-existing conditions are covered from day one and there is no age limit.

• Coverage extends to five members of the family which includes the head of household, spouse and up to three dependents.


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• Beneficiaries need to pay only Rs. 30/- as registration fee while Central and State Government pays the premium to the insurer selected by the State Government on the basis of a competitive bidding.

How RSBY is different from other schemes?

• Empowering the beneficiary – RSBY provides the participating BPL household with freedom of choice between public and private hospitals and makes him a potential client worth attracting on account of the significant revenues that hospitals stand to earn through the scheme.

• Business Model for all Stakeholders – The scheme has been designed as a business model for a social sector scheme with incentives built for each stakeholder.

• Hospitals – A hospital has the incentive to provide treatment to large number of beneficiaries as it is paid per beneficiary treated.

• Intermediaries – The inclusion of intermediaries such as NGOs and MFIs which have a greater stake in assisting BPL households.

• Information Technology (IT) Intensive – For the first time IT applications are being used for social sector scheme on such a large scale. Every beneficiary family is issued a biometric enabled smart card containing their fingerprints and photographs. All the hospitals empanelled under RSBY are IT enabled and connected to the server at the district level. This will ensure a smooth data flow regarding service utilization periodically.

• Safe and foolproof – The use of biometric enabled smart card and a key management system makes this scheme safe and foolproof. The key management system of RSBY ensures that the card reaches the correct beneficiary and there remains accountability in terms of issuance of the smart card and its usage. The biometric enabled smart card ensures that only the real beneficiary can use the smart card.

• Portability – The key feature of RSBY is that a beneficiary who has been enrolled in a particular district will be able to use his/ her smart


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card in any RSBY empanelled hospital across India. This makes the scheme truly unique and beneficial to the poor families that migrate from one place to the other. Cards can also be split for migrant workers to carry a share of the coverage with them separately.

• Cash less and Paperless transactions – A beneficiary of RSBY gets cashless benefit in any of the empanelled hospitals. He/ she only needs to carry his/ her smart card and provide.


Mid-day meals rules lay stress on quality, regularity

The Centre has notified the mid-day meals rules. The rules were notified by the union human resource development ministry in accordance with the provisions of the National Food Security Act 2013 act after consultation with states and other related central ministries.

Notified rules:

• Mid-day meals provided to students at schools will be tested each month by accredited laboratories to ensure nutritional standards and quality.

• The meal provided to children will be evaluated and certified by the government food research laboratories or any laboratory accredited or recognised by law.

• The rules make it mandatory for schools to dig into funds meant for other purposes if the funds meant for providing mid-day meals to students are exhausted for some reason.

• The schools are required to provide an allowance to students if meals cannot be given them.


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• Concerned state governments are required to fix responsibility on the person or agency if meals are not provided on three consecutive school days or five days in a month.

• Every child within the age group of six to 14 years studying in Classes 1 to 8, enrolled with and attending school, shall be provided hot-cooked meal having nutritional standards of 450 calories and 12 gm of protein for primary and 700 calories and 20 gm protein for upper primary classes free of charge every day except on school holidays.

• The mid-day meals shall be served to the children only in the school. • The schools will also have to ensure meals are cooked in a hygienic

manner. Schools in urban area may use the facility of centralised kitchens wherever required in accordance with the guidelines issued by the central government.

• The heads of schools are empowered to utilise any available fund for the continuation of the scheme. The amount will be reimbursed to the school account.

background:

• The National Food Security Act, 2013, contains provisions related to welfare schemes, including the mid-day meal scheme.

• The Midday Meal Scheme was designed to improve the nutritional status of school children nationwide.

• The programme supplies free lunches on working days for children in primary and upper primary classes in government, government aided, local body, Education Guarantee Scheme, and alternate innovative education centres, Madarsa and Maqtabs supported under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and National Child Labour Project schools run by the ministry of labour.

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki.


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Topic: Role of civil services in a democracy.

Indian Skill Development Service

The Union cabinet recently gave its nod for the formations of Indian Skill Development Service (ISDS).

Details:

• Indian Skill Development Service (ISDS) will be a Group 'A' service of the technical cadre of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSD&E).

• ISDS was earlier called the Directorate General of Employment & Training which was under the aegis of Ministry of Labour Employment.

Why was it created?

• To improve skill development administration in the country. • To enhance the capacity and efficiency of the organization.

Selection:

The cadre will be selected through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and have the same ranks and profile as other Group A services such as the Indian Revenue Service, Indian Audit and Accounts Service and Indian Railway Service.

Their roles:

• The new cadre of officers will run the skill development and entrepreneurship ministry, help implement various skill and


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apprenticeship schemes conducted by the ministry as well as those by the Directorate General of Training (DGT).

• The new officers will help formulate skill policies, devise a road map for improving the apprenticeship system, revamping ITIs and also help revamp course work for various schemes.

Was it necessary?

India aims to skill some 500 million people by 2022 in both organized and unorganized sectors to improve the efficiency of the work force, provide job-ready human resources to industries and ultimately improve the competitiveness of a young demography considered crucial for the economic growth of India. To achieve these objectives, it is necessary to have such a dedicated service.

sources: pib.

Topic: RPA.

Adnan Sami will be an Indian citizen soon

The union government has decided to give Indian citizenship to Adnan Sami, a Pakistani singer.

• The decision was taken after Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi gave a favourable opinion to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

• Adnan Sami has been staying in India since 2001. In May this year, the MHA granted him the right to stay in India indefinitely on humanitarian grounds after his Pakistani passport expired the same month.

• He was also exempted from deportation proceedings under Section 3 of the Foreigners Act.


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He will be given Indian citizenship under Section 6 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955.

What does Section 6 say?

Section 6 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 allows citizenship, through a certificate of “naturalisation,” to applicants with distinguished contribution in the field of science, philosophy, art, literature, world peace or human progress.

sources: the hindu.

Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Increase of Financial Assistance under the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN)

To further ease access to financial assistance under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN), the Government has decided to enhance the financial powers delegated to designated Central Government hospitals/institutes from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh for providing financial assistance in cases where emergency surgery is to be conducted.

Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN):

• Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi was set up under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in 1997.

• The scheme provides for financial assistance to patients, living below poverty line who is suffering from major life threatening diseases, to


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receive medical treatment at any of the super specialty hospitals/institutes or other Govt. hospitals.

• The financial assistance to such patients is released in the form of "one time grant" to the Medical Superintendent of the hospital in which the treatment is being received.

• Under the scheme, Central Government also provides Grant in aid to States/Union Territories (with legislature) to set up state illness fund to the extent of 50% of contribution made by State Govt/Union Territories.

• Financial Assistance is given to patients living in their respective States/UTs under State illness fund up to Rs.1.5 lakhs in an individual case. However, in cases where the quantum of financial assistance is likely to exceed Rs.1.5 lakhs, those are referred to RAN for consideration.

sources: pib, mohfw.

Prioritising infection control in Telangana

The Telangana government has directed teaching hospitals in the state to start implementing measures to control healthcare associated infections.

• It was recently found that government hospitals in Telangana have fallen behind in implementing good practices to curb infections.

Various measures taken by the state government:

Control committees:

To address concerns related to infections, the state governemnt has directed the government hospitals to set up infection control committees to provide a forum for multidisciplinary inputs, which would be responsible


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for planning, implementation and resource allocation of all matters related to infection prevention and control.

What would these committees do?

• The committees would develop infection control policies and environmental management practices to ensure adherence to standard infection control precautions.

• They also review and approve annual plan prepared by the infection control team, review epidemiological surveillance data and identify areas of intervention.

• The other responsibilities of such a committee is to ensure capacity building for infection prevention, control and safety, prepare standard operating procedures for various medical departments and frequently review infectious risks associated with medical equipment.

Hospital Infection Control Team (HICT):

• The government has also asked each government hospital in Telangana to constitute a Hospital Infection Control Team (HICT) to implement the infection control measures and provide solutions on infection control on 24 hours basis.

• The team would also be responsible for maintenance of medical equipment, investigating outbreaks of infections, take up surveillance, advice staff on waste management, develop antibiotic policies and train hospital staff.

Specialized staff:

• It has been decided to have a dedicated Infection Control Officer (ICO), a microbiologist or epidemiologist, in-charge of infection control practices, provide trends for hospital acquired infections to


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patient care units, and investigate outbreaks of viral, bacterial or fungal ailments and training.

• It has also been decided to have an Infection Control Nurse (ICN), a nurse with an academic education and practical training to act as a specialist advisor in all aspects relating to infection control.

• An exclusive biomedical waste management committee in hospitals that would be in charge of implementing good practises in management of hospital waste will also be setup.

sources: the hindu.

Dengue alert could have helped save lives: experts

Public health experts feel that effective risk communication strategy by public health authorities to warn and alert people in advance of impending outbreak of diseases and protective measures to be taken could have prevented avoidable deaths such as those caused by dengue in different parts of the country.

Risk communication is an essential public health function to disseminate information about outbreaks, epidemics and upcoming emergencies to people.

Practices in other countries:

Risk communication has evolved as a sophisticated tool and deployed effectively in developed nations for people to take protective measures during natural disasters, disease outbreaks and food-borne illnesses, among others.

In US –

• Here, colour-coded risks, developed by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with red indicating the highest threat,


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are used. Recently, after hurricane Katrina claimed over 1,200 lives and damaged property estimated at nearly $ 108 billion, FEMA disseminated information through cooperation and collaboration with State and local public health authorities.

• Similarly, US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have dedicated teams of epidemiologists to scour their passive surveillance system to identify any disease outbreaks. The CDC’s Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC), which was formed after the 9/11 attacks and anthrax threats, has dedicated personnel who draw lessons from public health emergencies to improve and strengthen communication.

In UK –

• In the United Kingdom, the Cabinet provides specific guidelines on communicating risks to their population.

In India:

Although the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme in India has a long-term action plan document to prevent and control dengue and chikungunya with the States expected to prepare a contingency plan, very little communication has been in the public domain. Despite being inundated with information, the public health sector lacks the wherewithal to communicate appropriately.

Need for India:

• With large population in India susceptible to infectious disease outbreaks, it is important that any information about potential outbreaks or diseases be communicated appropriately and repeatedly to the public.

• Year after year, dengue cases are seen popping up in India exactly for the same reasons—lack of awareness about daytime mosquito bites,


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lack of knowledge about signs and symptoms and lack of resources on seeking help in a timely manner. Hence, Information about dengue and measures for protection should be issued at the start of the monsoon season with repeated reminders.

sources: the hindu.

Topic: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability.

Centre backs publishing CMs’ photos in govt. advertisements

The Centre has sought a review of the Supreme Court judgment banning the publication of photographs of political leaders and Chief Ministers in government-issued advertisements.

Centre’s arguments:

• People have the right to know about government welfare work in a participative democracy, and hence the ban should be lifted.

• It was contrary to the federal structure of governance envisioned in the Constitution to prohibit the publication of the pictures of Chief Ministers and Governors.

Background:

• In May 2015, the Supreme Court issued guidelines for the publication of government advertisements and held that publication of photographs of politicians and government functionaries, including Chief Ministers, defeated the public interest behind advertising welfare schemes and encouraged personality cults.


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• However, the court had exempted the President, the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India from this ban, leaving it to their discretion to decide whether they wanted their pictures published in the advertisements or not.

sources: the hindu.

Info panel turning down more RTI requests now

Data from the Central Information Commission’s website show that CIC has admitted fewer and fewer cases every month this year, under the Right to Information Act.

• Hence, RTI activists have asked for greater transparency in the process of turning down requests.

• Data show that from September 2014 to June this year, the CIC admitted between 2,500 and 3,500 cases every month. However, since June, the number of cases the CIC admits has crashed precipitously, falling to just 119 last month.

What the CIC says?

• The CIC says it is not rejecting requests but is returning them for “technical deficiencies, including lack of proper identification.”

However, it has not made public details of these requests being returned, nor why the need to return requests has suddenly arisen.

Cases come before the CIC in two ways:

• One, if an applicant is not satisfied with the response to his or her request for information from a Central government authority, and


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with the verdict of the first appeal made to the authority concerned, he or she can approach the CIC for the second appeal.

• Second, if a citizen has a complaint — his or her request was not taken or wrong information was given or he or she has faced threats — he or she can come directly before the CIC.

CIC:

The Central Information Commission (CIC) is set up under the Right to Information Act and is the authorized body, established in 2005, under the Government of India.

• The Chief Information Commissioner heads the Central Information Commission.

• CIC hears appeals from information-seekers who have not been satisfied by the public authority, and also addresses major issues concerning the RTI Act.

sources: the hindu, cic.

PM’s photo on ads: SC notice to Centre

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to respond to a plea by an NGO challenging the publishing of Prime Minister’s photograph in government advertisements.

Background:

An NGO had filed a PIL seeking a judicial review of the supreme court’s verdict exempting the Prime Minister from a ban on politicians’ photographs, including Chief Ministers, on government advertisements.


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Why, according to NGO, even the PM should not be exempted from the ban?

• The NGO contends that the exemption from the ban gives the PM and the political party he belongs to, mileage over the political opponents.

• Such advertisements have the potential to create partisan politics, favouring party in power and putting Opposition in bad light.

• The exemption given to the Prime Minister undermines the letter and spirit of the court’s guidelines and defeated the very purpose involved in disseminating information to the citizens about government schemes, policies, welfare programmes and achievements.

Supreme Court’s order:

• In May 2015, the Supreme Court issued guidelines for the publication of government advertisements and held that publication of photographs of politicians and government functionaries, including Chief Ministers, defeated the public interest behind advertising welfare schemes and encouraged personality cults.

• However, the court exempted the President, the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India from this ban, leaving it to their discretion to decide whether they wanted their pictures published in the advertisements or not.

sources: the hindu.

Access at the cost of Net neutrality?

Earlier this year, the social media giant, Facebook, formalised a partnership with Reliance Communications that enabled Reliance to provide access to over 30 different websites, without any charge on mobile data accruing to the ultimate user.


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• The platform, originally known as “Internet.org,” has now been rebranded as “Free Basics”. However, its fundamental ethos remains unchanged.

What it does?

• It allows Reliance’s subscribers to surf completely free of cost a bouquet of websites covered within the scheme, which includes facebook.com.

How is it being viewed?

Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, views this initiative as a philanthropic gesture, as part of a purported, larger aim to bring access to the Internet to those people who find the costs of using generally available mobile data prohibitive.

But, there are many critics who argue that Free Basics violates what has come to be known as the principle of network (or Net) neutrality.

So, what is Net neutrality?

Net neutrality is an interpretive concept. The term was coined by Tim Wu — an American lawyer and presently a professor at the Columbia University. He views the notion of Net neutrality as signifying an Internet that does not favour any one application over another. In other words, the idea is to ensure that Internet service providers do not discriminate content by either charging a fee for acting as its carrier or by incorporating any technical qualifications.

How is it managed in India?


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There are no laws enforcing net neutrality in India. Although TRAI guidelines for the Unified Access Service license promote net neutrality, it does not enforce it. The Information Technology Act 2000 also does not prohibit companies from throttling their service in accordance with their business interests.

TRAI’s recent draft consultation paper:

Recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a draft consultation paper seeking the public’s views on whether the Internet needed regulation. Much of its attention was focussed on the supposedly pernicious impact of applications such as WhatsApp and Viber, and very less on net neutrality.

• TRAI says, “In a multi-ethnic society there is a vital need to ensure that the social equilibrium is not impacted adversely by communications that inflame passions, disturb law and order and lead to sectarian disputes.”

The basic questions raised by the above view are:

• Should at least some Internet applications be amenable to a greater regulation?

• Should they compensate the telecom service providers in addition to the data charges that the consumers pay directly for the use of mobile Internet?

What if the government answers these questions in the affirmative?

If the government eventually answers these questions in the affirmative, the consequences could be drastic.

• It could lead to a classification of Internet applications based on arbitrary grounds, by bringing some of them, whom the government


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views as harmful to society in some manner or another, within its regulatory net.

• Through such a move, the state, contrary to helping establish principles of Net neutrality as a rule of law, would be actively promoting an unequal Internet.

Why it is necessary to have a specific law mandating net neutrality?

• In the absence of a specific law mandating a neutral Internet, telecom companies enjoy a virtual carte blanche to discriminate between different applications.

• Though these companies have not yet completely exploited this autonomy, they are certainly proceeding towards such an exercise.

• Also alarming is that mobile Internet service providers could, in the future, plausibly also control the speeds at which different applications are delivered to consumers. This kind of discrimination tends to breed an unequal playing field, and, if allowed to subsist, it could create a deep division in the online world.

Airtel Zero case:

• In April this year, Airtel announced Airtel Zero, an initiative that would allow applications to purchase data from Airtel in exchange for the telecom company offering them to consumers free of cost.

• Airtel Zero was widely perceived as a violation of net neutrality which could potentially stifle innovation and startup growth. There was also an allegation that it effectively tilts the balance in favor of the bigger players.

• By paying to be on Airtel Zero, companies could make sure that their users get free access to their service, while smaller players are at a disadvantage. However, Airtel has said that zero rating does not violate net neutrality as it lowers the cost of access and it is “non-discriminatory”.


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• To prevent such things, it appears necessary to have a specific mandating a neutral internet.

views of telecom companies:

• Telecom companies that wish to discriminate between applications argue that in the absence of an Internet that has completely permeated all strata of society, an obligation to maintain neutrality is not only unreasonable on the companies, but also unfair on the consumer.

• They argue that initiatives like internet.org and Airtel zero bring, at least, some portions of the Internet to people who otherwise have no means to access the web.

This gives rise to a clash of values: between access to the Internet (in a limited form) and the maintenance of neutrality in an atmosphere that is inherently unequal. This makes tailoring a solution to the problem a particularly arduous process.

What net neutrality proponents say?

• Net neutrality proponents aren’t resistant to the idea of a greater penetration of the Internet. But, their apprehensions lie in companies resorting to what they believe is an unethical means to achieving, at least in theory, a laudable end.

• According to them, negating Net neutrality, in a bid to purportedly achieve greater access to the Internet in the immediate future, could prove profoundly injurious in the long run.

Conclusion:


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It is therefore, absolutely necessary that any debate that on the issue ought to include the tension between the two apparently conflicting values — the importance of maintaining a neutral Internet and the need to ensure a greater access to the web across the country. Facebook’s CEO Zuckerberg argues that these two values are not fundamentally opposed to each other, but can — and must — coexist. He is possibly correct at a theoretical level.

sources: the hindu.

Give NOTA option in civic polls: Gujarat HC

The Gujarat High Court has criticised the State Election Commission (SEC) for its reluctance to implement the NOTA (none of the above) option in the coming municipal and panchayat elections in the State.

• The court has directed the SEC to implement it and the State government to give the SEC necessary help.

• The court said the SEC must provide the option as directed by the Supreme Court, rejecting the SEC’s contention that it was not possible to include the NOTA button in the electronic voting machines in 20 days because the polls are scheduled for November 22 and 29.

• The Court also observed that the right to vote in favour of none of the candidates is one of the rights of the electorate, and it is so identified and strengthened by the Supreme Court.

NOTA:

NOTA is designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in a voting system. It is based on the principle that consent requires the ability to withhold consent in an election, just as they can by voting no on ballot questions.


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• The Supreme Court had upheld the right of voters to reject all candidates contesting the elections, saying it would go a long way in cleansing the political system of the country.

• The court had directed the Election Commission to have an option of ‘None Of The Above’ (NOTA) on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and ballot papers in a major electoral reform.

• The EVMs have the NOTA option at the end of the candidates’ list. Earlier, in order to cast a negative ballot, a voter had to inform the presiding officer at the polling booth. A NOTA vote doesn’t require the involvement of the presiding officer.

• In the Indian general election, 2014, NOTA polled 1.1% of the votes, counting to over 6 million.

Before NOTA:

• Before the NOTA option came in existence, people casting negative votes were required to enter their names in a register and cast their vote on a separate paper ballot.

• Under Section 49 (O) of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, a voter could enter his electoral serial number in Form 17A and cast a negative vote. The presiding officer would then put a remark in the form and get it signed by the voter. This was done to prevent fraud or misuse of votes.

• This provision was, however, deemed unconstitutional by the SC as it did not protect the identity of the voter.

sources: the hindu, pib, wiki.

Topic: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.

Pension fund regulator seeks fiscal support from Centre


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The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has asked the central government to support its ongoing move to expand the subscriber base.

• PFRDA recently achieved a new milestone in assets under management (AUM) and subscriber base. The AUM of its national pension system (NPS) has crossed Rs.1-trillion-mark in the first week of October at around Rs.1,10,000 crore, while the NPS subscriber base also crossed 1-crore-mark in the first week of October.

• The efforts of PFRDA are now targeted at expanding the subscriber base further, particularly in the corporate and the private citizens segments.

• It is also working towards further improving the infrastructure for minimising the response time. As part of this measure, PFRDA is more closely co-ordinating with the Centre and States whose share accounts for over 90% of the total AUM.

PFRDA:

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is a pension regulatory authority which was established in 2003.

• It is authorized by Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services.

• It promotes old age income security by establishing, developing and regulating pension funds and protects the interests of subscribers to schemes of pension funds and related matters.

• It is also responsible for appointment of various intermediate agencies such as Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA), Pension Fund Managers, Custodian, NPS Trustee Bank, etc.



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Basu is Atomic Energy Commission’s new chief

Sekhar Basu was recently appointed as the new Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Mr. Basu will also be Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

• He was till now Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay, Mumbai. He was earlier Chief Executive of the Nuclear Recycle Board.

• Mr. Basu made a name for himself as the Project Director of the Nuclear Submarine Programme under which Arihant was built. He was responsible for developing the 80 MWt Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) which propels Arihant.

• He was also responsible for the design, development, construction and operation of plutonium reprocessing plants at Tarapur in Maharashtra and Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu.

• Mr. Basu played an important role in the development of the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) slated to come up in Tamil Nadu.

• He has also been guiding the setting up of a nuclear fuel cycle park which includes research reactors, fuel fabrication plants and reprocessing facilities on the Visakhapatnam campus of BARC.

About India Atomic Energy Commission:

• The Indian Atomic Energy Commission was first setup in August 1948 in the Department of Scientific Research.

• Later on, in accordance with a Government Resolution, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was established in the Department of Atomic Energy. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) was setup on August 3, 1954 under the direct charge of the Prime Minister through a Presidential Order.

• According to the Resolution constituting the AEC, the Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Atomic Energy is ex-officio Chairman of the Commission.


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• The other Members of the AEC are appointed on the recommendation of the Chairman, AEC and after approval by the Prime Minster.

Important functions of the Atomic Energy Commission are:

1. to organise research in atomic scientists in the country. 2. to train, atomic scientists in the country. 3. to promote nuclear research in commission's own laboratories as well

as in India. 4. to undertake prospecting of atomic minerals in India and to extract

such minerals for use on industrial scale.


Sebi notifies 12 entities as stock exchanges, creates 7 departments

With commodities derivatives regulation under its fold, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has notified 12 commodity bourses and associations as stock exchanges and has also created seven departments for effectively regulating this market.

• To fulfil its additional responsibility of regulating the commodity derivatives market, Sebi has created additional seven departments like legal affairs, surveillance investigations and enforcement divisions.

• It has also created departments for commodity derivatives market regulation, market intermediaries regulation and supervision and economic policy and analysis.

Sebi was recently merged with the Forward Market Commission (FMC). Sebi was set up in 1988 as a non-statutory body for regulating the securities


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markets, while it became an autonomous body in 1992 with fully-independent powers.

sources: bs.

Topic: Urbanisation – problems and remedies.

Swachh Bharat: plan to produce power, compost from solid waste

On the first anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission, the Urban Development Ministry has announced some crucial policy changes since it is planning to generate electricity and compost from municipal solid waste.

• Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has decided to bring a proposal before Cabinet to provide Market Development Assistance on sale of city compost to farmers.

• Ministry of Power is in the process of amending the Electricity Act 2003 to enable mandatory purchase of power generated from municipal solid waste.

About Swachh Bharat Mission:

It was officially launched on 2 October 2014 and is India’s biggest ever cleanliness drive. The mission seeks to achieve clean India and aims to provide access to toilets to all households in the country.

Objectives of the mission:

• Eliminate open defecation. • Conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets. • Eradication of manual scavenging. • 100% collection and scientific processing/disposal reuse/recycle of

Municipal Solid Waste.


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• To bring about a behavioral change in people regarding healthy sanitation practices.

• Generate awareness among the citizens about sanitation and its linkages with public health.

• Strengthening of urban local bodies to design, execute and operate systems.

• To create enabling environment for private sector participation in Capital Expenditure and Operation & Maintenance (O&M) costs.

The components of the programme are:

• Construction of individual sanitary latrines for households below the poverty line with subsidy (80%) where demand exists.

• Conversion of dry latrines into low-cost sanitary latrines. • Construction of exclusive village sanitary complexes for women

providing facilities for hand pumping, bathing, sanitation and washing on a selective basis where there is not adequate land or space within houses and where village panchayats are willing to maintain the facilities.

• Setting up of sanitary marts. • Total sanitation of villages through the construction of drains,

soakage pits, solid and liquid waste disposal. • Intensive campaign for awareness generation and health education to

create a felt need for personal, household and environmental sanitation facilities.


Topic: Issues relating to poverty and hunger.


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World Bank estimates show fall in India’s poverty rate

The World Bank has revised the global poverty line, previously pegged at $1.25 a day to $1.90 a day (approximately Rs. 130). This was stated in its latest report ‘Ending Extreme Poverty, Sharing Prosperity: Progress and Policies’.

• The new poverty line has been arrived at based on an average of the national poverty lines of 15 poorest economies of the world. The poverty lines were converted from local currency into U.S. dollars using the new 2011 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) data.

Notable facts:

• The latest headline estimate for 2012 based on the new data suggests that close to 900 million people (12.8% of the global population) lived in extreme poverty. Compared with 2011, this number represents continued poverty reduction, as the headcount estimate then, using 2011 PPP data, was 987 million people (14.2% of global population).

• India’s poverty rate is one of the lowest among those countries with the largest number of poor. India’s poverty rate for 2011/12 is 21.2%.

• The number of people living in extreme poverty around the world is likely to fall to under 10% of the global population in 2015.

• The poverty rate in low-income countries averages 43% in 2012, compared to 19% in lower-middle-income countries. Yet lower middle-income countries are home to about half of the global poor, compared to a third for low-income countries.

• In South Asia, the poverty would fall to 13.5% in 2015 compared to 18.8% in 2012; Sub-Saharan Africa poverty would decline to 35.2% in 2015 compared to 42.6% in 2012.

• Tentative projections for global poverty in 2015 suggest that the global headcount may have reached 700 million, leading to a poverty rate of 9.6 %.


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With the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in September, seeking to end all forms of poverty world over, the World Bank Group has set itself the target of bringing down the number of people living in extreme poverty to less than 3% of the world population by 2030.

Sources: The Hindu.

Topic: India and its neighborhood- relations.

Signing of a treaty between India and Maldives on Mutual Legal Assistance in criminal matters

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Criminal Matters between India and the Maldives.

• The Treaty aims to enhance effectiveness of both countries in investigation and prosecution of crime, through cooperation and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

• In the context of transnational crime and its linkages to terrorism, the proposed Treaty will provide a broad legal framework for bilateral cooperation with Maldives in investigation and prosecution of crime as well as in tracing, restraint and confiscation of proceeds, and instruments of crime as well as funds meant to finance terrorist acts.

About Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT):

• MLAT is an agreement between two or more countries for gathering and exchanging information to enforce public or criminal laws.

• Under the agreement, mechanisms have been developed among nations for requesting and obtaining evidence for criminal investigations and prosecutions.


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sources: pib.

Cabinet approves revised cost of Kaladan project with Myanmar

The Union Cabinet has given its approval to the revised cost estimate of Rs 2,904 crore for the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport project in Mynamar.

About the project:

The Kaladan project connects Sittwe Port in Myanmar to the India-Myanmar border.

• The project was jointly initiated by India and Myanmar to create a multi-modal platform for cargo shipments from the eastern ports to Myanmar and to the North-eastern parts of the country through Myanmar.

• It is expected to open up sea routes and promote economic development in the North-eastern states, and also add value to the economic, commercial and strategic ties between India and Myanmar.

• This project will reduce distance from Kolkata to Sittwee by approximately 1328 km and will reduce the need to transport good through the narrow Siliguri corridor, also known as Chicken's Neck.

• The project is likely to be completed by 2016. The project is being piloted and funded by the Ministry of External Affairs (India).



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Call drops: TRAI plans to impose fines

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has raised the penalty on telecom operators to up to Rs. 2 lakh for poor mobile service quality, including call drops.

• TRAI said that the penalty amount would be as high as Rs. 2 lakh if the operators are unable to meet the benchmark set for the quality of service in two or more subsequent quarters.

• The penalty will also be imposed if call drops in a quarter average more than 2% of the total traffic in a telecom circle.

• As per existing norms, there is a penalty provision of up to Rs 50,000 for the first violation and Rs 1 lakh for subsequent failures in case of network related quality parameters. However, with regard to consumer-related issues the penalty was capped at Rs 50,000 for each violation.

• These new measures act as a sufficient deterrent against prolonged non-compliance and may further improve the quality of service in a time-bound manner.

What is a Call Drop?

• There is no standard definition of a dropped call. In telecommunications, it referes to the telephone calls which, due to technical reasons, were cut off before the speaking parties had finished their conversation and before one of them had hung up (dropped calls).

• There are many reasons why a call drops, including network infrastructure, spectrum allocation, traffic, as well as the handsets that consumers use.

About TRAI:


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• It is the independent regulator of the telecommunications business in India.

• It was established in 1997 by an Act of Parliament to regulate telecom services and tariffs in India.

• In January 2000, TRAI was amended to establish the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to take over the adjudicatory functions of the TRAI.

• The TDSAT was set up to resolve any dispute between a licencor and a licensee, between two or more service providers, between a service provider and a group of consumers. In addition, any direction, TRAI orders or decisions can be challenged by appealing to TDSAT.

sources: the hindu, trai.

FSSAI to notify junk food guidelines for schools

The country's apex food regulator, FSSAI, has put up draft guidelines on its website intended to monitor the consumption of junk food by school children.

Important guidelines:

• Under the draft guidelines, which were first submitted to the court last year, food high in fat, salt or sugar will not be sold within 50 metres of a school's premises.

• This includes an array of food & beverages commonly consumed by school children including chips, ready-to-eat noodles, pizzas, burgers, sugar-sweetened carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, potato fries (commonly called French fries) and confectionery items.

• The draft guidelines have also suggested creation of a canteen policy and school health education programmes to make students and parents aware about the ill-effects of unhealthy food habits.


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Implications:

The guidelines if notified could bring about a paradigm shift in how food is consumed in schools in India.

Background:

• The move comes after the Delhi High Court had given the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India three months in a hearing to do so.

• The judgement was in response to a public interest suit moved in 2010 by a non-government organisation.

• The NGO had raised the issue of easy availability of junk food and carbonated drinks to children and had sought a ban on these food items in schools.

About FSSAI:

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which consolidates various acts & orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries and Departments.

• It was created for laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

• Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the Administrative Ministry for the implementation of FSSAI.

• The Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) are appointed by Government of India.

• The Chairperson is in the rank of Secretary to Government of India.


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Important functions performed by the authority:

• Framing of Regulations to lay down the Standards and guidelines in relation to articles of food and specifying appropriate system of enforcing various standards thus notified.

• Laying down mechanisms and guidelines for accreditation of certification bodies engaged in certification of food safety management system for food businesses.

• Laying down procedure and guidelines for accreditation of laboratories and notification of the accredited laboratories.

• To provide scientific advice and technical support to Central Government and State Governments in the matters of framing the policy and rules in areas which have a direct or indirect bearing of food safety and nutrition .

• Collect and collate data regarding food consumption, incidence and prevalence of biological risk, contaminants in food, residues of various, contaminants in foods products, identification of emerging risks and introduction of rapid alert system.

• Creating an information network across the country so that the public, consumers, Panchayats etc receive rapid, reliable and objective information about food safety and issues of concern.

• Provide training programmes for persons who are involved or intend to get involved in food businesses.

sources: bs.

ICHR to conduct research on princely States

The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) will be conducting a research to unravel the history of the many princely States.


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• ICHR claims that these princely states were the guardians of “Indian life and culture,” but “disappeared unceremoniously and unwept” after India abolished royal entitlements.

• The project has been approved in principle by the ICHR, with an aim to shine light on the many “accomplishments” of these rulers that have not been sufficiently documented.

• Research into the lives and times of these rulers is also expected to bring out little-known facets about them.

About the Indian Council of Historical Research:

The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) is plainly a Fund-disbursing Agency that disburses funds to Indian and Foreign Scholars on specific applications for Fellowships and Grants.

• The source of the Funds, at the disposal of the ICHR is Grants-in- Aid received from the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Grants-in- Aid from various Indian States, donations and from the proceeds of revenues from the sale of Publications.

• The council does not carry any historical research of its own by its staff as was initially envisaged.

• It was established in 1972 by an Administrative Order of the then Ministry of Education of Government of India.

• It is an autonomous organization.

sources: the hindu, ichr.

Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests.

‘Nuclear suppliers may admit India’


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The chairperson of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Rafael Grossi, during his recent visit to India, said that the NSG would begin consultations on India’s membership next month. He thinks it is possible to find a way for India’s membership to be accepted.

• India sought membership of the NSG in 2008, but its application hasn’t been decided on, primarily because signing the NPT or other nuclear moratoriums on testing is a pre-requisite.

• India has received a special waiver to conduct nuclear trade with all nuclear exporters.

• India’s push for the NSG membership in the next year is likely to be complemented by its application to other nuclear and missile control regimes like MTCR, Wassenaar and Australian groups.

• It will also get a boost from the completion of the India-Australian civil nuclear agreement likely to be announced in the next few months, with the possibility of the India-Japan civil nuclear deal also making progress.

About NSG:

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a multinational body concerned with reducing nuclear proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that may be applicable to nuclear weapon development and by improving safeguards and protection on existing materials.

• Interestingly, the NSG was set up in 1974 as a reaction to India’s nuclear tests to stop what it called the misuse of nuclear material meant for peaceful purposes.

• Currently, it has 48 members.

Once admitted, an NSG member state gets:

• Timely information on nuclear matters • Contributes by way of information


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• Has confirmed credentials • Can act as an instrument of harmonization and coordination • Is part of a very transparent process.


Agreement on digital preservation and conservation of rare written treasures

Indian and France have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conserve, develop and publicize written heritage.

Details:

• The MoU will assist a programme on digitization of old manuscripts and documents, begun in France seven years ago, as it will make it possible for gaining their experience and high –quality expertise in this field.

• This MoU will also entail development of digital co-operation, sharing of technical and other expertise, competency and skill-building and cultural co-operation between the two countries.

• France is keen to avail India’s assistance in sorting out, deciphering and gaining a better insight into their collection of the several thousands of Indian documents, especially in Sanskrit and Tamil languages,that are archived in their possession.

Ministry of Culture is also planning to build a National Virtual Library in India which will store and share numerous manuscripts, archives, artworks etc. This MoU will help in efficient implementation of this project. The National Virtual Library will link and share all knowledge resources lying within the possession of various government institutes and other organizations of both the countries.


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sources: pib.

Pakistan, Russia sign gas pipeline pact

Pakistan and Russia have signed an agreement to build a gas pipeline stretching hundreds of kilometres from Karachi on the Arabian Sea to the eastern city of Lahore.

Details:

• The project would be built by Russian company RT Global Resources — a part of Russian state corporation Rostec.

• It will be a 1,100-kilometre (680-mile) pipeline, with a capacity of 12.4 billion cubic metres (438 billion cubic feet) per year.

• It will connect liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Karachi with those in Lahore.

• Russia will invest about $2 billion in the pipeline and its first phase is expected to be completed by December 2017.

• The pipeline will be operated by the manufacturer for 25 years before being transferred to the Pakistani government.

sources: the hindu.

Revision of Piracy High Risk Area (HRA)

European Union Chair of the Contact Group of Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) has announced the revision of the limits of the piracy High Risk Area (HRA).


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• With this, India’s west coast has been excluded from piracy High Risk Area (HRA).

• The decision will come into effect from December 1.

background:

• Consequent to the spread of piracy to the East Arabian Sea, the international shipping industry had extended the eastern limit of piracy HRA in June 2010 to 78oE longitude, thereby including the west coast of India within its ambit.

why was india concerned about this?

• This extension had led to security concerns on account of the presence of private security personnel onboard merchant vessels transiting the piracy HRA, and the presence of floating armouries off the Indian coast.

• The shipping industry also incurred additional costs for insurance and implementation of various recommendations for transit through the piracy HRA.

• The extended HRA also came near the Indian coastline up to as close as about 35 nautical miles from the baseline. This was an unwarranted encroachment into India’s EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone).

What made this revision necessary?

• Affirmative action and increased surveillance contributed towards the decline of piracy incidents in the East Arabian Sea. The last reported piratical activity in the East Arabian Sea was in March, 2012.

• In addition to deployment of Indian Naval ships in the Gulf of Aden since October 2008 for anti-piracy patrols, robust action by the


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Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard led to the arrest of 120 pirates from four pirate 'mother-ships' between January-March 2011.

• The absence of piracy in Indian maritime zones led to India seeking a review with support from many other countries.

This revision of the HRA boundary back to its original state should thus greatly reduce the insurance costs of Indian shipping companies. In total, this could save the industry $25 million.


BRICS to establish liberal visa regime among member countries

The BRICS nations have decided to allow free movement of “skilled professionals” among member countries by setting up a liberalised visa regime. This joint declaration was issued at the first-ever ministerial meeting on migration held recently in Sochi, Russia.

Other outcomes of the meeting:

• The BRICS countries have joined hands to combat and prevent organised human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and have promised to strengthen dialogue and cooperation among the member countries.

• They have also resolved to combat and prevent transnational organised crime.

• The nations have affirmed their interest in exchanging of views and sharing of experience on migration issues.

• They have accepted the inter-relationship between transnational migration and development; and the need to deal with the opportunities and challenges that migration presents and take advantage of its positive impacts.


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• The meeting was also attended by representatives of Shanghai Cooperation Council, the Commonwealth of Independent States and other international bodies working on migration.

sources: the hindu.

No decision at MTCR meeting

The meeting of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MCTR) concluded recently in the Netherlands. But, the decision on India’s membership is still pending.

• India has already said that its inclusion would further strengthen global non- proliferation objectives.

• India wants to gain entry into MCTR favouring non-proliferation of unmanned delivery systems capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.

• India has an application under submission since June 2015 to be a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)..

• While countries like the United States and Sweden have been backing India’s bid, other nations like Italy and China are not too enthusiastic about granting it membership.

about MCTR: quick facts

• The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is an informal and voluntary partnership between 34 countries to prevent the proliferation of missile and unmanned aerial vehicle technology capable of carrying a 500 kg payload for at least 300 km.

• It was established in April 1987 by Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, and the United States.


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• China is not a member of the MTCR.

In 2002, the MTCR was supplemented by the International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (ICOC), also known as the Hague Code of Conduct, which calls for restraint and care in the proliferation of ballistic missile systems capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction, and has 119 members, thus working parallel to the MTCR with less specific restrictions but with a greater membership.


U.S., 11 nations reach historic deal

Trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region have reached a deal on the Pacific trade pact that is intended to cut trade barriers and establish common standards for 12 countries. This is the largest trade pact in 20 years.

About the Trans-Pacific Partnership:

• The Trans-Pacific Partnership is headed by the US and includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

• The agreement covers 40% of the world’s economy. • It would set new terms for trade and business investment among the

United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations. • It would phase out thousands of import tariffs as well as other

barriers to international trade. It also would establish uniform rules on corporations’ intellectual property, open the Internet even in communist Vietnam and crack down on wildlife trafficking and environmental abuses.


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What the supporters say?

• It would be a boon for all the nations involved. It would unlock opportunities and address vital 21st-century issues within the global economy.

What the opponents say?

• Opponents in the United States see the pact as mostly a giveaway to business, encouraging further export of manufacturing jobs to low-wage nations while limiting competition and encouraging higher prices for pharmaceuticals and other high-value products by spreading American standards for patent protections to other countries.

• A provision allowing multinational corporations to challenge regulations and court rulings before special tribunals is drawing intense opposition.

Why the US is interested in this pact:

• The pact is a major component of President Obama’s “pivot” to Asia. It is seen as a way to bind Pacific trading partners closer to the United States while raising a challenge to Asia’s rising power, China, which has pointedly been excluded from the deal, at least for now.

• It is seen as a means to address a number of festering issues that have become stumbling blocks as global trade has soared, including e-commerce, financial services and cross-border Internet communications.


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sources: the hindu, et.

Germany won’t sign MLAT, cites death penalty

Germany has expressed its inability to sign the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with India, citing its provision for “death penalty” for heinous crimes and terror activities.

• This is perhaps the first time a country has refused to sign the treaty on grounds of the death penalty provision.

• India has signed MLAT with 39 countries, including the United States.

• India and Germany have been negotiating since 2007 to sign the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in criminal matters but have not been able to reach a conclusion due to Germany's strong reservation to the provision of death penalty in Indian law.

About Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT):

• MLAT is an agreement between two or more countries for gathering and exchanging information to enforce public or criminal laws.


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• Under the agreement, mechanisms have been developed among nations for requesting and obtaining evidence for criminal investigations and prosecutions.

Mutual legal assistance: When evidence or other forms of legal assistance, such as witness statements or the service of documents, are needed from a foreign sovereign, states may attempt to cooperate informally through their respective police agencies or, alternatively, resort to what is typically referred to as requests for 'mutual legal assistance'.

Abolition of death penalty in India:

The Law Commission of India has already recommended for abolition of death penalty except in terror-related cases. However, the Home Ministry is believed to be against it maintaining that time was not ripe yet to remove it completely from the statute book keeping in mind the threat from terrorism.

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki.

India climbs 16 places in WEF’s Global Competitiveness Index

After five years of decline, India has moved up 16 positions to 55th place on a global index of world’s most competitive economies for the year 2015-16.

• Global Competitiveness Report is released annually by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Performance of various countries:


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• Globally, Switzerland has retained its top position as the world's most competitive economy for seventh year in a row and is followed by Singapore, the US, Germany and the Netherlands in the top-five.

• These are followed by Japan, Hong Kong, Finland, Sweden and the UK in the top-ten.

• South Africa has re-entered the top 50, progressing seven places to 49th.

• China, holding steady at 28, remains by far the most competitive among large emerging economies, although its lack of progress moving up the ranking shows the challenges it faces in transitioning its economy.

performance of India:

• In the last year’s report, India stood at the 71st position. • In terms of competitiveness of its institutions, India is ranked 60th

(out of total 140 countries and up 10 positions from last year), while for infrastructure it has gained six places to 81st.

• For macroeconomic environment, India is ranked 91st, helped by a reduction in commodity prices and improvement in the government's budget deficit.

Observations made by the WEF:

• It says, the most problematic factors for doing business in India include corruption, policy instability, inflation and access to finance.

• The areas where India ranks better were investor protection, gross national savings, quality of education system, venture capital availability, hiring and firing practices, GDP and domestic market size, public trust in politicians and burden of government regulation.


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• Even though infrastructure in India has improved (81st, up six places), it remains a major growth bottleneck, electricity in particular.

• India’s performance in the macroeconomic stability pillar has improved, although the situation remains worrisome (91st, up 10 places). The inflation also eased to 6% in 2014, due to lower commodity prices, down from near double-digit levels the previous year.

• The government budget deficit has gradually dropped since its 2008 peak, although it still amounted to 7% of GDP in 2014, one of the highest in the world (131st).

• Fewer than one in five Indians access the Internet on a regular basis, and fewer than two in five are estimated to own even a basic cell phone.

sources: The hindu, toi.

India to hold G20 Chair in 2018, Delhi may play host

India is set to be the G20 Chair in 2018, and New Delhi could host the prestigious annual G20 summit.

• This decision was taken by G20 member nations recently.

G20:

The Group of Twenty is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies. The members include 19 individual countries and the European Union (EU).

• The G20 started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis.


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• Collectively, the G-20 economies account for around 85% of the gross world product (GWP), 80% of world trade, and two-thirds of the world population.

• The G20 is supported by international organisations, including the Financial Stability Board, the International Labour Organisation, the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization.

Notable points:

• The G20 operates as a forum and not as an organisation. Therefore, it does not have any permanent secretariat or management and administrative structure.

• One of the G20 countries is selected to hold the Chair in rotation, also known as ‘G20 presidency’. The presidency establishes a temporary secretariat for the duration it holds the Chair. The secretariat coordinates all work and organises G20 meetings.

• The immediate past, present and next Chair constitute a ‘troika’ and ensure continuity in the G20 work. In the current year (2015), the presidency is held by Turkey. The Chair was handed over to it by Australia. Turkey will hand over the Chair for the next year (2016) to China. After China, Germany will hold it in 2017.

• For selecting presidency, a system has been in place since 2010, when South Korea held the Chair. Under it, 19 countries have been categorised into five regional groupings of a maximum of four nations each.


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sources: The Hindu, g20.

Topic: Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.

Indian appointed to key FAO post

Kundhavi Kadiresan has been appointed as the Assistant Director-General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific.

• Ms. Kundhavi is an economist who has spent most of her professional career with the World Bank Group.

• Ms. Kadiresan will lead the prioritisation of FAO’s work across the region in close consultation with technical specialists of the organisation.

• She replaces Hiroyuki Konuma who retired from FAO earlier this year.

About FAO:

• The Food and Agriculture Organization is an agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.


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• It acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy.

• it is also a source of knowledge and information, and helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, ensuring good nutrition and food security for all.

• There are a total of 197 members comprising 194 member nations, 1 member organization (European Union) and 2 associate members (Faroe Islands and Tokelau).


Hoesung Lee to head U.N. climate panel

Hoesung Lee, 69, a Korean professor of economics of climate change, energy and sustainable development, has been elected as head of the Inter-governmental Panel for Climate Change. He succeeds R.K. Pachauri of India.

About Hoesung lee:

• Mr. Lee, until now one of the vice-chairs of the IPCC, served as executive member of the Korean Academy of Environmental Sciences; a member of the Asia Development Bank President’s advisory board; a council member of the Global Green Growth Institute; and an editorial board member of the U.K.-based Climate Policy.

• He was the founding president of the Korea Energy Economic Institute and the former president of the International Association for Energy Economics. He has been serving the IPCC in various capacities, including as Working Group III Co-Chair since its Second Assessment Report of 1992.


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About IPCC:

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific intergovernmental body under the auspices of the United Nations, set up at the request of member governments.

• It was first established in 1988 by two United Nations organizations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and later endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly.

• Membership of the IPCC is open to all members of the WMO and UNEP.

• The IPCC produces reports that support the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is the main international treaty on climate change.

• The IPCC does not carry out its own original research, nor does it do the work of monitoring climate or related phenomena itself. The IPCC bases its assessment on the published literature, which includes peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed sources.

• Thousands of scientists and other experts contribute, on a voluntary basis, to writing and reviewing reports, which are then reviewed by governments.

• IPCC reports contain a "Summary for Policymakers", which is subject to line-by-line approval by delegates from all participating governments.

• The IPCC provides an internationally accepted authority on climate change, producing reports which have the agreement of leading climate scientists and the consensus of participating governments.

• The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was shared, in two equal parts, between the IPCC and Al Gore.


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Pakistan loses UNHRC seat

Pakistan has failed to win a re-election to the top UN human rights body, UNHRC. It garnered just 105 votes in the 193-member General Assembly.

• A total of 18 members were elected to the UN Human Rights Council through a secret ballot.

• Pakistan’s current term is set to expire on December 31 and it was seeking re-election to the 47-member Council.

• Pakistan lost the seat in the Asia-Pacific category in which five seats were vacant.

• India is also a member of the Council and its term will end in 2017.

The new members, who will start their three-year terms from January 1 next year, are Belgium, Burundi, Cd’Ivoire, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Germany, Kenya, Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Togo, Slovenia, Switzerland, UAE and Venezuela.

UNHRC:

It is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them.

• It meets at the UN Office at Geneva. • The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which

are elected by the UN General Assembly. • The term of each seat is three years, and no member may occupy a

seat for more than two consecutive terms.


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• The council works closely with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and engages the United Nations’ special procedures.

• The General Assembly can suspend the rights and privileges of any Council member that it decides has persistently committed gross and systematic violations of human rights during its term of membership. The suspension process requires a two-thirds majority vote by the General Assembly.

sources: the hindu, unhrc.

Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests.

Nanning emerges as a pillar of the Maritime Silk Road

China has made Nanning one of the focal points of the proposed Maritime Silk Road, leveraging the southern city’s natural connectivity linkages with Southeast Asia and growth hubs of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao.

• The waterways of Xijiang River that flows through Nanning city lead to the Pearl River and the South China Sea.

• Nanning would enable a cargo ship of 2,000 tonnes to head for the bustling commercial cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao. By 2020, Nanning port’s capacity is expected to rise to 22.83 million tonnes.

• The Guangxi province, of which Nanning is the capital, is also the gateway to a large landlocked space.

• Its prized geographic location is making the city the fulcrum of China’s access to the most dynamic zones of Southeast Asia.

MSR:


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The MSR(maritime silk road) is part of a string of Silk Road initiatives that the Chinese are undertaking that includes the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) corridor, which aspire to establish integral economic linkages between South and Southeast Asia.

• The Silk Road project is an initiative by China to resurrect the ancient maritime Silk Road. It is perceived to be an attempt by China to ameliorate relations with South and Southeast Asia.

• The new initiative is a pet project of President Xi Jinping for connecting Asia with Europe along a land corridor, with China as its hub.

• Under the new Silk Route, the Chinese want to open up the transportation channel from the Pacific to the Baltic Sea, from which would radiate rail and road routes, which would also connect with East Asia, West Asia, and South Asia.

• The Silk Road strategy’s ambitious vision aligns with Beijing’s goals much more closely than the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is a reflection of the U.S. international trade model writ large.

• The Silk Road strategy aims to facilitate large-scale infrastructure construction, energy sale and transport, and relocation of manufacturing industries.

• This initiative aspires to deepen linkages between China and its neighbours via trade, investment, energy, infrastructure, and internationalization of China’s currency, the renminbi.


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sources: the hindu.

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