Septmebr 22 To September 30 Flashcards
When can MPs be suspended from the House?
Why in News?
Eight Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended on September 21 for unruly behaviour in the House.
The government moved a motion seeking the suspension of these MPs and it was passed by voice vote.
Power to suspend Rajya Sabha MPs:
The Chairman of Rajya Sabha is empowered under Rule Number 255 to “direct any Member whose conduct is in his opinion grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately” from the House.
Unlike the Speaker, however, the Rajya Sabha Chairman does not have the power to suspend a Member.
The House may, by another motion, terminate the suspension.
The House may adopt a motion suspending the Member from the service of the House for a period not exceeding the remainder of the session.
Background
When can MPs be suspended from the House?
It is the role and duty of the Presiding Officer — Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of Rajya Sabha — to maintain order so that the House can function smoothly.
How can suspension of MPs be justified? Isn’t this an extreme step to take in order to curb unruly behaviour?
When can MPs be suspended from the House?
The solution to unruly behaviour has to be long-term and consistent with democratic values.
There can be no question that the enforcement of the supreme authority of the Presiding Officer is essential for smooth conduct of proceedings.
However, a balance has to be struck. It must be remembered that the job of the Presiding Officer is to run the House, not to lord over it.
Roles and limitations of Select Committees
Context:
Recently, the government pushed through two crucial agriculture Bills in Rajya Sabha, rejecting Opposition demands that they be referred to a Select Committee of Rajya Sabha.
Proceedings were disrupted as the Opposition protested against the fact that neither Bill had been scrutinised by a parliamentary committee.
What is a Select Committee?
Roles and limitations of Select Committees
This is formed for examining a particular Bill and its membership is limited to MPs from one House.
They are chaired by MPs from the ruling party.
Since Select Committees are constituted for a specific purpose, they are disbanded after their report.
Background
Roles and limitations of Select Committees
Parliament scrutinises legislative proposals (Bills) in two ways:
By discussing it on the floor of the two Houses:
This is a legislative requirement; all Bills have to be taken up for debate.
By referring a Bill to a parliamentary committee:
But, since Parliament meets for 70 to 80 days in a year, there is not enough time to discuss every Bill in detail on the floor of the House. In such scenarios, the bill are referred to a parliamentary committee.
Referring of Bills to parliamentary committees is not mandatory.
When does a committee examine a Bill?
Roles and limitations of Select Committees
Bills are not automatically sent to committees for examination.
There are three broad paths by which a Bill can reach a committee. They are:
When the minister piloting the Bill recommends to the House that his Bill be examined by a Select Committee of the House or a joint committee of both Houses.
If the minister makes no such motion, it is up to the presiding officer of the House to decide whether to send a Bill to a departmentally related Standing Committee.
Also, a Bill passed by one House can be sent by the other House to its Select Committee.
What happens after the the bill is referred to a committee?
Roles and limitations of Select Committees
The committee undertakes a detailed examination of the Bill.
It invites comments and suggestions from experts, stakeholders and citizens.
The government also appears before the committee to present its viewpoint.
All this results in a report that makes suggestions for strengthening the Bill.
The report of the committee is of a recommendatory nature.
Time taken to submit reports
Roles and limitations of Select Committees
The Bill can only progress in Parliament after the committee has submitted its report.
Usually, parliamentary committees are supposed to submit their reports in three months, but sometimes it can take longer.
InstaFact
Roles and limitations of Select Committees
In the current Lok Sabha, 17 Bills have been referred to committees.
In the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19), 25% of the Bills were referred to committees, which was much lower than the 71% and 60% in the 15th and 14th Lok Sabha respectively.
Basel III compliant bonds
Context:
State Bank of India has raised ₹7,000 crore by issuing Basel III compliant bonds.
Key points:
Bonds issued qualify as tier II capital of the bank, and has face value of Rs 10 lakh each.
They bear coupon rate of 6.24 per cent per annum payable annually for a tenor of 10 years.
There is call option after 5 years and on anniversary thereafter.
Call option means the issuer of the bonds can call back the bonds before the maturity date by paying back the principal amount to investors.
What are Basel guidelines?
Basel guidelines refer to broad supervisory standards formulated by group of central banks- called the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS).
The set of agreement by the BCBS, which mainly focuses on risks to banks and the financial system are called Basel accord.
Basel is a city in Switzerland which is also the headquarters of Bureau of International Settlement (BIS).
The purpose of the accords is to ensure that financial institutions have enough capital on account to meet obligations and absorb unexpected losses.
BASEL-I
Introduced in 1988.
Focused almost entirely on credit risk, it defined capital and structure of risk weights for banks.
The minimum capital requirement was fixed at 8% of risk-weighted assets (RWA).
India adopted Basel 1 guidelines in 1999.
BASEL-II
Published in 2004.
The guidelines were based on three parameters:
Banks should maintain a minimum capital adequacy requirement of 8% of risk assets.
Banks were needed to develop and use better risk management techniques in monitoring and managing all the three types of risks that is credit and increased disclosure requirements.
The three types of risk are- operational risk, market risk, capital risk.
Banks need to mandatory disclose their risk exposure to the central bank.
Basel III
In 2010, Basel III guidelines were released. These guidelines were introduced in response to the financial crisis of 2008.
Basel III norms aim at making most banking activities such as their trading book activities more capital-intensive.
The guidelines aim to promote a more resilient banking system by focusing on four vital banking parameters viz. capital, leverage, funding and liquidity.
CAROTAR 2020 Rules
Context:
The Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules, 2020 (CAROTAR, 2020) came into force on September 21.
What are these rules?
They set guidelines for enforcement of the ‘rules of origin’ for allowing preferential rate on imports under free trade agreements.
They supplement the existing operational certification procedures prescribed under different trade agreements (FTA/ PTA/ CECA/ CEPA).
Background
CAROTAR 2020 Rules
They were notified on 21st August, 2020 by the Department of Revenue.
30 day period was given to importers and other stakeholders to familiarize themselves with new provisions.
CAROTAR rules
An importer is now required to do due diligence before importing the goods to ensure that they meet the prescribed originating criteria.
A list of minimum information which the importer is required to possess has also been provided in the rules along with general guidance.
An importer would now have to enter certain origin related information in the Bill of Entry, as available in the Certificate of Origin.
Implications
The new norms have been framed with a view to check inbound shipments of low quality products and dumping of goods by a third country routed through an FTA partner country.
Under these rules, a country that has inked an FTA with India cannot dump goods from some third country in the Indian market by just putting a label on it.
Significance of these rules
The new Rules will support the importer to correctly ascertain the country of origin, properly claim the concessional duty and assist Customs authorities in smooth clearance of legitimate imports under FTAs.
The new Rules would also strengthen the hands of the Customs in checking any attempted misuse of the duty concessions under FTAs.
What is the ‘Feluda’ test for Covid-19 approved by India?
Feluda is the acronym for FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay.
It is an accurate and low-cost paper-based test strip to detect Covid-19 in less than 30 minutes.
It was approved recently for commercial launch by the Drugs Controller General of India.
Developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Tata Group.
How it works?
What is the ‘Feluda’ test for Covid-19 approved by India?
It uses indigenously developed CRISPR gene-editing technology to identify and target the genetic material of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
Significance
What is the ‘Feluda’ test for Covid-19 approved by India?
According to CSIR, the test matches accuracy levels of RT-PCR tests.
It has a quicker turnaround time and requires less expensive equipment.
‘Feluda’ is also the world’s first diagnostic test to deploy a specially adapted Cas9 protein to successfully detect the virus.
What is CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology?
What is the ‘Feluda’ test for Covid-19 approved by India?
It is a gene editing technology and finds its use in correcting genetic defects and treating and preventing the spread of diseases.
The technology can detect specific sequences of DNA within a gene and uses an enzyme functioning as molecular scissors to snip it.
It also allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function.
The technology can also be configured for detection of multiple other pathogens in the future.
NHAI plans to monetise its highways through InvITs
Context:
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is preparing to come up with its InvIT issue.
It had received approval from the Union Cabinet in this regard in December 2019.
What are Infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs)?
They are institutions similar to mutual funds, which pool investment from various categories of investors and invest them into completed and revenue-generating infrastructure projects, thereby creating returns for the investor.
They are regulated under the Sebi (Infrastructure Investment Trusts) Regulations, 2014 and the Indian Trust Act, 1882.
Structure of InvITs
They have a trustee, sponsor(s), investment manager and project manager.
Trustee (certified by Sebi) has the responsibility of inspecting the performance of an InvIT.
Sponsor(s) are promoters of the company that set up the InvIT.
Investment manager is entrusted with the task of supervising the assets and investments of the InvIT.
Project manager is responsible for the execution of the project.
How does it benefit the investor?
InvITs
InvITs enable investors to buy a small portion of the units being sold by the fund depending upon their risk appetite.
Given that such trusts comprise largely of completed and operational projects with positive cash flow, the risks are somewhat contained.
Unitholders also benefit from favourable tax norms, including exemption on dividend income and no capital gains tax if units are held for more than three years.
How will it help NHAI?
The issue will enable NHAI to monetise its completed National Highways that have a toll collection track record of at least one year.
This will help the company raise funds for more road development across the country.
Official Secrets Act
Context:
Delhi journalist arrested under Official Secrets Act for passing on information such as the deployment of Indian troops on the border to Chinese intelligence officers.
About the Official Secrets Act:
Originally enacted during the time of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905.
One of the main purposes of the Act was to muzzle the voice of nationalist publications.
The Indian Official Secrets Act (Act No XIX of 1923) replaced the earlier Act, and was extended to all matters of secrecy and confidentiality in governance in the country.
Ambit of the Act
Official Secrets Act
It broadly deals with two aspects:
Spying or espionage, covered under Section 3.
Disclosure of other secret information of the government, under Section 5.
Is “secret information” defined?
Official Secrets Act
The Act does not say what a “secret” document is. It is the government’s discretion to decide what falls under the ambit of a “secret” document.
It has often been argued that the law is in direct conflict with the Right to Information Act, 2005.
However, please note that if there is any inconsistency in the Official Secret Act with regard to furnishing of information, it will be superseded by the RTI Act.
But, under Sections 8 and 9 of the RTI Act, the government can still refuse information.
Bonda tribe and Didayi tribe
These tribes are from Odisha.
These groups are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.
Of the 62 tribal groups in Odisha, 13 are recognised as PVTGs – the highest in the country.
Why in News?
Members of these tribes have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Brucellosis
Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that mainly infects cattle, swine, goats, sheep and dogs.
Humans can get infected if they come in direct contact with infected animals or by eating or drinking contaminated animal products or by inhaling airborne agents.
According to the WHO, most cases of the disease are caused by ingesting unpasteurised milk or cheese from infected goats or sheep.
Why in News?
The health commission of Lanzhou City in China announced this week that a leak in a biopharmaceutical company last year caused an outbreak of brucellosis disease.
More than 3,000 people have been infected with the disease since and no fatalities have been reported so far.
Mass Pilot Whale Strandings in Tasmania
Whale strandings are not uncommon in Tasmania, and whale strandings of this scale are not uncommon either.
However, exact reasons for stranding are unknown yet.
(The term stranding refers to an aquatic animal observed in an inappropriate location, for example, an offshore species found inshore. Most often, stranded animals are found on a beach or in shallow water)
Key points:
Pilot whales are so named because it was once believed that each observed group was navigated by a pilot or leader.
Their Latin name, Globicephala, means ‘round head’, which is one of the main identifying features of the species.
There are two species of pilot whales: Short finned pilot whales, which are mainly found in tropical and warm-temperate regions, and long-finned pilot whales, which inhabit colder waters.
Both species are designated as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Bacteria behind deaths of 330 Botswana elephants
Investigations have shown that toxins in water produced by cyanobacteria killed more than 300 elephants in Botswana this year.
Botswana is home to a third of Africa’s declining elephant population.
Key points:
Cyanobacteria are microscopic organisms common in water and sometimes found in soil.
Also known as blue-green algae, they are found worldwide especially in calm, nutrient-rich waters
Some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins that affect animals and humans
People may be exposed to cyanobacterial toxins by drinking or bathing in contaminated water
Symptoms include skin irritation, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, fever, sore throat, headache
Animals, birds, and fish can also be poisoned by high levels of toxin-producing cyanobacteria.
Visiting Advanced Joint Research (VAJRA) Faculty Scheme
Launched by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a Statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
This Scheme is to bring overseas scientists and academicians including Non-resident Indians (NRI) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to India to work in public funded Institutions and Universities for a specific period of time.
The scheme offers adjunct / visiting faculty assignments to overseas scientists including Indian researchers to undertake high quality collaborative research in cutting edge areas of science and technology with one or more Indian collaborators.
Government declares Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for Rabi Crops:
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for all mandated Rabi crops for marketing season 2021-22.
This increase in MSP is in line with the recommendations of Swaminathan Commission.
Swaminathan Committee had recommended that MSP should be at least 50% more that the average production cost.
What is Arab League?
It is a regional organization of Arab countries in and around North Africa, the Horn of Africa and Arabia.
Formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Kingdom of Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
Currently, the League has 22 members, but Syria’s participation has been suspended since November 2011, as a consequence of government repression during the Syrian Civil War.
Main goal is to “draw closer the relations between member States and co-ordinate collaboration between them, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries “.
Why in News?
In a response to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalising their ties with Israel, the Palestinian Authority has formally stepped down from a key role in the Arab League.
What’s the issue?
The United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain signed deals in Washington on September 15, which despite being hailed as “the dawn of the new Middle East” by the Trump Administration, drew criticism from the Palestinians – seen as a serious blow to their efforts to end illegal Israeli occupation and achieve an independent state.
What are International Financial Services Centres (IFSC)?
An IFSC caters to customers outside the jurisdiction of the domestic economy.
Such centres deal with flows of finance, financial products and services across borders.
London, New York and Singapore can be counted as global financial centres.
Services an IFSC can provide
Fund-raising services for individuals, corporations and governments.
Asset management and global portfolio diversification undertaken by pension funds, insurance companies and mutual funds.
Wealth management.
Global tax management and cross-border tax liability optimization, which provides a business opportunity for financial intermediaries, accountants and law firms.
Global and regional corporate treasury management operations that involve fund-raising, liquidity investment and management and asset-liability matching.
Risk management operations such as insurance and reinsurance.
Merger and acquisition activities among trans-national corporations.
Can an IFSC be set up in a special economic zone (SEZ)?
The SEZ Act 2005 allows setting up an IFSC in an SEZ or as an SEZ after approval from the central government.
IFSCs in India:
The first IFSC in India has been set up at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in Gandhinagar.
Why in News?
IFSC
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Singapore Exchange (SGX) have entered into a formal agreement to cement the key terms for operationalising the NSE IFSC-SGX Connect.
This will bring together international and Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) participants to create a bigger liquidity pool for Nifty products in GIFT City.
What are govt securities?
A government security (G-Sec) is a tradeable instrument issued by the central government or state governments.
Key features:
It acknowledges the government’s debt obligations.
Such securities can be both short term (treasury bills — with original maturities of less than one year) or long term (government bonds or dated securities — with original maturity of one year or more).
The central government issues both: treasury bills and bonds or dated securities.
State governments issue only bonds or dated securities, which are called the state development loans.
Since they are issued by the government, they carry no risk of default, and hence, are called risk-free gilt-edged instruments.
FPIs are allowed to participate in the G-Secs market within the quantitative limits prescribed from time to time.
Why are G-secs volatile?
What are govt securities?
G- Sec prices fluctuate sharply in the secondary markets. Factors affecting their prices:
Demand and supply of the securities.
Changes in interest rates in the economy and other macro-economic factors, such as, liquidity and inflation.
Developments in other markets like money, foreign exchange, credit and capital markets.
Developments in international bond markets, specifically the US Treasuries.
Policy actions by RBI like change in repo rates, cash-reserve ratio and open-market operations.
Why in News?
What are govt securities?
From April 7 to September 22 in this financial year, 27 States and 2 Union Territories have cumulatively raised ₹3.26 lakh crore via State government securities or State development loans (SDLs).
This is a 45% increase from the borrowings in the corresponding period of 2019-20.
Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan have been the top 5 borrowing States, accounting for 54% of total borrowings by States so far.
What are non-banking financial companies- microfinance institutions (NBFC-MFIs)?
NBFC MFI is a non-deposit taking NBFC (other than a company licensed u/s 25 of the Indian Companies Act, 1956) that meets the following conditions:
Minimum Net Owned Funds (NOF) of Rs.5 crore. (For those registered in the North Eastern Region of the country, Rs. 2 crore is required as minimum NOF).
At least 85% of its Total Net Assets are in the nature of “Qualifying Assets.”
What are Qualifying Assets?
What are non-banking financial companies- microfinance institutions (NBFC-MFIs)?
“Net assets” are total assets excluding cash, bank balances, and money market instruments.
“Qualifying assets” are those assets which have a substantial period of time to be ready for its intended use or sale.
Why in News?
What are non-banking financial companies- microfinance institutions (NBFC-MFIs)?
Loan disbursements by non-banking financial companies-microfinance institutions (NBFC-MFIs) declined 96% to ₹570 crore in the first quarter of the current financial year, according to a report by Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN).
It had stood at ₹15,865 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
What is net neutrality?
Net neutrality means that governments and internet service providers treat all data on the internet equally and does not differentially charge consumers for higher-quality delivery or giving preferential treatment to certain websites.
Network neutrality requires all Internet service providers (ISPs) to provide the same level of data access and speed to all traffic, and that traffic to one service or website cannot be blocked or degraded.
How net neutrality is treatedregulated in India?
Telecom and Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the Prohibition of Discriminatory Tariffs for Data Services Regulations, 2016.
These regulations prohibit Telecom Service Providers from charging different tariffs from consumers for accessing different services online.
Why in News?
What is net neutrality?
TRAI recently suggested the setting up of a multi-stakeholder body (MSB) to ensure that internet service providers in the country adhere to the principles of net neutrality.
The proposal
What is net neutrality?
Composition:
The MSB should be a forum which would contain representatives and stakeholders from all telecom and internet service providers, content providers, researchers from the academic and technical community, as well as the government.
Functions:
Assist the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in monitoring, and proposing technical standards and methodologies for the best practices to be adopted for traffic management practices.
Assist the DoT in enforcement of the best practices and handling of complaints on net neutrality.
Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority
EPCA is a Supreme Court mandated body tasked with taking various measures to tackle air pollution in the National Capital Region.
It was notified in 1998 by Environment Ministry under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Composition
Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority
Besides the chairman, the EPCA has 14 members, some of whom are the environment secretary of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), chairperson of the New Delhi Municipal Council, transport commissioner of the NCT, the commissioners of various municipal corporations of Delhi and professors at IIT Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Powers
Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority
It has the power suo-moto, or on the basis of complaints made by any individual, representative body or organization functioning in the field of environment.
Functions
Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority
To protect and improve quality of environment and prevent and control environmental pollution in National Capital Region.
To enforce Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in NCR as per the pollution levels.
Why in News?
Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority
EPCA recently wrote to the chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana stating that early burning of crop residue was taking place and urged them to address the issue “urgently”.
National Investigation Agency (NIA)
It is a central agency to investigate and prosecute offences:
affecting the sovereignty, security and integrity of India, security of State, friendly relations with foreign States.
against atomic and nuclear facilities.
smuggling in High-Quality Counterfeit Indian Currency.
It is also the Central Counter Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency.
It is empowered to deal with terror related crimes across states without special permission from the states.
Established under the National Investigation Agency Act 2008.
Works under the Ministry of Hime Affairs.
Jurisdiction
National Investigation Agency (NIA)
A State Government may request the Central Government to hand over the investigation of a case to the NIA, provided the case has been registered for the offences as contained in the schedule to the NIA Act.
Central Government can also order NIA to take over investigation of any scheduled offense anywhere in the India.
Composition
National Investigation Agency (NIA)
Officers of the NIA are drawn from the Indian Police Service and Indian Revenue Service.
Special NIA Courts
National Investigation Agency (NIA)
Various Special Courts have been notified by the Central Government of India.
Any question as to the jurisdiction of these courts is decided by the Central Government.
These are presided over by a judge appointed by the Central Government on the recommendation of the Chief Justice of the High Court with jurisdiction in that region.
Supreme Court of India has also been empowered to transfer the cases from one special court to any other special court within or outside the state.
Powers
National Investigation Agency (NIA)
The NIA Special Courts are empowered with all powers of the court of sessions under Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 for trial of any offense.
Appeals
National Investigation Agency (NIA)
An appeal from any judgement, sentence or order, not being an interlocutory order, of a Special Court lies to the High Court both on facts and on law.
State Governments have also been empowered to appoint one or more such special courts in their states.
Why in News?
National Investigation Agency (NIA)
The government has empowered the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act so that the agency need not rely on local police to unravel drug trade ties that emerge during counter-terrorism operations.
NIA officers of inspector rank and above have been vested with the same powers as an officer in charge of a police station under the 1985 NDPS law.
Successful flight test of ABHYAS
DRDO recently conducted the successful flight test of ABHYAS–High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT).
Key features:
Abhyas is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), DRDO.
The vehicle is programmed for fully autonomous flight.
Usage:
Abhyas’s radar cross-section (RCS) and its visual and infrared signatures can be used to simulate a variety of aircraft for air-defense weapon practices.
It can also function as a jammer platform and decoy.
J&K Official Languages Bill
The Lok Sabha has passed the J&K Official Languages Bill, 2020 that seeks to include Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi as the official languages in the newly-created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, only English and Urdu were the official languages in the former State.
Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Passed by both the houses of Parliament.
Key Points:
The Bill will declare 5 IIITs in Public-Private Partnership mode at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala & Raichur as Institutions of National Importance by granting them statutory status along with the already existing 15 IIITs under the IIIT (PPP) Act, 2017.
It will entitle the institutions to use the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) or Master of Technology (M.Tech) or PhD degree as issued by a University or Institution of National Importance.
Passage Exercise (PASSEX)
Indian Navy (IN) is scheduled to undertake a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the East Indian Ocean Region from 23 to 24 Sep 20.
PASSEXs are regularly conducted by IN with units of friendly foreign navies, whilst visiting each other’s ports or during a rendezvous at sea.
World Rhino Day
Celebrated on September 22.
It celebrates all five species of rhino: Black, white, greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan rhinos.
In 2010 the first World Rhinoceros Day was celebrated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
IUCN Status:
‘Critically endangered’ species are- Javan Rhinos, Sumatran rhinos and black rhinos.
The White Rhinos have been declared ‘near threatened’ while one-horned rhinos are said to be vulnerable to extinction.
Termination of Session
A sitting of Parliament can be terminated by adjournment or adjournment sine die or prorogation or dissolution (in the case of the Lok Sabha).
Adjournment: It suspends the work in a sitting for a specified time, which may be hours, days or weeks.
Adjournment sine die: It means terminating a sitting of Parliament for an indefinite period.
In other words, when the House is adjourned without naming a day for reassembly.
The power of adjournment as well as adjournment sine die lies with the presiding officer (Speaker or Chairman) of the House.
Prorogation: The President issues a notification for prorogation of the session after the business of a session is completed and the presiding officer declares the House adjourned sine die.
The President can also prorogue the House while in session.
Dissolution: Only the Lok Sabha is subject to dissolution.
Rajya Sabha, being a permanent House, is not subject to dissolution.
A dissolution ends the life of the existing House, and a new House is constituted after general elections are held.
The President is empowered to dissolve the Lok Sabha.
Why in News?
Termination of Session
The Lok Sabha adjourned sine die recently in what is being termed one of the shortest sessions in India’s parliamentary history, but which was packed with 25 Bills.
In this session, Lok Sabha productivity clocked at 167% with 25 Bills passed; 2,300 unstarred questions answered; 68% of the sittings dealing with legislative work; and 370 Zero Hour mentions.
About the Central Pollution Control Board
CPCB is a statutory organisation which was constituted in September, 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
It was entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
It serves as a field formation and also provides technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Important functions
About the Central Pollution Control Board
to promote cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the States by prevention, control and abatement of water pollution.
to improve the quality of air and to prevent, control or abate air pollution in the country.
Why in News?
About the Central Pollution Control Board
CPCB recently celebrated its 46th Foundation Day.
Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan
Launched in 2014 by the then Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education).
Aim: to meet the Right to Education Act’s mandate that all schools must have separate toilets for boys and girls.
Central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) were roped in to implement the program.
The programme norms require the CPSEs to build toilets with running water and hand washing facilities.
It also requires CPSEs to maintain the toilets for three to five years while charging the annual expenses to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budgets.
Why in News?
Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan
Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) recently submitted a report on the performance of this program.
Key Highlights:
Public sector units claimed to have constructed 1.4 lakh toilets in government schools as part of a Right to Education project, but almost 40% of those surveyed were found to be non-existent, partially constructed, or unused.
Over 70% did not have running water facilities in the toilets, while 75% were not being maintained hygienically.
The objective of providing separate toilets for boys and girls was not fulfilled in 27% of the schools, said the CAG.
G4 seeks time-bound reform of Security Council
Who are G4 Nations?
The G4 nations comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan are four countries which support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
Basis for these demands:
Each of these four countries have figured among the elected non-permanent members of the council since the UN’s establishment.
Their economic and political influence has grown significantly in the last decades, reaching a scope comparable to the permanent members (P5).
Support
G4 seeks time-bound reform of Security Council
The United Kingdom and France have backed the G4’s bid for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
Japan has received support from the United States and the United Kingdom.
All the permanent members of P5 have supported India’s bids for permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) but China had previously implied that it is only ready to support India’s bid for a permanent seat on United Nations Security Council if India did not associate its bid with Japan.
Brazil has received backing from three of the current permanent members, namely France, Russia, and the United Kingdom.
Opposition
G4 seeks time-bound reform of Security Council
There has been discontent among the present permanent members regarding the inclusion of controversial nations or countries not supported by them.
For instance, Japan’s bid is heavily opposed by China, Russia and South Korea who think that Japan still needs to make additional atonement for war crimes committed during World War II.
Under the leadership of Italy, countries that strongly oppose the G4 countries’ bids have formed the Uniting for Consensus movement, or the Coffee Club, composed mainly of regional powers that oppose the rise of some nearby country to permanent member status.
Why in News now?
G4 seeks time-bound reform of Security Council
The foreign ministers of the G4 countries held a virtual meeting coinciding with the 75th session of the UN General Assembly during which they held extensive discussion on the need for urgent reform of the UNSC.
They expressed their concern over lack of any “meaningful” forward movement on long-pending reform of Council and demanded “urgency” on the issue.
What are their demands?
G4 seeks time-bound reform of Security Council
Permanent seats should be given in the council for these countries.
There is a clear need for an enhanced role of developing countries and of major contributors to the United Nations to make the Council more legitimate, effective and representative.
Africa needs to be represented in both the permanent and non-permanent categories to correct the historical injustice against this continent with regard to its under-representation.
Need for text-based negotiations within a fixed time frame for the UNSC reform.
Present structure of the UNSC
G4 seeks time-bound reform of Security Council
At present, the UNSC comprises five permanent members and 10 non-permanent member countries which are elected for a two-year term by the General Assembly of the UN.
The five permanent members are Russia, the UK, China, France and the United States.
These countries can veto any substantive resolution.
What is a cess?
It is a form of tax levied or collected by the government for the development or welfare of a particular service or sector.
It is charged over and above direct and indirect taxes.
Cess collected for a particular purpose cannot be used for or diverted to other purposes.
It is not a permanent source of revenue for the government, and it is discontinued when the purpose levying it is fulfilled.
Examples
What is a cess?
Education Cess, Swachh Bharat Cess, Krishi Kalyan Cess etc.
What is the difference between tax and cess? What is cess tax?
What is a cess?
Cess is different from taxes such as income tax, GST, and excise duty etc as it is charged over and above the existing taxes.
While all taxes go to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI), cess may initially go to the CFI but has to be used for the purpose for which it was collected.
If the cess collected in a particular year goes unspent, it cannot be allocated for other purposes.
The amount gets carried over to the next year and can only be used for the cause it was meant for.
Why in News?
What is a cess?
The Centre retained in the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) more than ₹1.1 lakh crore out of the almost ₹2.75 lakh crore collected in 2018-19 through various cesses, instead of transferring the receipts to the specified Reserve Funds that Parliament had approved for such levies, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India observed in a report.
Key Points
What is a cess?
₹1,24,399 crore collected as cess on crude oil over the last decade had not been transferred to the designated Reserve Fund — the Oil Industry Development Board.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Compensation Cess, which has become a bone of contention between the States and the Centre, was also ‘short-credited’ to the relevant reserve fund to the extent of ₹40,806 crore in 2018-19.
What is Non- Personal Data?
Any set of data which does not contain personally identifiable information.
This means that no individual or living person can be identified by looking at such data.
For example, while order details collected by a food delivery service will have the name, age, gender, and other contact information of an individual, it will become non-personal data if the identifiers such as name and contact information are taken out.
Why in News?
What is Non- Personal Data?
According to the results of a survey, majority of MSMEs and start-ups are not comfortable with the draft non-personal data policy in the current form.
They believe permitting large businesses and platforms to sell aggregate data for a price will not help them.
The survey was conducted by LocalCircles.
About the draft Policy on Non- Personal Data
What is Non- Personal Data?
Committee of Experts on Non-Personal Data Governance Framework had released a draft in July this year.
This committee (formed in 2019) headed by Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan has suggested that non-personal data generated in the country be allowed to be harnessed by various domestic companies and entities.
The committee has classified non-personal data into three main categories, namely:
Public non-personal data.
Community non-personal data.
Private non-personal data.
Key Suggestions made
What is Non- Personal Data?
Formulate a separate legislation to govern non-personal data.
Setup a new regulatory body- Non-Personal Data Authority (NPDA).
It has also set circumstances under which a private organisation, that collects non-personal data, needs to be remunerated.
Need for regulation
What is Non- Personal Data?
Digital transformations all over the world have meant that data is treated as an asset, which is monetised, either directly by trading it, or indirectly by developing a service on top of that data.
In a data economy, companies with “largest data pools have outsized and seized unbeatable techno-economic advantages.”
These companies, having leveraged their “first-mover advantage” to create large pools of data, mean that smaller startups are often squeezed out of the competition, or there are significant barriers to their entry.
India, being the second-most populous country in the world, also with the second-largest smartphone userbase, is by extension, one of the largest data markets in the world.
What is a Robber Fly?
Robber flies belong to the family Asilidae.
They’re named for their feeding behaviour: they ‘rob’ other insects of their lives.
Like all true flies, robber flies have only 2 wings.
Robber flies also have a distinctive hollow space between their 2 large compound eyes.
This characteristic distinguishes robber flies from most other kinds of flies.
Asilidae occur in all zoogeographical regions except Antarctica.
‘Kritagya’ Hackathon
It is being organised in order to promote potential technology solutions for enhancing farm mechanization with special emphasis on women friendly equipments.
The hackathon has been planned by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP).
Who can participate? Students, faculties and innovators/entrepreneurs from any university / technical institution across the country can apply and participate in the event in the form of a group.
International Sign Languages Day
Observed on 23 September.
Theme: ‘Sign Languages are for everyone’.
The day was celebrated in India by ISLRTC.
Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), an autonomous body under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 recognizes Sign Language as a means of communication.
World’s Longest High-Altitude Shinkun La Tunnel
National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has speeded up the detailed project report (DPR) work on this Tunnel.
The tunnel is 13.5 Km long.
The tunnel connects the Union Territory of Ladakh and tribal Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.
On completion of this tunnel, the Manali – Kargil highway will remain open throughout the year.
Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana
It is an initiative of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for empowerment of potters community in the remotest of locations in the country.
It was launched in 2018.
This program provides the following support to potters.
Training for advanced pottery products.
Latest, new technology pottery equipments like the electric Chaak.
Market linkages and visibility through KVIC exhibitions.
Komodo Dragon
They are the largest lizards on Earth.
They have venom glands loaded with toxins which have been shown to secrete anticoagulants.
Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is situated in the Island of Komodo (eastern Indonesia) and is the habitat for this lizard species.
IUCN Status of the animal is Vulnerable.
Why in News?
According to a recent study, these lizards could become extinct in the next few decades due to climate change unless measures are taken to change the status quo.
Centre allows five states to Borrow
Context:
The Centre has permitted five States to borrow an additional ₹9,913 crore through open market borrowings to meet expenditure requirements amid falling revenues due to the COVID-19 crisis.
These States are A.P., Telangana, Goa, Karnataka and Tripura.
What’s the issue now?
Centre allows five states to Borrow
The permission was accorded after these States met the reform condition of implementation of ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ system.
