PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS,16-OCTOBER-2017
Topic: Parliament and State
Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers &
privileges and issues arising out of these.
Karnataka needs its own flag
Chief minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has once again invoked
Kannada pride, saying the government is firm on Karnataka having a
state flag.
Background:
Some activists had urged the government to design a separate flag
for Karnataka and accord statutory standing for that. Following this, the
Karnataka State government had constituted a nine-member committee headed by
Principal Secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture, to study and submit a
report to the government on the possibility of “designing a separate flag for
Karnataka and providing it a statutory standing.”
Are states permitted to have their own flags?
In S.R. Bommai v/s Union of India (Supreme Court 1994) case, the Supreme Court has declared that federalism is a basic
feature of the Constitution and States are supreme in their sphere. This being
the Constitutional position, there is no prohibition in the Constitution for
the State to have its own flag. However, the manner in which the State flag is
hoisted should not dishonour the national flag. It has to be always below the
national flag. The national flag code specifically authorises use of other
flags subject to the regulation by the court. So, State flag is not
unauthorised.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: India and its
neighbourhood- relations.
India acts against bottom trawling
During the recently held meeting of the Joint Working Group, India
informed Sri Lanka that it has taken measures to stop bottom trawling by its
fishermen in the waters near the Sri Lankan coastline.
Background:
Bottom trawling by Indian fishermen had emerged as a major issue
because of the disruptive impact it left on the coastal communities of Sri
Lanka. Earlier in July, Sri Lanka banned bottom trawling, increasing the
chances of interception of more Indian bottom trawlers.
Measures taken by India:
§ The launch of a programme on diversification of bottom trawlers
into deep-sea fishing vessels for tuna long lining under the Blue Revolution
Scheme.
§ Construction of Mookaiyur and Poompuhar fishing harbours, and
capacity-building programmes for fishermen of the Palk Bay area in deep sea
tuna long lining.
§ Fresh registration for bottom trawlers in the Palk Bay area has
been banned by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
What is bottom trawling?
Bottom trawling is a destructive fishing practice which
affects the marine ecosystem. The practice, which involves trawlers
dragging weighted nets along the sea floor, is known to cause great depletion
of fishery resources, and curbing it is in the interest of sustainable fishing.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: India and its neighbourhood-
relations.
India starts on implementation of motor pact
India has embarked on the implementation of the BBIN motor pact
with Bangladesh and Nepal.
Background:
India in June 2015 had signed the major sub-regional transport
project, Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA),
for the seamless transit of passenger and cargo vehicles among them. However,
Bhutan could not get public and parliamentary support for it. However, Bhutan
has suggested that Bangladesh, India and Nepal may consider the implementation
of the MVA.
About BBIN MVA:
The four SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation)
countries had in June 2015 signed the Motor Vehicle Agreement.
§ The pact aims at allowing motor vehicles of all categories
registered in three countries to move freely in the region.
§ The pact aims to realise the ultimate objective of free movement
of people and goods in the region and said that this would be supplemented
through the building and upgrading roads, railways and waterways
infrastructure.
Sources: the hindu.
Paper 3:
Topic: Issues related to direct and
indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System
objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and
food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
A plan to stamp out animal TB
The first-ever road map to combat animal tuberculosis
(bovine TB) and its transmission to humans, referred to as zoonotic
TB, was recently launched at the 48th Union World Conference on Lung Health
in Guadalajara, Mexico. The roadmap has been built on a ‘One Health
Approach’, addressing health risks across sectors for the animal
tuberculosis known as bovine TB and its transmission to humans.
Four partners in health, the World Health Organization (WHO), the
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United Nations (UN) and the International Union Against
Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) have joined forces to develop the
road map and, address the major health and economic impact of this disease.
Concerns:
§ New data released by the WHO estimates that over 140,000 people
fall ill and more than 12,000 people lose their lives each year to zoonotic TB
– mostly in the African and the South-East Asian regions.
§ In India, consumption of raw milk and living in close proximity to
cattle has been attributed to high incidence rates of bovine TB in the central
Indian populations.
§ There is no cure for bovine TB and it threatens animal
welfare and those with livelihoods based on livestock.
About Zoonotic TB:
It is a type of TB in people caused by mycobacterium bovis. The
disease can affect many other species surrounding cattle and become established
in wildlife reservoirs.
§ Spread: Bovine TB is most often
communicated to humans through food consumption, usually non-heat-treated dairy
products or raw, or improperly cooked meat from diseased animals. Direct
transmission from infected animals or animal products to people can also occur.
§ There is no cure for bovine TB and it threatens animal welfare and
those with livelihoods based on livestock.
Way ahead:
Preventing and controlling bovine TB at its animal source is
crucial to avoid its transmission to humans, improve food safety and protect
the livelihood of many rural communities. To this aim, the implementation of
strategies based on international standards and a cross-sectoral approach will
enable improved surveillance and diagnosis of the disease in animals and
consequently reduce the risks for humans.
For countries to achieve the global TB elimination targets,
interventions addressing zoonotic TB must be introduced in the national
programmes.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: Awareness in the fields of
IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues
relating to intellectual property rights.
Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) Act 2016 brought into force
A new Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) Act 2016
which was notified on 22nd March, 2016, has been brought into force with effect
from 12th October, 2017. Parliament had in March 2016 passed the law to replace
the BIS Act of 1986.
Highlights of the act:
National standards body: The Act establishes the
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India.
Compulsory certification: The Act has enabling
provisions for the Government to bring under compulsory certification regime
any goods or article of any scheduled industry, process, system or service
which it considers necessary in the public interest or for the protection of
human, animal or plant health, safety of the environment, or prevention of
unfair trade practices, or national security.
Hallmarking: Enabling provisions have
also been made for making hallmarking of the precious metal articles mandatory.
Simplified conformity: The new Act also allows
multiple type of simplified conformity assessment schemes including
self-declaration of conformity against a standard which will give simplified
options to manufacturers to adhere to the standards and get certificate of
conformity.
Authority for verification: The Act enables the
Central Government to appoint any authority/agency, in addition to the BIS, to
verify the conformity of products and services to a standard and issue
certificate of conformity.
Repair or recall: There is also a provision
for repair or recall, including product liability of the products bearing
Standard Mark but not conforming to the relevant Indian Standard.
Significance of the new law:
The new Act will further help in ease of doing business in the
country, give fillip to Make In India campaign and ensure availability of
quality products and services to the consumers.
Sources: pib.
Topic: cyber security;
money-laundering and its prevention.
Information utility under the IBC
National e-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL) has become India’s first
information utility (IU) for bankruptcy cases under the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code 2016. NeSL is owned by State Bank
of India and Life Insurance Corporation Ltd., among others. Recently, the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) eased ownership norms for
setting up such utilities.
What is an information utility?
Information utility is an information network which would
store financial data like borrowings, default and security interests among
others of firms. The utility would specialise in procuring, maintaining and
providing/supplying financial information to businesses, financial
institutions, adjudicating authority, insolvency professionals and other
relevant stake holders.
Why is it important? How useful is it?
The objective behind information utilities is to provide
high-quality, authenticated information about debts and defaults. Information
utilities are expected to play a key role as they allow storage of financial
information of registered users and expeditiously process and verify
information received.
Moreover, the database and records maintained by them would help
lenders in taking informed decisions about credit transactions. It would also
make debtors cautious as credit information is available with the utility. More
importantly, information available with the utility can be used as evidence in
bankruptcy cases before the National Company Law Tribunal.
What are the rules governing these utilities?
Information utilities are governed by the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy code 2016 and IBBI (Information Utilities) Regulations 2017. The
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) oversees aspects such as
registration and cancellation of these entities, their shareholding and
governance among others. Recently, IBBI eased norms for information utilities,
allowing Indian firms listed on stock exchanges to hold 100% in such firms. It
also allowed individuals to hold 51% in the utility for a period of three
years.
How will the utilities help stakeholders in the insolvency process?
It is mandatory for financial creditors to provide financial
information to the information utility. When they initiate insolvency
proceedings against the defaulting firm (known as corporate debtor), the
utilities may help as they would act as a centralised platform for accessing
data. Unlike financial creditors, it is optional for the operational creditor
to provide financial information to the utility.
What are the key challenges for these utilities?
While the onus is on financial creditors, operational creditors
and corporate debtors to provide the required information, procuring authentic
information might be a challenge due to the sensitivity involved. There may
also, be resistance in sharing information. Since it is a digital database,
there is the risk of exposure to data piracy and data theft.
Sources: the hindu.
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