PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 - JANUARY -2018
Paper
1:
Topic:
urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
Arunachal
declared open defecation-free State
Arunachal
Pradesh has emerged as the second State in the Northeast, after Sikkim, to be
declared Open Defecation Free. Arunachal has 21 districts
and the State attained the feat much before the national deadline of October 2,
2019.
Background:
Arunachal
Pradesh has managed to do this before the deadline of October 2, 2019. The
state government had cut short the national ODF target by one year and ten
months ahead of the national target and set 31 December, 2017, as the final
target to achieve ODF status in Arunachal Pradesh.
About
SBM:
Swachh
Bharat Mission (SBM) aims to eliminate open defecation by 2019. The goal also
includes conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets, eradicating of
manual scavenging and Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM).
Significance
of the mission:
Poor
sanitation spreads infectious diseases that kill hundreds of thousands of
children each year, and stunt the physical and cognitive development of those
who survive. Announcing a goal of accelerating the reduction in open defecation
was a great idea, articulating a worthy goal for serious public policy efforts.
Sources:
the hindu.
Paper
2:
Topic:
Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
Telecom
ombudsman
Context: A
Parliamentary panel has expressed concern over delay in setting up of an
ombudsman to deal with consumer grievances in the telecom sector despite the
regulator TRAI recommending it twice.
Need
for an ombudsman:
As
per the current trends, on an average around 10 million complaints are lodged
with the TSPs each quarter and currently complaints are characterised by high
volumes, low-value and from users in diverse geographic locations. Therefore,
arrangements like ombudsman are required to address to consumers in a speedy
manner. This is also necessary keeping in view of the major changes that has
taken place in the Indian telecom sector in the recent past.
What
has been proposed?
A
three-stage grievance redress mechanism for telecom sector is
proposed that includes — resolution by telecom service providers (TSPs),
resolution by Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) — and determination by
Telecom Ombudsman.
The
ombudsman can be established under rules framed by the Centre,
similar to the institution of the insurance ombudsman under the Redress of
Public Grievances Rules, 1998 (RPG Rules). The government may, by notification,
make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act. Alternatively, the
government can choose to create the ombudsman office through a legislation to
be passed by Parliament.
Role
of ombudsman:
According
to the recommendations, the consumer should in the first instance approach the
complaint centre of the TSP to seek a solution. It will be the duty of the TSP
to look into the request and address the consumer’s concerns within the time
frames stipulated by the Authority.
In
case, the TSP fails to resolve the complaint in a manner that is satisfactory
to the consumer; or does not provide a response; or fails to do so within the
prescribed time lines laid down by TRAI, the customer will have the option to
seek further redress through an independent mechanism. This would consist of a
process of a resolution based on fact finding by Consumer Grievance Redressal
Forum (CGRF), followed by, if necessitated, determination by the telecom
ombudsman.
Funding:
A
portion of the existing, not in addition, licence fee, is recommended as the
funding mechanism for Ombudsman. And in addition to this fixed fee, there will
be a variable component payable by each telecom service provider (TSP)
depending on the volume of complaints being filed against it and admitted
before the ombudsman’s office.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and
issues arising out of their design and implementation.
National
Register of Citizens
Context: The
much-awaited first draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was
published with the names of 1.9 crore people out of the 3.29 crore total
applicants in Assam recognising them as legal citizens of India. The NRC is
being compiled following a Supreme Court directive to identify illegal
immigrants in Assam.
Background:
Assam,
which faced influx from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only
state having an NRC, first prepared in 1951. The Supreme Court, which is
monitoring the entire process, had ordered that the first draft of the NRC be
published by December 31 after completing the scrutiny of over two crore claims
along with that of around 38 lakh people whose documents were suspect.
What’s
the issue?
The
NRC was last updated in Assam way back in 1951.
Then, it had recorded 80 lakh citizens in the State. Since then, the process of
identification of illegal immigrants in Assam has been debated and become a
contentious issue in the State’s politics.
A
six-year agitation demanding identification and deportation of illegal
immigrants was launched by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) in 1979. It
culminated with the signing of the Assam Accord on August 15, 1985.
About
NRC:
What
is it? The National Register of Citizens (NRC) contains names of Indian
citizens. The NRC was prepared in 1951, after the Census of 1951. It was
prepared by recording particulars of all the persons enumerated during that
Census.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic:
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and
issues arising out of their design and implementation.
OCI
and PIO cards
Context: The
Govt has stopped the scheme of free conversion of PIO cards to OCI. The scheme
of converting the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cards to OCI cards free of cost
comes to an end as a decision has been taken not to give any more extension
beyond December 31. However, the change of PIO cards to OCI cards would
continue on payment of fees.
Who
are NRIs, PIO and OCI?
Non-Resident
Indians (NRI), Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizen of India
(OCI) are the three major categories in which the people from India go and live
abroad can be categorised.
While
NRIs is essentially a term used for Indians that live in another country, PIOs
and OCIs are people who want to stay connected and involved with India more
closely.
Need
for conversion:
Simultaneous
existence of PIO and OCI cards led to confusion among People of Indian Origin
residing abroad. Thus, merging PIO and OCI will lead to simplification of the
rules under a single umbrella. It would facilitate visa-free travel to India,
rights of residency and participation in business and educational activities in
the country. This is aimed at simplifying the visa-free entry for people of
Indian origin into India.
The
merger of the two cards could make PIO cardholders eligible for benefits
already enjoyed by OCI cardholders. Merging of the two cards will also
facilitate travel of Indians staying abroad and their participation in various
activities in India.
Benefits
of a PIO card:
§ A
PIO card holder doesn’t need a visa to visit India. The holder also doesn’t
require a student or employment visa to acquire employment or academic
opportunities in India.
§ The
holder is also exempted from registering at the foreigner regional registration
office (FRRO) during the duration of stay in India.
§ The
holder also enjoys parity with NRIs in concern to economic, financial and
educational matters. These may include matters related to property transfer or
acquisition, holding, disposal, investment, admission of children in
educational institutions under general category quota for NRIs.
§ Separate
immigration counters are provided at all International airports in India for
PIO card holders.
Drawbacks
of PIO card:
It
does not provide voting rights to the holder. Prior permission is needed to
undertake mountaineering expeditions or any such related research work in
protected areas.
The
benefits of OCI cards are substantial:
§ OCI
is essentially a lifetime visa status offered by India to an Indian person who
has given up his citizenship. OCI cards give lifetime multiple entry visa to
India.
§ If
one remains an OCI for 5 years, he/she can attain Indian citizenship and then
live in India for a period of one year including short breaks.
§ Special
immigration counters are provided at all international airports in India for
OCI card holders.
§ An
OCI cards holder can open special bank accounts in India just like NRIs and
make investments. OCI holders can also buy non-farm property and exercise
ownership rights.
§ An
OCI card allows to apply for a driver’s license, PAN card or open a bank
account in India. They get same economic, financial and educational benefits
like NRIs and can also adopt children.
Restrictions
for OCI card holders:
An
OCI card holder cannot vote, hold a government job or purchase agricultural or
farm land. The person can also not run for public office or travel to
restricted areas without permission.
Sources:
the hindu.
Paper
3:
Topic:
money-laundering and its prevention.
Cryptocurrencies
are a Ponzi scheme, warns FinMin
The
spurt in the prices of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies seems to have rung an
alarm bell, with the Finance Ministry expressing concern and likening
them to Ponzi schemes.
The
ministry has cautioned against investing in them. Noting the “phenomenal
increase” in the price of virtual currencies (VCs), including Bitcoin, in India
and globally, it said, “VCs don’t have any intrinsic value and are not backed
by any kind of assets. The price of bitcoin and other VCs is entirely a matter
of speculation resulting in spurt and volatility in their prices.”
Concerns:
Virtual
currency (VC) transactions are encrypted and are likely being used for
terror-funding, smuggling, drug trafficking and money laundering. Besides, VCs
are not reliable as they are stored in digital/electronic format, making them
vulnerable to hacking and malware attack.
Background:
The
government of India is yet to introduce regulations covering the digital
currency market, but it already created an interdisciplinary committee to
research and to develop a regulatory framework for the sector. The committee’s
members included the country’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Meanwhile,
the Indian Supreme Court has issued an appeal to the government in November to
start the drafting of a regulatory framework to ‘control the flow of Bitcoin’
in the country.
Despite
its latest warning, the finance ministry has not implemented a total ban on
virtual currency trading and has not announced any measures that will curb the
adoption and trading of digital currencies in India.
What
are Ponzi Schemes?
A
Ponzi can be any scheme in which the returns to promised to older investors are
paid from the money collected from new investors, and not actual profits from
the investments. Ponzi schemes were named after Charles Ponzi, a clerk in
Boston who, almost a century ago, duped thousands of investors into speculating
on phenomenal returns from the humble postage stamp.
Those
running a Ponzi scheme reel in their first set of investors by introducing them
to a great opportunity. They may even pay up the fanciful returns out of their
personal funds. But once investors begin to bite, they build a house of cards,
using money from the stream of new entrants, to pay the older patrons.
Even
if profits are made from the investments, more often than not, the scheme
operators siphon it off to private accounts. As long as new investors are
willing to sign up, the Ponzi scheme works. But when the flow of fresh money
dwindles, the house of cards collapses.
Sources:
the hindu.
Facts
for Prelims:
New
night frog species:
Scientists
have discovered a new frog species from Kozhikode’s Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary.
The frog species, named Mewa Singh’s Night frog, belongs to a genus
endemic to the Western Ghats. The frog has been named after wildlife scientist
Mewa Singh, in honour of his contributions to behavioural ecology and primate
studies.
About
the frog: It belongs to genus Nyctibatrachus (commonly known as night frogs)
endemic only to Western Ghats mountain range. The frog’s genetically closest
relatives are the Athirappilly night frog (found south of the Palakkad Gap in
Thrissur and Idukki) and the Kempholey night frog (found in the northern
Western Ghats of Kerala and Karnataka).
Significance
of this discovery: Frogs in the genus Nyctibatrachus, commonly known as night
frogs, are found only in the Western Ghats mountain range. The addition of the
Mewa Singh’s night frog to this group brings the total number of night frogs to
36.
Two
new Ginger species found in the northeast:
Scientists
have discovered two new species of Ginger in easternmost districts, Ukhrul in
Manipur and Tuensang in Nagaland, both bordering Myanmar.
About
the new species: Hedychium chingmeianum, the species discovered in
Tuensang district, is an epiphytic plant and grows on tall trees, while Caulokaempferia
dinabandhuensis was found growing in rock crevices, boulders and humus
rich soil in the Shirui Hills, where the highest peak stands at an elevation of
2,938 metres. Both the plants are from the family of Zingiberaceae, to which
the commonly found Ginger (Zingiber officinale) belongs.
Comments
Post a Comment