Dec 23, 2015 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 23rd December, 2015

Archives   IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 23rd December, 2015   ECONOMICS   TOPIC:  General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.  Inclusive growth and issues arising from it; Effects of liberalization on the economy 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 General Studies 2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.  Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate Issues relating to poverty and hunger.    Message from Nairobi- WTO Negotiations The 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has just concluded in Nairobi over the weekend and the overall conclusion of the nature of the event might just keep oscillating between being a modest success to an utter failure. Outcomes of these conferences have always combined legally binding commitments with an effective system of review and enforcement and the dispute-settlement system of the WTO has always been acknowledged to be fair, efficient and effective The long-stalled Doha round of negotiations have finally been reached, clearing the way for the World Trade Organization to start focusing on smaller agreements with a better chance of success Major breakthrough for the rich countries with six ministerial-level decisions on agriculture, cotton and other issues— Commitment to abolish export subsidies for farm exports, Public stockholding for food security purposes, A special safeguard mechanism for developing countries, Measures related to cotton and Preferential treatment for least developed countries in the area of services Major Roadblock: Failure of the final ministerial declaration to “reaffirm” a commitment to the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), which was affirmed at the end of the Doha Ministerial Conference of the WTO in November 2001 Key political issues: Equity: In terms of the contributions/ commitments to be made by developed and developing countries Basis for differential treatment lies in the historical responsibilities of developed countries and the lower capabilities of developing ones; special and differential treatment (S&DT) in the WTO for developed countries The contentiousness in the current negotiations arises from the remarkable changes in the global economy over the last two decades with the substantially enhanced role of emerging economies in global trade. Though, the demand for differentiation between emerging economies and other poorer developing countries remains the same, as few economies may have become competitive in some areas, they continue to struggle with poverty and underdevelopment. India’s View-point  Farm subsidy regime: India has always stood for its right to provide subsidies to her farmers as 85 per cent of farmers have holdings of less than five acres, and that too given the backdrop of rural distress after successive years of drought Nairobi conference: Members of developed countries have committed to removing export subsidies immediately, except for a handful of agricultural products Developing countries will remove the subsidies by 2018, with flexibility to cover marketing and transport costs for agriculture exports until the end of 2023 as well as political feasibility which will have to be taken into account Status quo on some critical issues, including the "peace clause" for food stock holding, has not been disturbed and the arrangement binds other countries to refrain from challenging India's food-grains procurement operations at minimum support prices and stock holding for the public distribution system, till this issue is finally resolved. Issue of a special safeguard mechanism or SSM: It allows India to raise tariffs to protect the interests of local farmers against surges in imports(meant to curb sudden increases in imports of commodities, which could hurt domestic agricultural interests) Ministerial decision on SSM for developing countries: These countries will have the right to temporarily increase tariffs in the face of import surges while committing members to engage constructively in finding a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security. At a glance— Key Issues Issues of public stockholding of food crops and special safeguard mechanism in agriculture have not seen major progress Rich nations want new issues to replace Doha Development Agenda The ministerial declaration effectively barricades Doha because the WTO procedures mandate that any new resolution must garner the unanimous support of all member countries WTO has recognised developing members' rights to have recourse to special safeguard mechanism as envisaged under the Hong Kong ministerial Touted as the "most significant outcome on agriculture" in the WTO's history, the declaration on export competition will see all countries reducing export subsidies paid to farmer   IASbaba’s Views: India’s trade policy is a function of domestic reform and competitiveness and India should make an effort to explore adequately the possibility of restructuring its farm-support programmes to conform to Green Box requirements. The decisions are of the nature of them being politically sensitive, but if successfully pursued, would free India to follow other trade objectives India needs to also pursue the efficiency gains from domestic market integration in various sectors of the economy, particularly agriculture. The GST is a vital instrument and along with other initiatives, the looming danger might just surpass. Market integration is an important aspect that needs capacity building and that which would lead to significant competitive gains, enabling countries in the region to focus on their comparative advantage, thus creating thousands of jobs. The government’s policy emphasis on “Make in India” needs to also be replicated in services, thus generating greater potential for job creation in the economy. Formulation of a forward-looking trade policy based on India’s competitive strengths and a clear vision for the future that India can shape the WTO’s agenda needs to be speeded up. Connecting the dots: With the enhanced role of emerging economies in global trade in the recent decades, does the ‘principle of equity’ hold relevance? What is the impact of the recent WTO negotiations on developed and developing countries? What effect will this have on India’s trade policy? Related Articles: WTO and its relevance   NATIONAL TOPIC:  General Studies 2 Parliament and State Legislatures - structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.    Misdiagnosis of the Rajya Sabha malfunction: Legislative productivity vis-à-vis legislative dissent The 2015 winter session of the Rajya Sabha has been one of the least productive sessions in recent times. The Goods and Services Tax Bill, could not be passed in the process. This has triggered outrage, with some questioning the need for an Upper House at all. Some others have opined that an indirectly elected body such as the Rajya Sabha should not be allowed veto powers over a directly elected Lok Sabha. However, mere opposition to a bill in the Rajya Sabha that has been passed by the Lok Sabha cannot be an excuse to curtail its powers. It is important to separate the two issues, legislative productivity vis-à-vis legislative dissent. Argument in support of RS: Legislative dissent It was obvious even to our founding fathers that the “House of People” (Lok Sabha) can fall prey to passionate rhetoric and thus felt a need for a “House of Elders” (Rajya Sabha) to instil calm. The powers of the Upper House to delay and oppose legislation passed by the Lower House were recognised and enshrined right from the very birth of the Rajya Sabha that, the Rajya Sabha would an indirectly elected body and would act as a balance to certain whimsical legislation of the people’s representatives in the Lok Sabha was a conscious design of our founding fathers Next is this false narrative of indirectly elected members of the Rajya Sabha having veto powers over the members of the Lok Sabha who are direct representatives of the people. In our first-past-the-post electoral system where a political party can form a government without the majority of citizens voting for it, legislation passed by the Lok Sabha may not necessarily represent the views of the majority. The percentage of seats won in the Lok Sabha by a political party is not the same as percentage of Indians voting for that party, as we all know. It then becomes even more pertinent and critical to have an active and vibrant Rajya Sabha. This principle still remains very relevant for a large, diverse polity such as ours, with a large number of regional parties There is the argument that the Anti-Defection Act, which immediately disqualifies any member of Parliament who either changes political parties mid-way or disobeys the whip of her party, aggravates the chances of a dysfunctional Parliament. The core principle behind the Anti-Defection Act is to prevent horse-trading on the floor of the House and penalise members who succumb to temptations from opposition parties. This principle still remains very relevant for a large, diverse polity such as ours, with a large number of regional parties. The Lok Sabha recently held a discussion on a private member’s bill to de-criminalise certain Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. There was no whip issued by the major parties and members voted according to their choices, many times contrary to their party colleagues. The choice of when to issue a whip rests with the party. The Anti-Defection Act in itself cannot be made a villain for an internal matter of political parties over degrees of freedom to be given to their members for voting in Parliament. But to argue that the construct of the Upper House and the Anti-Defection Act need to be amended or done away with lends credence to our founding fathers’ fears of lawmaking in a fit of frenzy. Scope for reform: Legislative Productivity There has to be an outlet for opposition members to voice their protests without disrupting productivity and to have designated day(s) in a week on which the opposition can raise, discuss and debate issues rather than the government dictating the order of business every day of the session. There can be innovative ways to create a framework within which the right to protest is not taken away but is done constructively. Performance of Nominated MP's: According to PRS Legislative Research, Lack of proper attendance of Nominated MP's such as Sachin Tendulkar and Actress Rekha which is less than 10 percent as against the national average of 78 percent. Such low attendance will make them inactive as far as engaging in debates on vital issues and asking relevant questions to make the session active and passing vital bills which would  be the need of the hour. Do these celebrities feel out of place in Parliament? In that case the process of selecting the nominated MP's must be reviewed. In parallel, Reason for their absence must be identified and they must be encouraged to participate in democratic process so that to engage them in the debate to review bills and scrutinize the same. Connecting the dots: Can Legislative dissent and Legislative productivity make both the houses of the parliament responsive to the needs of the society in passing appropriate bills? Comment. House of elders ( Rajya Sabha) is needed to comment and compliment the work done by House of People (lok Sabha) to keep up the democratic spirit? Comment. Related Articles: Rajya Sabha and Bad Monsoon memories   MUST READ   Will the juvenile ever walk free again?- An arbitrary cutoff- Mental capacity, not age, should determine if juveniles ought to be tried as adults Hindu 1 Hindu 2 Indian Express For detailed analysis of ‘Juvenile Justice in India: Rehabilitating Indian Juveniles’, refer the below link- IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs All India Radio   Police Reforms: All that was discussed at Dhordo Hindu Related Articles Paramilitary forces Roadmap: India’s policing & Intelligence Agencies   Rs 3,000-crore plan to give fisheries a boost- Fisheries, classified as a sunrise sector, covers about 14.50 million people and had export earnings of Rs 33,441 crore in 2014-15 ($5.51 billion) Business Standard   Bengaluru start-up prints 3D tissue that functions like human liver- Pandorum is funded by the Department of Biotechnology and incubated at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms, Bangalore Bio-Cluster Business Standard   Oil prices and global growth- Why moderate oil prices have not provided a significant boost to worldwide growth Business Standard   Defence reforms: time to execute the vision- India needs quick movement on reforms in defence services and industry Live Mint   MIND MAPS 1. Healthcare Indian Express 2. Universal Health Coverage Live Mint

Dec 23, 2015 AIR

All India Radio- Juvenile Justice Care And Protection Bill

ARCHIVES JUVENILE JUSTICE CARE AND PROTECTION BILL Click here for audio Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Bill Till 1986 Juvenile Act, the age up to which a person is considered a juvenile was 16. But in 2000, the age was increased to 18 in the light of UN Human Convention Charter. The present amendment brings it down again to 16. However, a person between the ages 16-18 if committed a major crime (7 years or more punishment) then he will be tried as an adult. A District Juvenile Justice Board will be established, consisting of 1 judicial magistrate and 2 social workers, to examine the case and determine whether to try the accused as juvenile or as an adult. India is deviating from the UN Convention on the Rights of Child, aka Beijing Rules, according to which the age is 18 to be considered as a juvenile. Arguments against new amendments Up to 18 it is growing age. There is no proof that children will mature quite early by that age. Juvenile crime has actually come down. Just on the basis of one case (Nirbhaya case for e.g.) the law should not be changed. Lots of children will be implicated with the new amendments. Large number of poor children does not have even age certificates. Such children are vulnerable to being wrongly booked as adults under the act. Many children addicted to drugs and other things which the society is not considering. This has to be solved first. Amendments to law will not solve the problem of juvenile crimes. Arguments for It is true that innocent children will implicated with the new amendments. But how can we presume innocence even after committing heinous crimes? For example, in dowry related death cases, if death happens within 7 years of marriage, the partner is presumed to be guilty until proven innocent by himself. The onus of proving innocence is with the accused himself. It is a way to protect the rights of victims. Similarly, if a victim is died due to crime committed by a juvenile, how can the system let him go scot-free on the pretext of juvenile innocence? Such juveniles have to be tried as adults for committing heinous crimes. To say that innocent children will be implicated is wrong from another perspective. The law provides safeguards for the protection of innocent juveniles. The juvenile justice board headed by a district magistrate has to approve first for a juvenile to be treated as an adult. Indian system has many examples of such safeguards existing in other areas also. For example, a mentally deranged person cannot be taken into custody without permission from a magistrate. Many civilized countries in the world have banned death penalty. But Indian judiciary has invented “rarest of rare case” doctrine and struck a balance without completely saying either yes or no to death penalty. There should always be balance between the rights, values and interests of different parties involved in the case. Hence lowering the age with required safeguard is OK. Just because the safeguards and other provisions in the law will be misused (for example, misuse of POTA, TADA acts), one cannot argue that such amendments should not be made. The punishment for juveniles is not life sentence or a death penalty. It is only 3 years. The need of the hour is a larger budgetary support from government on children to provide better rehabilitation facilities. There should be a balance between both reform and rehabilitation of the juvenile and punishment to juvenile.

Dec 22, 2015 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 22nd December, 2015

Archives   IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 22nd December, 2015   ECONOMICS   TOPIC:  General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.  Inclusive growth and issues arising from it;  Effects of liberalization on the economy General Studies 2: Governance Issues   Recent Fed hike and its impact on the Global and Indian Economy The most remarkable thing about the US Federal Reserve board’s decision to raise its interest rate — the first hike since 2006. By raising interest rates, the US central bank has bolstered the value of the dollar, the currency used around the world to buy and sell most raw materials. Even with global surpluses and slowing economies keeping prices lower for everything from crude oil to wheat, demand might weaken, especially from major importers in Asia like China and India that have been key drivers of commodity buying.   Why does Federal Reserve increase or decrease Interest rate? Federal Reserve, helps maintain high U.S. employment and stable prices for consumers. The main tool the Fed uses to influence the economy is interest rates—the price everyone pays to borrow money. High interest rates make borrowing more expensive, so you end up paying more for things like home and car loans. Then again, there are upsides: The money you have stashed in savings and money markets accounts will earn higher interest. When interest rates are kept low, the opposite occurs. People earn lower interest on savings, but they can more easily borrow money for things they want to buy—like homes and cars.   What does Quantitative easing mean? An unconventional monetary policy in which a central bank purchases government securities or other securities from the market in order to lower interest rates and increase the money supply. Quantitative easing increases the money supply by flooding financial institutions with capital in an effort to promote increased lending and liquidity. Quantitative easing is considered when short-term interest rates are at or approaching zero, and does not involve the printing of new banknotes. Courtesy - http://www.investopedia.com/terms/q/quantitative-easing.asp   What does FED Tapering mean? Fed tapering is the gradual reduction in the bond buying program of the US Federal Reserves. In parallel reselling of Bonds and increase in interest rates will lead to inflow of dollars into US Economy from other countries. Thus Dollar supply will be reduced in the market (international) and Depreciation currency will be felt in the economy.   How did it impact the Economy? Central banks can employ a variety of policies to improve growth, and they must balance short-term improvements in the economy with longer-term market expectations. If the central bank tapers its activities too quickly, it may send the economy into a recession. If it does not taper its activities, it may lead to high inflation. Markets across the world, as well as in India, shrugged off the development, which could mean capital moving out of several economies and into the US. On the face of it, a Fed rate hike should be a negative development for emerging market economies like India since a capital outflow should lead to a depreciation in the domestic currency.   How does it impact Indian Companies? For Indian companies, new overseas loans are likely to start getting costlier, and the appreciation of the dollar could change corporate balance sheets as debt-servicing gets more expensive. After the Fed move, depreciation pressure could build up for emerging market currencies and this includes the rupee. This could then spill over to other markets like stocks and bonds.   Impact of FED hike on India: India is better placed today (than many of its peers after the American central bank, the US Federal Reserve, raised its key interest rates) in terms of real GDP growth, lower inflation, lower current account deficit and ongoing fiscal consolidation. Minimal impact on Indian markets and should not lead to any large-scale outflow of foreign funds. India's external balances have significantly improved since mid-2013, with foreign exchange reserves rising by some $65 billion to $353 billion as of November 2015. India is benefiting from low crude prices and overall macroeconomic stability India is less dependent than several of its peers on commodity exports, and has thus not been negatively affected by the global rout in commodity prices. Only a small part of India's sovereign debt is held by foreigners or is denominated in foreign currency. India's favourable economic growth outlook makes India relatively attractive for foreign investors.   Connecting the Dots: What do Quantitative Easing and FED tapering mean? How does it affect Indian Economy in particular and Global economy in general? Differentiate between Appreciation and Depreciation of Currency? Throw light on the impact of recent Federal Reserve Hike in its interest rate on Global economy and also comment on how did/can India remain immune to its impact?   NATIONAL   TOPIC:  General Studies 2 Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.    FIR and its Constituents   While discussing about the Juvenile Law (Amendment) in one of our previous Daily News Analysis, we had made an attempt to analyse the various reasons behind the cases registered to fight against and stand up to sexual assault. Let us highlight the various irregularities with the help of the analysis of the Mumbai Sessions Court rulings— Types: False cases foisted by parents— Against young couples who had eloped Breach of promise to marry Men preying on children playing outdoors in slums   Irregularities: Wide variation in the sentences, Societal prejudices and vulnerabilities at play Tendency for investigating high-profile cases with greater rigour Parents on the prowl Most of the parents whose girl child has eloped with a boy have made false claims of the girl being a minor. The reasons may range from the notion of their reputation at stake and mostly because of inter-caste and inter-religious factor at play/ So, what starts as a love story meant to be reminisced about ends up in the following manner— If a girl runs away with a boy from the neighbourhood Minor Kidnapped Established sexual relations between the girl and the boy Charges of Rape added   Subjectivity Trauma Case Study 1— Rape & Kidnap Mumbai& Delhi trial court judges— rarely convict in such cases, particularly if the girl does not support the prosecution’s case throughout the trial Six cases: chose to take a strict view of age, Two cases: convicted for kidnapping Two cases: Pronounced rape Two cases: Rape under the POSCO since the girl was under 18, irrespective of her consent.   Subjectivity creeps in— When the girl is over 15 or 16 years of age and is implied that she is aware of the meaning of her decisions, some judges have not pronounced harsh decisions. Why? Boy is considered guilty if she is a minor and now with the new law, the reduction of sentences isn’t viable. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, passed by Parliament in the wake of the December 16, 2012 Delhi gang rape set a minimum sentence of 10 years for rape in the case of minors to take discretion in sentencing out of the hands of judges.   Societal prejudices at play Societal condemnation of premarital sex: Analysing 644 cases since 2008 in which they had studied or intervened in, Majlis found that 20 per cent of the cases involved breach of promise to marry. In a quarter of such cases, the complainant was pregnant, highlighting the vulnerability of her situation Sexual abuse by close family members: (including the father or stepfather) Mostly of minor girls out of which eight cases resulted in convictions Five acquittals: In three the complainant and her mother turned hostile in court Remaining two: Court did not believe the testimony of the child and her mother in one, while in the other, the three-year-old complainant was unable to explain her injuries or the spot of the attack to the court Two cases: Involved the rape of a male child   Lapses during Investigation & Prosecution 16-year-old homeless girl said that she had been gang-raped— Hospital to the police; made little attempt to: Properly collect evidence Correctly identify the accused In the end: All five boys were acquitted   Alleged rape of a nine-year-old boy in a slum by his 60-year-old neighbour: Evidence By: Child + Mother + Medical Reports In the end: The man was acquitted because the police had failed to have the child’s statement recorded before a magistrate   Note: Sexual assault cases can be filed under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections— 354 (molestation), 363 (kidnap), 366 (kidnapping a woman for marriage), 376 and 377 (rape) and Sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act IASbaba’s Views A crime should be seen just as a crime and not get tainted with the influence of it being a high profile or a low profile case. Criminalization of genuine cases has to be curbed if we want the social order of our country placed at a high pedestal. Interpretation of law needs to be done with a just view and the errors surrounding subjectivity needs to be balanced with the correct understanding of the intention behind the FIR’s registered in the first place. Once the case is established (and proven that the act was against/for the victim’s/person-in-question), proper interrogation, investigation and medical examinations needs to be established. Once the evidence goes against the accused, he/she should be necessarily pronounced guilty (without a third party interference)   Connecting the Dots: Discuss the major faults and loopholes present in the cases that deal with sexual assaults and rape in the country Do you agree with the viewpoint that the cases dealing with elopement has more to do with the family’s prestige than the love harboured for the daughter/son?   For detailed analysis of ‘Juvenile Justice in India: Rehabilitating Indian Juveniles’, refer the below link- http://iasbaba.com/2015/12/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-21st-december-2015/   MUST READ   Failing the test of gender Hindu   Rajya Sabha’s winter of disquiet Hindu   For detailed analysis of ‘Rajya Sabha and Bad Monsoon memories’ refer the below link- http://iasbaba.com/2015/11/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-23rd-november-2015/   In The Right Company- Despite their recent notoriety, Section 25 companies are not for profiteering Indian Express   Don’t appease the mob- The juvenile justice bill, to be debated by the Rajya Sabha today, confuses revenge with justice Indian Express 1 Indian Express 2 For detailed analysis of ‘Juvenile Justice in India: Rehabilitating Indian Juveniles’, refer the below link- http://iasbaba.com/2015/12/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-21st-december-2015/   Dargah diplomacy- Few thought PM Modi would put religion and culture into the diplomatic mix with Pakistan. He has sprung a surprise Indian Express   Lies and the Sensex- Why popular stock market indices are not an accurate barometer of the robustness of the Indian economy? Indian Express   Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code- (IBC)- A legislation to promote investments, develop credit markets Indian Express Business Standard For more information on ‘Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code- (IBC)’, refer the below link- http://iasbaba.com/2015/11/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-14th-november-2015/   Chabahar port: India in a hurry to clear $150-mn Iran credit line- Centre also fast-tracking bilateral negotiations to seal further business alliance Indian Express   MIND MAPS    1. Fiscal Consolidation Live Mint   2. India's Climate Leadership Live Mint

Dec 22, 2015 AIR

All India Radio- Make In INDIA Portal For Defence Procurement

ARCHIVES MAKE IN INDIA PORTAL FOR DEFENCE PROCUREMENT Click here for audio Make in India has been the mantra of the government ever since it came to power last year. Lot of stress is laid on domestic manufacturing in the defence sector. To increase this element a website has been launched - www.makeinindiadefence.com. India was the largest importer of defence goods last year. Almost 70% of our requirements are met through imports. Indian Navy has 48 ships on order at present. Our defence needs are looked after by PSUs and Ordnance board. The defence procurement policy is based on “offsets” which is not much attractive. At present there is 49% FDI allowed under automatic route in Defence. Beyond that, FIPB approval is needed. Big bang reforms in FDI have not yet come in the defence sector. The defence procurement policy should be such that orders should be quicker and procedures for clearance should be transparent. PSUs should be made autonomous and efficient. Countries like China and Japan grew in defence sector with the help of foreign investments. Similarly, if the policy is conducive and there are sure orders, there are potential private players like Mahindra, Reliance, L&T, Adani etc. who are looking for a partner who can put in 49% share. The previous govt has witnessed mistrust between the private players and the bureaucracy, which is now reduced. The small and medium manufacturing sector doesn’t have the money to enter defence industry. But they have got technology. It is expected that the new defence procurement policy, to be announced by January end next year, will give a percentage of big orders to small and medium enterprises. Few initiatives already started under Make in India SAIL has made all the steel required for the Navy Bharat Electronics has made SONARS for the Navy Arihant submarine, which is 65-70% indigenous 48 ships on order for Navy Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) In the next 10-15 years $200 billion is being planned to invest in defence sector.

Dec 21, 2015 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 21st December, 2015

Archives   IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 21st December, 2015   NATIONAL   TOPIC:  General Studies 2 Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections; Governance Issues   Juvenile Justice in India: Rehabilitating Indian Juveniles Nature of Juvenile Justice in India Due to the sensitive nature of crimes, circumstances, neither names nor any information regarding the identity of juveniles is supposed to be made public by police, courts or other bodies like the media Juveniles are apprehended and not arrested by police in the event of an FIR They are sent to correctional homes for stipulated periods of time which can go up to a maximum period of 3 years. The crimes they have committed in the years prior to adulthood never feature in their records or police clearance certificates. Most contentious amendment Proposal that the minimum age for a child to be placed in the adult criminal justice system should be lowered from the current 18 years to 16 years for certain crimes Matters will be presented to the Juvenile Justice Board on a case-by-case basis, which will then decide — based on an assessment of the mental state of the child — whether the crime was committed with/without an understanding of its consequences. Reasons behind the increase in crimes like rape: Poverty leads to no school, and a high drop-out rate Broken families and lack of support system Biased gender perspective in the mind-set (women’s ‘only’ role) Unregulated access to Pornography Spending of several hours of the day in the company of adult anti-social elements and getting inducted into the world of crime Lack of nuanced system of registration and recording of cases In Favour of the Amendment- Why? Guidance by the shelter homes is an act which does not guarantee real learning to the conscience of the guilty, to be responsive towards a different mind-set, notion and thought processes altogether, at one go No proof of deterrence established as they go back into the same setting from where they had come from The loosened grip ignores the intensity and severity of the crime committed on the pretext of them being juvenile for which another girl pays the price of her life Generation gap and technology gap seems to have mixed up enormously and there exists no veil between the two; ignorance of the maturity and the knowledge disseminated needs to be taken into account and not the age-old mind-set of a particular age group largely being innocent. Globalisation has not just crossed borders, innocence as well has. Criticism of the Proposed Amendment Juvenile justice system actually provides an alternative system for trial and punishment of juveniles in keeping with their age, physical and emotional status. Social Reasons: Children act anti-socially or break the rules of law mainly because of neglect, abuse and poverty and there exists no innate human propensities that transform the child into a criminal beyond redemption No Adult Justice System: Proofs have been established that transferring children to the adult justice and prison system does not reduce crime but increases recidivism as it exposes these children to hardened criminals The brain is not completely developed till one is in one’s mid-20s and young adults are actually more susceptible to peer pressure, and relatively unstable in emotionally charged situations. Proofs that more rehabilitative juvenile justice systems have repeatedly been found to lead to lower re-arrest rates than the adult system, and, therefore, result in lowering overall crime numbers. National Crime Records Bureau data: Indicates that children from the marginalised sections of society will suffer the most (as over 55 per cent children in the juvenile justice system come from families from the lowest income bracket) if these amendments get passed Manifold impact on a number of young boys in consensual relationships, as they may face incarceration in the adult prison system if their partner’s parents decide to file a case against them under the proposed law The lack of efforts in ensuring the effective implementation of the envisaged ecosystem for rehabilitating children through various institutions: Contributor towards the rise in the crime   Violates India’s mandate and constitutional obligations: United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child A pragmatic view of the law needs to be taken up and a case-by-case basis needs to be holistically engrained in the juvenile Justice system Shelter Homes— Development of individual care plan has to be developed for the rehabilitation and reintegration of the child Segregation of the inmates according to age and behavioural pattern Upgradation of Security by installing CCTV cameras, perimeter cordon and increasing the number of watchtowers and other proposed steps Inmates with serious behavioural issues need to be given proper attention and special care Psychological support and direction of energy in better way: Family visits and involvement in extra-curricular activities(dance, yoga, sports) STATISTICS National Crime Records Bureau data: 1 per cent of cases against juveniles were pending disposal in courts while seven per cent cases resulted in acquittals or were disposed of Juveniles apprehended for alleged crimes in 2014 stood at 48,230 (5,000 more than those apprehended in 2013) Total number of cases registered under various sections of the IPC or Special and Local Laws (SLL): 38,565. Number of rape cases registered against juveniles: Approximately 2,000 Cases of molestation: roughly 1,576 Cases of causing grievous injury:1,576 Theft ranked highest: 6,705 States which saw the highest number of juveniles accused of and apprehended for rape in 2014: Madhya Pradesh (343), Maharashtra (208), Uttar Pradesh (176) Rajasthan (149) Delhi stood at 120 Registered cases of murder by juveniles was highest: Maharasthra at 121 followed by Madhya Pradesh at (94) Connecting the Dots: Should the Juvenile Justice Act be amended? Critically examine Does the current system serve the purpose of rehabilitation or deterrence against future crime? Discuss   For more information on ‘Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (Pocso Act)’ related to child abuse, refer the below link- http://iasbaba.com/2015/10/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-30th-october-2015/   MUST READ Not quite Congress’s 1977 moment Hindu   Cure the doctor- Healthcare in India is a leading cause of poverty. The medical profession must own its share of the blame Indian Express For detailed analysis of the ‘Healthcare & Issues’, refer the below link For Detailed Analysis ‘Healthcare issues & challenges’ refer the below links- http://iasbaba.com/2015/08/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-25th-august-2015/ http://iasbaba.com/2015/10/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-5th-6th-october-2015/ http://iasbaba.com/2015/10/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-11th-12th-october-2015/ http://iasbaba.com/2015/10/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-22nd-october-2015/   Art of a climate deal- Paris was no Copenhagen. But let’s now hope it is no Rio, where commitments made in 1992 were abandoned in due course. Indian Express For detailed analysis of the ‘Climate Change: Paris Summit’, refer the below link http://iasbaba.com/2015/12/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-14th-december-2015/   Dumping weighs down exporters- Competing economies like China have been dumping goods to keep their factories running, at prices Indian exporters find difficult to match Business Standard   Rough diamond trading might start in India soon- Currently, Indian diamantaires source rough diamond through direct sight holding and participation in global auctions overseas Business Standard   Crop insurance or deficiency payments?- The most glaring implication of the proposed deficiency payments is that it makes the state give up its responsibility of intervening in markets Live Mint For more information on ‘Agriculture Credit & Insurance & Issues’ refer the below link- http://iasbaba.com/2015/11/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-12th-november-2015/ http://iasbaba.com/2015/12/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-18th-december-2015/ http://iasbaba.com/2015/12/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-18th-december-2015/ http://iasbaba.com/2015/12/iasbaba-press-information-bureau-30th-nov-6th-december-2015/   Don’t give up on fiscal consolidation- Deviation from the consolidation path will affect government’s credibility Live Mint   The politicisation of monetary policy Business Line  

Dec 21, 2015 PIB

IASbaba Press Information Bureau (PIB)- 14th to 20th December 2015-Week 3

ARCHIVES GS-2 Upliftment of Extremely Poor Section (Welfare Schemes for Weaker Section of Society) Beneficiaries- Extremely poor people having annual income less than Rs.1.00 lakh Do not belong to any social category such as SC/ST/OBC and have been categorized as Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) Schemes- Dr.Ambedkar Post-Matric Scholarship for EBC Students- Centrally sponsored scheme Implementation:State Government and Union Territories Objective: To provide financial assistance to the EBC students studying at post-matriculation or post-secondary stage The scholarship for Commercial Pilot License (CPL) course is also covered under this scheme Dr. Ambedkar Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Educational Loans for Overseas Studies Beneficiaries:Students belonging to the Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) Objectives: To award interest subsidy to meritorious EBC students Provide them better opportunities for higher education abroad Enhance their employability Working Mechanism: Interest payable by the students availing the education loans of the IBA for the period of moratorium (i.e. course period, plus one year or six months after getting job, whichever is earlier) as prescribed under the Education Loan Scheme of the IBA, shall be borne by the Government of India After the period of moratorium is over, the interest on the outstanding loan amount shall be paid by the student, in accordance with the existing Educational Loan Scheme as may be amended from time to time The candidate will bear the Principal instalments and interest beyond moratorium period The students should have secured admission in the approved courses at Masters, M.Phil or Ph.D levels abroad. He/She should have availed loan from a scheduled bank under the Education Loan Scheme of the Indian Banks Association (IBA) for the purpose   NaiManzil Scheme for Minorities  (Topic: Welfare Schemes for Minorities) Objective- To benefit the minority youths in the age group of 17 to 35 years who are school-dropouts or educated in the community education institutions like Madarsas Providing them an integrated input of formal education (up till Class VIII or X) Skill training along with certification—enable them to seek better employment in the organized sector and equipping them with better lives Basic Bridge Programme: For Class VIII or Class X Non-residential programme of 9-12 months duration for their education and training in trade based skills for sustained livelihood/gainful employment Girls:Minimum 30% seats for minority girls Covers— Entire country   Amendments in the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Bill, 2015 (Topic: Structure, Organisation and Functioning of the Executive and the judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government) The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its ex-post facto approval to official amendments in the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Bill, 2015, as introduced in the Lok Sabha The amendments as under- In Clause 10 to the Bill, the words, “Commercial Appellate Division” will be substituted by the words, “Commercial Division” First Provision to Clause 7 of the Bill will also be amended to clarify that the said provision will also be applicable to the pending cases Use- Reduce burden on the Division Bench Amendment in Proviso to Clause 7 of the Bill will bring more clarity   Govt Appoints Justice L Narasimha Reddy to Head Judicial Committee on OROP  (Topic: Appointment of various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies) The Central Government has appointed Justice L Narasimha Reddy, retired Chief Justice of Patna High Court to head the Judicial Committee which will look into the implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for the Ex-Servicemen Deadline:Committee given six-month deadline for submission of its recommendations Workings: Give interim reports to the government on any of the matters related to its terms of reference The Committee shall take into account the financial impact of its recommendations The Terms of Reference for the Committee shall be to examine and make recommendations on references received from the Central Government on the following matters- Measures for the removal of anomalies that may arise in the implementation of the OROP as notified by the Government on 07 November 2015 Measures for the removal of anomalies that may arise out of inter-services issues of the three forces due to implementation of OROP order as notified by the Government on 07 November 2015 Implications on Service matters Any other matter referred by the Central Government on implementation of the OROP or related issues   “Operation Smile-II” to start from 1st January, 2016 throughout the country  (Topic: Government Welfare Policies) Campaign: To rescue/rehabilitate the missing children Follow up of the exercise Operation Smile which helped in rescuing and rehabilitating 9146 missing children Activities to be undertaken: All children residing in shelter homes, platforms, bus stands, roads, religious places, etc. are to be screened by trained police personnel During the operation, the particulars of such identified children will be uploaded on the 'Missing child' portal of the Ministry of Women and Child Development by the respective State Police Rehabilitation measures whenever needed are to be taken up in coordination with the other line Departments like Department of Women & Child Development, Police, Labour, etc so that scope of re-victimization is eliminated Public awareness should be increased by way of national campaign, advertisement on national media, etc   Appointment of Central Information Commissioner (Topic: Appointment of various Constitutional posts, power, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies) Appointed: Radha Krishna Mathur, former Defence Secretary Serve as CIC for the next three years Will be the 8th CIC of India Succeeded: Vijai Sharma First time the Union Government appointed somebody other than a serving Information Commissioner to the post   Zero – Accidents Mission  (Topic: Railways and Security) Safety is accorded the highest priority by Indian Railways and possible steps are undertaken on a continual basis to prevent accidents and to enhance safety Steps Include-                                        Timely replacement of over-aged assets, Adoption of suitable technologies for up gradation and maintenance of track, Rolling stock, Signalling and interlocking systems, Safety drives, Greater emphasis on training of officials Inspections at regular intervals to monitor and educate staff for observance of safe practices Safety devices/systems being used to prevent accidents include complete track circuiting, Provision of Block Proving Axle Counters (BPAC), Auxiliary Warning System (AWS), Colour Light LED Signals, Vigilance Control Device (VCD)     Lok Sabha passes 'Atomic Energy Bill 2015'  (Topic: Constitutional Amendments) About- Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015 passed in Lok Sabha Passed with voice vote from both treasury as well as opposition benches To be referred to Rajya Sabha Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015 To amend the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 Empowers Central Government to produce , develop , control and use Atomic Energy Provision allow formation of Joint venture between Nuclear Power Cooperation of India Limited Under the Act, a license is required for- Acquisition Production Use Export and Import of any plant designed for the production and development of atomic energy research Bill makes consequential amendments to state that such license will only be granted to entities such as a government company or a department of Union Government Importance: To overcome difficulties encountered in the setting up of new nuclear projects and enhancement of Nuclear Power Generation Will pave way for Atomic Energy Units, including Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) to enter into joint –ventures with other Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and government sector companies   Union Cabinet approved Amendments in the Constitution (Schedule Castes) Order,1950 (Topic: Constitutional Amendments)   The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for introduction of a Bill in the Parliament for certain amendments in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 To modify the list of Scheduled Castes in respect of five States namely- Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal After the Bill becomes an Act, members of the communities included in the list of Scheduled Castes will be able to derive benefits meant for Scheduled Castes under the existing schemes. Some of the major schemes of this kind include- Post Matric Scholarship, National Overseas Scholarship, Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship, Top Class Education, Concessional Loans from National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation, Hostels for SC boys and girls etc Reservation in services and admission to educational institutions   Memorandum of Understanding in Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency among BRICS countries  (Topic: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and Affecting India’s Interest)   MoUs Area of Cooperation: Energy Saving + Energy Efficiency Particulars: Joint scientific and technological research, Conferencing and holding of lectures and seminars; Capacity building and technology transfer; Technology development, sharing policies and best practices; Encouragement of use of energy efficient and energy saving approaches and instruments in the work of the business entities of the BRICS countries, carried out within the BRICS countries in Consultation with the host country   GS-3   Year End Review-2015 for the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry  (Topic: Effects of liberalisation on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth) GDP- GDP at factor cost is no longer relevant in the New Series. As per the international practices, industry-wise estimates have been presented as Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices, while ‘GDP at market prices’ of old series has been referred as GDP in new series India’s growth rate of the GVA at Basic Price at constant (2011-12) prices in 2014-15 was 7.2 % with growth of GVA in industry at 4.5 % and in manufacturing at 5.3 %. Thesectoral share in GVA at basic price at constant (2011-12) price of manufacturing sector was 18.1 % in 2014-15 Doing Business- In doing Business Report 2015, India was ranked at 142 among 189 countries India’s rank for 2015 has been re-calculated and reported in Doing Business Report for 2016.  The revised rank on account of various reforms initiated by the Government is 134 Our position has further improved in 2016 ranking to 130thrank Good Governance Measures Taken- Major Initiatives have been taken for improving ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in India through Simplification and rationalization of the existing rules and procedure Use of information technology to make governance more efficient and effective Several steps have been taken in the past 18 months to give the necessary thrust to manufacturing, whose share in the GDP has hovered around 15% for many year  Ease of Doing Business- eBiz Portal Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms Reforms in Policy and Procedures for Industrial License (IL) and Industrial Entrepreneur Memorandum (IEM)   Make in India- To promote India as an important investment destination and a global hub for manufacturing design and innovation Make in India New Dynamic Portalwith the objective to generate awareness about the investment opportunities and prospects of the country, to promote India as a preferred investment destination in the markets overseas and to increase Indian share of Global FDI India participated as partner country in Hannover Messe Fair, 2015organized in Germany during 12-17 April, 2015   Invest India- A joint venture between the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), State Governments of India and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) To promote investment in the country, “Investment Facilitation Cell” has been set-up under the Make in India initiative   Liberalisation in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)- Defence Industry has been permitted through the Government route up to 49% Construction, operation and maintenance of identified railway transport infrastructure up to 100% has been permitted through the automatic route The norms for FDI in Construction Development Projects (which already permitted 100% FDI through automatic route) have been further liberalised FDI up to 100% under the automatic route both for green field and brown field projects for manufacturing of defined medical device FDI in insurance sector has been raised from 26% to 49% The definition of Non Resident Indian (NRI)investment has been liberalised under Schedule 4 of FEMA Industrial Corridors- Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC) Bengaluru-Mumbai Economic Corridor (BMEC) Vizag Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC)   PSLV Successfully Launches Six Satellites from Singapore  (Topic: Achievements of Indians in Science and Technology) ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C29 successfully launched six satellites from Singapore, into an orbit of 549 km height inclined at an angle of 15 deg to the equator- from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh (December 16, 2015) About the Satellites- TeLEOS-1, the primary satellite: It is the major payload and is a remote sensing satellite weighing 400Kg with mission life 5 yearsand the other five satellites were co. passenger payloads. Launched as part of the agreement entered into between— ST Electronics (Satcom& Sensor Systems), Singapore Antrix Corporation Limited, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a government of India Company under the Department of Space (DOS)   Usage- Disaster Monitoring Urban Planning for the city state ISRO has put into 51 foreign satellites belonging to 19 countries successfully which includes countries like USA,UK,France and Germany among others. This is the eleventh flight of PSLV in ‘core-alone’ configuration (without the use of solid strap-on motors)   Garwood Award for ‘Outstanding Global Leader in Open Innovation’ presented to President Mukherjee (Topic: Awards to Renowned Personalities)   The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received Garwood Award for ‘Outstanding Global Leader in Open Innovation’ from UC Berkeley-Haas School of Businesson December 17, 2015 at RashtrapatiBhavan The award was presented to the President for promoting open innovation for- Taking initiative of hosting and gathering global innovators at the first-ever Global Round-table on the Inclusive Innovations at RashtrapatiBhavan Organizing first Festival of Innovation at the RashtrapatiBhavan to link together global leaders from technological + financial + educational sectors for the promotion of increased scalability in national and international grassroots innovation Launching the first Innovations Scholars' 'In-Residence' programme to promote the spirit of innovation and provide a thriving creative atmosphere for grassroots innovation activities that will have the potential to transform the global landscape Urging higher education leaders to establish Innovation Clubs to catalyze the collaboration between institutions of higher learning and grassroots innovations Being a primary supporter of Micro-Venture Innovation Finance which empowers grassroots innovators with the fundamental resources to provide their products and services to global markets; Being an initiator for innovative solutions towards financial inclusion via national programs that will promote worldwide economic success and for spearheading the establishment of an Innovation promotion platform involving academics, entrepreneurs, and researchers to foster an intercontinental medium of innovation, R&D and scientific research About the Award— The University of California, Berkeley, one of the most prestigious educational institutes in the world, has established the Garwood Award to acknowledge individuals who have Embraced + Supported + Encouraged open innovation in a significant and impactful way                                             Government has taken Steps to Protect Vultures  (Topic: Environment and to Protect Endangered Species)   Steps Taken- Protection status of White backed, Long Billed and Slender Billed Vultures has been upgraded from Schedule IV to Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 Activities— Two workshops were organized in consultation with scientists in New Delhi in September 2000 and April, 2004 to work out a comprehensive strategy for conservation of vultures Bombay Natural History Society in collaboration with the Haryana State Forest Department has taken up a project on conservation breeding of vultures. A ‘Vulture Captive Care facility’ has been established at Panchkula The Ministry of Health has issued Gazette Notification prohibiting manufacture and restricting packaging of multi-dose vials of Diclofenac State Governments advised to set up vulture care centres for the conservation of three species of vultures National Action Plan (2006) on Vulture Conservation— By: Government of India The Action Plan provides for- Strategies and Actions for containing the decline of vulture population(through ex-situ, in-situ vulture conservation) Department of forests of all states/UTs has been requested to constitute a Monitoring committee for vulture conservation with a view to implement the Action Plan, 2006 and for recovery of existing vulture sites Captive breeding centres have also been set up through Central Zoo Authorityat Zoos at- Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Junagarh, Hyderabad Initiatives to strengthen the mass education and awareness for vulture conservation  

Dec 21, 2015 AIR

All India Radio- Police Officers Meet And Internal Security

ARCHIVES POLICE OFFICERS MEET AND INTERNAL SECURITY Click here for audio A 3-day conference is going to take place in Rann of Kutch, Gujarat by state police chiefs, IGs etc. to discuss security issues that the country is facing. Security challenges Terrorism and insurgency Collection and sharing of intelligence Cyber security and social media propaganda Modernisation of police force How to combat the growing influence of ISIS in India – to de-radicalize the youth who are being influenced by ISIS propaganda. How to improve law and order, investigative skills, and issues related to disaster management. Conferences and discussions can go on forever. But implementation of the steps should be taken immediately and effectively, especially at a time when the youth are being influenced by ISIS ideology. Community policing can be an effective counter strategy to combat the ISIS influence. The police should bring the community together by organising campaigns, seminars, workshops, publishing, and highlighting the pitfalls of radicalisation. Out of box thinking at this conference First time this conference is being held outside Delhi. Yoga session being organized by Modi. J

Dec 21, 2015 Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – Life : It's all about You – Inspirational & Educative Articles

Life - It's all about You You are the one who is responsible for your success and failure. There is nobody else but you who is the root cause of all your actions, reactions and their consequences. Your life is your own making. The society, the environment and the people in it are just reflections of your desires. You are the only true designer of your destiny. Sounds a little too farfetched? Read along. A self thinking individual is at the center of all actions. How he thinks, understands, interprets and gives meaning to different happenings around him determines his path and way of life. However hopeless one’s situation might seem to be, since it is his own making, he can change it. Self is both the seed of destruction and the seed of immense possibilities. Very few people understand the immensity and grandness of the individual self. A single individual capable of independent thinking can almost achieve anything, provided he understands himself fully. Very few people spend the necessary time understanding themselves. Not understanding enough about yourself is the root of all your misery. The lesser you understand yourself; the more likely it is that you constantly blame the external environment and people in it for your suffering. Just reflect on this for a moment, how often do you complain about the state of the country, society, people, their mindsets, habits etc. Can you think of a single day that you have spent without complaining about anything? When disturbed or agitated you rarely take a moment to pause and think; how much am I responsible for my current predicament? How much of all this misery is my own making? May be something needs to change in the way I am looking at this situation and the world. Maybe something needs to change within me. The moment you start looking inward for your answers, surprisingly everything becomes marvelously simple and easy to understand. Instead of blaming the external environment for your failures, you will start making the necessary changes within you that will put you on the path of self enquiry and learning. First and the most important shift that has to happen within you is to realize that there is nothing external that is responsible for your present condition. You are the sole creator of your misery as well as your destiny. There is nothing else out there but you. This might of course seem too egoistical statement. But reflect on it, there is more truth to it than you think. Just spend one whole day to observe yourself. Literally watch every single action, thought process and behavior of yours. Carefully observe everything you do during the course of a single day. Watch every step, every breath, and every emotion of yours. You will arrive at a marvelous conclusion at the end of the day. By observing yourself carefully, you will realize that you are an ocean of thought process, containing the whole world in your consciousness. The most important factor that is deciding the course of your life is the way you are interpreting your internal thought process. Through your thoughts and emotions, you are literally shaping the course of your future. Observe yourself enough and you will notice that every single positive thought of yours is getting you a little closer to where you want to go and every single negative thought of yours is taking you away from it. The key to choosing and attaining the life you want is to first begin by observing yourself, then by making the necessary changes that will take you in the desired direction. For the one who has learnt the art of observing himself, there are no external factors deciding or acting upon his life. He knows that even the seemingly external factors are first interpreted by him internally; hence everything is passing through his own thought process. The better you understand this internal thought process, the better you will be able to understand your life’s journey. “The articles are a copyright of The Ahamo Movement and IASBABA.” Read more such articles– Click Here

Dec 19, 2015 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 19th December, 2015

Archives   IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 19th December, 2015   NATIONAL   TOPIC:  General Studies 1: Role of women and women’s organization General Studies 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.    Women Issues: India’s Daughters- Ashamed and Angry   Reuters Foundation: India is the fourth worst country in the world for women Let the Numbers do the talking— National Crime Records Bureau:2,096 rape cases in the city of Delhi in 2014 2014: Out of the 11,000 FIRs filed in cases of crimes against women, Delhi Police has filed chargesheets in only 3,500 till now Himmat App: Out of the 4,000 cases received, hardly four saw FIRs being filed RTI application: Revealed that of the 1.5 lakh complaints received against Delhi Police officials in the past six years, FIRs were registered in only 95 cases Plaguing Issues 96.7 per cent of rape cases are rapes by acquaintances: Limits the role of the Police officials in preventing such crimes Number of Policemen: Single investigating officer is made to handle more than 250 cases More than 40 per cent of the total strength of Delhi Police is engaged in VIP protocol duties, training of staff, petty civil issues, etc. Investigation: Marred with lack of sufficient manpower Forensic delays of laboratory in the Rape capital of India: ONE Fast-track transforms into slow-track: Suffer from pendency’s amounting to over three years Long pendency because of a non-existing special courts for child rape or child sexual assault Psychological Effect: Encourage a woman to report rape or punish her more by making her wait? Delhi’s fractured mandate: Prevents the Delhi government from ensuring coordinated decision-making and demanding accountability from Delhi Police Article 239AA of the Constitution: The democratically elected government of Delhi does not have control over Delhi Police, a subject that is otherwise on the state list Problems: Frequent instances of poor investigation, Non-filing of FIRs Insensitivity of personnel cannot be addressed in a timely manner   To facilitate quick decision-making and cooperation between the various agencies responsible for women’s safety and security: Establishment of a larger coordination body (major stakeholder’s involvement) Bureaucratic apathy: Almost Rs 3,000 crore of the Nirbhaya fund is lying unused ( bureaucratic obstinacy) Public Transportation Neglected: Union ministry of women and child development (WCD), the nodal agency for utilisation of Nirbhaya funds, rejected a proposal to install CCTV cameras in DTC buses because it was not “gender sensitive” Sidelined Gender Perspective— Beijing Declaration + Platform for Action: Mainstream the gender perspective Create institutions that are sensitive to violence against women Need for Systemic Reforms: Facilitate dialogue, instead of opposition: Initiate sustained political will and a committed polity working in concert with the bureaucracy and civil society Map sexual violence: To develop & deploy right kinds of criminal justice and urban planning capacities   Need to lose our assumptions: 2012- National Crime Records Bureau: 24,923 rape cases were registered across India-and in 24,470 of those cases, the perpetrator was known to the victim Idea that certain regional cultures are more rape-prone: Tamil Nadu: 2.18 per 100,000 women in 2012 (very low incidence of rape) Uttar Pradesh:2.02 Bihar: 1.83 Haryana: 5.60 Kerala: 5.71 Rape is not just a crime of culturally-depraved Hindi-belt migrants The highest population -- adjusted incidence of rape is in north-east states where women are reputed to enjoy relatively high levels of personal freedoms and status: Mizoram ranks highest, with a rape rate of 20.81 Followed by Tripura with 12.77, and Meghalaya with 12.46 and Assam with 11.34   Urgent Need to be armed by Technology: Closed-circuit camera surveillance Establishment of Forensics Laboratories across the country Research & Development in the field of Forensics Data Science to be employed- To make intelligent public policy choices based on reality   Reforms in management of cases related to crime against women:   Rape Crisis Cell should be set up: Be immediately notified when an FIR in relation to sexual assault is made Must provide legal assistance to the victim. Complains: All police stations should have CCTVs at the entrance and in the questioning room. A complainant should be able to file FIRs online. Police officers: Be duty bound to assist victims of sexual offences irrespective of the crime’s jurisdiction Be trained to deal with sexual offences appropriately Number of police personnel should be increased Community policing should be developed by providing training to volunteers   Medical examination of a rape victim: Discontinuation of the two-finger test (conducted to determine the laxity of the vaginal muscles)   Jonathan Kay has noted that sexual violence isn't driven by any one thing "Is rape sex" he asks? "Yes. “Is it violence? Yes. Therefore, Rape can be any twisted combination of those things, which is why the crime is so tragically common, and so difficult to eradicate." Connecting the Dots: Do you agree with the ban put on the movie ‘India’s Daughter’? Substantiate your views with proper arguments. Explore the ethical issues related to marital rape and discuss the legal mechanism present with the woman to seek justice Note: The statistical figures have been obtained from verified sources. If any discrepancy found, do comment with the correct data in the comment box below.   ECONOMICS TOPIC:  General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to mobilization of resources, growth, development General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation; Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability   Non-performing assets and recent steps to clean them up The governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Raghuram Rajan, said earlier this month that he expected banks to clean up their books in terms of stressed assets by the end of the next financial year - that is, by March 2017. Stressed assets - which include both bad loans officially classified as non-performing assets (NPAs) and those that are undergoing corporate debt restructuring (CDR) - accounted for a worrying 11.1 per cent of total advances as of last quarter.   What does CDR mean? The reorganization of a company's outstanding obligations, often achieved by reducing the burden of the debts on the company by decreasing the rates paid and increasing the time the company has to pay the obligation back. This allows a company to increase its ability to meet the obligations. Also, some of the debt may be forgiven by creditors in exchange for an equity position in the company. What is the Need for CDR? The need for a corporate debt restructuring often arises when a company is going through financial hardship and is having difficulty in meeting its obligations. If the troubles are enough to pose a high risk of the company going bankrupt, it can negotiate with its creditors to reduce these burdens and increase its chances of avoiding bankruptcy. What is NPA? A classification used by financial institutions that refer to loans that are in jeopardy of default. Once the borrower has failed to make interest or principal payments for 90 days the loan is considered to be a non-performing asset. Bank’s assets are the loans and advances given to customers. If customers do not pay either interest or part of principal or both, the loan turns into bad loan. But in terms of Agriculture / Farm Loans; the NPA is defined as under: Short duration crop loan : Loan is termed as NPA in this scenario if the loan either in terms of installment or interest is not paid for 2 crop seasons, it would be termed as NPA. Example: Agri loans such as paddy, jowar, Bajra etc. For Long Duration Crops, the above would be 1 Crop season from the due date.   Reasons for occurrence of NPA: Default by borrowers Bad lending practices Economic condition of a region effected by natural calamities Deficiencies risk management- Speculation is one of the major reason behind default. Sometimes banks provide loans to borrowers with bad credit history. There is high probability of default in these cases. Diversion of funds - Many times borrowers divert the borrowed funds to purposes other than mentioned in loan documents. A banking crisis (as happened in South Asia and Japan) Implication of NPA: Depositors do not get rightful returns and many times may lose uninsured deposits. Banks may begin charging higher interest rates on some products to compensate Non-performing loan losses Bank shareholders are adversely affected Bad loans imply redirecting of funds from good projects to bad ones. Hence, the economy suffers due to loss of good projects and failure of bad investments. When bank do not get loan repayment or interest payments, liquidity problems may ensue. The most important implication of the NPA is that a bank can neither credit the income nor debit to loss, unless either recovered or identified as loss. If a borrower has multiple accounts, all accounts would be considered NPA if one account becomes NPA. The principle of customer care is neglected and customer torture begins. This brings the borrower in a helpless situation and at the mercy of the Bank. Measures taken to reduce NPA: NPA and SARFAESI Act: The Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act has provisions for the banks to take legal recourse to recover their dues. When a borrower makes any default in repayment and his account is classified as NPA; the secured creditor has to issue notice to the borrower giving him 60 days to pay his dues. If the dues are not paid, the bank can take possession of the assets and can also give it on lease or sell it; as per provisions of the SAFAESI Act. NPAs and Asset Reconstruction Company: If a bad loan remains NPA for at least two years, the bank can also resale the same to the Asset Reconstruction Companies such as Asset Reconstruction Company (India) (ARCIL). These sales are only on Cash Basis and the purchasing bank/ company would have to keep the accounts for at least 15 months before it sells to other bank. They purchase such loans on low amounts and try to recover as much as possible from the defaulters. Their revenue is difference between the purchased amount and recovered amount. Steps taken by RBI: Recently RBI, as regulator, has taken several steps to help banks deal with the stressed-assets problem- Strategic debt restructuring, in which the debt is turned into equity. However, this can be only be an interim effort, given that banks do not have the managerial competence or resources to effectively become private equity firms. "5/25" system, by which loans to infrastructure companies are extended in tenure. However, this has to be closely watched. Earlier, CDR assets did not have the onerous provisioning requirements associated with NPAs, and so there was concern that banks were playing around with the classifications to make their books look better. The RBI has closed that loophole. Way Forward: It is to be noted that, the problem of bad loans is particularly acute in public-sector banks (PSBs). So it is the responsibility of the primary shareholder i.e., the government to take necessary steps regarding this issue. The RBI cannot be left doing all the heavy lifting. The problem is particularly acute in mid-sized PSBs like Indian Overseas Bank or UCO Bank. The former reported NPAs at 11 % in the quarter ended September (2015). It has also been reported that the government intends to use part of the proposed National Infrastructure Investment Fund (NIIF) to bid for stressed assets that it can then work to turn around, while simultaneously cleaning up bank books. Connecting the Dots: How does NPA affect Indian economy? How can Government, Banks and RBI work in sync in reducing NPA and reduce its effects on economy? Does loan (NPA) waiving done by govt given to farmers during agri distress help them de-stress? Comment.   MUST READ WTO talks enter overtime as consensus on agri issues elusive- Reports also indicated talks could be extended by a day to allow trade ministers to reach a workable solution Business Standard To know more about other issues related to WTO, refer the below link- http://iasbaba.com/2015/06/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-24-june-2015/   CBI: Always its master’s voice Hindu To know more about other issues related to ‘Crisis of Credibility: CBI’, refer the below link- http://iasbaba.com/2015/10/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-19th-october-2015/   European Parliament calls for sanctions against Maldives Hindu

Dec 18, 2015 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 18th December, 2015

Archives   IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 18th December, 2015   NATIONAL   TOPIC:  General Studies 3 Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate. Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.  Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism.   Roadmap: India’s policing & Intelligence Agencies With the ever increasing national security threats that India confronts today; which are much more diverse and complex— we need to enquire if strategic measure of these challenges and the willingness and ability to confront them and, if required, pre-empt them exists Intelligence agencies Major Requirements: Integrated mission + Enterprise management + Innovation Limited Success of reform and restructuring in the Indian Scenario: Internal Intelligence Beyond the capacity of a single agency Requires a multi-pronged approach to tackle— cross-border terrorism, Maoist rebellions, insurgencies in North-east India, violent Islamic extremism, communal and sectarian violence, illegal migration, human trafficking, narcotics smuggling, money laundering Carries the burden of an intellectual infrastructure of pre-independence that has failed to inculcate post-independence competencies to deal with a gamut of issues   RAW Limited ability in generating human intelligence Recruitment dependent on deputations from other central agencies Intake of scientists, cyber analysts and linguists- Below required levels Lack of lateral entry options Intelligence requirements framed in an ad-hoc manner   Coordination between the Centre and the states Deficiency prevails, even after setting up new mechanisms like Multi Agency Centres (MAC) and Subsidiary Multi Agency Centres (SMAC), to enable intelligence sharing and coordination Need for higher level coordination which involves the Home and Police departments working together with their Central counterparts   Shortage of personnel and recruitment Skills: Lack of intellectual capacity and investment in education system Inability to recruit qualified specialists Lack of technical skills: Requires more focused effort inTECHINT (Technical Intelligence) and HUMINT (Human Intelligence) Chronic shortage of military expertise Lack of customization of Big data analytics capabilities + Poor analysis of data in hand Management: Poor cadre management Lack of co-ordination amongst the intelligence community Lack of engagement of private players for specialist tasks Culture of ‘No Accountability’- Need to counter this systemic flaw which exists due to excessive secrecy making authority and accountability not letting work together Lack of political attention and effective guidance (inexperience and ignorance) Way Ahead: Need for strict guidance and supervision Intelligence collection: Conducted in an ad-hoc manner Absence of clear-cut requirements from the consumers of intelligence Counter-terrorism Issues Inadequate capacity of the various states to deal with terrorism, both in terms of: Intelligence Terror strike Problem of secrecy prevents assessing the real-time effectiveness Way Ahead Intelligence agencies need to be governed by laws framed by the Parliament To strengthen their accountability: Indian agencies function outside the purview of any legislation, making it difficult to implement administrative, operational or financial accountability Due to the enormous power in the hands of these agencies, it is important to legislate their functions and provide for means to guarantee the citizens against their misuse. Need for clarity in the functioning: Powers provided to the agencies should be carefully spelt out to ensure that they are not misinterpreted and spells out duties, responsibilities and authority effectively Special forces capabilities need to be ramped up and their needs to take place a coordinated mechanism housing the private sector in intelligence work to make up for the shortfall that the agencies face Duplication of resources and capabilities needs to be weeded out of the system (ineffective coordination) and be rationalised to meet the economic costs Also, one agency needs to focus on open source information and internet-based communications covering all mediums (newspapers, radio, the internet and social media sites) Policing—Criminal Investigation: 1996 petition moved in the Supreme Court: Emphasised that “the present distortions and aberrations in the functioning of the police have their roots in the colonial past and the complete subordination of the police to the executive—an arrangement which was designed originally to protect the interests of the British Raj, but which unfortunately continues to this day” PM Modi’s SMART Police- Strict and sensitive, Modern and mobile, Alert and accountable, Reliable and responsive, Trained and techno-savvy Critical Issues: Poor police-to-people ratio India’s average police to people ratio is 1:761—one of the lowest is in the world UN recommends: 1 policeman for every 450 people Bureau of Police Research and Development’s standard: 1 for every 568 people VIP: At least three policemen Criminal Investigation Investigations and conclusions of trials taking an abnormally long time Falling investigative standards   Long pending police reforms None of the states have implemented Supreme Court’s directives— Constitute a State Security Commission (SSC) to: Ensure that the state government does not exercise unwarranted influence or pressure on the police Lay down broad policy guideline Evaluate the performance of the state police via pre-determined planning, provisioning and rationalised performance parameters Reasons: No convention to measure the amount of political ‘supervision’ and ‘control’ No rationale system for evaluating police performance against a set of pre-determined criteria Ensure that the DGP: Appointed through merit based transparent process (Arbitrary; personal preferences dependant) Secure a minimum tenure of two years (uncertainty of office & tenure otherwise) Solution: DGP must be selected from amongst the three senior-most officers empanelled by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the post On the basis of the candidate’s: Length of service + Service record + Range of experience   Ensure that other police officers on operational duties (including Superintendents of Police in-charge of a district and Station House Officers in-charge of a police station) are also provided a minimum tenure of two years Separate the investigation and law and order functions of the police Set up a Police Establishment Board (PEB) to decide: Transfers, postings, promotions and other service related matters of police officers of and below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police Make recommendations on postings and transfers above the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police Be a forum of appeal for disposing of representations from officers of the rank of Superintendent of Police and above Review the functioning of the police in the state Set up a Police Complaints Authority (PCA) at state level to inquire into public complaints against police officers- State level Authority will inquire into cases of serious misconduct including incidents involving Death + Grievous hurt + Rape in police custody by police officers of and above the rank of Superintendent of Police District level Authority will inquire into cases of serious misconduct including incidents involving Death, Grievous hurt and Rape in police custody Extortion + Land/house grabbing Any incident involving serious abuse of authority by police officers of and up to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police Set up a National Security Commission (NSC) at the union level to prepare a panel for selection and placement of Chiefs of the Central Police Organisations (CPO) with a minimum tenure of two years. Way Ahead Training: Need for advanced personnel planning and training facilities Institutions need to be upgraded in terms of facilities + equipment + technology Best officers must be encouraged to join as trainers Must be made mandatory for personnel, including officers, to undergo in-service training before promotion Intelligent Tools- Identify & Transfer Tools to be developed for: Real-time situational awareness, Integrated information management, Simple communication enablers Gain insights into the behaviour of threat groups, individuals, analysts CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System) Impart proper training in computer skills Skills upgradation keeping in view the dynamic nature of technology Crime-sharing Apps: Hyderabad Shows crimes like snatchings and burglaries in 24 hours within 100-metre radiusto empower police personnel to get access to all data on a single click Synchronised with the Global Positioning System making the information dissemination easier Hawk Eye: An Android app for the citizens to reach police on different issues Organise Mass contact programme Reach out and learn problems and issues faced Break the net of exploiters (people with no formal education are exploited as they are scared to go to a police station) Explain about various concepts of policing and work/initiatives being taken Breaking the shackles of fear (Anti-social)- History sheeters, land grabbers and eve-teasers can be called and counselled in front of the people Strengthen external and internal communication: Communication with people has to be maintained and strengthened Communication within the organisation must be improved   TOPIC:  General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation; Issues relating to poverty and hunger.  General Studies 3: Indian Economy, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.  Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers. Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System   Agriculture: What about ease of doing farming? The Ministry of Agriculture was renamed recently as the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. A welcome step and, perhaps, the Centre will devote better attention to farmers’ welfare and not just agriculture. Bringing success of Make in India into farming: With the launch of Make in India mission, India performed well in manufacturing with the recent (2015) ease of doing business released by World Bank ranked India at 130 compared to 134 in 2014. Without making doing farming attractive, ease of doing business will be futile. The Make in India programme has made commendable progress and provides useful lessons for improving farm sector. Five objectives which would make farming easy: Facilitate investment: Like any other business, investments could be attracted in agriculture if it offers reasonable and predictable returns. It also has small, medium and large investors, with each category looking for a different kind of support, like other businesses. Burden of subsidy: Subsidies have been provided to farmers for availing credit, procurement of inputs and output price support, etc. Economic survey 2014-15 points out that subsidies have either zero effect or negative effect, until and unless they are targeted and rationalised only to the deserving farming community. Effective implementation of agricultural schemes: Both Centre and State governments have developed several schemes for crop insurance, measuring soil quality, their coverage and implementation remain poor. Large scale coverage and time-bound implementation is the key to inspire confidence amongst the farming community. Foster innovation Research and innovation is as important in agriculture as in any other industry. The Indian Council of Agriculture Research conducts research on climate resilient agriculture, expert systems on crop management, State specific technological interventions for higher agricultural growth, productive seed varieties, and nutrient management. Perhaps, it has not been able to reach to the masses and enable commercialisation. Focus on sustainable agriculture: Sustainable agriculture should include use of non-renewable energy resources, and balanced use of organic crops and high yield varieties of seeds, which needs to be promoted through an effective communication strategy. Enhance skill development The Make in India programme lays emphasis on skilling for industrial use. Equal emphasis, with the same vigour, is required to promote skill development in agriculture and allied services such as dairy management. A spill-over effect will be reduced migration to cities. The government has already launched mKisan SMS portal to provide information, advice and services relating to agriculture practices. Periodic evaluation and monitoring is necessary to ensure its effectiveness. Protect intellectual property It is absolutely essential to protect and preserve traditional knowledge and practices to ensure sustainable development of agriculture. Protection of plant breeders’ rights and new plant varieties is important. Intellectual property rights (IPR) and technology are mutually reinforcing and promotion of one results in development of other. We will not be in a position to launch another Green Revolution without a strong and effective IPR regime. Build infrastructure Like any other business, infrastructure is essential for the development of agriculture as well. At a time when adequate infrastructure is essential to attract industry, why can we not envisage similar facilities for agriculture promotion? Agriculture parks with requisite electricity connection, irrigation, road networks and warehousing facilities, could be built to attract investments. While the government has initiated steps to set up an online national agriculture market, the initiative should be completed in a time bound manner.   Way ahead: There is thus an urgent need for ‘ease of doing farming’ initiative to bring agriculture back into policy discourse at the Centre and States. Competition among States to promote agriculture will not only do long-term good for the economy, but will also ensure real success of Make in India. Connecting the dots: Critically examine the importance of agriculture to India. Analyse the various factors which determine agricultural productivity in India. Contribution of agricultural sector to GDP has remained stagnant at 14% over the last decade. Critically examine the measures taken by government to promote agriculture and increase its contribution to GDP.   MUST READ   Be afraid, disasters are waiting to happen Hindu   Centre contemplating launch of insurance scheme for farmers Hindu   Diesel engine ban: SC order clears paths for registration of small cars- Higher pollution tax for less than 2000cc diesel vehicles to be decided on Jan 5 Business Standard   India ranks 97th on Forbes' best countries for business list- Denmark topped the list of the 144 nations on the 'Best Countries of Business in 2015' list by the magazine Business Standard   Governor’s overreach- In Arunachal Pradesh, Governor Rajkhowa's conduct invites accusations of partisanship Indian Express   US doubles H-1B, L-1 visa fees for India cos- The money will be used to fund a biometric entry and exit tracking system, and for treatment of 9/11 first responders Indian Express   Three charts that show why reservations are desirable- Scheduled castes are the most backward, followed by scheduled tribes and other backward classes, shows NSSO data Live Mint               For detailed analysis on ‘Reservation’, refer the below link http://iasbaba.com/2015/09/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-3rd-september-2015/