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Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 107]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 107] Archives Q.1) Consider the following statements about ‘Indian bison’ It is native to Western Ghats and North East India only It is listed as ‘vulnerable’ under IUCN Res List Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) Gilt-edged market means Bullion market Market of guns Market of pure metals Market of Government securities Q.3) Ashok Dalwai committee is concerned with Allocation of natural resources National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) Doubling Farmers’ Income Financial Inclusion Q.4) Which one of the following is not a feature of the Government of India Act of 1935? An All-India Federation Diarchy at the Centre as well as in the provinces A bicameral legislature Provincial autonomy Q.5) ‘Manganiyars’ are known for Martial arts in North­East India Pietra dura tradition in Central India Musical tradition in North­West India Classical vocal music in South India To Download the Solution – Click here All the Best  IASbaba

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 21st December 2017

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 21st December 2017 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Parliament gives nod to the IIM Bill Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Key pointers: As per the IIM Bill, 2017, a Board of Governors will appoint the Director of each IIM. The Indian Institutes of Management got the power to grant degrees instead of post-graduate diplomas. The Bill also allows students to acquire doctoral degrees from the IIMs. Earlier, fellowships of the IIMs were not regarded as Ph.D.s, which led students to complete their diplomas and go abroad if they wanted to earn a doctoral degree. The hope is that the passage of this Bill will pave the way for more research at these prestigious institutions. The Bill also confers on the 20 IIMs the status of institutions of national importance, granting them greater functional autonomy by restricting the role of the government in them. Till now, the Centre had a role in the appointment of the chairpersons and directors to their Boards and also fixing the pay of the directors. As per the IIM Bill, 2017, a Board of Governors will appoint the Director of each IIM. A search-cum-selection-committee will recommend the names. And the director will be eligible for variable pay as determined by the Board. Article link: Click here Methanol Economy Fund  Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Science & Technology  Key pointers: Niti Aayog plans to set up a Methanol Economy Fund worth Rs 4,000-5,000 crore to promote production and use of the clean fuel. Using methanol as a transportation fuel would require minimal alteration in the vehicles. China is the world’s largest producer of methanol. Benefits of methanol as a fuel: Methanol fuel is cheaper, safer and pollution free. Methanol can be used as an energy producing fuel, transportation fuel and cooking fuel, cutting down India’s oil import bill by an estimated 20 per cent over the next few years. Article link: Click here Indirect tax collection more than direct tax collection  Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Indian Economy Key pointers: The contribution of direct taxes in the total tax collection in 2016-17 has fallen below 50 per cent to 49.66 per cent for the first time since 2006-07. Data released by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) shows direct tax collection in 2016-17 was Rs 8.5 lakh crore. The indirect tax collection in 2016-17 was Rs 8.6 lakh crore. The reason for the fall primarily is slow growth in corporate profits in the last couple of years and a simultaneous increase in service tax collections during the last couple of years. Issue: Indirect taxes are said to be regressive in nature as they do not distinguish between poor and rich, and therefore, higher proportion of indirect taxes in total tax collection is not considered ideal. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) INTERNATIONAL TOPIC: General studies 2: India and its neighborhood- relations Bilateral, regional , global groupings and agreement involving India and affecting its interest Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora. Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate. Reviving SAARC is important Background: The 32-year-old SAARC seems to turn into a moribund(decayed) group as India is preoccupied with the exciting prospect of its role in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. The South Asian agenda has been reduced, at least in public perception, to countering Pakistan and its terror proxies. A moribund SAARC is not in our interest: Sub-regional and other arrangements such as BIMSTEC, though valuable, are no substitute as these does not include our troublesome western periphery. A strong regional group is essential to prevent meddling by external powers and realise our legitimate aspirations in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Obstacles to the emergence of a cohesive South Asia: Pakistan is the largest obstacle, but not the only one. Inability to reach on agreements. An example is our inability so far to push through a sub-regional Motor Vehicle Agreement with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh after Pakistan blocked a similar arrangement at the SAARC. Way forward: We cannot dictate the actions of our neighbours. But we need to pay more attention to certain aspects. Our ability to manage our region and stature in the world depend to a considerable degree upon economic success. The continent-sized Indian economy, growing at around 6 per cent, holds a tremendous attraction for our neighbours. In this reference we need to continue strengtheing our economy. Realising its special responsibility in driving the locomotive of South Asian growth, India should continue to institutionalise positive asymmetry in favour of the small neighbours and allow all to benefit from her economy and market. All our neighbours have certain vested interests opposed to India and it becomes necessary once in a while to send a coercive message to them. This should, however, not alienate the constituencies that are well-disposed towards us. A jingoistic response, as in case of the Pakistan security establishment and its proxies ends up consolidating opinion in their favour. The wisdom of restricting transit for Nepal to punish the short-sighted actions of its governments is also questionable. The resulting hardship can turn the entire population against us. Relations with our South Asian neighbours are intertwined with the interests of our states and certain political constituencies. For example, the politics in Tamil Nadu over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue and our relationship with Pakistan has become a subject of electoral politics in recent years. In a democracy, such politics is unavoidable, and if not considered could have unintended consequences. The cost and time overruns that mar most of our projects at home due to cumbersome administrative and financial procedures also afflicts our projects in neighbouring countries. We need to focus on improving our project delivery. The pull of our soft power is the strongest in South Asia because India remains the repository of nearly all linguistic, religious and cultural traditions of this region. India is the epitome of the South Asian diversity, which we have managed well in our vibrant democracy. Thus, the huge soft power of India needs to be preserved on continuous basis. Conclusion: We cannot ignore or abandon the task of building a largely cohesive and stable periphery. Groupings like BIMSTEC, Indo-Pacific may seemingly be more important but the success of such groupings can be reaped only when we have a stable neighborhood. And for this stability SAARC is quintessential Connecting the dots: A decaying SAARC is not in India's interest. Discuss. Also highlight the ways India can make our neighbors feel comfortable about a regional grouping. ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Economic Development – Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment; Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth. Inclusive growth and Challenges of inequality. India’s high inequality is hurting growth Introduction: India is suddenly in the news for all the wrong reasons. It is now hitting the headlines as one of the most unequal countries in the world, whether one measures inequality on the basis of income or wealth. The World Inequality Report 2018 has provided data on inequality across various countries. World Inequality Report (WIR) is a report published by the World Inequality Lab at the Paris School of Economics, is "based on the latest evidence collected for the World Wealth and Income Database, a massive project maintained by more than 100 researchers in more than 70 countries." WIR highlights the following: Inequality as a rule exists everywhere in the world, where the rich have become proportionately richer than the other groups in the last three decades or so. India’s inequality looks more skewed. The share of the top 10 per cent in total national income in 2016 in India was 55 per cent. It was 47 per cent for the US, 37 per cent for Europe and 41 per cent for China. In our country, the top 1 per cent holds 22 per cent of total income which was only below 28 per cent for Brazil. In case of China, it was 14 per cent and 13 per cent for Europe. According to one more study, India is the second-most unequal country globally, with millionaires controlling 54% of its wealth. This should give an indication of the concentration of income in certain pockets. Pic link: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/inequality-in-india-oxfam-explainer/ Wrong growth There are two other interesting parameters which are spoken about here in the report. The first is cumulative growth per adult between 1980 and 2014. Given the low base, growth was 223 per cent for this period in case of India. For the bottom 50 per cent it was 107 per cent and 112 per cent for the middle 40 per cent, while for the top 10 per cent it was 469 per cent. More alarming is the income growth for the top 1 per cent where it was 857 per cent. This is probably a sharper measure of inequality as it speaks of growth in income over various groups where the richest has witnessed the highest increase over higher base numbers compared with the other categories. The second metric is the share of income growth of various classes for the period 1980-2016. The bottom 50 per cent had a share of just 11 per cent. The middle 40 per cent had 23 per cent, one of the lowest across regions like the World, the US, Europe, and China. The top 10 per cent had share of 66 per cent (same as in the US but much lower than in Europe with 48 per cent and China 43 per cent) and top 1 per cent, 28 per cent. This talks of which groups have gained the most on account of cumulative growth. Two conclusions can be drawn from the above data. First, the level of inequality is very high in the country and cannot be disputed. Second, the benefits of growth have been extremely skewed towards the rich. So, let us examine how did this happen? Economic reforms have actually widened the wedge. In other words, the growth model followed since reforms was tilted towards the productive sectors and liberalisation meant less of government and more of private enterprise. This was the chosen route to growth and hence it was felt that if the private sector was given space for expansion, the benefits would percolate downwards (or trickle down) through employment opportunities as well as higher living standards. However, this has not happened according to script and the benefits have largely flowed to the upper echelons. In fact, this limited growth syndrome acts as a useful social buffer as it gives the illusion of upward mobility even though the pace is much slower than that of the higher echelons. Therefore, it is not surprising that 90 per cent of the population accounted for just a third of the growth taking place during the period 1980-2016. Private push Economic reforms were focused on de-nationalisation. Privatisation meant that even public companies would be owned by private players, which began the process of heightened inequality. Governments have dithered (on two minds) on subsidies and the elite are anti-subsidy. The result has been that even government activity has tended to move towards private projects generation in roads and city development (privatization). Therefore, when a road is created the contracts go to private parties, which increases income of the relatively richer echelons. Crony capitalism Curiously, the distribution by the government of relief payments to the unemployed under NREGA scheme has been criticized and expressed sharp disapproval by many, as it has pushed up wages beyond productivity levels and affected corporate profits! This is so as NREGA wage has become a benchmark for all wages in industry. There is hence relentless pressure from the corporate world on the government to lower these allocations on grounds of its distorting the wage structure. This kind of growth of crony capitalism and growing nexus between the government and some corporates has exacerbated the income distribution pattern. Privatisation programmes are normally for better performing companies — which is natural or else they would not be of interest to the private sector. Loss-making companies continue to be held by the Government. This is another reason which has fostered the inequality syndrome in the country. Demand saturation, and more Higher inequality comes in the way of demand creation. Economic growth is sustainable provided the poor are also able to rise in the hierarchy and spend on goods and services. If these incomes do not rise, the demand cycle is interrupted. Therefore, it is essential to keep their income increasing at a reasonable rate. The problem we have today of absence of demand is because of inequality. The rich run into a cliff of ‘demand-saturation’ where motor vehicles cannot be changed every year or houses bought periodically. The other income groups too have to spend. If they do not have this money or other means needed for a particular purpose, as is the case in the last three years, the tendency would be to spend more on essentials than consumer goods which impact growth. Conclusion: Tackling inequality and reducing the gap between citizens is ironically a necessity to keep the economy ticking. In the West, high levels of prosperity across the citizens was one reason for expanding markets overseas. We do have a large populace that needs to move up the ladder or else will continue witnessing growth in waves rather than in a linear manner. Connecting the dots: Discuss the main causes for high level of economic inequality in India. What can India do to reduce inequality? Unless we make an effort to first contain and then reduce the rising levels of extreme inequality, the dream of ending extreme poverty will remain a pipe dream. Elucidate. MUST READ Reconsider the rules The Hindu Cleaning up The Hindu Wait and watch The Hindu India cannot take shortcut to development Livemint India's high inequality is hurting growth Business Line

RSTV Video

RSTV- The Big Picture : Corruption in Higher Judiciary

Corruption in Higher Judiciary Archives TOPIC: General Studies 3 Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies In news: Judiciary is in deep crisis as there happens to be division between SC judges. There is a severe case against a medical college, and allegations that a retired judge took a bribe and tried to influence the SC judges who were hearing the case and present CJI happens to be one of judges hearing that case. So there are allegations against unknown judges and indirect allegation against CJI. So the question is should CJI be hearing the case or should CJI decide who hears the case. Corruption in higher judiciary- how widespread? Indian judiciary is known for its fairness, impartiality, and incorruptibility. Hence the courts can scarcely afford any loss of public faith. Independence of judiciary is very important. The judiciary should not seem divided or the judges casting aspersions on each other should be avoided. In reality, India’s judicial corruption is a disease that begins at the lower levels. Corruption begins in higher courts where higher court judges are selected from the ranks of lower court judges and lawyers who have been well exposed to environment of bribes for speedy and favorable judgments. In addition to it, seniority becomes the primary ‘de facto’ criterion for promotion. Once judges have been appointed to higher courts, they can use their expansive ”contempt of court” powers to suppress allegations of corruption. There have been past instances when former CJIs accused of corruption are now battling contempt of court proceedings. A 2007 survey that dis-aggregated bribe recipients showed that 59% of respondents paid bribes to lawyers, 5% to judges, and 30% to court officials for judgement in their favour. Thus, long pendency of cases, opaque appointments and political influences has marred efficiency of Indian judiciary. Institutional mechanisms? There is lack of mechanism to deal with situations where a judicial personnel is accused of corruption. The constitution has given the mechanism of impeachment which is a long drawn process. So one of the area can be looked into his perks given to higher judiciary which can be curtailed in event of serious accusation. Later, there should be quick disposal of the case by the body which SC creates. Thus, in such circumstances, it feels that National Judicial commission should be in place to monitor the various appointments in the first place. Way forward The judiciary is being looked upon as an institution of faith and justice. Allegations and accusations in court rooms against judges should be avoided so as to retain faith in ‘customer of justice’. The judiciary system refrain itself from getting influenced by corrupt practices carried in lower courts in a widespread manner. An institution should be established to speedily remove the corrupt judges rather than being transferred from one state to another or mere removal from particular cases. Conclusion A temple of justice and one of the pillars of Indian democracy, Indian judicial system has to evolve itself towards a more transparent, highly accountable and less politically influenced institution. It is true that it is easy to administer law but it it is more difficult to administer justice and most difficult to balance the two, but the judges have been entrusted with this responsibilities and lawyers have to support the judges in successful delivery of justice. Also read The institution of judiciary facing crisis of credibility: A conflict between Supreme Court judges Connecting the dots: Internal conflicts of judges can deter Indian judiciary’s trustworthiness and credibility. Do you agree? Explain in detail.

AIR

All India Radio (AIR) : Need for Democracy within Political Parties

Need for Democracy within Political Parties ARCHIVES Search 30th October 2017 here http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2 Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity. In news: PM called for a debate on internal democracy in political parties. The development of a true democratic state is within its political parties which is necessary for the country’s future and democracy. To make democracy within political parties is subject of debate as people are not aware of the structure of the parties, their ideology and functioning. This is also very crucial as rarely a political party regularly organises its elections, selections, internal party setup and changes made within the party leadership. Funding to political parties is often debated but not their values, ideologies, internal democracy and how they give opportunities to the new generation of leaders. Democratic ethos is not consistent in India’s political parties. The two national parties are one story of Indian politics. But in many states, dynastic politics is still prevalent- Jammu and Kashmir has National Conference, Uttar Pradesh has Samajwadi Party, BSP is not dynastic but centralises power completely, Trinamul Congress is emerging as one woman party, AIADMK though is not dynastic, it is also very centralised, RJD has one family controlling the entire party, DMK, Akali Dal and Shiv Sena are dynastic and AAP is too new to be analysed on it.  Thus, the whole scenario is promoting the children and relatives of few family lineages. One of the reasons why senior leaders have turned away from senior colleagues in parties is because they feel they wont stand a chance against family preferences.  As Indian politics has lots of money, families- generations and extended- are interested to be affiliated with political parties. Encouraging new generation of leaders The demographic dividend is huge energy which India has in the form of 65% of its population being under the age of 35. This is the segment which, if it ventures into politics and in a transparent way of functioning of political parties, can change the way Indian politics function presently. If a person joins a political party how she or he will be accommodated in the party? What kind of avenues this political career? All these things matter to coming generation. For long, there is a widespread impression created that lot of good people shy away from politics. It is therefore necessary that this impression be changed and efficient people brought into political arena. Conclusion There are many other issues like the disorder in Parliament, the non-functioning of  parliament in a smooth manner, state funding of election or electoral reforms over the decades which have been talked many a time but little significant output has come out of it.  So this thing of inner party democracy is being very vital as India has parliamentary democracy and functioning of parties is as critical as the functioning of parliament. It is a stupendous task to undo the varied structure of the way India’s political parties are questioned. This calls for the media opinion and public opinion. Unless some serious reforms are not done about it, Indian parliament and Indian politics will be limited to 500 families alone and that doesn’t speak well for democracy. The paradox is- the power is getting decentralised because of the vote to communities that are not so far developed, intermediate castes who have not been at the top and it amounts to inserting powers and from the other hand there is this parallel trend of power getting concentrated in the hands of few families. Connecting the dots: “The development of a country’s polity has its base on political ideologies prevailing in that country.” Analyse the statement with suitable examples.

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 20th December 2017

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 20th December 2017 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Poor progress of clean Ganga project Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Report by CAG: The NDA government’s record in implementing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet Clean Ganga project has been very poor. The NMCG [National Mission for Clean Ganga] has been able to spend less than a quarter of the funds earmarked for the project in the last two financial years. Central focus: The low utilisation of funds indicate poor implementation of the programme. Not having an action plan also led to non-utilisation of any amount from the corpus of Rs. 198.14 crore available in the Clean Ganga Fund – created through voluntary donations by citizens and non-resident Indians. The mission also did not finalise long-term action plans even after more than six-and-a-half years of signing with the consortium of Indian Institute of Technology. It could not formulate a river basin management plan even though the National Ganga River Basin Authority notification was issued more than eight years ago. Article link: Click here Pradhanmantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections Key pointers: Better workforce management- Better job security, worker's happiness, higher productivity. A central government initiative to encourage enrollment of new employees under Social Security Network, assured security to the workforce and relief to the employer. Government pays 8.33% EPS contribution for the new employees. For selected sectors of Garment industry, complete 12% contribution of the employer paid by the government. Scheme applicable for new employees drawing monthly salary of upto Rs 15,000. Easy to operate through online enrolment and Aadhaar. Article link: The Hindu India has largest diaspora across the world Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Indian diaspora Key pointers: Indian tops the world in the number of migrants sent abroad and more than half of the 16.59 million live in the Gulf region, according to a UN report. The 2017 International Migration Report showed that during this century's period of rapid globalisation, the number of Indian migrants doubled from 7.98 million in 2000. Mexico sent out 13 million migrants, the second highest number. The United Arab Emirates has the largest number of Indian migrants followed by the US. Most of the international migration takes place among developing countries with 60 per cent of the migrants from Asia going to other Asian countries. About $400 billion is sent to developing countries by migrants and the remittances are used to finance education, housing and other activities that promote development. In the current political climate, "migration has become a toxic" topic as a result migrating is a problem for those outside the "global elite" made up professionals who can move easily to other countries, he said. Therefore there was need for policies to take care of the migrants who do not fall in that category. Article link: Click here RERA's administration brought under Urban Affairs Ministry Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Key pointers: The matters related to the administration of the RERA for regulation of the real estate sector and to protect the interest of consumers will be dealt by the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. The central government has amended the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules 1961, in this regard. The administration of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, will also be done by the same ministry. RERA: The RERA is for regulation and promotion of the real estate sector and to ensure sale of plot, apartment or building in an efficient and transparent manner and to protect the interest of consumers in the real estate sector. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders Mental Health Care Bill: Making it comprehensive Introduction: The need for legislation which secures the rights of people with mental illness is a necessity for a nation like India. Instances such as the 2001 Erwadi mental home fire, in which chained patients were charred to death, are a reminder of our apathy towards the mentally disabled. The neglect of mental health is evident from a World Health Organization report which estimated that 50 million Indians suffered from depression. Background: The enactment of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 by the current government is an attempt to protect the rights of the mentally ill and enable citizens to decide on the method of treatment in case of mental illness, lest they are mistreated or neglected. India ratified the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities in October 2007. The United Progressive Alliance government (UPA-II) initially introduced the Mental Health Care Bill in August 2013 to replace the Mental Health Act, 1987 to bring the law in consonance with the obligations of the UN convention. The Bill lapsed due to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. The 16th Lok Sabha led by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) reintroduced the Bill in August 2016 with 134 amendments. The modifications led to a complete overhaul of the intent, structure and provisions of the original Bill, and the spirit of the UN convention was missing. Issues: Key issues that should be considered in order to ensure that the legislation creates an ecosystem for proper treatment of the mentally disabled. The Act recognizes mental illness as a clinical issue which can only be treated by medicines and clinical procedures. The important issue of prevention and promotion of mental well-being has been neglected. Research shows that in cases of mental illness, medical interventions occur at an advanced stage. Illness is also a result of one’s social setting and preliminary treatment can be provided by qualified psychotherapists, counsellors and psychoanalysts. The current definition of ‘mental health professional’ is restricted to clinical psychiatrists and professionals holding a postgraduate degree in Ayurveda, homoeopathy, Siddha and Unani—all on the clinical side. Although including specialists from non-allopathic fields of medicine is laudable, it is unclear why psychotherapists and psychoanalysts were excluded. The Act proposes an ‘advance medical directive’ through which individuals can dictate how they “wish to be” and “wish not to be treated” and can nominate a member who can make decisions on their behalf should they lose their mental capacity. But it is unable to provide a clear procedure for preparing it. The Act fails to provide for the full list of treatment options available, so that a decision can be taken by the individual without information asymmetry. The Act provides for the constitution of an expert committee for periodic review and effective implementation of the Act. Neither the Act nor the rules define the constitution, procedure and terms of reference of the committee. Such an important body should be more transparent and subject to public scrutiny. Conclusion: The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 is an important legislation that is indicative of a progressive nation. The ministry must listen to stakeholders who have submitted responses on the draft rules and regulations before finalization. The legislation will be effective only if the gaps pointed out by the stakeholders are discussed and solved. Connecting the dots: The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 is an important legislation that is indicative of a progressive nation. However there are issues that needs to be resolved after a consultative discussion with all the stakeholders. Discuss. NATIONAL/SECURITY TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. 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 General Studies 3: Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security. India working on robust data protection regime Introduction: Government (Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, MEITY) had set up the committee on Data Protection in India, led by Justice B.N. Srikrishna. The objective of this committee was: “to ensure growth of the digital economy while keeping personal data of citizens secure and protected”. “to study various issues relating to data protection in India and make specific suggestions on principles to be considered for data protection and suggest a draft data protection bill”. The Committee has recently released its provisional views on the formulation of a data protection framework and invited public comments. Social media sites, telecom operators, government agencies and every such body that gets to collate data on individuals by way of the nature of their operations would soon be governed by a set of laws that would protect an individual’s sensitive personal data or information (SPDI). Pic link: http://images.financialexpress.com/2017/11/Graph6-6.jpg Seven key principles Following are the seven key principles proposed by the committee on data protection: Technology agnostic: The data protection law must take into account the continuous change in technology and standards of compliance. Technology will evolve rapidly and the law will need to keep pace with changes. Holistic application: The law must cover both the private sector and the government sector, maybe with different obligations though. Informed consent: The consent should be not just consent but "informed and meaningful". Data minimisation: The data collected or being processed should be minimal -- only that data which is necessary for the purpose for which it is being sought. The Committee clarified that all information is not personal data. Only such information by which a person can be identified would be categorised as SPDI and come under the ambit of law. Controller accountability: The committee is clear on fixing accountability of data controllers. It says, "The data controller should be held accountable for any processing of data, whether by itself or entities with whom it may have shared the data for processing." Structured enforcement: The committee proposes to set up "a high-powered statutory authority", which “must co-exist with appropriately decentralised enforcement mechanisms." It envisions three main objectives of a data protection authority: monitor, investigate and enforce the laws; set the standards; and generate awareness in an increasingly digitised society. Deterrent penalties: It proposes for "adequate" penalties for "wrongful processing" to ensure deterrence. Crux: Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee suggest that the above seven key principles should guide the data protection framework in the country. The Committee has done a commendable job on a number of counts: It has covered a wide range of issues pertaining to data protection and privacy. It has looked at the issues from the prism of what is relevant in India, however, it has also brought in perspectives from other countries. Our country urgently needs a strategic position on data which represents risks such as colonisation, privacy issues and a “winner-takes-all market,” in which the best players are able to seize a very big portion of the rewards, and the remaining contenders are left with very little. Data is being vacuumed out of the country and going into unaccountable systems that don't come under Indian law, which probably share data with foreign governments. In order to protect people's privacy and make companies accountable, India needs a data protection law "as soon as possible" as it is a "fundamental thing" so that the users can demand from the domestic or foreign companies to share their data when needed. "This is not a technology problem, but a policy problem." Instrumentally, a firm legal framework for data protection is the foundation on which data-driven innovation and entrepreneurship can flourish in India. Fostering such innovation and entrepreneurship is essential if India is to lead its citizens and the world into a digital future committed to empowerment, experiment and equal access. Connecting the dots: The dawn of the information age has opened up great opportunities for the beneficial use of data. However, it has also enhanced the perils of unregulated and arbitrary use of personal data. Discuss. Also examine the need of framing a robust law to protect individual data. Discuss the need to have a comprehensive Data Protection Law in India. Also discuss the recommendations of Justice B.N. Srikrishna led committee on Data Protection in India. MUST READ AI's won't really rule us, they will be very interested in us The Hindu Seeing through a glass darkly The Hindu Reveal, recognise, resolve bad loan recovery Indian Express The decline of the WTO Livemint

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 106]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 106] Archives Q.1) Global Innovation Index is released by Cornell University U.S World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) INSEAD Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above  Q.2) Consider the following about IMPRINT India IMPRINT India’ is a Pan-IIT and IISc joint initiative to develop a roadmap for research to solve major engineering and technology challenges Ministry of Science and Technology is the nodal ministry but will have convergence with centres of excellence across the nation Select the correct answer 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements about White Spotted Bush Frog It is endemic to the Western Ghats The male frogs guards the eggs and tadpoles until they are mature enough Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following statements about ‘KeRanger’ It is ransomware targeting computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system It encrypts the user's file tables and then demands a BitCoin payment to decrypt them Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) ‘Sorek’ is the largest de-salinization plant of the world producing drinking water from saline sea water. Which of the following statements are correct about it? It is developed by Israel The desalination facility uses seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) Select the correct code 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 To Download the Solution – Click here All the Best  IASbaba

AIR

All India Radio (AIR) : Centre’s Actions Against Shell Companies

Centre’s Actions Against Shell Companies ARCHIVES Search 27th October 2017 here http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. In news: The central government has asked states to complete identification of properties owned by deregistered companies at the earliest and ensure district administrations prevent transactions in those assets. Earlier, the names of around 2.25 lakh companies which have not been carrying out business activities for long have been struck off the official records and a number of directors associated with such firms have been disqualified. What are shell companies? There is no clear definition for it. In the US, however, the Securities Act defines a shell firm as one that has no or nominal operations and assets. The assets must consist mainly of cash and cash equivalents with very little other assets. In other words, a shell company should not have active business operations or assets. But they are used to make financial transactions. Many individuals and corporates abuse shell companies, either to avoid tax or use them as conduit for money laundering The objective of the government of India is to clean corporate culture. India’s corporate culture should be very transparent and clear. The shell companies were creating lot of problem through various channels of money laundering, misuse of funds and transfer of funds to the other companies. Along with it, Sec 164 (2) (a) of the Companies Act, 2013, that pertains to disqualification of directors due to non-filing of financials and annual returns for three years, is applicable to all types of companies, including private ones. India’s growing economy is the fastest moving economy and this is major breakthrough in the economy that the government has motivated the corporate culture that shell companies should not operate in the system. Use of resources The companies should create efficiency and efficacy of our natural resources, of resources from the financial sector and from the factors- land, labour, capital, and entrepreneurship.  If we are not able to use them efficiently then they create inefficiency in the system and the economic cost is huge because of the misuse of these kinds of assets.  These companies are debiting the employment within the economy. Whatever assets they are holding is not put to any kind of productive use. So there is a macroeconomic reason why these shell companies are being investigated. These assets should be used in a productive manner to create employment opportunities as employment is the major problem in the economy. Lot of employment opportunities have to be created because not much employment is generated as compared with many comparable economies. The next step is to rectify the benami properties and how the resources were mis-utilised and how the resources were gapped from the system. There is a need to identify it and make them punishable which is for the benefit of the economy and for the benefit of young generation which is debarred from the employment opportunities. Banking was also suffered as these are inter-related. The needy persons are not able to take credit from the banks because banks are facing huge NPAs due to creation of fictitious assets on paper as well as borrowing of large credits by such shell companies. Cooperation with state government Cooperation of the state government is required in terms of the assets holding especially immovable properties of shell companies. They also register sale and purchase of these properties.  State government help is required firstly to identify their assets where they are located, what is the integrity behind those assets, how the land was allocated and how the provisions were made for them.  These shell companies should not be dissolved without the help of the states and hence the state should come forward as prosperities of the states are the ambitious part of the whole process. They also have to create a lot of employment opportunities for the young public, tackle their fiscal deficit manuals and to allocate for the developmental activities. However, it is not that so easy as afterall the conduct that is been challenged is criminal in nature and the state government have the overseeing authorities for these kind of immovable properties which are either in the name of the beneficiary or the person concerned or the person whoever has registered in his or her name or its name if it’s an entity. In addition, it also creates a nature of economic offence which will involve the state police. So centre has to gain lot of cooperation from states to fulfil the objectives. Previous decision of central government like demonetisation was welcomed by the state government. Many states took decisions to facilitate people in their respective states and make demonetisation a successful attempt. When the GST regime was about to be implemented, the centre and the state worked together to ensure that there is sufficient trained man power to enforce the system. Thus, in the same line, the central government is expecting good support from the state government to clean up corporate system because sometimes the bad element impact all the good companies too. Conclusion Going forward needs lot to be done at the ground level to clean up the system because this is the start-up of the system. Whole system has to be cleaned to give a push to economy and to the businesses. So the recovery of such kind of properties whether in cash or capital sitting ideal or immovable property is also subject to tax evasion and it is also not known whether income is being earned legally or illegally or still subject to tax. Either they will fight against system or they will try to evade the investigating authority. So the government taxation in terms of enforcing aadhar to identify individual through their mobile phone or computer or any kind of electronic device is very important. Government will identify compliant and non-compliant companies and also talk to all the stakeholders. For the present cleanup of the system too, there are lot of agencies with the central government and at the state level also there are good departments. Hence, with the cooperation of the central and state agencies there are no difficulties to resolve all these issues. Connecting the dots: What are shell companies and how to they affect the economy of a nation? Explain in brief.

MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Technology and Corruption

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Technology and Corruption Archives NOTE – Instructions to download Mind Maps/Images Right Click on the image and ‘Open in a new tab’ Remove/Delete the resolution part from the URl. Eg. “-1024×869” and Press Enter/Load Again Afterwards the URL will look something like this – “iasbaba.com/…./…/..-IASbaba.jpg” Right Click and Save As/Download (You’ll get the maximum resolution)

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 19th December 2017

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 19th December 2017 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Making right to health a fundamental right Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health Key pointers: A right to health under which people are entitled to avail health protection services free of cost should be in place on the lines of the right to education, according to a private member bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha. An amendment in the Constitution by introducing a new article 21 B for making right to health a fundamental right has been proposed. The state shall provide a system of health protection to all citizens, including prevention, treatment and control of diseases and access to essential medicines, the bill proposes. It states that all citizens should also have access to basic health services, emergency medical treatment and mental healthcare. The bill seeks to secure the above objectives with the state earmarking not less than 8 per cent of the annual financial statement for healthcare. Central focus: The government expenditure on health is only 1.4 per cent of the GDP. The public health infrastructure is inadequate and unequally distributed. The Draft National Health Policy, 2015, takes note of the fact that over 63 million people are faced with poverty every year due to healthcare costs alone as there is no financial protection for the vast majority of healthcare needs. Background: The right to health is also internationally recognised as a fundamental human right. It is also included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, of which India is a signatory. Private members bills can be introduced by any member of Parliament but have little possibility of getting the parliamentary nod. Article link: Click here Mishap Prevention System in Railways Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Infrastructure Key pointers: The Indian Railways has cleared a Rs 12,000-crore proposal to equip electric locomotives with the latest European train protection system. The system- European Train Control System (ETCS) Level-II will help drivers - or pilots -- to prevent rail mishaps. The ETCS Level-II system will be used on the entire 9,054 km-long Golden Quadrilateral route connecting the four metros to make it a fully accident-free corridor. Currently, the Railways has a basic automatic train protection system based on the ETCS Level-I specification to provide a back-up to loco pilots on a limited stretch. Disadvantage of the ETCS Level-I is overcome in ETCS Level-II, which ensures that the status of the signal ahead is continuously available in the loco through a wireless radio medium using a GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communication-Railways) network. Article link: Click here Very high Out-of-pocket Expenditure on health impoverishing many Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health Key pointers: Out of pocket medical expenses make up about 62% of all healthcare costs in India, as per Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). This is extremely high and leads to impoverishment of patients. In comparison, out of pocket hospital expenses in developed countries such as the U.S. and the U.K. is 20% and in BRICS countries about 20-25%. There is a need to create health insurance products that were simple and intelligible to customers, provided coverage to the aged and infirm and those suffering from chronic ailments, brought down distribution costs, and ensured that there was no profiteering to the detriment of the insured. Article link: Click here India's growth rate projections Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Indian Economy Key pointers: The UN, in its latest report, projected India’s growth rate to be 7.2 per cent in 2018 and 7.4 per cent in 2019. The annual ‘World Economic Situation Prospects’ report, released recentlys, said the GDP growth for India in 2017 is projected to be 6.7 per cent. India can achieve an eight per cent growth rate for the next two decades . 2017 has been a year of major economic reforms in India: There has been deregulation and further liberalisation of the policies regarding foreign direct investment. Demonatisation The policy reforms are positive, it now needs to be implemented effectively. Next series of reforms should be: Promote investment. Improve the living condition of its population. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology. Hidden Indian Scientists Background: Many of the greatest scientists that independent India has produced are little known in their own homeland. Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri in cosmology, G.N. Ramachandran in protein crystal structures, and C.K. Majumdar and Dipan Ghosh who extended the quantum Heisenberg spin model. These are household names in the international scientific field, but are little promoted by the Indian scientific establishment, even neglected in graduate teaching. Issues: India has numerous well-funded institutions designed to produce high-quality scientific research, but many eminent Indian scientists think the resulting research is mostly mediocre. Relatively small amount of world-class research produced emerges despite the national scientific establishment. The resistance to a U.S.-returned scientist at times, ensures that the system remained largely unchanged. The system is run by scientists-turned-bureaucrats, who have absorbed the culture of government. Dependent on political patronage for continued funding, these leaders groom loyalists and yes-men rather than cutting-edge researchers (and women are scarce). This has led to an insider culture, reproducing privileges rather than promoting excellence. India’s scientific institutions are a blind spot in the state’s modernisation project. Owing to a conscious decision at the time of independence, research institutions, which house a numerically small elite, get most of the funding while universities focus mainly on teaching and get very little. Research and teaching are segregated, and both suffer as a result. Experimental science “is very poor in India”. To succeed, experiments require at least two conditions: guarantees of long-term funding and scientists’ collaboration with each other. Funding varies with the political climate: there will be money to buy equipment but no certainty that resources will flow for all the years needed to ensure significant results. And collaboration is lacking among scientists. Bureaucrats no longer active in cutting-edge research regard themselves as capable of judging working scientists, dispensing with principles of peer review. Conclusion: With globalisation, it is easier to notice the growing contrast between the fame diaspora scientists achieve in the West, and the challenges their counterparts face in their own countries. India’s problem is hardly unique. Durable institutions and cultures of innovation are not widespread in the Global South. But India is the most successful of all the nations in the Global South, with a more affluent diaspora than virtually any other country. There is need of a wider discussion about the career of Indian science, acknowledging internationally celebrated scientific accomplishments, and asking why they were ignored for so long. Connecting the dots: Many of the greatest scientists that independent India has produced are little known in their own homeland despite being household names in the international fora. Discuss the reasons behind. With globalisation, it is easier to notice the growing contrast between the fame diaspora scientists achieve in the West, and the challenges their counterparts face in countries like India. Critically analyze. NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 3 Awareness in the fields of IT, computers, Challenges to internal security through communication networks, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention. Linkages of organized crime with terrorism. 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 Making India Cyber secure In news: India is the fifth most vulnerable country in the world in terms of cybersecurity breaches, according to the Internal Security Threat Report of 2017 by Symantec. Till June 2017, 27,482 cybersecurity threats had been reported in the country, according to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team’s report. As this is a 23% increase from 2014 figures, it coincides with rapid growth and innovation in the ICT sector. Rapid growth and innovation in the ICT sector: India is one of the key players in the digital and knowledge-based economy, holding more than a 50% share of the world’s outsourcing market. Pioneering and technology-inspired programmes such as Aadhaar, MyGov, Government e-Market, DigiLocker, Bharat Net, Startup India, Skill India and Smart Cities are propelling India towards technological competence and transformation. India is already the third largest hub for technology-driven startups in the world. India's Information and Communications Technology sector is estimated to reach the $225 billion landmark by 2020. Innovation in technology, enhanced connectivity, and increasing integration in commerce and governance also makes India vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. Ransomware attacks: These have been the most common in the last few years Definition: Ransomware is a type of software that threatens to publish a person’s data or block it unless a ransom is paid. Example- Apart from WannaCry and Petya, other Ransomware attacks that made news globally were Locky, Cerber, Bucbi, SharkRaaS, CryptXXX and SamSam. In India, in May 2017, a data breach at the food delivery App, Zomato, led to personal information of about 17 million users being stolen and put for sale on the Darknet. The company had to negotiate with the hacker in order to get it taken down. Similarly, hackers stole data from 57 million Uber riders and drivers. Uber paid the hackers $100,000 to keep the data breach a secret. The attacks aren’t limited to mobile phones and e-Pads. All devices, including televisions that use Android, are also potentially vulnerable. A number of viruses, malware and cryptoworms are also being developed in the JavaScript, which gives the attackers cross-platform options. Recognizing the issue: The government has announced that it will award a grant worth Rs. 5 crore to startups working on innovations in the field of cybersecurity. The second Global Cybersecurity Index, released by the International Telecommunication Union in July, which measured the commitment of nations to cybersecurity, found that India ranked 23 out of 165 nations. Way forward: India needs to quickly frame an appropriate and updated cybersecurity policy, create adequate infrastructure, and foster closer collaboration between all those involved to ensure a safe cyberspace. There must be enhanced cooperation among nations and a global call to action is required for all United Nations member nations to not attack the core of the Internet even when in a state of war. More than ever before, there is a need for a Geneva-like Convention to agree on some high-level recommendations among nations to keep the Internet safe, open, universal and interoperable. Conclusion: Given the huge number of online users and continued efforts on affordable access, cybersecurity needs to be integrated in every aspect of policy and planning. Connecting the dots: India is the fifth most vulnerable country in the world in terms of cybersecurity breaches. In this light discuss the need of integrating cybersecurity in every aspect of policy and planning and of enhancing cooperation among nations. MUST READ Rebuild the trust Indian Express Aadhaar and Inefficiency Indian Express Food Security: Time to move to cash transfers Livemint Engaging with assertive China Livemint India's jobless growth is a myth Livemint    

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 105]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 105] Archives Q.1) The Kangri is earthenware filled with glowing embers and encased in pretty handmade wicker baskets and is carried as a personal warmer. Kangri making is practiced in which of the following states? Jammu and Kashmir Himachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Sikkim Q.2) Which of the following is correctly matched?                Invasive Species                       Native Papaya Mealy Bug                           Central America Cotton Mealybug                             Papua New Guinea Select the correct code: 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements about Methylglyoxal High levels of methylglyoxal targets proteins and DNA and modify them in such a way that they are non-functional Methylglyoxal is highly toxic in all organisms including humans at higher concentrations Due to increased blood glucose levels, methylglyoxal has higher concentrations in diabetics Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.4) Consider the following statements about ‘Kolleru Lake’ It is the largest brackish water lake in India It spans in two states Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Consider the following statements about Great White Pelican It is listed under Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species India is one of the breeding ground for the species It is listed an ‘vulnerable’ under IUCN List Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above To Download the Solution – Click here All the Best  IASbaba

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