The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019

• The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Home Affairs on July, 2019.
• The Bill amends the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. 
• The Act provides special procedures to deal with terrorist activities, among other things.

Organisation can be designated as Terrorist organisation if it:

• Commits or participates in acts of terrorism.
• Prepares for terrorism.
• Promotes terrorism.
• Otherwise involved in terrorism. 

The Bill additionally empowers the government to designate individuals as terrorists on the same grounds. 

Provisions for Seizure of properties:

• An investigating officer is required to obtain the prior approval of the Director General of Police to seize properties that may be connected with terrorism. 
• If the investigation is conducted by an officer of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the approval of the Director General of NIA would be required for seizure of such property. 

Investigation Authorities:

• Investigation of cases may be conducted by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above. 
• It additionally empowers the officers of the NIA, of the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate cases.

Complete and Comprehensive law:

• It include acts committed within the scope of any of the treaties listed in a schedule to the Act.  Which includes the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings (1997), and the Convention against Taking of Hostages (1979) etc.
• The International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005) is newly added by this act.

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/uapa-bill-gets-rajya-sabha-nod/article28803042.ece

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Eminent academic institution in India

News Important for: GS Paper – 3 I Education

Context

The University Grants Commission recommended for the grant of Institutions of Eminence status.

 

Institutions of Eminence scheme (IOE) :

The IoE scheme is aimed at developing 20 world-class institutions (10 Public Institutes and 10 Private Institutes ), which would put India on the global education map. Those selected will be given greater autonomy and freedom to decide fees, course durations and governance structures. The public institutions will also receive a government grant of ₹1,000 crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme

•  Institutions of Eminence scheme have been launched in order to implement the commitment of the  Government to empower the Higher Educational Institutions and to help them become world class teaching and research institutions.

•  It will enhance affordable access to high quality education for ordinary Indians.

• Ten public and ten private institutions are to be identified to emerge as world-class Teaching and Research Institutions.

Objective of the Institutions of Eminence scheme:

• To provide for higher education leading to excellence and innovations in such branches of knowledge as may be deemed fit at post-graduate, graduate and research degree levels and award degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions.

• To engage in areas of specialization to make distinctive contributions to the objectives of the university education system wherein the academic engagement to developing the capacity of the students and the researchers to compete in the global tertiary education marketplace through the acquisition and creation of advanced knowledge in those areas.

• To provide for high quality teaching and research and for the advancement of knowledge and its dissemination through various research programmes.

• To pay special attention to teaching and research in unique and emerging areas of knowledge, including interdisciplinary areas.

• To aim to be rated internationally for its teaching and research as a top hundred Institution in the world over time.

Institutions recommended ‘Institute of eminence' (IOE) status includes:

• IIT Madras
• IIT Kharagpur
• Delhi University
• University of Hyderabad
• Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
• VIT
• ·        Jamia Hamdard,
• ·        Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology,
• ·        OP Jindal Global University
• ·        Shiv Nadar University and others.

Greenfield institution

• The Satya Bharti Foundation, telecom major Airtel’s philanthropic arm has became the second greenfield institution to be given IoE status, after Jio Institute which is backed by the Reliance Foundation. 

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/du-among-institutions-named-for-eminence-tag/article28803334.ece

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Centre confirms augmenting of forces

News Important for: GS Paper – 3 I Security challenges and their management

Context

The Union Home Ministry will deploy additional paramilitary personnel in Jammu and Kashmir.

 

 

About  

• The personnel will be posted for Amaranth Yatra and will continue to be deployed in the Valley.
• At present around 25,000 additional central armed police forces are being inducted in the Kashmir Valley.
• This is the first time in two decades that the ‘yatra’ is being curtailed for security reasons.
• According to the Home Ministry, the deployment of 10,000 Central forces last week apparently led to speculation about the dispatch of additional security forces to the Valley.

Why the deployment of additional paramilitary personnel

• Based on assessment of the internal situation, training requirements, the need for paramilitary troops to be rotated for rest and recuperation, induction and de-induction of Central forces is a continuous and dynamic process.
• There has been considerable concern in the Valley about the additional deployment of Central forces as the Union government is publicly committed to annulling Article 35-A and Article 370 of the Constitution.
• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation advised airlines on Friday to remain ready to operate additional flights from Srinagar.

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/not-a-practice-to-discuss-troop-deployments-in-public-says-home-ministry/article28792174.ece

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