Women in CRPF will soon get specially designed body gear

News Important for: GS- 3 I Security Advancement of paramilitary forces, Internal Security

Context

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will enhance security equipment for women forces.

 

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About  

●       The idea for gender- specific protective gears was first mooted at the National Conference for Women in 2016.

●       The full body protector has been designed by a team of scientists of the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), a unit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

●       The anthropometric data was used to design the gears will ensure protection of vital organs of women.

●       The prototype has been tested and soon we will go for mass production.

●       The gears will be available for other central armed police forces and State police forces also. It will weigh around 6 kg.

Advantages of the protective body gear

●       It will increase the efficiency of women

●       It will ensure better mobility.

●       It has also paved the path for further research and development in the field of women-specific body armours and vests.

 

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/women-in-crpf-will-soon-get-specially-designed-body-gear/article28598240.ece

 

 

Now, Mission Economy

News Important for: GS- 3 I Economic Development         

Context

To make India a $ 5trillion economy requires a change of course actions and focus on priority areas.

 

 

An ambitious target

●       Government has a target to achieve $5 trillion economy by 2024 from current $2.8 trillion economy.

●       This requires a shift of policies and wide range of course of actions.

Identifying the critical edges

To achieve the ambitious goal India needs to identify 3 critical things:

●       Tax system

●       Regulatory laws

●       Attitude towards private sector

 

Glitches with tax system of India

●       Anti industry tax regime which discourage foreign investors to set up industry in India

●       The single minded focus of tax authorities of achieving their revenue targets rather than holistic development policy for the nation.

●       Extensive litigation due to irrelevant tax demands.

●       It is a matter of serious concern that India, with less than 2 percent of global trade, has more transfer-pricing disputes than any other country.

Glitches with regulatory laws of India

●       Multiple laws and permits to set up industry particularly at state level.

●       The land acquisition laws now require at least 48 months to set up a large project.

●       For example: Sugar industry is declining due to populist policies of government.

●       Greater state regulated raw material price as compared to market driven selling price of the final product.

●       Erroneous attitude towards private sector:

●       Treatment of private sector as a necessary evil than an affirmative good.

Global example to follow

●       China, whose GDP equalled India’s a few decades ago, is now a $13 trillion economy with almost the same population.

●       It has become the largest manufacturing centre only because of private enterprise.

●       Also China’s garment exports in 2017 were $110 billion, while India’s exports were just $17 billion.

What does India need to do?

●       Actively encourage private investment to make India the second-largest manufacturing nation.

●       Change old and archaic regulatory laws to facilitate FDI in the country.

●       Facilitating industry and particularly large scale industries for establishments in India.

●       Change in the taxation system of the country which encourage foreign investors.

●       The tax and regulatory laws must function in unison and must be designed to become growth oriented.

Conclusion

●       To achieve the ambitious goal of first lunar mission in the year 1969 NASA changes its course of actions and worked to make impossible a possibility in that era. India needs a similar approach to achieve its ambitious target by 2024 embedded with true political and administrative spirit.

Source link:

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/india-20-trillion-economy-gdp-growth-now-mission-economy-china-5838566/

 

 

 

RTI Bill introduced amid Opposition flak           

News Important for: GS- 3 I Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections of the population.

Context

An amendment to the Right to Information bill was recently introduced in the lower house.

Analysis

●       The amendment is regarding giving the Union government the power to set the service conditions and salaries of Information Commissioners.

●       The new bill seeks to change the status of Information Commissioners who have the same status of that of Election commissioners.

●       Article 13(5) of the act provides the same status of chief information commissioner as that of chief election commissioner and information commissioner as that of election commissioner.

 

Reasons for the amendment:

●       Election commission and Information commission have totally different.

●       Election commission is a constitutional body and Central Information Commission and state information commission is a statutory body under RTI act 2005.

 

Objectives of the amendment:

●       To institutionalised and streamline of the RTI Act.

●       To strengthen the overall RTI structure, corrected anomalies and strengthen it to enable legislation for administration purposes.

RTI ACT 2005   ●       Right to Information Act 2005 mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information. ●       It is an initiative taken by the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to provide a RTI Portal Gateway to the citizens for quick search of information on the details of first Appellate Authorities,PIOs etc. ●       Amongst others, besides access to RTI related information / disclosures published on the web by various Public Authorities under the government of India as well as the State Governments. ●       Public authorities defined under this law are required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days of the request. ●       The law also mandates every public authority to computerise their records for wide dissemination and proactively certain categories of information so that citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally.

 

Exemptions from RTI act

●       Information that can prejudicially impact internal security, relations with foreign countries, intellectual property rights, breach of parliamentary privilege and impedes investigations cannot be shared with public under RTI.

●       Cabinet papers are exempted from RTI until decision has been implemented.

●       However, discussions within Cabinet are never disclosed under RTI.

●       Non-Resident Indians (NRI) cannot file Right to Information (RTI) applications to seek governance-related information from Central government departments.

●       Only citizens of India have the right to seek information under the provisions of RTI Act, 2005 and NRIs are not eligible to file RTI applications.

Objective of the Right to Information Act

●       The basic object of the Right to Information Act is to empower the citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the workings of the Government, contain corruption, and make our democracy work for the people in real sense.

Central Information commission

●       CIC was established in 2005 by Central Government under the provisions of Right to Information (RTI) Act (2005).

●       The Chief Information Commissioner heads the Central Information Commission.

●       The general superintendence, direction and management of the affairs of Commission are vested in the Chief Information Commissioner who is assisted by Information Commissioners.

●       CIC hears appeals from information-seekers who have not been satisfied by the public authority, and also addresses major issues concerning the RTI Act.

●       CIC submits annual report to Union government on the implementation of the provisions of RTI Act.

●       The central government in turn places this report before each house of Parliament.

●       The Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of—

●       The Prime Minister, who shall be the Chairperson of the committee.

●       The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

●       A Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister.

 

Source link:

 https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rti-bill-introduced-amid-opposition-flak/article28599176.ece

 

 

Lok Sabha clears Bill on NHRC constitution

News Important for: GS- 2 I Welfare Schemes

Context

The lok sabha passed the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019 by voice vote.

Analysis

●       The bill details the process of appointment of chairpersons and members of National HUman Rights Commission.

●       It also provides to include the chairpersons of the National Commission for Backward Classes, the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities as members of the NHRC.

 

Objectives of the bill:

●       The bill aims to bring transparency and objectivity in the appointment of chairpersons of NHRC.

●       It aims to provide equal representation to every section of the society.

National Human Rights Commission

●       The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India was established on 12 October, 1993.

●       The statute under which it is established is the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993 as amended by the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006.

●       It is in conformity with the Paris Principles, adopted at the first international workshop on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights held in Paris in 1991, and endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations 1993.

●       The NHRC is an embodiment of India’s concern for the promotion and protection of human rights.

●       Section 2(1)(d) of the PHRA defines Human Rights as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India.

Source link:

 https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/lok-sabha-clears-protection-of-human-rights-bill/article28597660.ece

 

 

Bills to help transgender, depositors introduced

News Important for: GS- 2 I Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections

Context

The transgender protection of rights bill, 2019 and Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2019, were reintroduced in lok sabha.

The transgender protection of rights bill, 2019

●       It provides a mechanism to empower the transgender community socially and economically, along with their educational advancement.

●       The Transgender Persons Bill gives a person the right to choose to be identified as a man, woman or transgender, irrespective of sex reassignment surgery and hormonal therapy.

●       It provides for a person to go through a district screening committee and the district magistrate to get certified as a transgender.

●       A contentious provision that criminalised begging by transgenders has been dropped.

●       The Transgender Bill had been introduced in the 16th Lok Sabha but had lapsed.

The Transgender Person Protection of Rights Bill, 2016

●       The Bill defines a transgender person as one who is partly female or male or a combination of female and male or neither female nor male.

●       In addition, the person’s gender must not match the gender assigned at birth, and includes trans-men, trans-women, persons with intersex variations and gender-queers.

●       A transgender person must obtain a certificate of identity as proof of recognition of identity as a transgender person and to invoke rights under the Bill.

●       Such a certificate would be granted by the District Magistrate on the recommendation of a Screening Committee.

●       The Committee would comprise a medical officer, a psychologist or psychiatrist, a district welfare officer, a government official, and a transgender person.

●       The Bill prohibits discrimination against a transgender person in areas such as education, employment, and healthcare. It directs the central and state governments to provide welfare schemes in these areas.

●       Offences like compelling a transgender person to beg, denial of access to a public place, physical and sexual abuse, etc. would attract up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine.

Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2019

●       Substantive banning clause which bans Deposit Takers from promoting, operating, issuing advertisements or accepting deposits in any Unregulated Deposit Scheme.

●       The Bill bans unregulated deposit taking activities altogether, by making them an offence ex-ante rather than the existing legislative-cum-regulatory framework which only comes into effect ex-post with considerable time lags.

●       Creation of three different types of offences, namely, running of Unregulated Deposit Schemes, fraudulent default in Regulated Deposit Schemes, and wrongful inducement in relation to Unregulated Deposit Schemes.

●       Severe punishment and heavy pecuniary fines to act as a deterrent.

●       Provisions for disgorgement or repayment of deposits in cases where such schemes nonetheless manage to raise deposits illegally.

●       Attachment of properties / assets by the Competent Authority, and subsequent realization of assets for repayment to depositors.

●       Clear-cut timelines have been provided for attachment of property and restitution to depositors.

●       Creation of an online central database, for collection and sharing of information on deposit-taking activities in the country.

Source link:

 https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bills-to-help-transgenders-depositors-introduced/article28598300.ece