[Mission 2022] INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB SUMMARY 08 APRIL 2022

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: Important Government Policies.

Context:

The bill was recently passed in Lok Sabha.

• The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, passed in 2005, only banned the manufacturing of weapons of mass destruction.
• The amendment bill is aimed at widening its ambit.

Need for the Amendment:

• To focus on the financial bit of activities supporting WMDs. There was an urgent need to have provision to ban financing for Weapons of Mass Destruction. The existing legislation was silent on this aspect.
• To provide more teeth to government to act against terror funding. The present bill empowers theGovernment to freeze, seize or attach funds or other financial assets or economic resources for preventing such financing.

Highlights of the Bill:

• Prohibition on financing certain activities: The Bill bars persons from financing any prohibited activity related to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
• It gives more powers to the Central Government: To prevent persons from financing such activities, the central government may freeze, seize or attach their funds, financial assets, or economic resources.
• It may also prohibit persons from making finances or related services available for the benefit of other persons in relation to any activity which is prohibited.

What are weapons of mass destruction?

These are weapons with the capacity to inflict death and destruction on such a massive scale and so indiscriminately that its very presence in the hands of a hostile power can be considered a grievous threat.

• India’s 2005 WMD Act defines Weapons of mass destruction as biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons.
• In the USA, WMD includes a nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological, or other device that is intended to harm a large number of people.

India’s position on international Regime concerning WMDs:

India has signed and ratified both the:

1. Biological Weapons Convention, 1972.
2. Chemical Weapons Convention, 1992.

However, it has not signed the treaties regulating the use and proliferation of nuclear weapons (which includes NPT and CTBT).

Insta Curious:

Did you know about the Geneva Protocol, 1925? It banned the use of chemical and biological weapons.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. United Nations Security Council.
2. Financial Action Task Force.
3. Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty of 1968.
4. Biological Weapons Convention of 1972.
5. Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993.
6. What are weapons of mass destruction.

Mains Link:

Discuss about the significance of the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022.

Sources: the Hindu.

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: Government Policies and associated issues.

Context:

The Supreme Court has found in the Dam Safety Act of 2021 a panacea to end the “perennial” legal battle between Tamil Nadu and Kerala over the Mullaperiyar dam.

What’s the issue?

• Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been trading charges against each other over the safety, operation and maintenance of the Mullaperiyar dam.
• While Kerala claims the 126-year-old dam is unsafe, badly maintained and a threat to thousands of people living downstream, Tamil Nadu denies it.
• Kerala is pitching for a new dam in place of the existing one, while Tamil Nadu, which operates and maintains the reservoir, argues that the dam is well-preserved and so strong that the height water level could even be increased to 152 feet.

Linkages between Dam Safety Act and the Mullaperiyar dam:

• As per the Act, the NDSA will perform the role of the State Dam Safety Organisation for a dam located in one State and used by another. Hence, the Mullaperiyar dam comes under the purview of the NDSA.
• Experts believe that there is every possibility of the Union government will indicate in the court that the NDSA can subsume the functions of the supervisory committee.

Know more about the Mullaperiyar Issue here.

Highlights of Dam Safety Act:

• It provides for proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all specified dams in the country to ensure their safe functioning.
• It provides for the constitution of a National Committee on Dam Safety which shall evolve dam safety policies and recommend necessary regulations as may be required for the purpose.
• It provides for the establishment of the National Dam Safety Authority as a regulatory body which shall discharge functions to implement the policy, guidelines and standards for dam safety in the country.
• It provides for the constitution of a State Committee on Dam Safety by the State Government.

Significance:

• It will help all the States and Union Territories of India to adopt uniform dam safety procedures which shall ensure safety of dams and safeguard benefits from such dams. This shall also help in safeguarding human life, livestock and property.
• It addresses all issues concerning dam safety including regular inspection of dams, Emergency Action Plan, comprehensive dam safety review, adequate repair and maintenance funds for dam safety, Instrumentation and Safety Manuals.
• It lays the onus of dam safety on the dam owner and provides for penal provisions for commission and omission of certain acts.

Need for:

• Over the last fifty years, India has invested substantially in dams and related infrastructures, and ranks third after the USA and China in the number of large dams. 5254 large dams are in operation in the country currently and another 447 are under construction.
• In addition to this, there are thousands of medium and small dams.
• While dams have played a key role in fostering rapid and sustained agricultural growth and development in India, there has been a long felt need for a uniform law and administrative structure for ensuring dam safety.
• The Central Water Commission, through the National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS), Central Dam Safety Organization (CDSO) and State Dam Safety Organizations (SDSO) has been making constant endeavours in this direction, but these organizations do not have any statutory powers and are only advisory in nature.
• This can be a matter of concern, especially since about 75 percent of the large dams in India are more than 25 years old and about 164 dams are more than 100 years old.
• A badly maintained, unsafe dam can be a hazard to human life, flora and fauna, public and private assets and the environment.
• India has had 42 dam failures in the past.

Concerns raised:

• The Act is too focused on structural safety and not on operational safety.
• There is inadequate compensation to the people affected by dams.
• There is a need for an independent regulator as well as for a precise definition of stakeholders.
• Many states say it encroaches upon the sovereignty of States to manage their dams, and violates the principles of federalism enshrined in the Constitution.
• They see it as an attempt by the Centre to consolidate power in the guise of safety concerns.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. Dam Safety Act.
2. Dam Safety Authority.
3. Highlights of Dam Safety.
4. Dam Safety in India.
5. DRIP Project.

Sources: the Hindu.

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: Schemes for the welfare of vulnerable sections.

Context:

On 5th April 2016, The Stand-up India scheme was launched by the Indian government. On 5th April 2022, it completed six years.

Accomplishments of this scheme:

1. Under this scheme over 1.33 lakh new job-creators and entrepreneurs have been facilitated.
2. Over 1 lakh women entrepreneurs have benefited under this scheme in the last six years.
3. Under this scheme, Rs. 30,160 crores have been sanctioned by the government to a total of 1,33,995 accounts up to 21st March 2022.
4. Out of the total sanctioned accounts, 6,435 accounts belonged to ST borrowers with Rs 1373.71 crore sanctioned and 19,310 accounts belonged to SC borrowers with Rs 3976.84 crore sanctioned.
5. To 1,08,250 women entrepreneurs who held accounts, Rs. 24809.89 crore has been sanctioned.

About the ‘Stand Up India Scheme’:

• Launched in 2016.
• It seeks to promote entrepreneurship at the grass-root level of economic empowerment and job creation.
• Aim: To leverage the institutional credit structure to reach out to the underserved sector of people such as SCs, STs and Women Entrepreneurs.
• The offices of SIDBI and NABARD shall be designated Stand-Up Connect Centres (SUCC).
• Loans under the scheme are available for only Greenfield projects.

The objective of the scheme is:

To facilitate loans from Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) of value between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore to at least one SC or ST borrower and one woman borrower per bank branch for setting up green field enterprises in manufacturing, service or trading sector.

Eligibility:

• SC/ST and/or women entrepreneurs; above 18 years of age.
• Loans under the scheme are available for only Greenfield projects.
• BoBorrower should not be in default to any bank or financial institution.
• In case of non-individual enterprises, at least 51% of the shareholding and controlling stake should be held by either an SC/ST or Woman entrepreneur.

Insta Curious:

Do you know about Startup India Seed Fund Scheme? Reference

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. Key features of the scheme.
2. Eligibility.
3. Benefits.

Mains Link:

Discuss the significance of the scheme.

Sources: the Hindu

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.

Context:

Chief Justice of India N V Ramana has assured petitioners that the Supreme Court will take up for hearing a pending plea challenging the Electoral Bond Scheme, 2018.

What’s the issue?

Two NGOs — Common Cause and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) — have challenged the scheme, alleging that it is “distorting democracy”. The CJI has not specified any date for the hearing.

What are electoral bonds?

• Electoral Bond is a financial instrument for making donations to political parties.
• The bonds are issued in multiples of Rs. 1,000, Rs. 10,000, Rs. 1 lakh, Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 1 crore without any maximum limit.
• State Bank of India is authorised to issue and encash these bonds, which are valid for fifteen days from the date of issuance.
• These bonds are redeemable in the designated account of a registered political party.
• The bonds are available for purchase by any person (who is a citizen of India or incorporated or established in India) for a period of ten days each in the months of January, April, July and October as may be specified by the Central Government.
• A person being an individual can buy bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals.
• Donor’s name is not mentioned on the bond.

Issues associated with the scheme:

The Electoral Bond Scheme acts as a check against traditional under-the-table donations as it insists on cheque and digital paper trails of transactions, however, several key provisions of the scheme make it highly controversial.

Anonymity: Neither the donor (who could be an individual or a corporate) nor the political party is obligated to reveal whom the donation comes from.

Asymmetrically Opaque: Because the bonds are purchased through the State Bank of India (SBI), the government is always in a position to know who the donor is.

Channel of Blackmoney: Elimination of a cap of 7.5% on corporate donations, elimination of requirement to reveal political contributions in profit and loss statements.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. What are electoral bonds?
2. Eligibility.
3. Denomination.
4. Features.
5. Who can issue these bonds?

Mains Link:

Critically examine the effectiveness of electoral bonds in ensuring transparent political funding and suggest alternatives?

Sources: the Hindu.

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: India and neighbourhood relations.

Context:

The Union government has extended the scheme to provide ₹40 crore grants-in-aid to the Dalai Lama’s Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC) for another five years, up to fiscal year 2025-26.

Highlights of the Scheme:

• Launched in 2015.
• It is a scheme of providing grant-in-aid of ₹40 crore to CTRC to meet the administrative and social welfare activities expenses of 36 Tibetan settlement offices in different States.

Tibetans in India:

More than one lakh Tibetan refugees are settled in India.

• Major concentration of the Tibetan refugees is in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir.
• Tibetan refugees began pouring into India in the wake of the flight of the Dalai Lama from Tibet in 1959.
• The government decided to give them asylum as well as assistance towards temporary settlement.

Tibetans abroad:

Over 1 lakh Tibetans are settled across India, while the remaining are settled in United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Mexico, Mongolia, Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland and various other countries.

Do you know about the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE)?

The Speaker and a Deputy Speaker head the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile.

The 16th TPiE had 45 members:

1. 10 representatives from each of the traditional provinces of Tibetan – U-Tsang, Dhotoe and Dhomey;
2. Two from each of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and the pre-Buddhist Bon religion;
3. Two representing each of the Tibetan Communities in North America and Europe.
4. One from Australasia and Asia (excluding India, Nepal and Bhutan).

What does the Tibetan Constitution say?

The Central Tibetan Administration exists and functions on the basis of the Constitution of the Tibetan government called ‘The Charter of the Tibetans in Exile’.

• In 1991, The Constitution Redrafting Committee instituted by the Dalai Lama prepared the Charter for Tibetans in exile.
• The Dalai Lama approved it on June 28, 1991.

Who can vote?

Only Tibetans living outside the subcontinent will elect their MPs based on their current geographic location. Besides MPs, voters will make their choice of the President as well.

Election Procedure:

The voting will be held in two rounds.

1. In the preliminary round, there will be no official candidates, i.e. a voter can choose any person of his choice, which is expected to be one of the several candidates who have started campaigning among the electorate.
2. Unless a person secures 60 percent of the vote, the two top contenders of the first round will become the official candidates for the second round to be held in April 11.

What is Kashag?

The Kashag (Cabinet) is Central Tibetan Administration’s highest executive office and comprise seven members.

It is headed by the Sikyong (political leader) who is directly elected by the exiled Tibetan population.

• Sikyong subsequently nominates his seven Kalons (ministers) and seeks the parliament’s approval.
• The Kashag’s term is for five years.

Is TPiE officially recognised by any country?

Not exactly, it is not recognised officially by any country, including India.

• But, a number of countries including the United States of America and European nations deal directly with the Sikyong and other Tibetan leaders through various forums.
• The TPiE claims its democratically-elected character helps it manage Tibetan affairs and raise the Tibetan issue across the world.
• The incumbent Sikyong, Lobsang Sangay, was among the guests who attended the oath-taking ceremony of prime minister Narendra Modi in May 2014, probably a first.

Sources: the Hindu.

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.

Context:

The United Nations General Assembly suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council during a meeting recently.

• Ninety-four members voted in favour while 24 voted against, and 58 abstained.
• India also abstained in the UNGA vote moved by the United States to suspend Russia over allegations that the country’s soldiers tortured and killed civilians while retreating from Ukrainian towns.

India’s position on Ukraine:

India’s position adds to a string of abstentions at the United Nations and multilateral groups since the start of Russian military operations in Ukraine on February 24, even as the continuing Russian military advances in Ukraine have seen more and more countries vote for resolutions that criticise Moscow.

About UNHRC:

UNHRC was reconstituted from its predecessor organisation, the UN Commission on Human Rights to help overcome the “credibility deficit” of the previous organisation.

• Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Composition:

• The UNHRC has 47 members serving at any time with elections held to fill up seats every year, based on allocations to regions across the world to ensure geographical representation.
• Each elected member serves for a term of three years.
• Countries are disallowed from occupying a seat for more than two consecutive terms.

Functions:

• The UNHRC passes non-binding resolutions on human rights issues through a periodic review of all 193 UN member states called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
• It oversees expert investigation of violations in specific countries (Special Procedures).

Challenges and Need for reforms:

• The human rights record of the member-states such as Saudi Arabia, China and Russia in the council has also not been in line with the aims and mission of the UNHRC, which has led to critics questioning its relevance.
• Despite the continued participation of several western countries in the UNHRC, they continue to harbour misgivings on the understanding of Human rights.
• Non-compliance has been a serious issue with respect to the UNHRC’s functioning.

What’s the concern now?

The Indian decision to abstain from the voting was not siding with anyone; it was in its own national interest, say few.

• However, these decisions have been condoned by most Indian commentators as an attempt to make the best of a bad hand.
• As our largest arms supplier, Russia has been a dependable ally, they say; it has shielded India at the UN over Kashmir, not to mention Bangladesh, back in 1971.
• Moreover, to vote against Russia will push it further into China’s arms, multiplying that country’s security threat to India.

Why should India rethink its policy on Russia?

The above arguments have been out of date since the end of the Cold War three decades ago, and Vladimir Putin’s rise 20 years ago.

• More dangerously still, they reveal a fatalism towards India’s own national security interests that will only damage us further as time goes by.

Yes, Russia is our largest arms provider and our supplies will be hit if we vote against it. But no, Russia is not a reliable arms provider; it has not been one since Putin came to power.

• Arms supplies are frequently long-delayed, and Putin had used the delays to up the prices, sometimes even double them. By contrast, the French deliveries of the Rafael jets have been comparatively speedy.

• Far from helping us, Putin has turned a blind eye to China’s many acts of aggression against India.
• It was Russia that kept us out of Afghan peace negotiations in the very recent past.
• Russia did little to help us when China raised Kashmir at the UNSC in 2019 and 2020. It was the US and European countries that helped then – going against their own human rights principles.

Insta Curious:

Do you know about the United Nations Trusteeship Council? Reference: read this.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About UNHRC.
2. Composition.
3. Functions.
4. What is Universal Periodic Review?
5. Headquarters of UNHRC.
6. Countries which have recently left UNHRC.

Mains Link:

Discuss the significance of UNHRC.

Sources: the Hindu.