Daily Current Affairs : 11-Dec-2019
Major Topics Covered :
CURTAIN RAISER – INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR CUM EXHIBITION ON NAVAL WEAPON SYSTEMS – NAVARMS-19
THE CITIZENSHIP (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2019
MHA LISTS MEASURES TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT TO PREVENT CRIME AGAINST WOMEN
SC RAPS GOVT OVER DELAY IN JUDGES APPOINTMENT
NSE LAUNCHES INTEREST RATE OPTION ON GOVT BONDS
BRINGING ILP FOR MANIPUR, 3 NE STATES WILL BE OUT OF CAB
GANDHI ENCYCLOPEDIA
COMPULSORY CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURES BY CDPQ
LANDMARK ‘THE RECYCLING OF SHIPS BILL, 2019’ PASSED IN PARLIAMENT TODAY
CURTAIN RAISER – INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR CUM EXHIBITION ON NAVAL WEAPON SYSTEMS – NAVARMS-19
Part of GS-3 Defence And Security
Why in news?
The fourth edition of International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems ‘NAVARMS-19’ with the theme “Make in India - Fight Category: Opportunities and Imperatives” is scheduled at Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, Development Enclave, New Delhi on 12-13 Dec 19.
Highlights:
The two day event spread over five plenary sessions will provide opportunity for exchange of ideas, create awareness and identify emerging prospects for Indian/International defence industry in domain of Naval Weapon Systems.
NAVARMS is the only international seminar and exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems conducted in the country to invite all the stakeholders in life cycle management of Naval Weapons and provide a common platform to share their views and concerns.
The past three editions of NAVARMS organised in 2007, 2010 and 2013 have aroused much enthusiasm and active participation by the Industry, Ministry of Defence, DRDO and the users.
India’s quintessential maritime character and vital geo-strategic location are twin factors that have defined her growth as a nation and evolution as a civilisation. The Indian Navy today remains the principal manifestation of India’s maritime power and plays a central role in safeguarding and prompting her security and national interests in the maritime domain.
The Navy’s roles and responsibilities have also expanded significantly over the years in response to changing geo-economic and geo-strategic circumstances.
These initiatives are aimed at providing Indian Industries with opportunities in the domestic as well as global arena to enter into strategic partnerships with the foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and DRDO to harness avenues in technology intensive ‘Fight’ category.
The first session of ‘NAVARMS-19’ will set the stage for two day seminar with Indian Navy speakers bringing out ‘Opportunities for Industry in Naval Weapon Systems - 2030’ in all the three dimensions viz. surface, air & underwater.
The second session on ‘Needs and Concerns of the User and Industry’ would provide a platform to the users and the industry to bring out their respective needs and concerns with prevailing policies/issues as well as envisioned environment and seek views from all the stakeholders to bridge the gap between expectations of the user and capabilities of the industry.
The third session focuses on ‘Naval Weapon Systems - Modern Trends and Technology in Upgrade & Upkeep’. The fourth session is an interactive session of Panel Discussion on ‘Govt Policy Imperatives to Encourage Indigenisation’.
The last session on ‘Building of Indigenous Capability through Collaborative Approach between Industry, R&D organisations and IN’will provide a platform for industry, DRDO and the user to highlight the capability gaps existing in the system and way ahead to bridge them using modern technology, infrastructure augmentation, increased investment in R&D etc through collaborative approach.
To enable companies to gain maximum benefit from this platform, a parallel technology display in the form of Exhibition for two days is also being organized to demonstrate Industry’s capabilities to the key users.
Source: PIB
THE CITIZENSHIP (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2019
Part of GS-2 Polity and Governance
Why in news?
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, that seeks to give Indian nationality to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan passed the lower House test on 9th December, 2019.
Highlights: Illegal migrants
The Citizenship Act, 1955 prohibits illegal migrants from acquiring Indian citizenship. The Bill amends the Act to provide that the following minority groups will not be treated as illegal migrants:
Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, to get this benefit, they must have also been exempted from the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 by the central government.
Consequences of acquiring citizenship:
The Bill says that on acquiring citizenship:
(i) such persons shall be deemed to be citizens of India from the date of their entry into India, and
(ii) all legal proceedings against them in respect of their illegal migration or citizenship will be closed.
Exception:
Further, the Bill adds that the provisions on citizenship for illegal migrants will not apply to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, or Tripura, as included in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution.
These tribal areas include KarbiAnglong (in Assam), Garo Hills (in Meghalaya),
Chakma District (in Mizoram), and Tripura Tribal Areas District.
It will also not apply to the areas under the Inner Line” under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873. The Inner Line Permit regulates visit of Indians to Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland.
Citizenship by naturalization
The 1955 Act allows a person to apply for citizenship by naturalisation if he meets certain qualifications. One of these is that the person must have resided in India or served the central government for a certain period of time:
(i) for the 12 months immediately preceding the application for citizenship, and
(ii) for 11 of the 14 years preceding the 12-month period. For people belonging to the same six religions and three countries, the Bill relaxes the 11-year requirement to five years.
Cancellation of registration of Overseas Citizen of India cardholder
The 1955 Act provides that the central government may cancel registration of OCIs on certain grounds, Including:
if the OCI had registered through fraud, or
if within five years of registration, the OCI was sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more.
The Bill adds one more ground for cancelling registration, that is, if the OCI has violated any law in the country.
Source: PRS
MHA LISTS MEASURES TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT TO PREVENT CRIME AGAINST WOMEN
Part of GS-1 Social Issues
Why in news?
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said that women safety is a high priority for the government and several initiatives have been taken for the safety of women across the country.
In a written reply to a question regarding crime against women, the Minister listed various initiatives taken by the government for women's safety across the country.
Highlights:
"The Criminal Law (Amendment), Act 2013 was enacted for effective deterrence against sexual offenses. Further, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 was enacted to prescribe even more stringent penal provisions including the death penalty for rape of a girl below the age of 12 years. The Act also inter-alia mandates completion of investigation and trials within 2 months each," the minister said in his reply in Lok Sabha.
Speaking about another initiative,: "Emergency Response Support System' provides a pan-India, single, internationally recognized number (112) based system for all emergencies, with the computer-aided dispatch of field resources to the location of distress."
He also added that 'Safe City Projects' have been sanctioned in the first Phase in 8 cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Mumbai.
"The Ministry of Home Affairs has launched a cyber-crime portal on 20th September 2018 for citizens to report obscene content. It has launched the 'National Database on Sexual Offenders' (NDSO) on 20th September 2018 to facilitate investigation and tracking of sexual offenders across the country by law enforcement agencies," it further read.
He also stated that an online analytic tool for police called 'Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences' to monitor and track time-bound investigation in sexual assault cases in accordance with the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2018 was launched on February 19 this year to facilitate states/Union Territories.
One Stop Centre (OSC) scheme is being implemented across the country since April 1, 2015, which is exclusively designed to provide integrated services such as medical aid, police assistance, legal counselling/court case management, psycho-social counselling and temporary shelter to women affected by violence under one roof.
Source: Business Standard
SC RAPS GOVT OVER DELAY IN JUDGES APPOINTMENT
Part of GS-2 Polity and governance
Why in news?
The Supreme Court took serious note of the government sitting over names reiterated by the CJI-led collegium for appointment as high court judges and also asked the Centre to look into delays in considering the appointment of 100-odd names recommended by the collegium.
Highlights:
The Supreme Court said in a judicial order that 213 names recommended for appointment to various High Courts are pending with the government/Supreme Court Collegium.
It said that at least the names on which the Supreme Court Collegium, the High Courts and the governments had agreed upon should be appointed within six months.
The number of judges appointed to the High Courts has steadily dipped since 2017. Only 65 judges have been appointed to High Courts in 2019.
The High Courts are functioning at nearly 50% of their sanctioned judicial strength. Of a total 1,079 judges sanctioned in the High Courts, there are 410 vacancies.
IN DETAIL-
High Court:
The Constitution of India provides for a high court for each state, but the Seventh Amendment Act of 1956 authorised the Parliament to establish a common high court for two or more states or for two or more states and a union territory.
At present, there are 24 high courts in the country. Out of them, four are common high courts. Delhi is the only union territory that has a high court of its own (since 1966).
ORGANISATION OF HIGH COURT
Every high court (whether exclusive or common) consists of a chief justice and such other judges as the president may from time to time deem necessary to appoint.
Appointment of Judges
The judges of a high court are appointed by thePresident.
The chief justice is appointed by the President after consultationwith the chief justice of India and the governor of the state concerned.
Forappointment of other judges, the chief justice of the concerned high court isalso consulted.
In case of a common high court for two or more states, thegovernors of all the states concerned are consulted by the president.
In the Second Judges case (1993), the Supreme Court ruled that noappointment of a judge of the high court can be made, unless it is inconformity with the opinion of the chief justice of India.
In the Third Judgescase (1998), the Supreme Court opined that in case of the appointment ofhigh court judges, the chief justice of India should consult a collegium of twosenior-most judges of the Supreme Court. Thus, the sole opinion of the chiefjustice of India alone does not constitute the ‘consultation’ process.
The 99th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2014 and the National JudicialAppointments Commission Act of 2014 have replaced the Collegium System of appointing judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts with a new body called the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC).
However, in 2015, the Supreme Court has declared both the 99th Constitutional Amendment as well as the NJAC Act as unconstitutional and void. Consequently, the earlier collegium system became operative again.
This verdict was delivered by the Supreme Court in the Fourth Judges case a (2015).
The Court opined that the new system (i.e., NJAC) would affect the independence of the judiciary.
Qualifications of Judges A person to be appointed as a judge of a high court, should have the following qualifications:
He should be a citizen of India.
He should have held a judicial office in the territory of India for ten years; or
He should have been an advocate of a high court (or high courts in succession) for ten years.
From the above, it is clear that the Constitution has not prescribed a minimum age for appointment as a judge of a high court. Moreover, unlike in the case of the Supreme Court, the Constitution makes no provision for appointment of a distinguished jurist as a judge of a high court.
Oath or Affirmation:
A person appointed as a judge of a high court, before entering upon his office, has to make and subscribe an oath or affirmation before the governor of the state or some person appointed by him for this purpose. In his oath, a judge of a high court swears:
to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India;
to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India;
to duly and faithfully and to the best of his ability, knowledge and judgement perform the duties of the office without fear or favour, affection or ill-will; and
to uphold the Constitution and the laws.
Tenure of Judges:
The Constitution has not fixed the tenure of a judge of a high court. However, it makes the following four provisions in this regard:
He holds office until he attains the age of 62 years. Any questions regarding his age is to be decided by the president after consultation with the chief justice of India and the decision of the president is final.
He can resign his office by writing to the president.
He can be removed from his office by the President on there commendation of the Parliament.
He vacates his office when he is appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court or when he is transferred to another high court.
Source: The Hindu
NSE LAUNCHES INTEREST RATE OPTION ON GOVT BONDS
Part of GS-3 Economy
Why in news?
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched interest rate options on 10-year Government of India (GOI) bonds. Rival bourse BSE launched trading in interest rate options based on government securities in August this year.
Highlights:
“The first day of launch witnessed turnover of 5,926 contracts. Participation was observed from more than 50 trading members,” the NSE said.
By launching interest rate options, we have added one more instrument to the fixed income derivatives asset class.
Benefits: The move is aimed at providing an efficient tool for managing interest rate risk and exposure through hedging. Interest rate options will provide institutional investors the ability to manage risk through a non-linear product which is otherwise not available to them. Market participants can use options to trade and hedge interest rate risk on a transparent platform.”
With different categories of investors being allowed to participate from day one such as banks, primary dealers, foreign portfolio investors, corporates etc, we hope to bring the same depth, breadth and efficiency that other asset classes have to this product.
Interest rate options are based on the underlying GOI 10-year bonds - the 7.26 per cent 2029 bond and the 6.45 per cent 2029 bond. The unit of trading is Rs 2 lakh face value of GOI securities, corresponding to 2000 units.
Source: Indian Express
BRINGING ILP FOR MANIPUR, 3 NE STATES WILL BE OUT OF CAB
Part of GS-2 Polity and Governance
Why in news?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha that Manipur would be brought under the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system, thereby exempting it from the provisions of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
Highlights:
As per the Bill, the amendments to the Citizenship Act, 1955, will not apply to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura as included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland that are protected by the ILP system.
The addition of Manipur to the list of ILP-protected States means that the Bill will only be applicable in some parts of Tripura and Assam.
Citizens of other States require the ILP to visit the protected areas as per the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.
‘Outsiders’ can visit ‘ILP’ areas for limited period with special permission but are barred from buying immovable property.
This means that the illegal migrants from the six minority communities who will become Indian citizens as per the proposed amendment will not be able to take up jobs, open businesses or settle down in these areas and will require a permit to enter the States.
Source : Times of India
GANDHI ENCYCLOPEDIA
Part of GS-1 History, A&C
Why in news?
The Government is developing ‘Gandhi Encyclopedia’ to spread awareness in the society.
Highlights:
Ministry of Culture has approved a project for development of Gandhi Paedia by National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata.
It is for promotion of appropriate Gandhian philosophy and thoughts through social media platforms under 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi commemoration with financial assistance of Rs. 5.25 cr and released an amount of Rs. 2.95 cr against first instalment.
Source: PIB
COMPULSORY CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURES BY CDPQ
Part of GS-3 Economy
Why in news?
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in a tweet said it "approves subscription of CCDs of Piramal Enterprises by CDPQ. Upon conversion, equity shareholding of CDPQ in Piramal Enterprises will increase from 3.68 per cent to 8.99 per cent."
Highlights:
Debenture is a medium- to long-term debt security issued by companies to borrow money from investors at a fixed interest rate, though physical assets or collateral do not secure them.
A debenture comes in two forms - non-convertible and convertible. Convertible debentures can be converted into the company’s equity after a predetermined period of time.
Compulsory Convertible Debenture (CCD) is a type of debenture in which the whole value of the debenture must be converted into equity by a specified time.
A CCD can be classified as a hybrid security, meaning it is neither considered pure debt nor pure equity.
Under FDI guidelines, CCDs are treated as equity for the purposes of reporting to Reserve Bank of India.
Section 71 of the Companies Act, 2013 states that a company could issue debentures with an option to convert into shares either wholly or partly at the time of redemption.
Source: Business Standard
LANDMARK ‘THE RECYCLING OF SHIPS BILL, 2019’ PASSED IN PARLIAMENT TODAY
Part of GS- 3 Economy
Why in news?
Bill will ensure global standards for environmentally-friendly recycling of Ships and ensure adequate safety of the yard workers, will also boost employment and business opportunities: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya
Highlights:
Parliament had passed a landmark “The Recycling of Ships Bill 2019’’ for Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships in India.
Passing of this Bill is a giant step and historical moment in the Indian Maritime arena and will have far reaching effects in Indian Ship Recycling industry.
The existing Ship breaking Code (revised), 2013 and the provisions of the Hong Kong Convention, 2009 are dovetailed in this Bill.
Hoping for increased business, a large number of Recycling plots, especially at Alang in Gujarat, are also gearing up and obtaining Statement of Compliance (SOC) with the Hong Kong Convention.
The Key Benefits of the bill are as follows:
The bill will harbinger significant increased number of global ships entering into Indian Shipyards for Recycling.
Recycling of Ships will boost business & employment opportunities and strengthen India’s position in the recycling industry.
It will raise the brand value of our Ships Recycling Yards located at Alang in Gujarat, Mumbai Port, Kolkata Port & Azhikkal in Kerela.
10% of country’s Secondary steel needs, as an outcome of Recycling of Ships, will be met in an eco-friendly manner.
Ships Recycling facilities will become compliant to International standards and Ships will be recycled only in such authorised facilities.
The tremendous growth of business activities will contribute to the country’s GDP.
Source: PIB
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