Daily Current Affairs : 21-Feb-2020
Major Topic Covered :
1. Govt to set up Central Consumer Protection Authority by first week of April
2 CMS COP 13
3. Worldwide Educating for the Future Index
4. India ranks 131 on flourishing index: Report
5. ICRG Recommends Continuation of Pakistan in Grey List
6. Private Member Bill for Two-Child Policy Norm
1. Govt to set up Central Consumer Protection Authority by first week of April
Why in news ?
• Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has said the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) will be set up by the first week of April this year.
Important facts
• The Consumer Protection De penalties Bill, Facto 2019 for selling was approved spurious IAS
the and Parliament adulterated in 2019 products.
replacing Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
• It aims to focus on rapid settlement of consumer disputes, strict penalties for wrong doings that include misleading ads by rms and adulteration.
• The authority is being constituted to makes sure of the act is implemented in the right way.
Consumer Protection Bill, 2019
• The Lok Sabha passed the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, which seeks to strengthen the consumer rights and provides a mechanism for redressal of complaints regarding defects in goods and deficiency in services.
• Apart from setting up of authorities for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumer disputes, the bill also seeks to bring in e-commerce under their jurisdiction and hold celebrities accountable for false and misleading advertisements of products that they endorse.
o Also consumer courts at the district, state and national level, the bill
proposes a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce consumer rights as a class and protect them from unfair trade practices. o CCPA, envisaged as a regulator, can file a class action suit if required and
would take immediate action on any consumer complaint.
• The bill proposes strict action against the advertiser in case of misleading advertisements but not against the media through which the advertisement is being publicised.
• Celebrities can be fined up to ₹10 lakh. For repeat offences, this may rise to ₹50 lakh, with a jail term of up to five years It also provides for product liability action consumer rights, unfair trade practices, misleading advertisements and on account of harm caused to consumers due to defective products or deficient services.
The Bill will replace the earlier Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
2. CMS COP 13
Why in news ?
• On February 20, 2020, Asian Elephant,Great Indian Bustard and Bengal Florican were declared as “Endangered Migratory Species” at the CMS COP 13.
• The proposal was accepted by 130 countries. Asian Elephant
• India declared Indian Elephant as “National Heritage Animal”. This provides highest degree of legal protection to the animal under Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• The Asian elephants are called Indian Elephants in the country.
• The threats to the Indian Elephants include habitat loss, human elephant conict, habitat fragmentation, illegal trade and poaching. Bengal Florican
• The population of the species has declined greatly due to habitat loss. The Bengal
• Great Indian Florican It topmost is listed Bustard
conservation does as the not critically breed De priority.
outside endangered Facto the protected species areas under IAS today.
the IUCN list and is of the
The Great Indian Bustard is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world.
• Scientific Name: Ardeotis nigriceps
• Habitat: Dry grasslands and scrublands on the Indian subcontinent; its largest populations are found in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
Important Facts
• Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List
• In Appendix I of CITES,
• In Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
3. Worldwide Educating for the Future Index
Why in news?
• India jumped five ranks in the Worldwide Educating for the Future Index (WEFFI) 2019, as per a report published by The Economist Intelligence Unit. Important points?
• The ranking is provided based on the ability of a country to equip their students in skill-based education.
In 2018, India ranked 40th with an overall score of 41.2.
• In Policy Environment, India scored 56.3, in teaching environment its score was 52.2 and in socioeconomic environment India’s score was 50.1. India has performed better in socio-economic environment.
o This is because in 2018, its score was 32.2. However, the performance
decreased in policy environment as the score in the area in 2018 was 61.
5 Reasons for the Growth
A embedded proposed degree level which degree full-fledged will or De begin diploma by online March Facto courses education 2021.
in 150 programme higher IAS educational along with institutions apprenticeship is also Reasons for the Growth
• The report attributes India’s growth to the new national education policy introduced and published in 2019 that mentions future-oriented skills such as critical thinking, communication and entrepreneurship.
• The education policy was highlighted in the Union Budget 2020 and it will
come under ‘Aspirational India’ which will focus on skill-based education, a greater inflow of finance to attract talented teachers and innovate and build better labs.
• A degree level full-fledged online education programme along with apprenticeship embedded degree or diploma courses in 150 higher educational institutions is also proposed which will begin by March 2021.
Worldwide Educating for the Future Index
• The index and report are commissioned by the Yidan Prize Foundation.
• It was developed to assess the effectiveness of education systems in preparing students for the demands of work and life in a rapidly changing landscape.
• It is the first comprehensive global index to evaluate inputs to education systems rather than outputs such as test scores and concentrates on the 15-24 age band in 35 economies. The report attributes India’s growth to the new national education policy introduced and published in 2019 that mentions future-oriented skills such as critical thinking, communication and entrepreneurship.
• The education policy was highlighted in the Union Budget 2020 and it will
come under ‘Aspirational India’ which will focus on skill-based education, a greater inflow of finance to attract talented teachers and innovate and build better labs.
• India ranked 35th with an overall score of 53.
The scores were provided based on the performance of the countries in three countries namely teaching, policy environment and teaching environment.
4. India ranks 131 on flourishing index: Report
Why in news?
On February 20, 2020, WHO, Lancet and UNICEF together released a report titled “A Future for the World’s Children”. According to the report, a new Global index has been included in comparing performance of child nutrition, education and sustainability.
Important points
• According to the report, India ranked 131 in flourishing index and 77 on sustainability index.
• Highlights The report says that India has improved in health and sanitation. However, it has to increase its spending on Health. Around 180 countries were compared in the report.
• The parameters of comparison included child survival, child wellbeing, health and education, sustainability, child nutrition.
• Key Findings of the report Because of stunting and poverty, around 250 million children in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of not reaching their developmental potential. Best and Least Performers
5. ICRG Recommends Continuation of Pakistan in Grey List
Why in News?
The International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has recommended that Pakistan be retained on the “Grey List”, given the country’s failure to completely implement the 27-point action plan to check terror financing.
It needs to be noted that a recommendation by the ICRG is a precursor to the final decision at the FATF plenary session, and is usually not overturned. Since 2007, the the ICRG has analysed high-risk jurisdiction and recommended specific action to address the money laundering/terror financing risks emanating from them. The FATF Plenary is the decision making body of the FATF. It meets three times per year. The latest meeting will conclude on 21st February, 2020 in which final decision with respect to Pakistan will be taken. The FATF meeting is being held a week after an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan sentenced Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack and founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), to 11 years in two terror financing cases.
The Financial Action Task Force
Formation: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 during the G7 Summit in Paris.
Objectives: To set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
Lists under FATF:
• Grey List: Countries that are considered safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put in the FATF grey list. This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the blacklist. o Black List: Countries known as Non-Cooperative Countries or
Territories (NCCTs) are put in the blacklist. These countries support terror funding and money laundering activities. The FATF revises the blacklist regularly, adding or deleting entries.
6. Private Member Bill for Two-Child Policy Norm
Why in News?
Recently, a Private Member’s Constitution Amendment Bill has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha proposing incentives in taxation, education and employment for people who limit their family size to two children.
The Bill is likely to be discussed when Parliament meets for the second half of the Budget session.
Key Features of the Bill
The Bill proposes for the incorporation of a new provision — Article 47A(Duty of the State to promote small family norm) — in Part IV of the Constitution.
Part IV of the Indian Constitution deals with the Directive Principles of the
State Policy. The proposed insertion of Article 47A intends to withdraw all concessions from people who fail to adhere to the ‘small-family-norm’. The Bill also intends to offer incentives in taxes, employment, education and priority in social benefit schemes and school admissions etc to its people who keep their family limited to two children. Current Status Presently, six states including Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have made the two-child norm mandatory for all panchayat members.
In 2018, 412 panchayat members in Rajasthan had been removed from
their posts because they failed to comply with the two-child norm. The Supreme Court has upheld the provision in several states that debars members with more than two children from contesting and holding panchayat posts. Need for Two-Child Policy Norm Prelims Practice questions and Current Affair Curated by Five serving IAS officer. Join Telegram Group to Receive daily pdf
Secretariat: Its Secretariat is located at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris.
Member Countries: The FATF currently has 39 members including two regional organisations — the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council. India is a member of the FATF.
India's birthrate is slowing down to sustainable levels. In 2000, the fertility rate was still relatively high at 3.2 children per woman. By 2016, that number had already fallen to 2.3 children.
India’s population has already crossed 125 crores and India is expected to surpass the world’s most populous nation-China in the next couple of decades.
Despite having the National Population Control Policy (2000), India is the second- most populous country in the world.
Thus, India’s natural resources are extremely over-burdened and facing over- exploitation. Criticism of the Two-Child Policy
The restricted child policy will create a shortage of educated young people needed to carry on India’s technological revolution.
The problems like gender imbalance, undocumented children, etc. faced by China (as a result of the one-child policy) might be experienced by India.