20th July 2018 Current Affairs Analysis -IASToppers

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July 20, 2018

Current Affairs Analysis July 2018

Current Affair Analysis

‘Meghalayan Age’; What is a no-confidence motion? Fugitive

Economic Offenders Bill 2018; Prevention of Corruption (Amendment)
Bill, 2013; ‘Padhe Bharat- Badhe Bharat’; Samagra Shiksha scheme;
Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP); “Ganga Vriksharopan
Abhiyan”; Forest Interventions in Ganga (FIG); National Mission for
Clean Ganga (NMCG); Middle Holocene Northgrippian Age; Early
Holocene Greenlandian Age; International Union of Geological
Sciences (IUGS); Nelson Mandela International Day 2018; National
Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP);
New design of 100-rupee banknote; RANI KI VAV; etc.

By IT's Current Affairs Analysis Team

July 20, 2018

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Contents

Polity & Governance

No-confidence motion against govt admitted in Lok Sabha

Government Schemes & Policies

Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2018 passed by Lok Sabha
Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 passed by
Rajya Sabha

Issues related to Health & Education

MHRD Announces ‘Padhe Bharat- Badhe Bharat’ Initiative
NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform organises
Workshop on Empowering Women

Environment, Ecology & Disaster Management

NMCG organises “Ganga Vriksharopan Abhiyan”

Geophysical Phenomena
‘Meghalayan Age’ announced as official new chapter in Earth’s
history

Key Facts for Prelims

Centenary celebration of Nelson Mandela International Day
National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled
People (NCPEDP)
New design of 100-rupee banknote

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Polity & Governance

No-confidence motion against govt admitted in Lok Sabha

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Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan accepted a no-confidence
motion moved by TDP’s Kesineni Srinivas against the NDA
government.

What is a no-confidence motion?

A no-confidence motion is a parliamentary motion which is moved

in the Lok Sabha against the entire council of ministers, stating
that they are no longer deemed fit to hold positions of
responsibility due to their inadequacy in some respect or their
failure to carry out their obligations. No prior reason needs to be
stated for its adoption in the Lok Sabha.

Passage of the motion:

At least 50 MPs would need to stand up and support the move. If

there are 50 MPs in favour, the motion is admitted and the
speaker allots a date for discussion on the motion.
The prime minister or ministers reply to the charges made. The
mover has the right to reply.
After the debate, the speaker puts question to the house and
ascertains the decision of the house by voice vote or a division.
A Motion of No-confidence need not set out any grounds on
which it is based. Even when grounds are mentioned in the
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 notice and read out in the House, they do not form part of the no-
confidence Motion.

Implications:

The government is expected to resign if it loses a trust vote. In

case its refuses to do so, the President has the power to remove
the prime minister.
In the history of Indian Parliament, no Prime Minister has been
forcibly removed so far. After a government loses a trust vote and
resigns, it continues to function, but as a caretaker government
with almost the same powers as it had before the voting.
However, a caretaker government wouldn’t have the power to
take any major policy decisions since Parliament remains
dissolved. A new government gets elected after the general
elections.

Key facts about the No-confidence motion:

The Rajya Sabha does not have a procedure for moving of an

adjournment motion, censure motion or no-confidence motion
against the Government.
Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in
Lok Sabha lays down the procedure for moving a Motion of No-
Confidence in the Council of Ministers.
There is no mention of a no-confidence motion in the constitution.
It need not state the reasons for its adoption in the Lok Sabha.
It can be moved against the entire council of ministers only.
It is moved for ascertaining the confidence of Lok Sabha in the
council of ministers.
If it is passed in the Lok Sabha, the council of ministers must
resign from office.

[Ref: The Hindu]

Government Schemes & Policies

Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2018 passed by Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha has passed Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018.

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 The bill aims to tighten the noose on the wilful defaulters who
tends to abscond the nation to evade the clutches of the law.
The bill will replace an ordinance promulgated by President in
April 2018.

Highlights of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018:

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The bill defines fugitive economic offender (FEO) as any
individual against whom warrant for arrest in relation to
scheduled offence (enlisted in the this law) has been issued by
any court in India, but he leaves or has left India to avoid criminal
prosecution or refuses to return to India to face criminal
prosecution.
The onus is on authorities to prove that an individual is a fugitive
economic offender. It gives government right to confiscate
property of such economic offenders in India and abroad. Its
provisions are also be applicable on proxy-owned properties of
economic offenders.
It is applicable in cases where total value involved in such
economic offences is Rs.100 crore or more. It keeps banks and
other financial institutions at Centre and provide help to them
recover amount.
It establishes Special Court under the Prevention of Money-
laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 to declare a person as FEO.
The special court will also appoint ‘administrator’ to oversee
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 confiscated property. It will be responsible for disposing of
confiscated property and t property will be used to satisfy
creditors’ claims.
It debars fugitive economic offender from defending any civil
claim at the discretion of any court including High Court. If prior to
the declaration, the alleged FEO returns to India and submits to
the appropriate jurisdictional court, proceedings under this Act
will cease by law.

Need for such law:

There have been several instances of economic offenders fleeing

country to evade clutches Indian law to remain outside jurisdiction
of Indian courts.
The absence of such offenders from Indian courts has several
deleterious consequences. It hampers investigation in criminal
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 cases, wastes precious time of courts of law, undermines rule of
law in India.
Further, most such cases of economic offences involve non-
repayment of bank loans thereby worsening financial health of
banking sector.
Moreover, existing non-coherent civil and criminal provisions in
law are not entirely adequate to deal with severity of problem.

Significance of the Bill:

The bill will provide effective, expeditious and constitutionally

permissible deterrent legal teeth to enforcing agencies to ensure
that such actions of FEO are curbed.
The Bill is expected to re-establish the rule of law with respect to
the fugitive economic offenders as they would be forced to return
to India to face trial for scheduled offences.
This would also help the banks and other financial institutions to
achieve higher recovery from financial defaults committed by
such fugitive economic offenders, improving the financial health
of such institutions.
It is expected that the special forum to be created for expeditious
confiscation of the proceeds of crime, in India or abroad, would
coerce the fugitive to return to India to submit to the jurisdiction of
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 Courts in India to face the law in respect of scheduled offences.

[Ref: PIB, The Hindu, Economic Times]

Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 passed by Rajya

Sabha

The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 that amends

certain provisions of a 30-year-old anti-corruption law (Prevention of
Corruption Act, 1988), was passed by the Upper House (Rajya
Sabha) unanimously with voice vote.

The bill has many provisions to ensure speedy trial of corruption

cases.

Why amendment is needed?

The amendment to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 was

necessitated from the obligation of India to review the existing
provisions of the Act so as to bring it in line with the United
Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

Background:

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The Bill which was originally proposed during 2013 was then referred
to a Select Committee of Rajya Sabha, which submitted its report on
August 12, 2016.

Suggested changes by Rajya Sabha Select Committee:

Major changes suggested in the PC Act, 1988 as reported by the

Rajya Sabha Select Committee, 2016 include:

Giving a bribe as punishable offence:

The Bill introduces the offence of ‘giving a bribe’ as a direct

offence. However, a person who is compelled to give a bribe will
not be charged with the offence if he reports the matter to law
enforcement authorities within seven days.

Redefining the Criminal misconduct:

The Bill redefines the provisions related to criminal misconduct to

only cover two types of offences: (i) fraudulent misappropriation
of property; and (ii) illicit enrichment (such as amassing of assets
disproportionate to one’s known sources of income).

Prior approval for investigation alleged to have been committed

by a Public Servant:

Before a police officer conducts any investigation into an offence

alleged to have been committed by a public servant, prior
approval of the relevant government or competent authority
should be taken. Such approval would not be necessary in cases
which involves the arrest of a person on the spot on the charge of
taking a bribe.

Time limit for trial of cases:

As per the Bill, trial by special judge should be completed within

two years. If not, reasons for the delay must be recorded, for
every six months of extension of time obtained. However, the
total period for completion of trial may not exceed four years.

[Ref: Business Standard, Times of India]

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Issues related to Health & Education

MHRD Announces ‘Padhe Bharat- Badhe Bharat’ Initiative

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has

announced ‘Padhe Bharat- Badhe Bharat’ an initiative to promote the
reading culture among students.

The initiative has been launched under ‘Samagra Shiksha’.

About ‘Padhe Bharat- Badhe Bharat’:

Under this initiative, government will give an annual library grant

to schools to allow students widen their ambit of learning.
The grant will be given to Primary to Senior Secondary levels and
will vary between Rs. 5000 and Rs. 20000.

About Samagra Shiksha scheme:

The Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry

of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has formulated the
Samagra Shiksha – an Integrated Scheme for School Education as a
Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

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 The programme was introduced in the Union Budget 2018-19 and
it is being implemented throughout the country with effect from
the year 2018-19.
It is an overarching programme for the school education sector
extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure
inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school
education.
It envisages the ‘school’ as a continuum from pre-school,
primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels.
The main emphasis of the Scheme is on improving quality of
school education and the strategy for all interventions would be to
enhance the Learning Outcomes at all levels of schooling.

Subsumed schemes:

This programme subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored

Schemes:

1. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA),

2. Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA)
3. Teacher Education (TE)

Major interventions:

The major interventions, across all levels of school education, under

the scheme are:

Universal Access including Infrastructure Development and

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 Retention;
Gender and Equity;
Inclusive Education;
Quality;
Financial support for Teacher Salary;
Digital initiatives;
Entitlements under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
Education (RTE) Act, 2009 including uniforms, textbooks etc.;
Pre-school Education;
Vocational Education;
Sports and Physical Education;
Strengthening of Teacher Education and Training;
Monitoring and
Programme Management.

[Ref: PIB, Samagra]

NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform organises

Workshop on Empowering Women

NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) and Shri Ram

College of Commerce (SRCC), Office of International Programmes
(OIP) University of Delhi, jointly organised a Two-Day International
conference on “Empowering Women: Fostering Entrepreneurship,
Innovation and Sustainability”.

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About Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP):

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog has

launched Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) on the occasion
of International Women’s day (March 8, 2018).

The initiative is aimed at building an ecosystem for women across

country to help realise their entrepreneurial aspirations, scale-up
innovative initiatives and chalk-out sustainable, long-term
strategies for their businesses. This will be done through an
enabling network of industry collaborations, partnerships,
mentors and peer-to-peer connect.
WEP will address bottlenecks faced by both aspiring and
established women entrepreneurs by streamlining information
across government and private sector schemes and initiatives
with informative, interactive website as a dedicated resource and
knowledge base.
WEP aspires to substantially increase number of women
entrepreneurs to create and empower dynamic new India by
opening up avenues of growth and opportunity for women
entrepreneurs.

The WEP platform will operate within broader framework of

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 industry collaborations and partnerships, which cut across sectors
in economy.
It will provide unique services such as credit evaluation of
women-led startups by CRISIL and potential equity investments
through an Rs. 10 crore fund established by DICE Districts

These aspirations of women entrepreneurs are manifested in three

pillars on which WEP is built:

Ichha Shakti: Motivating aspiring entrepreneurs to start their

enterprise.
Gyaan Shakti: Providing knowledge and ecosystem support to
women entrepreneurs to help them foster entrepreneurship.
Karma Shakti: Providing hands-on support to entrepreneurs in
setting-up and scaling up businesses.

[Ref: PIB]

Environment, Ecology & Disaster Management

NMCG organises “Ganga Vriksharopan Abhiyan”

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) launched the “Ganga
Vriksharopan Abhiyan” campaign in five main stem Ganga basin
states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West
Bengal.

The week-long tree plantation initiative, launched on July 9 and

continued till July 15, is observed as ‘Shubharambh Saptah’.
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 State Forest Departments of these states have been made the
nodal agencies for the smooth and effective execution of the
campaign.

About the Abhiyan:

Ganga Vriksharopan Abhiyan was initiated as part of the Forest

Interventions in Ganga (FIG) component of Namami Gange
Programme.
It was aimed at bringing greater awareness among people and
other stakeholders regarding the importance of afforestation for
the task of Ganga Rejuvenation.
As part of the campaign, schools, colleges and departments were
requested to “Adopt a Plant” for turning this campaign into a
people’s movement.

Why FIG is important?

The Forest Interventions in Ganga (FIG) is significant as it aims

to bring greater awareness among people and other stakeholders
regarding the importance of afforestation for the task of Ganga
Rejuvenation.

Why is Afforestation in Ganga Basin important?

Forests cause higher rainfall and raise water level in the rivers.
Through their foliage, craggy bark and abundant leaf litter, trees
and forests decrease the speed of water dispersion and favour
slow but greater infiltration of rainwater to ensure smooth
functioning of the hydrological cycle.
Moreover, presence of healthy forest cover along the river
provides self-cleaning ability to the river.
Thus, afforestation and augmentation of existing forest along the
Ganga holds the promise to strengthen the riparian ecosystem
thereby contributing to the overarching cause of Ganga
Rejuvenation.

About National Mission for Clean Ganga:

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National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was registered as a
society on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act
1860.

It acted as implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin

Authority (NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions
of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986. NGRBA has
since been dissolved with effect from the 7th October 2016,
consequent to constitution of National Council for Rejuvenation,
Protection and Management of River Ganga (referred as National
Ganga Council).
It now works under the control of Ministry of Water Resources,
River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
Its aim is to clean Ganga and its tributaries in a comprehensive
manner.
NMCG has a two tier management structure and comprises of
Governing Council and Executive Committee. Both of them are
headed by Director General, NMCG. Executive Committee has
been authorized to accord approval for all projects up to Rs.1000
crore.
Similar to structure at national level, State Programme
Management Groups (SPMGs) acts as implementing arm of
State Ganga Committees.
The Director General (DG) of NMCG is a Additional Secretary in
Government of India.
For effective implementation of the projects under the overall
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 supervision of NMCG, the State Level Program Management
Groups (SPMGs) are, also headed by senior officers of the
concerned States.

[Ref: PIB]

Geophysical Phenomena

‘Meghalayan Age’ announced as official new chapter in Earth’s

history

Scientists at International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) have

created a new phase in Earth’s geological history and named it
Meghalayan, after a stalagmite from a cave in the Indian state of
Meghalaya that helped define climatic events 4,200 years ago,
marking the beginning of the phase that continues till today.

The lower boundary of the Meghalayan stage is defined at a

specific level in a stalagmite from a cave in the northeastern
Indian state.
The decision to define these new stages of the Holocene Series
and thus the three new corresponding ages of the Holocene
Epoch allows for an update to the International
Chronostratigraphic Chart, which depicts the timeline for the
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 Earth’s full geologic history.

About Meghalayan Age:

The Meghalayan Age began with a mega global drought that

devastated ancient agricultural civilisations from Egypt to China.
It is part of a longer period known as the Holocene Epoch, which
reflects everything that has happened over the past 11,700 years.
Evidence of the climatic event has been found in sediments on all
seven continents, including those from Meghalaya.

Why Meghalayan is unique?

The Meghalayan is unique because it is the first interval in Earth’s

geological history that coincided with a major cultural event, as
agricultural societies struggled to recover from the shift in climate.
The droughts over a 200-year period resulted in human
migrations in Egypt, Greece, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, the
Indus valley and the Yangtze river valley.

Two other ages:

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 Besides Meghalayan Age, two other ages — the Middle
Holocene Northgrippian Age and the Early Holocene
Greenlandian Age — with beginnings defined at climatic events
that happened about 8,300 years and 11,700 years ago,
respectively, were also approved by the International
Commission on Stratigraphy, which is responsible for
standardising the geologic time scale.

Background:

Geologists divide the 4.6-billion-year existence of Earth into

distinct periods. Each period corresponds to significant events
such as the break-up of continents, shifts in climate, and the
emergence of particular types of animals and plant life.
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 These units of the geologic time scale are based on
sedimentary strata that have accumulated over time and contain
within them sediment types, fossils and chemical isotopes that
record the passage of time as well as the physical and biological
events that produced them.

About International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS):

The IUGS was founded in 1961 and is a Scientific Union member of

the International Council for Science (ICSU), which it recognizes as
the coordinating body for the international organization of science.

It is an international
non-governmental
organization devoted
to international
cooperation in the
field of geology.
IUGS is a joint
partner with
UNESCO for the
International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) and they also
participate in the Global Network of National Geoparks (GGN).
Currently geologists from 121 countries (and regions) are
represented in IUGS through 121 Adhering Organization.

[Ref: The Hindu, Times of India]

Key Facts for Prelims

Centenary celebration of Nelson Mandela International Day

Nelson Mandela International Day 2018 marks 100 years since the
birth of Nelson Mandela (18 July 1918).

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 The Nelson Mandela Foundation is dedicating this year’s
Mandela Day to Action Against Poverty, honouring Nelson
Mandela’s leadership and devotion to fighting poverty and
promoting social justice for all.

About Nelson Mandela International Day:

In 2009, Mandela’s birthday (July 18th) was declared Mandela

Day, an international day to promote global peace and celebrate
the South African leader’s legacy.
The event started after the Nelson Mandela Foundation and
46664, a concert series that benefits AIDS victims referencing
Mandela’s prison number 46664, first proposed the idea of a
worldwide day honoring the work and legacy of Nelson Mandela
in April 2009.
This annual event is meant to encourage citizens worldwide to
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 give back the way that Mandela has throughout his lifetime.

Who was Nelson Mandela?

Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary,

political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of
South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
He was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected
in a fully representative democratic election.
Mandela was sent to prison for life in 1962 for protesting against
poverty, inequality and racism against black people in South
Africa during the apartheid.
He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and in 1994 he was
elected as the first black South African president.

[Ref: The Hindu, Times of India]

National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People

(NCPEDP)

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 The National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled
People (NCPEDP) announced the appointment of Arman Ali as
its executive director.
NCPEDP is India’s only cross disability advocacy organisation
working towards empowerment of persons with disabilities.

Headquartered in New Delhi

NCPEDP has to its credit
several achievements
including lobbying for
creation of a new
Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under
the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and the call for a
new Disability Act to replace the earlier archaic PwD Act of 1995.

New design of 100-rupee banknote

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon issue Rs.100
denomination banknotes with a completely new design.
The new Rs.100 note will have a base colour of lavender.
The new notes will be in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series and
bear the signature of Dr. Urjit R. Patel, governor of the RBI.
It will have a motif of “RANI KI VAV” on the reverse, which
depicts India’s cultural heritage.

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Rani ki Vav was built in the 11th century AD as a memorial to a
king by Queen Udaymat. It is located in Patan district of Gujarat.
It was added as part of the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in
2014.

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