Current affairs- April 16,2016
Spot fine for open defecation, states told
The urban development ministry has suggested state governments
amend their municipal laws to incorporate provisions for spot fine, penalty or
cleaning charge from people caught defecating in open. It has also suggested
similar changes in the state laws to fine people caught littering.
Suggestions:
- The ministry has asked them to enforce such provisions in municipal wards that are declared open defecation free (ODF) and litter free.
- The ministry has asked all state governments to ensure that such provisions cover all municipal wards by October 2018.
- It has advised that the municipal commissioners or any authorised officer can levy the fine, penalty or charge from violators.
Key facts:
Rajasthan has already notified the mechanism for levying such
penalty or carrying charges for littering in public places. For example, Rs 200
fine for peeing in public places, Rs 1,500 per day for pasting posters in
public buildings or monuments.
WHO gives 2 weeks to replace problem polio vaccine
The World Health Organization has given countries two weeks to
replace a problem polio vaccine blamed for some outbreaks of the crippling
disease. WHO is hoping to wipe out this virus once and for all.
Why?
The live polio virus used in some vaccines is one of the biggest
obstacles to eradicating the disease. The wild version of the virus now exists
only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but a type of vaccine that contains small
amounts of weakened but live polio still causes occasional outbreaks elsewhere.
What’s the concern now?
Oral polio vaccine (OPV) replicates in the gut and can be passed
to others through faecal-contaminated water — meaning it won’t hurt the child
who has been vaccinated, but could infect their neighbours.
What needs to be done?
Long-term, WHO recommends that the OPV should be phased out
worldwide and replaced by the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).
Background:
A massive global effort has in recent decades come close to wiping
out polio, a crippling and potentially fatal viral disease that mainly affects
children under the age of five. Cases have decreased by 99% since 1988, when
polio was endemic in 125 countries and 350,000 cases were recorded worldwide.
Difference between IPV and OPV:
There are two types of vaccine that protect against polio:
inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV). IPV
contains live killed virus and OPV contains live weakened virus.
Its usage in India:
The union government launched India’s first injectable inactivated
polio vaccine (IPV) as part of the country’s commitment to global polio
eradication in December 2015.
Polio:
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects
young children. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly
through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g.
contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can
invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis.
Foreign Ministry suspends Mallya’s diplomatic
passport
Within days of a request from the Enforcement Directorate, in
connection with a money laundering probe in the over Rs. 900 crore IDBI Bank
loan fraud case, the Ministry of External Affairs has suspended Vijay Mallya’s
diplomatic passport. It has also threatened to revoke it if he doesn’t appear
before the Indian High Commission in London within a week.
- The External Affairs Ministry has suspended the validity of Mr. Mallya’s diplomatic passport under Section 10 A of the Passports Act. Section 10 A of the Act empowers the authorities to suspend passports or travel documents in certain cases.
- Mallya, whose ordinary passport is also rendered invalid by a Ministry order, is now left with the sole option of returning to the country on an emergency certificate issued by the Indian mission.
Types of Indian Passport:
There are three types of Indian Passport, which are-
- Regular Passport has a Navy Blue cover and is issued for ordinary travel, such as vacations and business trips.
- Diplomatic Passport has a Maroon cover and is issued to Indian diplomats, top ranking government officials and diplomatic couriers.
- Official Passport has a White cover and it is issued to individuals representing the Indian government on official business.
‘Hidden’ vetoes must go, India tells U.N.
India has sought changes in the U.N. procedures to designate a
group or an individual terrorist.
Background:
The demand for more transparency comes days after China blocked
India’s bid to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar a terrorist.
Existing rules:
The existing rules allow Security Council members to oppose any
move in the sanctions committees in a clandestine manner and without offering
any explanation.
- The sanctions committees can take decisions only unanimously, and this means any of the 15 members can veto a move. This amounts to allowing a “hidden veto” for every member of the council.
- The general membership of the UN is never ever formally informed of how and why requests for listing terrorists are not acceded to.
- The Security Council has Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Islamic State Sanctions Committees that can mandate international sanctions, which will require countries to freeze the targeted group’s or individual’s assets, ban designated individuals from travelling and prevent the supply of weapons, technology and other aid.
UNSC: Quick facts
- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security.
- Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions; it is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.
- The Security Council consists of fifteen members. Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, and the United States—serve as the body’s five permanent members. These permanent members can veto any substantive Security Council resolution, including those on the admission of new member states or candidates for Secretary-General.
- The Security Council also has 10 non-permanent members, elected on a regional basis to serve two-year terms. The body’s presidency rotates monthly among its members.
PFRDA may regulate unregulated pension funds
The Department of Financial Services (DFS), which functions
under the finance ministry, is examining a proposal to bring all
unregulated retirement funds under the purview of the Pension Fund Regulatory
and Development Authority (PFRDA).
- DFS is looking at forming a panel to look into the matter and study the scale of unregulated superannuation funds in the country to protect subscribers’ interest.
- The idea is basically to reduce the grey areas and close down the regulatory gaps. However, the matter is complex as multiple ministries are involved.
Background:
PFRDA has been pitching that all unregulated pension funds in the
country be regulated. Under the proposed PFRDA Act, the pension regulator is
responsible for promoting the pension fund industry and protecting consumers by
supervising these funds. Currently, it is responsible only for regulating the
National Pension System (NPS) and the Atal Pension Yojana.
- A number of companies extend superannuation schemes to employees through insurance companies or set up their own PF trusts. Many of these trusts are under the ambit of Sebi, Irdai or EPFO. They all seek tax exemptions from the Central Board of Direct Taxation (CBDT).
- PFRDA has been trying to accumulate information on existing pension and superannuation schemes being run by various entities and details of their regulatory jurisdiction, supervisory mechanism, investment guidelines, risk management strategies, number of subscribers and assets under their management.
PFRDA:
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is a
pension regulatory authority which was established in 2003. It is authorized by
Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services.
- It is also responsible for appointment of various intermediate agencies such as Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA), Pension Fund Managers, Custodian, NPS Trustee Bank, etc.
Government mulls sovereign gold bond issue around
Akshaya Tritiya
The government is planning to issue the fourth tranche of
sovereign gold bonds around Akshaya Tritiya.
Why on this day?
Akshaya Tritiya, which falls on May 9 this year, is an important
day for the bullion market as people consider buying gold on that day as
auspicious. In the past two years, gold demand on this day stood at 25-30
tonnes. In 2013, around 50 tonnes of gold was estimated to have been sold on
Akshay Tritiya.
Background:
The government has issued three tranche of sovereign gold bonds so
far, with a total subscription of around 5,000 kg. Of this, the second tranche
accounted for around 60%.
About Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme:
- Under the scheme, gold bonds are issued in denominations of 5 grams, 10 grams, 50 grams and 100 grams for a term of 5-7 years with a rate of interest to be calculated on the value of the metal at the time of investment. The scheme has an annual cap of 500 grams per person.
- The bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited and designated post offices.
- As per the scheme, the gold bonds will be sold only to resident Indian entities including individuals, Hindu undivided families, trusts, universities, and charitable institutions.
- The bond tenure will be eight years with exit option beginning the fifth year onwards. They will also be tradable in the bourses.
- Bonds can also be used as collateral for loans.
81 cities added to India’s earthquake-prone list
Eight new cities and towns have been added to a government list of
urban areas vulnerable to earthquakes of “very severe intensity”.
- In all, 81 new towns and cities were added to a list of areas prone to earthquakes, bringing the total to 107, according to government data released on March 16, 2016.
Latest additions to “very severe intensity
zone”:
The recent additions are Jorhat, Sadiya and Tezpur in Assam, Bhuj
in Gujarat, Darbhanga in Bihar, Imphal in Manipur, Kohima in Nagaland and Mandi
in Himachal.
Facts
- NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, in orbit around Saturn since 2004, has collected and analysed dust coming from beyond our solar system. Cassini is the fourth space probe to visit Saturn and the first to enter orbit.
- The Delhi government has reintroduced the odd-even experiment for another 15 days. This rule disallows vehicles with odd and even registration plates to ply on roads on alternate days.
- The Water Resources Department in Maharashtra has started releasing water to Karnataka from its Kalammawadi dam across the Dudhganga river, a tributary of the Krishna river in Kolhapur district. Dudhganga river rises in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra in the Western Ghats and flows eastward through Kolhapur district and Belgaum district in Karnataka before joining the Krishna. The river is dammed to form the Kalammawadi reservoir in the west of Kohlapur district.
- The Delhi government has banned the sale, purchase and storage of all forms of chewable tobacco, including gutka, pan masala, khaini and zarda, in the Capital for one year.
- The national capital has been recognised as one of the 50 future-ready cities around the world that are embracing technology to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing and globalised future, according to a report by information technology major Dell. Delhi is ranked 44th on the list, which is topped by San Jose, followed by San Francisco. The cities in the list were evaluated along three dimensions — human capital, infrastructure and commerce.
