USAIC lauded SAARC action plan
An India-centric American pharma sector advocacy group has lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's action plan to combat the novel coronavirus with SAARC leaders, saying that his strategy to take proactive steps with graded response is a smart approach to tackle this unprecedented situation.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23120-usaic-lauded-saarc-action-plan.html
#USAIC #SAARC #COVID19 #APIs #CEPI #NarendraModi

New commodities in essential commodities
The Essential Commodities Act or ECA was enacted in 1955 to make certain commodities available to consumers at fair prices. It is used by the Government to regulate the production, supply and distribution of commodities it declares ‘essential’.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23119-new-commodities-in-essential-commodities.html
#ECA #COVID19 #MRP #N95 #EssentialCommoditiesAct

Central Sanskrit Universities Bill 2019
Parliament on 16 March 2020 passed a bill to upgrade three deemed Sanskrit universities into central universities. The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 was passed by voice vote in Rajya Sabha. Earlier the bill was passed by Lok Sabha.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23118-central-sanskrit-universities-bill-2019.html
#MHRD #LokSabha #CSUB #HRD #SLBSRSV #RSVT

SARS-CoV-2 a product of natural evolution
A new study suggests that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that emerged from China's Wuhan city is a product of natural evolution. The study was published in the journal - Nature Medicine.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23135-sars-cov-2-a-product-of-natural-evolution.html
#SARSCoV2 #MERS #COVID19 #SARS #RBD #WHO


Guidelines for regulating payment aggregators
The Reserve Bank of India on 17 March 2020 released guidelines for regulating payment aggregators and payment gateways, nearly six months after it first proposed regulating these entities in a discussion paper.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23134-guidelines-for-regulating-payment-aggregators.html
#RBI #NaveenSurya #PCI #CompaniesAct


Coronavirus response fund increased
The World Bank has announced increasing to $14 billion the amount of fast-track financing to assist companies and countries in their efforts to respond to the rapid spread of COVID-19, adding $2 billion to the initial package.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23133-coronavirus-response-fund-increased.html
#Coronavirus #COVID19 #IFC #WorldBank


MTPA Bill cleared
The Lok Sabha 17 March 2020 passed a Bill to extend the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks for “special categories of women”, including rape survivors, victims of incest, differently-abled and minors.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23132-mtpa-bill-cleared.html
#MTPA #Amendment #NitinGadkari #LokSabha


Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020
A Bill to improve India’s aviation safety ratings and provide statutory status to regulatory institutions like the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), got the Lok Sabha’s nod on 17 March 2020.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23131-aircraft-amendment-bill-2020.html
#Aircraft #Amendment #AAIB #DGCA #BCAS #HardeepPuri

Final report on Social Security Code
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour on 31 July 2020 submitted to the Lok Sabha speaker its final report on the Code on Social Security, which seeks to subsume nine laws related to social security of workers.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/24775-final-report-on-social-security-code.html
#SocialSecurityCode #socialsecurity #report #LokSabha

Statutory status to aviation regulators
A Bill that gives three aviation regulators statutory powers and enhances the fine for violations from ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore in a bid to improve aircraft safety, was passed by Parliament on 15 September 2020.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/25734-statutory-status-to-aviation-regulators.html
#Statutorystatus #LokSabha #ICAO #UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

Three farm bills passed
The Lok Sabha passed three agriculture sector bills which will replace the existing ordinances.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/25797-three-farm-bills-passed.html
#Threefarm #farmbillspassed #LokSabha #agriculturesectorbills #UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

FCRA Bill passed
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 was passed by the Lok Sabha on 21 September 2020.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/25880-fcra-bill-passed.html
#FCRABill #Billpassed #NGO #LokSabha #FCRAcertificate #UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

Bill to amend Factoring Regulation Act
Lok Sabha on 20 September 2020 passed a bill to amend the Factoring Regulation Act that seeks to help micro, small and medium enterprises by providing additional avenues for getting credit facility.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/25878-bill-to-amend-factoring-regulation-act.html
#Bill #FactoringRegulationAct #LokSabha #UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

Watch: KSG Explainer - Parliament approves bills on ART, surrogacy #UPSC #IAS #KSGExplainer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbpnk8-gxuQ

Watch: KSG Explainer - Election Laws (Amendment) Bill passed in Lok Sabha #UPSC #IAS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIitKAYhGhk

Watch: Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill 2022; FM blames Russia-Ukraine conflict for rising fuel prices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MTFG843Yrg

Watch: Explained : Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill 2022 #criminalprocedurebill #Indianpolice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVaZ76Y1gis&t=1s

Watch: KSG DYK - Who is the deciding authority of defection of a Member of Parliament (MP)? #SHORTS #UPSC
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KstWFwFCbtk

Today's Headlines - 26 July 2023
Centre withdraws DNA Bill
GS Paper - 3 (Biotechnology)

The Union government withdrew the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019, from the Lok Sabha. First proposed in 2003, the Bill has gone through numerous changes, led by both the Department of Biotechnology and the Law Ministry, over the years. In 2019, it was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee after being introduced in the Lok Sabha. Two years later, the panel’s report was released, in which it highlighted the fears of a number of MPs, saying the Bill could be misused to target segments of society based on religion, caste or political views.

What is the Bill?

The Bill seeks to create a regulatory framework for obtaining, storing and testing DNA samples of human beings, mainly for the purposes of criminal investigations, and with the objective of establishing the identity of a person.
DNA testing is already being used for a variety of purposes, such as criminal investigations, establishment of parentage, and search for missing people.
The proposed law seeks to bring in a supervisory structure to oversee these practices, and frame guidelines and rules so that the DNA technology is not misused.
To achieve these objectives, the Bill proposes to set up two institutional structures — a DNA regulatory board and a DNA data bank — at the national level. Regional centres of the board as well as the data bank can be set up at the state level too.
The board, which is proposed to be the main regulatory authority, would frame the rules and guidelines for DNA collection, testing and storage, while the data bank would be the repository of all DNA samples collected from various people under specified rules.
The Bill proposes that testing of DNA samples can be carried out only at laboratories that are authorised to do so by the regulatory board.
It also specifies the circumstances under which a person can be asked to submit DNA samples, the purposes for which such requests can be made, and the exact procedure for handling, storing and accessing these samples.

What are the objections against the Bill?

The main debate over the proposed law has been around three issues — whether DNA technology is foolproof, whether the provisions adequately address the possibility of abuse of DNA information, and whether the privacy of the individual is protected.
DNA information can be extremely revelatory. It can not only establish a person’s identity but also reveal a lot about physical and biological attributes of the person like eye, hair or skin colour, susceptibility to diseases, possible medical history, and possible clues to biological relatives.
For years, critics of the Bill have been claiming that collecting and storing such intrusive information could lead to abuse, besides being violative of a person’s privacy.

What has the government said?

The government has defended the Bill by arguing that nearly 60 countries have enacted similar legislation and that all important matters related to privacy, confidentiality and data protection have been taken into account.
It has also claimed that very limited information is proposed to be stored in the indices — just 17 sets of numbers out of billions that DNA samples can reveal. These can tell nothing about the individual and only act as a unique identifier.

#upsc #news #DNAbill #withdraws #technology #Department #biotechnology #lawministry #parliamentary #loksabha #criminal #parliamentary #committee #bill #government #violative #privacy #attributes

Today's Headlines - 27 July 2023
No-confidence motion against government
GS Paper - 2 (Polity)

The ongoing strife in Manipur in Parliament, which has brought the monsoon session to a standstill, opposition parties belonging to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc have taken a significant step. They decided to move a no-confidence motion against the government, with a particular focus on the situation in the northeastern state.

What is a no-confidence motion?

A no-confidence motion is a parliamentary process that allows the opposition to challenge the government's majority and ability to govern. If the motion is passed, the government must resign.
Any member of the Lok Sabha can move a no-confidence motion. However, the motion must be supported by at least 50 members of the House.
A no-confidence motion must be in writing and must be signed by the member moving it.
The motion must be submitted to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha on any day on which the House is sitting.
The Speaker of the Lok Sabha will decide whether to admit the motion for discussion and debate.
If the motion is admitted, the Speaker will then decide on the date and time for the discussion. The Speaker may grant time for the discussion of the motion (under sub-rule (2) and (3) of rule 198 of Lok Sabha Rules.

How many no-confidence motions have been moved in the Lok Sabha?

Since independence, 27 no-confidence motions have been moved in the Lok Sabha.
The first no-confidence motion was moved against Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1963.
PM Indira Gandhi faced the most no-confidence motions (15), followed by Lal Bahadur Shastri and PV Narasimha Rao (three each).
The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government lost the no-confidence motion by a margin of one vote (269–270) in April 1999.
The most recent no-confidence motion was moved against the Narendra Modi government in 2018.

#upsc #news #noconfidence #motion #polity #manipur #parliament #INDIA #loksabha #primeminister #Jawaharlalnehru #lalbahadurshastri #atalbiharivajpayee #narendermodi #narasimharao #indiragandhi

Today's Headlines - 28 July 2023
Lok Sabha passes forest conservation bill
GS Paper - 1 (Geography)

Lok Sabha a bill that seeks to exempt land within 100 km of the country's borders from the purview of conservation laws and permit setting up of zoos, safaris and eco-tourism facilities in forest areas. The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill-2023 was passed after a brief debate which was responded to by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.

More about the Bill

The bill exempts certain types of land from the provisions of the Act such as forest land along a rail line or a public road maintained by the government providing access to a habitation, or to a rail, and roadside amenity up to a maximum size of 0.10 hectare.
Forest land that will also be exempted includes land situated within 100 km along the international borders, Line of Control, or Line of Actual Control, proposed to be used for construction of strategic linear projects for national importance or security.
It also exempts land up to 10 hectares, proposed to be used for constructing security related infrastructure, or land proposed to be used for constructing defence related projects, camp for paramilitary forces, or public utility projects as specified by central government not exceeding five hectares in a left wing extremism affected area.
Yadav made it clear that there was no contradiction between the Forest (Conservation) Act and the Forest Rights Act as the two legislations supplement each other.
The bill also seeks to empower the central government to specify, by order, the terms and conditions subject to which any survey, such as, reconnaissance, prospecting, investigation or exploration including seismic survey, shall not be treated as non-forest purpose.

#upsc #news #todayheadline #loksabha #conservation #geography #laws #zoo #tourism #facilities #forest #areas #railline #border #hectares #infrastructure #projects #forestrights #prospecting #investigation #exploration #seismic

Today's Headlines - 29 July 2023
Jan Vishwas Bill passed
GS Paper - 3 (Economy)

The Lok Sabha on 27 July 2023 approved the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, to enhance ease of doing business, decrease compliance burden for individuals and industry, and alleviate judicial load by decriminalising minor economic offences.

More about the Bill

Spearheaded by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Bill proposes to revise 183 provisions across 42 laws under 19 government ministries.
At present, existing laws contain clauses for imprisonment for minor and procedural defaults, as well as lesser fines and penalties.
This resulted in fear and mistrust towards the government. The intended changes of this proposed law aim to avoid unnecessary imprisonments and impose higher penalties and fines where necessary.
According to the Bill, offences will be decriminalised by either eliminating both imprisonment and/or fine; removing imprisonment while retaining or increasing fines; or changing imprisonment and/or fine to penalties.
Conversion of fines and penalties implies that court prosecution can be bypassed for punishment.
The government over the past nine years removed roughly 40,000 provisions and procedures, which had the potential to create problems for people.

#upsc #news #todayheadline #janvishwas #bill #loksabha #business #industry #alleviate #judicial #economy #DPITI #department #promotion #internal #trade #laws #government #potentional #conversion

Today's Headlines - 01 August 2023
Lok Sabha passes MMDR Amendment bill
GS Paper - 2 (Polity)

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023 was taken up for consideration and passed by the Lok Sabha. This bill proposes to empower the Central government to exclusively auction mining lease and composite licence for 26 critical minerals in the country.

More about the Amendment

This amendment to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, “would facilitate, encourage and incentivise private sector participation in all spheres of mineral exploration for critical and deep-seated minerals”. Under the existing framework, state governments auction mining blocks.
Even in case of conduct of auction by the central government, the mineral concession shall be granted to the selected bidders by the state government only and the auction premium and other statutory payments shall accrue to the state government.
According to the statement of objects and reasons for the bill, it would help hasten the pace of auction and early production of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and graphite that are crucial for electric vehicles and batteries.
Nickel, platinum, and tin-bearing minerals are also among the 26 that are proposed to be brought under the ambit of the central government.
This would be the Fifth Amendment to the MMDR Act since 2014. Earlier changes included mandating e-auction for mineral resources, and allowing extension of mining leases which were expiring.

#upsc #news #loksabha #MMDR #amendnent #bill #polity #mines #minerals #development #central #goverment #critical #goverments #statutory #exploration #lithium #cobalt #grapite #nickel #platinum #resources #leases #private #sector

Today's Headlines - 02 August 2023
Birth certificate as single document
GS Paper - 2 (Polity)

The Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969 is likely to be amended for the first time in 54 years of its existence, with the Union Government introducing a Bill in Lok Sabha that allows the use of a birth certificate as a single document for admission in schools and colleges, issuance of driving licence and appointment to a government job.

More about the Bill

The proposed amendments also allow the use of a birth certificate for preparation of voter list, issuance of Aadhaar number and registration of marriage even as critics earlier opposed the government plans citing privacy concerns, infringing states’ rights and claiming that it gives unbridled data about people to the government.
The amendments are needed to keep pace with societal change and technological advancements and to make it more citizen friendly. Consultations were held with state governments, public and other stakeholders.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, the amendments provides for the use of the birth certificate as a single document to prove the date and place of birth of a person born on or after the date of commencement of the amendments for a variety of things.
The database of births and deaths will be made available to authorities dealing with population register, electoral rolls, Aadhaar number, ration card, passport, driving licence, property registration and other databases notified by the union government.
The Bill also provides for facilitating registration process of adopted, orphan, abandoned, surrendered, surrogate child and child to a single parent or unwed mother, to make it mandatory for all medical institutions to provide a certificate as to the cause of death to the registrar and a copy of the same to the nearest relative.
Special "sub-registrars" can be appointed in the event of disaster or epidemic for speedy registration of deaths and issue of certificates, to collect Aadhaar numbers of parents and informants, if available, in case of birth registration.
The bill will also ensure addressing the grievances of the general public aggrieved by any action or order of the registrar or district registrar and to enhance the penalties provided in the Act.

#upsc #news #headline #birth #certificate #document #polity #goverment #bill #loksabha #schools #colleges #job #amendments #adhaar #number #privacy #electoral #population #ration #passport #driving #disaster #epidemic #mandatory #medical #institutions

Today's Headlines - 05 August 2023
Govt’s Bill on IIMs over their autonomy
GS Paper - 2 (Polity)

The government has brought a Bill in Parliament giving itself significant say in the appointment and removal of Directors of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), and in initiating inquiries. The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, introduced in Lok Sabha, seeks to make changes in the law that governs the administration and running of IIMs. The proposed changes have triggered concern over their potential to erode the autonomy of the IIMs.

What is the purpose of the Bill?

The Bill seeks to amend the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017 which declared 20 existing IIMs as “institutions of national importance with a view to empower these institutions to attain standards of global excellence in management, management research and allied areas of knowledge.
Under the 2017 Act, the Director of an IIM is appointed by a Board of Governors, and the government has a limited say in the process.
The proposed amendments essentially seek to alter this situation, and to give the government an expanded role in the appointment of the IIM Director.

How is this change proposed to be effected?

Section 5 of the amendment Bill says that “After section 10 of the principal Act, the following section shall be inserted, namely— ’10A. (1) The President of India shall be the Visitor of every Institute’” covered under the IIM Act.
The Bill prescribes three primary roles for the Visitor: to make appointments, to audit the working of institutions, and to conduct an inquiry.

What is the current process of appointment of the Director?

Section 16(2) of the 2017 Act says “the Director shall be appointed by the Board, on such terms and conditions of service as may be prescribed.”
Section 16(1) says the “Director shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute and shall provide leadership to the Institute and be responsible for implementation of the decisions of the Board”.
Section 16(3) says “the Director shall be appointed out of the panel of names recommended by a search-cum-selection committee to be constituted by the Board”.
The Board chairperson will head the search-cum-selection committee, which will also have “three members chosen from amongst eminent administrators, industrialists, educationists, scientists, technocrats and management specialists”.

#upsc #news #headline #govtbill #autonomy #polity #parliament #institutes #management #IIMS #loksabha #purpose #bill #global #governors #section16 #chief #executive #officer #panel #eminent #administrators #educationists #scientists #technocrats

Today's Headlines - 02 September 2023
Govt forms committee on simultaneous elections
GS Paper - 2 (Polity)

The government has constituted a committee headed by former president of India Ram Nath Kovind to explore the possibility of “one nation, one election” on 1 September 2023. Over the years, the Prime Minister has pushed for the idea of simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls.

What are the arguments around holding simultaneous elections?

There are pros and cons here. Making polls simultaneous would address various concerns, such as reducing the cost of holding elections and limiting all elections to a single season.
At present, there is an election in one state or the other at almost any given time, and those who favour simultaneous polls argue that the Model Code of Conduct gets in the way of the government announcing projects or policy plans.
Against the idea, the arguments include the complexity of such an exercise, the widely held view that simultaneous polls would benefit the nationally dominant party at the cost of regional players, and the complications that would arise if any of the governments were to collapse before completing its term. Leave alone state legislatures, even the central government could fall.
Of the Lok Sabhas since 1952, many were dissolved ahead of schedule — such as in 1971, 1980, 1984, 1991, 1998, 1999 and 2004.
There would also be logistical issues, requiring about twice as many electronic voting machines and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines.
Has the idea of simultaneous polls been explored before?

The Election Commission had suggested back in 1983 that such a system be worked out.
The Law Commission headed by Justice B P Jeevan Reddy, in its 170th Report in May 1999, stated, “We must go back to the situation where the elections to Lok Sabha and all the Legislative Assemblies are held at once”.
In 2003, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took up the issue with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. She appeared initially receptive, but the idea did not take off from there.
In 2010, BJP leader LK Advani met with then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and then wrote in his blog: “I found both of them (PM and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee) receptive to a proposal I have been advocating for quite some time: fixed term legislatures and simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.”
Sunil Arora also said in 2019, that the EC would be supportive of the idea. “Yes, we would also prefer it. And this is not a bureaucratic statement, just saying we agree in principle, etc.”

#upsc #news #headline #govtforms #committee #simultaneous #elections #polity #india #president #RamNathKovind #onenation #oneelection #primeminister #loksabha #polls #simultaneous #arguments #modelcode #dominantparty #collapse #term #trailmachines #electioncommission #JeevanReddy #AtalBihariVajpayee #Soniagandhi #LKAdvani #primeminister #ManmohanSingh #SunilArora