Resolution to repeal Article 370 approved
Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah, introduced two bills and two resolutions regarding Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) in Lok Sabha. These are as follows:
Constitution (Application to Jammu & Kashmir) Order, 2019 {Ref. Article 370(1) of Constitution of India} – issued by President of India to supersede the 1954 order related to Article 370.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21164-resolution-to-repeal-article-370-approved
#Resolution #Article370 #India #AmitShah #JammuKashmir #Pakistan


Consumer Protection Bill 2019 gets Parliamentary nod
The Parliament on 7 August 2019 gave its nod to the landmark Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 which aims to protect the rights of consumers by establishing authorities for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumers’ dispute.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21163-consumer-protection-bill-2019-gets-parliamentary-nod
#Consumer #Protection #Bill2019 #Parliamentary #CCPA #LokSabha

Eviction Bill 2019
The Upper house on 6 August 2019 passed a Bill for speedy eviction of unauthorised occupants from government residential accommodations, with Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri saying the legislation will have a deterrent effect.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21162-eviction-bill-2019
#EvictionBill2019 #HardeepSinghPuri #PPEAct #RajyaSabha #Amendment

Bill to increase number of SC judges
Parliament on 7 August 2019 passed a bill which seeks to increase the number of Supreme Court judges from the present 30 to 33 with a view to reducing pendency of cases. Moving "The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2019" for consideration and return, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21161-bill-to-increase-number-of-sc-judges
#SC #CJI #Amendment #NarendraModi #Parliament #RanjanGogoi

Moon, Mercury may contain more water ice than thought
The Moon and Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, may contain significantly more water ice than previously thought, according to a new analysis of data from NASA spacecraft.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21160-moon-mercury-may-contain-more-water-ice-than-thought
#Moon #NASA #telescopic #LRO #spacecraft #planet

EU nations agree Brexit delay
The European Union on 28 October 2019 agreed a 3-month flexible delay to Britain’s departure from the bloc as Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushes for an election after opponents forced him to request an extension he had vowed never to ask for.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21823-eu-nations-agree-brexit-delay.html
#EU #Brexit #BorisJohnson #Britain #DonaldTusk

Scheme to save groundwater
Aimed at checking depletion of groundwater in the country, the World Bank-funded Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) is still waiting for the Union Cabinet’s approval for more than a year after the World Bank board approved it in June 2018.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21822-scheme-to-save-groundwater.html
#groundwater #ABHY #Protection #CGWA #JalShaktiMinistry

AI model to solve engineering problems
The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) on 28 October 2019 said its researchers have developed algorithms that enable novel applications for artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and deep learning to solve engineering problems.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21821-ai-model-to-solve-engineering-problems.html
#AI #IITM #AISoft #GPU #CFD #CNN #Madras

China expands footprint in Nepal, Myanmar
China is expanding its air links with South and Southeast Asia, focusing on Nepal and Myanmar, to help enlarge its regional footprint. On 27 October 2019, Himalaya Airlines — a China-Nepal joint venture — landed on its maiden flight from Kathmandu to Beijing’s brand new Daxing International airport.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21820-china-expands-footprint-in-nepal-myanmar.html
#LDC #Myanmar #XiJinping #footprint #RuiliAirlines

India, Saudi ink several pacts
India and Saudi Arabia inked over a dozen agreements in several key sectors including oil and gas, defence and civil aviation to bolster their ties as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held extensive talks with the Kingdom's top leadership during which a Strategic Partnership Council was established to coordinate on important issues.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21838-india-saudi-ink-several-pacts.html
#India #NarendraModi #ISPRL #SaudiArabia #MasterCard

Miyawaki method for tree planting
West Bengal government's panchayat & rural development department has decided to create forests across the state using the Miyawaki method, a Japanese method of tree planting that helps in building dense, native forests.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21837-miyawaki-method-for-tree-planting.html
#Miyawaki #blackberry #Shibganj #ShyampurI

Hygiea in solar system
Space scientists have discovered a new celestial body which might be the smallest such planet to exist in our solar system.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21836-hygiea-in-solar-system.html
#Hygiea #ESO #IAU #SPHERE #solarsystem #Mars

'severe’ Air quality
Pollution levels continued to be in the ‘severe’ category on 30 October 2019 as a blanket of smog wrapped Delhi. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quantity index was 416 at 11 a.m.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21835-severe-air-quality.html
#severe #Airquality #AQI #CPCB #NAMP #Protection

Today's Headlines - 08 August 2023
Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 cleared
GS Paper - 2 (Polity)

The Lok Sabha on 7 August 2023 passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, a first-ever legislation dedicated for digital privacy amid concerns of MPs regarding the removal of the data localisation mandate and increased government control.

More about the Bill

The Bill was passed with an amendment to a minor drafting error. Once the Bill comes into effect, all digital platforms will be required to obtain unconditional, free, specific, and informed consent from users for processing their data.
They will also need to issue a notice explaining the purpose of data processing and the rights of the users.
The government will appoint a data protection board, an independent body that will examine personal data breaches and impose penalties.
The latest version of the Bill does not mandate local storage of personal data, providing a major relief to big tech firms like Google, Meta, and Amazon.
The government may, however, notify a list of countries in future, where data cannot be transferred.
The Bill prescribes penalties of up to Rs 250 crore for each instance of a data breach arising from a lack of reasonable safeguards on platforms.
The government may block the operations of entities not complying with the law even after two instances of penalties. The draft Bill of the final version was released for public consultation in November 2022.
Models for data protection laws

The EU model:

The GDPR focuses on a comprehensive data protection law for the processing of personal data.
It has been criticised for being excessively stringent, and imposing many obligations on organisations processing data, but is the template for most of the legislation drafted around the world.
In the EU, the right to privacy is enshrined as a fundamental right that seeks to protect an individual’s dignity and her right over the data that she generates.

The US model:

Privacy protection is largely defined as a “liberty protection” — focused on the protection of the individual’s personal space from the government, and, therefore, is viewed as being somewhat narrow in focus by virtue of enabling the collection of personal information as long as the individual is informed of such collection and use. The US template has been viewed as inadequate in key respects of regulation.
Unlike the EU’s GDPR, there is no comprehensive set of privacy rights or principles that collectively address the use, collection and disclosure of data in the US. Instead, there is limited sector-specific regulation. The approach towards data protection in the US is different for the public and private sectors.

The China model:

New Chinese laws issued over the last 15 months on data privacy and security includes the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), which came into effect in November 2021. It gives Chinese data principal’s new rights as it seeks to prevent the misuse of personal data.
The Data Security Law (DSL), which came into force in September 2021, requires business data to be categorised by different levels of importance and puts new restrictions on cross-border transfers.
These regulations will have a significant impact on how companies collect, store, use and transfer data, but are essentially focused on giving the government overreaching powers to both collect data and regulate private companies that collect and process information.

#upsc #news #headline #personaldata #protection #bill #polity #digital #EU #GDPR #personal #information #data #transfer #crossborder #business #collect #store #power #DSL #PIPL

Today's Headlines - 06 September 2023
Your personal data online
GS Paper - 3 (ITC)

Recently, India notified its personal data protection framework as a law, signalling the beginning of a new era of privacy legislation in the country. Provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 will come in force in a few months, after the Centre has allowed enough transition time to the industry, with users of these platforms — you — experiencing several new notices and rights, as prescribed in the law.

When can an entity process your personal data?

There are broadly two circumstances under which entities — both government and private — can process an individual’s personal data: (i) There has to be clear consent for such processing; and (ii) for certain “legitimate uses”.
When an entity is processing your personal data for which you have consented, it has to be accompanied by a notice, which is to be made available in all 22 languages of Schedule 8 of the Constitution.
You can directly consent to businesses, and the government can process your personal data, or alternatively use a consent manager.
What happens to your personal data that was collected before this law came into existence?

Any entity that has collected a person’s personal data before the Act came into being should give her a notice about the personal data in its possession “as soon as it is reasonably practicable”.
The notice should include:

The personal data an entity is processing and the purpose for such processing;
The way in which a user can withdraw their consent;
The means of grievance redressal
However, the contents of this notice have been significantly diluted from previous iterations of the many data protection Bill drafts in the last five years.
For instance, the Act doesn’t require companies to state the duration for which they will store personal data, if it will be shared with third-parties, and if it will be sent to a foreign jurisdiction.
There are exemptions to consent requirements as well:

The Act says that the government can exempt itself and its instrumentalities from adhering to any and all provisions of the law that relate to processing of personal data.
Will your rights be restricted in any way?

Broadly, there are three major roadblocks that impose restrictions, or limit the rights prescribed in the provisions of the law from applying to individuals. These are as follows:
Government exemptions: In the interest of national security, friendly relations with other governments and public order among others, many of the provisions of the Act, including rights afforded to citizens will no longer be applicable.
The way we have prepared the law, it has adequate safeguards for citizens. A lot of the fear against the government’s power comes from citizens’ experience with previous governments. But that is not the case today. People have a lot of trust in our government, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
Processing of data for legitimate uses: Neither the government nor private companies need to seek informed consent from citizens for certain legitimate uses.
For the government, this includes processing personal data for offering subsidies and certificates, responding to a medical emergency, for national security, and during natural disasters.
Private entities can assume consent when an individual has not expressly denied her consent.

#upsc #news #headline #personaldata #online #ITC #protection #industry #rights #legitimateuses #Constitution #grievance #redressal #duration #instrumentalities #roadblocks #ITMinister #AshwiniVaishnaw #subsidies #medicalemergency #disasters #safeguards #online

Today's Headlines - 10 September 2023
Self Regulatory Organisation for fintechs
GS Paper - 3 (Economy)

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has asked fintech entities to form a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO). An SRO can help in establishing codes of conduct for its members that foster transparency, fair competition, and consumer protection. It can act as a watchdog and encourage members to adopt responsible and ethical practices. It can provide a link between the regulator and market participants through a less formal set-up.

What is an SRO?

An SRO is a non-governmental organisation that sets and enforces rules and standards relating to the conduct of entities in the industry (members) with the aim of protecting the customer and promoting ethics, equality, and professionalism. SROs typically collaborate with all stakeholders in framing rules and regulations.
Their self-regulatory processes are administered through impartial mechanisms such that members operate in a disciplined environment and accept penal actions by the SRO.
An SRO is expected to address concerns beyond the narrow self-interests of the industry, such as to protect workers, customers or other participants in the ecosystem.
Regulations, standards, and dispute resolution and enforcement by an SRO get legitimacy not just by mutual agreement of its members, but also by the efficiency with which self-regulation is perceived to be administered.
Such regulations supplement, but do not replace, applicable laws or regulations, according to the Reserve Bank of India.
What is the need for an SRO?

As regulators continue to contemplate, implement, and refine regulations for the orderly development of the fintech sector, SROs could play a pivotal role in the fintech industry by promoting responsible practices and maintaining ethical standards.
There have been many instances where a few fintech players were involved in unethical practices such as charging exorbitant higher interest rates and harassment of borrowers for recovering loans.
What are the benefits of an SRO?

SROs are widely considered experts in their fields and so have in-depth knowledge of the markets they operate in. This is helpful to their members as they can be called in to participate in deliberations and learn more about the nuances of the industry.
Formation of SROs ensures member organisations follow a certain standard of conduct that helps promote ethical ways of doing business, which can lead to enhanced confidence in the ecosystem.
They can serve as a watchdog to guard against unprofessional practices within an industry or profession.
What are the functions of an SRO?

The recognised SRO will serve as a two-way communication channel between its members and the RBI.
It will work towards establishing minimum benchmarks and standards and help instil professional and healthy market behaviour among its members.
SROs will impart training to the staff of its members and others and will conduct awareness programmes. It will establish a uniform grievance redressal and dispute management framework across its members.

#upsc #news #headline #self #regulatory #fintechs #Economy #RBI #shaktkantaidas #organisation #consumer #protection #watchdog #ethical #regulator #link #SRO #enforces #rules #stakeholders #mechanisms #industry #workers #resolution #dispute #laws #supplement #india #sector #grievance