DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Nov. 19, 2021

Indian Ocean Naval Symposium:

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Why in the News?

The 7th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs was hosted by the French Navy at Paris from 15th-16th Nov 2021.

Key highlights:

• Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, is leading a two member Indian Naval delegation for this Conclave. 
• The Conclaves of Chiefs is being attended by Chiefs of Navies/ Heads of Lead Maritime Agencies of IONS nations. 
• Various bilateral interactions were also conducted on the side-lines of the Conclaves to facilitate a greater degree of maritime cooperation and understanding between the IONS nations.
•  The 7th edition of IONS Symposium was held at Le-Reunion from 28 Jun - 01 Jul 21 in hybrid format due to COVID protocols.
• During the Symposium, it was agreed upon to conduct the extant Conclave of Chiefs at Paris. 

About IONS:

• The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) is a series of biennial meetings, held between the littoral states of the Indian Ocean region.
• The inaugural edition of IONS was held in Feb 2008 at New Delhi, with the Indian Navy as the Chair for two years. 
• UAE: 2010-12 
• South Africa: 2012-14
• Australia: 2014-16
• Bangladesh: 2016-18 
• Islamic Republic of Iran: 2018-21.

Objectives:

•  As a forum which seeks to enhance maritime cooperation among Navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive platform for discussions on regionally relevant maritime issues that would lead to common understanding on the way ahead. 
• The IONS acts as a security construct for the Indian Ocean region and apart from its series of symposiums, it conducts numerous other activities like workshops, essay competitions and lectures to promote its objective.
• The IONS is a voluntary and inclusive initiative that brings together navies of Indian Ocean Region (IOR) littoral states to increase maritime co-operation and enhance regional security.
• It also serves to develop an effective response mechanism and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) against natural disasters.

Members:

• There are 36 littoral in the Indian Ocean which have been geographically grouped into the following four sub-regions:
• South Asian : Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka.  
• West Asian: Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen
• East African:  France, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique
• South Africa: Tanzania, Djibouti, Egypt, Eriteria, Comoros, Madagascar, Somalia, Sudan
• South East Asian and Australian: Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste

Why is it important For India?

• It will help India to consolidate its sphere of influence from the Straits of Malacca to Hormuz.
• IONS can be used to counterbalance the increasing presence of China in the region.
• It will Strengthening and deepening the relations with the Indian Ocean littoral states.

Bribery Risk Matrix 2021:

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Why in the news?

Recently, Bribery Risk Matrix 2021 was released by anti-bribery standard setting organisation(TRACE).

Key highlights:

• India ranked 82nd with a score of 44.(2021)
• In 2019, India’s rank stood 78 position with a score of 48 while in 2020 the country was ranked 77 with a score of 45.
• India performed better than Pakistan, China, Nepal and Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Bhutan was ranked 20 places above India, at 62nd.
• North Korea, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Eritrea posed the highest commercial bribery risk, while Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand had the lowest.

About TRACE:

• 
  The TRACE Matrix was originally developed in 2014 in collaboration with RAND Corporation.
•  It is updated annually by TRACE.
• The TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix (TRACE Matrix) measures business bribery risk in 194 jurisdictions, territories, and autonomous and semi-autonomous regions.
• The matrix aggregates relevant data obtained from leading public interest and international organisations, including the United Nations, World Bank, V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg and World Economic Forum.
• This data helps companies to assess the likely risk of bribe demands in each country and to design compliance and due diligence programs tailored to that risk.

The score is based on four factors:

•  Business interactions with the government.
• Anti-bribery deterrence and enforcement.
• Government and civil service transparency.
• Capacity for civil society oversight, including the role of the media.

Steps taken by India to stop the corruption:

• Government of India, in pursuance of its commitment to “Zero Tolerance Against Corruption” has taken several measures to combat corruption which, inter alia, include:
• Systemic improvements and reforms to provide transparent citizen-friendly services and reduce corruption. 

These, inter alia, include:

• Disbursement of welfare benefits directly to the citizens under various schemes of the Government in a transparent manner through the Direct Benefit Transfer initiative.
• Implementation of E-tendering in public procurements.
• Introduction of e-Governance and simplification of procedure and systems.
• Introduction of Government procurement through the Government e- Marketplace (GeM).
• The Central Vigilance Commission, though created in 1964, became an independent statutory body only in 2003 by an Act of parliament based on a judgement of the supreme court. 
• Its mandate is to oversee the vigilance administration and to advise and assist the executive in matters relating to corruption. 
• It investigates cases of corruption arising out of complaints or detection by vigilance wings in the various departments and recommends punishment wherever required. 
• It is then for the executive to punish the individual official.

The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 :

• It is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to combat corruption in government agencies and public sector businesses in India.

In 2018, some changes were made in it, which are as follows:

• Punishment for bribe-taking enhanced: Minimum punishment of 3 yrs, extendable up to 7 yrs with fine; from the earlier 6 months, with extension up to 3 yrs.
• Gifts criminalised: Gifts received for established undue advantage/mala-fide motive are now considered an act of corruption.
• Superiors to be held if an employee/agent has bribed with their approval, for advancement of the organisation’s interests.
• For the first time, the giving of bribe has now been made a direct offence on par with taking of bribe.

Farm Laws 2020:

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Why in the news?

Recently, PM Modi announced that the Centre will repeal three contentious Farm Laws 2020 in the upcoming Parliament session. 

Key highlights:

• Earlier, the Supreme Court (SC) stayed the implementation of the Farm Acts 2020 constituted a four-member committee to make recommendations within two months. 
• The laws will be withdrawn in the upcoming session of the Parliament starting on 29 November 2021. 

About Laws:

• In September 2020, President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the three 'Agriculture Bills' that were earlier passed by the Indian Parliament. These Farm Acts are as follows:
• 1- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020
• 2- Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020
• 3- Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020

Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020

• The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on 14 September 2020, passed in Lok Sabha on 17 September 2020. 
•  It was passed in Rajya Sabha on 20 September 2020. 
• The Bill received Presidential Assent on 24 September 2020. 
• It creates a national framework for contract farming through an agreement between a farmer and a buyer before the production or rearing of any farm produces.
• Minimum Period of Farming Agreement: The minimum period of the farming agreement shall be for one crop season or one production cycle of livestock.
•  Maximum Period of Farming Agreement: The maximum period of the farming agreement shall be five years.

Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020

•  The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on 14 September 2020, passed in Lok Sabha on 17 September 2020. 
•  It was passed in Rajya Sabha on 20 September 2020. 
•  It permits intra and inter-state trade of farmers’ produce beyond the physical premises of Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) markets and other markets notified under the state APMC Acts. 
• As per the Act, the State Governments are prohibited from levying any market fee or cess on farmers, traders and electronic trading platforms for trading farmers' produce in an 'outside trade area'.

Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020:

• The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on 14 September 2020, passed in Lok Sabha on 15 September 2020. 
• It was passed in Rajya Sabha on 22 September 2020. 
•  It is an act of the Indian Parliament that was enacted in 1955 to ensure the delivery of certain commodities or products, the supply of which if obstructed owing to hoarding or black-marketing would affect the normal life of the people. 
• This includes foodstuff, drugs, fuel (petroleum products) etc.

What is (APMC)?

• An Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) is a marketing board established by the State Governments in India to safeguard the farmers from the exploitation by large retailers, ensuring that the farm to retail price does not reach excessively high levels.

Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020:

• It was first enacted on 1 April 1955 by the Government of India to provide, in the interest of the general public, for the control of the production, supply and distribution of, and trade and commerce, in certain commodities.

Cabinet approves continuation of PMGSY and RCPLWEA:

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Why in the news?

 Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave its approval to the proposals of Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development for continuation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-I and II upto September, 2022 for completion of balance road and bridge works

• Cabinet also approved the continuation of the Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) upto March 2023.

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY):

(Phase I)

• It was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development in 2000.
• It was a 100 % centrally sponsored scheme.
• It aims to provide good all-weather road connectivity to unconnected habitats.
• To provide rural connectivity, by way of a single all-weather road, to the eligible unconnected habitations of designated population size 
• The Government of India started PMGSY-I to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations of population size 500+ in plain areas and 250+ in North-East and Himalayan states.
•  In selected left wing extremism blocks, habitations of 100+ population were also to be provided connectivity.
• Only 2,432 habitations are balanced out of the total 1,84,444 habitations. 20,950 Km road length and 1,974 bridges are balanced for completion out of the total sanctioned   6,45,627 Km road length and 7,523 bridges. 

(Phase II)

• This phase of PMGSY was approved in May 2013.
• Under PMGSY-II, an up-gradation of 50,000 Km rural road network was envisaged.

(Phase III)

• This was approved in July 2019  for consolidation of 1,25,000 Km existing through routes and major rural links connecting habitations, inter-alia, to Gramin Agricultural Markets, Higher Secondary Schools and Hospitals.

Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Area (RCPLWEA):

• This project was launched in the year 2016.
• Under the project, construction/up-gradation of 5,411.81 km road and 126 bridges/Cross Drainage works were targeted.
• It was launched to improve connectivity in 44 Left Wing Extremism(LWE) affected districts in 9 states.
• The 9 states are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

Funding:

• 
  
  • A total of Rs. 1,12,419 crore, including state share is likely to be incurred from 2021-22 to 2024-25 for completion of all the ongoing interventions of PMGSY.

• 60% (Centre)
• 40% (State)