POLITY AND GOVERNANCE                                                                         

1. Parliamentary panel agrees to review economy first                                          

2. Task force to improve India’s rights record                                                        

3. 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW)   

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS                                                                      

1. RCEP: Opportunity, fears in regional trade deal                                               

ECONOMY                                                                                                                

1. GST Council forms 12-member panel to suggest compliance, revenue reforms                                                                                                                           

2. Moody’s cuts India GDP growth forecast to 5.8%                                              

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY                                                                  

1. Antibiotic use in cows can affect soil health, increase CO2 emissions: Study   

SECURITY                                                                                                              

1. Malware Smominru still active, infects 4700 PC’s a day                                  

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

Parliamentary panel agrees to review economy first

GS PAPER - 02 POLITY - Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive

Context :

• Parliamentary Committee on Finance has agreed to deliberate on the state of economy as the first subject to be taken up at its next meeting on October 17,2019.

Parliamentary committees :

• Parliamentary Committee means a Committee which is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker and which works under the direction of the Speaker and presents its report to the House or to the Speaker.

• The Parliamentary committees are established to study and deal with various matters that cannot be directly handled by the legislature due to their volume.

• They also monitor the functioning of the executive branch.

Parliamentary Committees are of two kinds:

• Standing Committees :

  • Standing Committees are permanent and regular committees which are constituted from time to time in pursuance of the provisions of an Act of Parliament or Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.

  • The work of these Committees is of continuous nature.

• Ad hoc Committees :

  • Ad hoc Committees are appointed for a specific purpose and they cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report.

  • The principal Ad hoc Committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills.

Importance of Parliamentary committees:

• Lawmaking:

  • The Committees do a detailed discussion and analysis on a proposed law which allows every law to be beneficial for the citizens.

• Executive accountability:

  • Parliamentary committees ensure executive accountability through scrutiny of public spending and various laws.

• Better informed discussions:

  • Committee allows members for a more meaningful exchange of views as against discussions in open Houses where party positions take precedence.This allows them to take better decisions on policies.

• Expertise:

  • Committees allow use of input and suggestions of various expertise on the subject matter of law thereby helping to formulate better policies and laws.

                                                                                                                                                       Source :- The Hindu

Task force to improve India’s rights record

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential

Context :

• Government is forming a task force to prepare a National Action Plan on Human Rights(NAPHR) as mandated under the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) Universal Periodic Review(UPR),  to improve India’s human rights record.

Task Force :

• The task force will involve the Union Home Ministry and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and have representatives from ministries such as social justice and health.

• National Action Plan on Human Rights(NAPHR) once implemented,will help mitigate the criticism India faces at international level when it comes to its human rights record as well as strengthen the social justice system.

• It will also lead to stronger administration of justice, strengthening of human rights institutions, and linking of rights with development.

Universal Periodic Review(UPR):

• UPR is a state-driven process under UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC).

• It provides opportunities to member states to declare what actions they have taken to improve human rights and to fulfil their obligations.

• A review cycle lasts four-and-half years, during which records of member states are reviewed.

• In 2017,India had accepted 152 out of 250 recommendations on human rights.

• These pertain to sustainable development goals related to eliminating poverty, access to safe drinking water, sanitation and improving protection for women and children.

                                                                                                          Source :- Hindu Business line

13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW)

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential

Context :

• The 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

More in the News:

• The purpose of the conference is to build a consensus on Universal Health coverage(UHC) through various flagship programs like Ayushman Bharat, National Control of Tuberculosis Program, National Nutrition Mission among others.

• The conference also aims to promote steps towards the target of National Health Policy 2017 which is to allocate 2.5% of GDP to health by 2025.

• In the conference, the emphasis was laid upon four pillars of healthcare, which include,

  • Mission mode interventions,

  • Quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare services,

  • Universal health coverage, and

  • Adequate health infrastructure.

Initiatives Launched :

• Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN):

  • This initiative aims to achieve zero preventable Maternal and Newborn Deaths. On the occasion, its website and the grievance redressal portal was also launched.

  • According to the NITI Aayog data, Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) has dropped by 8% in India to 130 per 100,000 live births. The aim is to get it in line with the Sustainable Development Goal of 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.

• Other initiatives :

• The minister unveiled two info-leaflets on Suicide Prevention to mark the World Mental Health Day,

  • Guidelines on Drugs and Diagnostic Service Initiative,

  • Guidelines for Biomedical Equipment Management & Maintenance Programme, and

  • Guidelines for Peritoneal Dialysis under Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme.

                                                                                                                                    Source :- PIB

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

RCEP: Opportunity, fears in regional trade deal

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests

Context :

• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways will be attending the 8th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP) Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok.Thailand.

RECP :

• RCEP is a proposed regional free trade agreement (FTA) comprising of ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their 6 FTA partners (India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand).

Aim :

• The purpose of RCEP is to create an integrated market spanning all 16 countries, making it easier for products and services of each of these countries to be available across this region.

• RCEP also aims to boost goods trade by eliminating most tariff and non-tariff barriers which is expected to provide the region’s consumers greater choice of quality products at affordable rates.

• It also seeks to liberalise investment norms and do away with services trade restrictions.

Importance :

• The RCEP member countries represent 49% of the world’s population and accounts for 30% of world GDP. It also makes up 29% of world trade and 26% of world FDI inflows.

• RCEP will reduce the trade barriers in Asia and the new rules will be consistent with WTO agreements.

• It will also promote easier FDI flows and technology transfers by multinational corporations.

India and RCEP:

• The sections of the Indian industry feels that being part of RCEP would allow the country to tap into a huge market and can make the domestic industry competitive.

• The rise in protectionism and non- tariff barriers and regulatory measures and the deadlock in WTO negotiations are also important reasons for India to join the RCEP agreement.

• RCEP also has the potential to influence India’s strategic and economic status in the Asia-Pacific region and help in fulfilment of India’s Act East Policy.

Concern :

• India is concerned that the trade pact will allow greater access to Chinese goods which may have an impact on the Indian manufacturing sector.

• Experts have said that India would not be able to take advantage of the deal due to its poor track record of extracting benefits from the Free trade agreements(FTAs) with these countries.

• The industries like dairy and steel have demanded protection due to growing competition from neighbouring countries with cheaper and more efficient processes may impact it negatively.

• There are demands by other RCEP countries for lowering customs duties on a number of products and greater access to the market than India has been willing to provide.

                                                                                                                 Source :- Indian Express

ECONOMY

GST Council forms 12-member panel to suggest compliance, revenue reforms

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

• The Goods and Services Tax(GST) Council has constituted a 12-member committee of officials from states and Centre to suggest steps to augment revenue and improve compliance under the GST regime.

Need :

• The committee was formed after the gross monthly collection has fallen to a 19 month low of ₹91,916 crore in September,2019.

• The Government has set a target of collecting over ₹1 lakh crore every month during the current fiscal.

About the committee :

• The committee will have the officials from Centre and GST Network (GSTN).

• The committee will also have officials from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab who will represent the States.

• Any other State could also join the committee on a voluntary basis.

Terms of Reference :

• The committee will look into wider range of reforms such as

  • systemic changes in GST including checks and balances to prevent misuse

  • measures to improve voluntary compliance and anti-evasion measures using better data analytics and better administrative coordination.

  • policy measures and relevant changes needed in the law and measures for expansion of tax base under the GST regime.

                                                                                                                                                     Source :- Indian Express

Moody’s cuts India GDP growth forecast to 5.8%

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - growth, development and employment.

Context :

• International rating agency Moody has announced the lowering of India’s Gross Domestic Products(GDP) growth to 5.8% from 6.2%.

Key Highlights :

• The projection is lower than 6.1 per cent that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had forecast

• It expected the growth to pick up to 6.6 per cent in 2020-21 and to around 7 per cent over the medium term.

Reasons for slowdown :

• The drivers of the deceleration are multiple, mainly domestic factors and in part, long-lasting.

• investment-led slowdown ,weak consumption ,financial stress among rural households and weak job creation.

• Further, credit crunch among Non-Bank Financial Institutions(NBFIs) who have been major providers of retail loans in recent years has increased the problem.

India’s Fiscal Strength :

• Moody has said that the recently announced corporate tax cuts and lower nominal GDP growth may increase the fiscal deficit to 3.7% of GDP in financial year 2019 marking a 0.4 percentage point slippage from its target.

• It also said that the structural need for spending on public sector salaries, welfare schemes and infrastructure is also a major cause of India’s deficit.

• Further,the nation’s limited tax revenue base due to a large low-income population has also impacted fiscal deficit.

                                                                                                                     Source :- The Hindu

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

Antibiotic use in cows can affect soil health, increase CO2 emissions: Study

GS PAPER - 03 ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Context :

• A recent study published in the journal Ecology Letters has assessed the environmental impact of antibiotic use in cows.

Key Findings :

• Long-term exposure to manure from cows administered with antibiotics can change soil micro biome and decrease their ability to store carbon.

• The exposure also causes changes in the soil’s fungal and bacterial ratios as well as alter the bacterial community structure.

• Carbon in soils exposed to manure from cows administered with antibiotics travel into the above-ground plant material, to the roots of the plants, into the soil and respires back out as CO2 much faster than any of the others.

  • This means that when antibiotics are used, less carbon is stored in the soil and more is lost to the atmosphere as CO2.

More in the News :

• Rampant use of antibiotics in livestock animals and poultry is also a major cause of antibiotic resistance.

• A 2017 global study on antibiotic use in farm animals projected the consumption of antibiotics through animal sources to nearly double during 2013-2030.

• The study had ranked India the fourth largest consumer of antibiotics in food animals globally after China, the United States and Brazil.

                                                                                                                                                    Source :- Down To Earth

SECURITY

Malware Smominru still active, infects 4700 PC’s a day

GS PAPER - 03 SECURITY - basics of cyber security

Context :

• Malware Smominru whose incidence was first reported in 2017, continues to infect computers in a big way.

More in the news:

• The malware attacks infrastructure in a widely distributed and complex way making it unlikely to be taken down easily.

• The botnet relies on more than 20 dedicated servers mostly located in the US, Malaysia and Bulgaria.

• It is affecting nearly 4,700 computers every day with over 90,000 computers affected globally in August 2019.

• In its post-infection phase,it steals victim credentials and installs a Trojan module to propagate inside the network.

• The malware also seems to have the ability to come back to hit the old victims if they fail to tackle the problem completely.

• The victims range from universities to healthcare providers suggesting that hackers are not too particular about their targets.
   

  • However, about 85% of infections have occurred on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 systems.

  • The objective seems to silently use infected computers for mining cryptocurrency at the victim’s expense.

• China, Taiwan, Russia, Brazil and the US have seen the most attacks.           

                                                                                                            Source :- The Hindu Business Line

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