ICRG Recommends Continuation of Pakistan in Grey List

Why in News

The International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has recommended that Pakistan be retained on the “Grey List”, given the country’s failure to completely implement the 27-point action plan to check terror financing.

• It needs to be noted that a recommendation by the ICRG is a precursor to the final decision at the FATF plenary session, and is usually not overturned. Since 2007, the the ICRG has analysed high-risk jurisdiction and recommended specific action to address the money laundering/terror financing risks emanating from them.
• The FATF Plenary is the decision making body of the FATF. It meets three times per year. The latest meeting will conclude on 21st February, 2020 in which final decision with respect to Pakistan will be taken.
• The FATF meeting is being held a week after an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan sentenced Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack and founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), to 11 years in two terror financing cases.

Current Scenario and India’s Stand

• In the FATF Asia Pacific Joint Group meeting in Beijing in January 2020, Pakistan was adjudged to have cleared 14 points.
  
  • The Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering was established in 1997 as an autonomous regional anti-money laundering body by unanimous agreement among 13 original founding members. Presently, it has 41 active members including India.
• Pakistan’s Current Stand
  
  • Since the 2019 meeting, it has taken all possible measures against terror financing.
  • It has convicted an unprecedented number of persons, which includes Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed.
  • It has also recently informed the FATF that JeM founder Masood Azhar and his family are “missing”.
• India’s Stand
  
  • India has been maintaining that Pakistan extends regular support to terror groups and has urged FATF to take action against Pakistan.
  • India counters Pakistan's claims, saying the recent action taken by Islamabad against Saeed and others was an attempt to evade further FATF sanctions.
  • India asserts that the terror funding operations are still on and outfits such as the LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed, whose chief Masood Azhar's location as per Pakistan is “missing”, are having a free run in Pakistan.
• Pakistan’s Status on Grey List
  
  • Pakistan needs 12 votes out of 39 (total members in the FATF) to exit the ‘Grey List’ and move to ‘White List’. To avoid ‘Black List’, it needs the support of three countries.
  • In the Beijing 2020 meeting, Pakistan got support from Malaysia and Turkey besides FATF current chair China.
  • India has lobbied with several countries, from the US to Europe, Australia to West Asian countries, to make the case for blacklisting of Pakistan.
• Impact on Pakistan
  
  • If Pakistan continues on the grey list, it would be very difficult for the country to get financial aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the European Union, making its financial condition even more unsteady.

Source: TH

Private Member Bill for Two-Child Policy Norm

Why in News

Recently, a Private Member’s Constitution Amendment Bill has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha proposing incentives in taxation, education and employment for people who limit their family size to two children.

• The Bill is likely to be discussed when Parliament meets for the second half of the Budget session.

Key Features of the Bill

• The Bill proposes for the incorporation of a new provision — Article 47A(Duty of the State to promote small family norm) — in Part IV of the Constitution.
  
  • Part IV of the Indian Constitution deals with the Directive Principles of the State Policy.
• The proposed insertion of Article 47A intends to withdraw all concessions from people who fail to adhere to the ‘small-family-norm’.
• The Bill also intends to offer incentives in taxes, employment, education and priority in social benefit schemes and school admissions etc to its people who keep their family limited to two children.

Current Status

• Presently, six states including Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have made the two-child norm mandatory for all panchayat members.
  
  • In 2018, 412 panchayat members in Rajasthan had been removed from their posts because they failed to comply with the two-child norm.
• The Supreme Court has upheld the provision in several states that debars members with more than two children from contesting and holding panchayat posts.

Need for Two-Child Policy Norm

• India’s population has already crossed 125 crores and India is expected to surpass the world’s most populous nation-China in the next couple of decades.
• Despite having the National Population Control Policy (2000), India is the second-most populous country in the world.
• Thus, India’s natural resources are extremely over-burdened and facing over-exploitation.

Criticism of the Two-Child Policy

• The restricted child policy will create a shortage of educated young people needed to carry on India’s technological revolution.
• The problems like gender imbalance, undocumented children, etc. faced by China (as a result of the one-child policy) might be experienced by India.
• India's birthrate is slowing down to sustainable levels. In 2000, the fertility rate was still relatively high at 3.2 children per woman. By 2016, that number had already fallen to 2.3 children.

Source: IE

India-Norway Task Force on Blue Economy

Why in News

Recently, the India-Norway Task Force on Blue Economy for Sustainable Development was inaugrated jointly by both the countries. This task force was launched during Norwegian Prime Minister's visit to India earlier in 2019.

• The two countries also commenced a new collaboration on Integrated Ocean Management & Research.

Key Points

• The bilateral collaboration intends to manage the resources in the oceans in a sustainable manner.
• The India-Norway cooperation in the field of oceans is based on a shared interest in the blue economy and the sustainable use of marine resources.
• Both countries also desire to advance scientific knowledge about oceans.

India-Norway Task Force on Blue Economy for Sustainable Development

• The purpose of the task force is to develop and follow up joint initiatives between the two countries.
• It also intends to mobilise relevant stakeholders from both Norway and India at the highest level, and ensure continued commitment and progress across ministries and agencies.

India-Norway Relations

• India and Norway have been enjoying a cordial and friendly relationship since the establishment of relations in 1947.
• The two countries respect each other for their commonly shared values such as democracy, human rights and rule of law. In recent years, both countries have been increasing their engagements in the field of trade and technology.
• Norway has supported India’s membership to export control regimes the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) and the Australia Group (AG).
• India has signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with Norway in 1986 which was revised in February 2011.
• Total bilateral trade between India and Norway stands around $1.1 billion in 2015-16.
• Three Arctic Missions from India have so far visited Norway, in 2007, 2008 and 2009. India’s Polar Research Station “Himadri” is located at Ny Alesund, Spitsbergen Island, Norway.

Source: PIB

Aditya-L1 Mission

Why in News

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing for its first scientific expedition to study the Sun, Aditya-L1. It would be placed into a point in space known as the L1 Lagrange point.

• Aditya L1 will be ISRO’s 2^nd space-based astronomy mission after AstroSat, which was launched in 2015.
• Aditya 1 was renamed as Aditya-L1. The Aditya 1 was meant to observe only the solar corona.

Key Points

• Launch Vehicle: Aditya L1 will be launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) XL with 7 payloads (instruments) on board.
• Objective: Aditya L1 will study the Sun’s corona (Visible and Near infrared rays), Sun's photosphere (soft and hard X-ray), chromosphere (Ultra Violet ), solar emissions, solar winds and flares, and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and will carry out round-the-clock imaging of the Sun.
• Challenges: The distance of the Sun from Earth ( approximately 15 crore kms on average, compared to the only 3.84 lakh kms to the Moon).This huge distance poses a scientific challenge.
  
  • Due to the risks involved, payloads in earlier ISRO missions have largely remained stationary in space; however, Aditya L1 will have some moving components which increases the risks of collision.
  • Other issues are the super hot temperatures and radiation in the solar atmosphere. However, Aditya L1 will stay much farther away, and the heat is not expected to be a major concern for the instruments on board.

Importance

• Evolution of every planet, including Earth and the exoplanets beyond the Solar System, is governed by its parent star i.e the Sun in our case. The Solar weather and environment affects the weather of the entire system. Therefore, it is important to study the Sun.
• Effects of Variation in Solar Weather System: Variations in this weather can change the orbits of satellites or shorten their lives, interfere with or damage onboard electronics, and cause power blackouts and other disturbances on Earth.
• Knowledge of solar events is key to understanding space weather.
• To learn about and track Earth-directed storms, and to predict their impact, continuous solar observations are needed.
• Many of the instruments and their components for this mission are being manufactured for the first time in the country.

Other Missions to the Sun

• NASA’s Parker Solar Probe’s aim is to trace how energy and heat move through the Sun’s corona and to study the source of the solar wind’s acceleration.
  
  • It is part of NASA’s ‘Living With a Star’ programme that explores different aspects of the Sun-Earth system.
• The earlier Helios 2 solar probe, a joint venture between NASA and space agency of erstwhile West Germany, went within 43 million km of the Sun’s surface in 1976.

Source: IE

Central Vigilance Commission

• There are 3 principal actors at the national level in the fight against corruption: the Lokpal, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
• Central Vigilance Commission is the apex vigilance institution, free of control from any executive authority, monitoring all vigilance activity under the Central Government and advising various authorities in Central Government organizations in planning, executing, reviewing and reforming their vigilance work.
• Background: The CVC was set up by the Government in February, 1964 on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, headed by K. Santhanam.
• The Parliament enacted Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003 (CVC Act) conferring statutory status on the CVC.
• It is an independent body which is only responsible to the Parliament.
• Composition: It is a multi-member Commission consisting of a Central Vigilance Commissioner (Chairperson) and not more than 2 Vigilance Commissioners (Member).
  
  • The Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Vigilance Commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendations of a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister (Chairperson), the Minister of Home Affairs (Member) and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of the People (Member).
• Tenure: The term of office of the Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Vigilance Commissioners is 4 years from the date on which they enter their office or till they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
• Role and Functions: Exercise superintendence over the functioning of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (CBI) insofar as it relates to the investigation of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
  
  • The CVC receives complaints on corruption or misuse of office and recommends appropriate action. Following institutions, bodies, or a person can approach CVC: Central government, Lokpal and Whistle blowers.
• CVC has no investigation wing of its own as it depends on the CBI and the Chief Vigilance Officers (CVO) of central organizations, while CBI has its own investigation wing drawing its powers from Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.

Source: TH

National Statistical Commission

• Recently the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the draft National Statistical Commission (NSC) Bill in public domain for feedback.
• The Bill seeks to establish NSC as the nodal, autonomous and statutory body for all core statistical activities. It also proposes the NSC to be a body corporate. The current body lacks statutory backing.
• Formation: The Government of India through a resolution dated 1^st June, 2005 set up the National Statistical Commission (NSC), on the recommendations of the Rangarajan Commission, which reviewed the Indian Statistical System in 2001.
• Present Status of the NSC :
  
  • Composition : It has a part-time Chairperson, 4 part-time Members and an ex-officio Member, each having specialization and experience in specified statistical fields.
  • The Chief Statistician of India is the Secretary of the Commission.
  • He is also the Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
  • Mandate: To evolve policies, priorities and standards in statistical matters.
    
    • To improve the data quality in the statistical products and processes and work closely with the statistical agencies in the central and state government to ensure its implementation.
    • The NSC is a recommending body that helps the national statistical system in evolving better strategies to improve the functioning of the system.

Source: PIB

Northern European Enclosure Dam

Why in News

Scientists have proposed the construction of the Northern European Enclosure Dam (NEED) enclosing all of the North Sea to protect economic regions of 15 Northern European countries from Sea-level Rise (SLR) as a result of climate change.

Key Points

• The proposed NEED aims to construct two dams of a combined length of 637 km.
• The first between northern Scotland and western Norway (476 km) and the second between France and southwestern England (161 km).
• The project intends to separate the North and Baltic Seas from the Atlantic Ocean to protect Northern Europe against SLR.
• The project classifies the solutions to SLR into three categories namely, taking no action, protection, and managed retreat — and categorises NEED into the second category.
• NEED is expected to have the least direct impact on people’s daily lives and can be built at a reasonable cost.
• It can be implemented in other regions in the world including the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Irish Sea, and the Red Sea.

Source: IE

Kala Kumbh: Ministry of Textiles

Why in News

The Ministry of Textiles is organizing ‘Kala Kumbh - Handicrafts Thematic Exhibition’ in various parts of the country from 14^th - 23^rd February, 2020.

• The objective is to promote Geographical Indication (GI) crafts and heritage of India.
  
  • The GI tag for goods correspond to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). As of August 2019, 178 GI handicraft products were registered from all over India. These include Madhubani Painting (Bihar), Kondapalli Bommallu (Andhra Pradesh) etc.
• The exhibition is being organized through the Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) under the Ministry of Textiles.
• It is sponsored by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH).
  
  • The EPCH was established under Companies Act in the year 1986-87 and is a non-profit organisation, with an object to promote, support, protect, maintain and increase the export of handicrafts.

Source: PIB

Paparva Island

• Paparva Island is located between Kandla port and Navlakha port, in the Gulf of Kutch (Gujarat). The island is uninhabited but local fishermen go there to dry their fish.
• The Gulf of Kutch is the northeastern arm of the Arabian Sea, extending between the Rann of Kachchh (a saline mudflat) and the Kāthiāwār Peninsula of west-central India.
• Kandla, also known as the Deendayal Port Trust is a seaport in Kutch District of Gujarat, near the city of Gandhidham. It is one of the major ports on the west coast.

Source: IE