JPC Report on the PDP Bill

Why in News

Recently, a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has finalised and adopted the draft report on The Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill, 2019 by a majority.

• The Bill will be soon tabled in the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament. The JPC has got five extensions to submit a report on the Bill in two years.

Key Points

• PDP Bill:
  
  • It was first brought to the Parliament in 2019 and was referred to the JPC for examination at the time.
    
    • The Bill was drafted after a Supreme Court ruling that declared 'Right to Privacy' a fundamental right in August 2017, Puttaswamy judgment.
  • It is commonly referred to as the “Privacy Bill” and intends to protect individual rights by regulating the collection, movement, and processing of data that is personal, or which can identify the individual.
  • The Bill is landmark legislation meant to regulate how various companies and organizations use individuals’ data inside India.
  • The 2019 draft of the Bill proposed the formation of a Data Protection Authority (DPA), which would regulate the use of users’ personal data by social media companies and other organizations within the country.
• Report:
  
  • Clause 35/Exemption Clause:
    
    • The committee has retained the Clause with minor change.
    • It allows the Government to keep any of its agencies outside the purview of the law.
      
      • The Clause in the name of “public order”, ‘sovereignty’, “friendly relations with foreign states” and “security of the state” allows any agency under the Union Government exemption from all or any provisions of the law.
    • The clause is for “certain legitimate purposes” and also there is precedent in the form of the reasonable restrictions imposed upon the liberty of an individual, as guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution and the Puttaswamy judgment.
  • Recommendations:
    
    • Policy on Data Localisation:
      
      • Development of an alternative indigenous financial system for cross-border payments on the lines of Ripple (U.S.) and INSTEX (EU) and that the Central Government, in consultation with all the sectoral regulators, must prepare and pronounce an extensive policy on data localisation.
    • Certification for Digital Devices:
      
      • Government should make efforts to establish a mechanism for the formal certification process for all digital and IoT (Internet of Things) devices that will ensure the integrity of all such devices with respect to data security.
    • Accountability of Social Media:
      
      • It has recommended that all social media platforms, which do not act as intermediaries, should be treated as publishers and be held accountable for the content they host, and should be held responsible for the content from unverified accounts on their platforms.
      • The government should also define the threshold of users of significant social media platforms and process of voluntary user verification.
    • Sharing Data:
      
      • Under clause 94, previously clause 93, which deals with granting powers to the government to make rules, the panel recommends that the government decide the manner in which a data fiduciary can share, transfer or transmit the personal data to any person as part of any business transaction.
        
        • A data fiduciary is an entity or individual who decides the means and purpose of processing personal data.
      • The government should take the final call on whether sensitive personal data can be shared with a foreign government or agency.
      • The recommendations also give the government the scope to set up a future statutory body to look into the use of personal data by journalistic organisations.
      • The recommendations suggest the government will decide the penalty for those failing to comply with the provisions, which was earlier defined with respect to the global turnover of the company as part of the bill.
• Concerns:
  
  • The committee expressed concerns with possible misuse. Though the State has rightly been empowered to exempt itself from the application of this Act, this power may be used only under exceptional circumstances and subject to conditions as laid out in the Act.
  • The Bill creates two parallel universes — one for the private sector where it would apply with full rigour and one for the Government where it is riddled with exemption, carve outs and escape clauses.
  • A Bill that seeks to provide blanket exemptions either in perpetuity or even for a limited period to the ‘state’ and its instrumentalities, is beyond the legal power of the Fundamental Right to privacy as laid down in Puttaswamy judgement.
  • Bill does not provide adequate safeguards to protect the right to privacy and gives an overboard exemption to the Government. Clause 35 is open to misuse since it gives unqualified powers to the Government.
  • The Bill pays little attention to “harms arising from surveillance and effort to establish a modern surveillance framework”.
  • The Bill has no provision to keep a check on collection of data by hardware manufacturers.

Source: TH

Draft Scheme of Amalgamation of PMC & USF Bank: RBI

Why in News

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released a draft scheme of amalgamation of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank and Unity Small Finance Bank (USF).

• Earlier, PMC was put under restrictions on account of fraud that led to a steep deterioration in the networth of the bank.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • According to the draft scheme of amalgamation, following the amalgamation, depositors of PMC Bank will get their money back over a period of 3-10 years.
  • The interest on any interest-bearing deposit with the transferor (PMC) bank will not accrue after 31^st March 2021.
• Significance:
  
  • The takeover of assets and liabilities of PMC Bank, including deposits, by Unity, will give a greater degree of protection for the depositors.
    
    • USF Bank is being set up with capital of about Rs 1,100 crore as against a regulatory requirement of Rs 200 crore for setting up a small finance bank under the guidelines for on-tap licensing of small finance banks in the private sector.

Merger of Banks

• About:
  
  • In a Merger, banks are benefited in combined business operations and ventures. Together they are able to increase shareholder value and cater the needs more effectively.
  • Bank consolidated procedures are provided under the Banking Regulation Act,1949. Section 45 in the act empowers RBI to apply to the Central Government for suspension of business by a banking company and to prepare a scheme of reconstitution of amalgamation.
• Recent Examples:
  
  • In 2019 the Finance Minister announced the biggest consolidation plan of Public sector Banks (PSBs)- merging 10 of them into just 4.
  • In January 2019 Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the merger of state-run Vijaya Bank, Bank of Baroda and Dena Bank.
  • In April 2017, 5 associate banks were merged with SBI – State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Patiala.
  • Government also initiated amalgamation of Regional Rural Banks under Phase 3 consolidation, bringing them down from 56 to 38.
• Benefits:
  
  • Competitive: The consolidation of Banks helps in strengthening its presence globally, nationally and regionally.
  • Capital and Governance: The government's intention is not just to give capital but also give good governance. The financial system of the enlarged institution will be more profitable and protected.
    
    • The lending capacity of the banks will increase and their balance sheet would also be strong.
  • Efficiency: It has the potential to reduce operational costs due to the presence of shared overlapping networks. And this enhanced operational efficiency will reduce the lending costs of the banks.
  • Technological Synergy: All merged banks in a particular bucket share common Core Banking Solutions (CBS) platform synergizing them technologically.
  • Self-Sufficiency: Larger banks have a better ability to raise resources from the market rather than relying on State exchequer.
  • Monitoring: With the number of Banks coming down after the process of merger – capital allocation, performance milestones, and monitoring would become easier for the government.
• Challenges:
  
  • Decision Making: The banks that are getting merged are expected to see a slowdown in decision making at the top level as senior officials of such banks would put all the decisions on the back-burner and it will lead to a drop in credit delivery in the system.
  • Geographical Synergy: During the process of merger, the geographical synergy between the merged banks is somewhat missing. In three of the four merger cases, the merged banks serve only one specific region of the country.
    
    • However, the merger of Allahabad Bank (having a presence in the East & North region) with the Indian Bank (having a presence in South) increases its geographical spread.
  • Slowdown in Economy: The move is a good one but the timings are not just apt. There is already a slowdown in the economy, and private consumption and investments are on a declining trend. Hence, there is a need to lift the economy and increase the credit flow in the short-term, & this decision will block that credit in the short-term.
  • Weak Banks: A complex merger with a weaker and under-capitalized PSB would stall the bank’s recovery efforts as the weaknesses of one bank may get transferred and the merged entity may become weak.

Source: IE

Swachh Survekshan 2021

Why in News

Recently, the President awarded the respective cities in the 6^th Edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS) 2021 for their performance in maintaining cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation.

• The ceremony was held at the ‘Swachh Amrit Mahotsav’, which is a celebration of the achievements of cities in the past seven years of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban and a commitment from cities and citizens to move forward with renewed vigour in the next phase of Swachhata through Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0.
• Earlier, the Jal Shakti Ministry launched Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2021 or rural cleanliness survey 2021 under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase-II.

Key Points

• Swachh Survekshan:
  
  • About:
    
    • It is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India.
    • It was launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which aimed to make India clean and free of open defecation.
    • The first survey was undertaken in 2016 and covered 73 cities.
      
      • By 2020 the survey had grown to cover 4242 cities and was said to be the largest cleanliness survey in the world.
    • In 2021 Survekshan, participated by 4,320 cities, also saw an unprecedented number of citizens’ feedback – over 5 crores, compared to 1.87 cores last year.
  • Nodal Ministry:
    
    • Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• SS 2021 Categories:
  
  • Less than 1 lakh Population:
    
    • Vita, Lonavala, and Saswad cities from Maharashtra have ranked first, second, and third Cleanest Cities respectively.
  • More than 1 Lakh Population:
    
    • For the 5^th consecutive year, Indore (Madhya Pradesh) was awarded the title of India’s Cleanest City under Swachh Survekshan, while Surat and Vijayawada bagged the second and third spots respectively.
    • Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh emerged as the ‘Fastest Mover City’ thus securing a place among the top 100 cities at 87^th position.
  • Best Ganga Town: Varanasi.
  • Cleanest Cantonment: Ahmedabad Cantonment, followed by Meerut Cantonment and Delhi Cantonment.
  • Cleanest State:
    
    • More than 100 Urban Local Bodies:
      
      • Chhattisgarh has been awarded as the ‘Cleanest State’ of India for the 3^rd consecutive year.
      • Karnataka emerged as the ‘Fastest Mover State’.
    • Less than 100 Urban Local Bodies:
      
      • Jharkhand won the ‘Cleanest State’ of India for the second time in this category.
      • Mizoram emerged as the ‘Fastest Mover State’.
  • Prerak Daaur Samman:
    
    • This is a new performance category introduced under SS 2021, five cities – Indore, Surat, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi Municipal Council and Tirupati were categorized as ‘Divya’ (Platinum).
• Other Awards:
  
  • Safaimitra Surakasha Challenge:
    
    • Under the Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge, the top performer cities are Indore, Navi Mumbai, Nellore, and Dewas across different population categories among 246 participating cities while the top performer states are Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh.
  • 5-star rated Garbage Free Cities in India:
    
    • Under the Star Rating Protocol of Garbage Free Cities, 9 cities were certified as 5-star cities while 143 cities were certified as 3-star.
      
      • The Star Rating Protocol was launched by MoHUA in 2018 to institutionalize a mechanism for cities to achieve Garbage Free status, and to motivate cities to achieve higher degrees of sustainable cleanliness.
    • The nine 5-star rated cities are Indore, Surat, New Delhi Municipal Council, Navi Mumbai, Ambikapur, Mysuru, Noida, Vijayawada, and Patan.

Source: PIB

Report on ‘Health Care Equity in Urban India’

Why in News

According to a recent report, life expectancy among the poorest is lower by 9.1 years and 6.2 years among men and women, respectively, compared to the richest in urban areas.

Key Points

• About the Report:
  
  • The report explores health vulnerabilities and inequalities in cities in India.
  • It also looks at the availability, accessibility and cost of healthcare facilities, and possibilities in future-proofing services in the next decade.
  • It was released recently by Azim Premji University in collaboration with 17 regional NGOs across India.
• Findings of the Report:
  
  • Number of Urban People:
    
    • A third of India’s people now live in urban areas, with this segment seeing a rapid growth from about 18% (1960) to 34% (in 2019).
    • Close to 30% of people living in urban areas are poor.
  • Chaotic Urban Health Governance:
    
    • The report, besides finding disproportionate disease burden on the poor, also pointed to a chaotic urban health governance, where the multiplicity of healthcare providers both within and outside the government without coordination are challenges to urban health governance.
  • Heavy Financial Burden on the Poor:
    
    • A heavy financial burden on the poor, and less investment in healthcare by urban local bodies is also a major challenge.
• Suggestions:
  
  • Strengthen community participation and governance.
  • Build a comprehensive and dynamic database on the health and nutrition status, including co-morbidities of the diverse, vulnerable populations; strengthening healthcare provisioning through the National Urban Health Mission, especially for primary healthcare services.
  • Put in place policy measures to reduce the financial burden of the poor.
  • A better mechanism for coordinated public healthcare services and better governed private healthcare institutions.
  • The Covid-19 pandemic has brought to attention the need for a robust and resourced healthcare system. Addressing this now will benefit the most vulnerable and offer critical services to city dwellers across income groups.

Source: TH

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin

Why in News

Recently, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) has completed 5 years on 20^th November, 2021.

• Earlier, it was reported that due to adverse impact of Covid-19, only 5.4% of the sanctioned houses under the PMAY-G, have reached completion for the year 2020-2021.
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs implements the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban.

Key Points

• Launch: To achieve the objective of “Housing for All” by 2022, the erstwhile rural housing scheme Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) was restructured to PMAY-G w.e.f 1^st April, 2016.
• Ministry Involved: Ministry of Rural development.
• Aim: To provide a pucca house with basic amenities to all rural families, who are homeless or living in kutcha or dilapidated houses by the end of March 2022.
  
  • To help rural people Below the Poverty Line (BPL) in construction of dwelling units and upgradation of existing unserviceable kutcha houses by providing assistance in the form of a full grant.
• Beneficiaries: People belonging to SCs/STs, freed bonded labourers and non-SC/ST categories, widows or next-of-kin of defence personnel killed in action, ex servicemen and retired members of the paramilitary forces, disabled persons and minorities.
• Selection of Beneficiaries: Through a three stage validation - Socio Economic Caste Census 2011, Gram Sabha, and geo-tagging.
• Cost Sharing: The cost of unit assistance is shared between Central and State Governments in the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and 90:10 for North Eastern and hilly states.
• Features:
  
  • The minimum size of the house has been increased to 25 sq.mt (from 20sq.mt) with a hygienic cooking space.
  • The unit assistance has been increased from Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 1.20 lakh in plain and from Rs. 75,000 to Rs. 1.30 lakh in hilly states.
  • The assistance for construction of toilets shall be leveraged through convergence with Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G), MGNREGS or any other dedicated source of funding.
  • Convergence for piped drinking water, electricity connection, LPG gas connection etc. different Government programmers are also to be attempted.

Source: PIB

All India Survey on Domestic Workers

Why in News

Recently, the Union Minister for Labour and Employment flagged off the first ever All India Survey on Domestic Workers (DW).

• This was a first-ever such survey in independent India and will be completed in a year.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • The main objectives of the survey are:
    
    • Estimate the number/proportion of DWs at National and State level.
    • Household Estimates of Live-in/Live-out DWs.
    • Average number of DWs engaged by different types of households.
  • Parameters the survey aims to capture the number and proportion of household workers by major states, with separate rural and urban break-ups, their percentage distribution, households that employ them and socio-demographic characteristics.
  • The survey would cover 37 States and Union Territories, covering 1.5 lakh households in 742 districts.
  • The survey for domestic workers is among five national jobs surveys that will be conducted periodically and provide crucial data for an upcoming national employment policy.
    
    • The other four surveys are the All-India Survey of Migrant Workers, All-India Survey of Employment Generated by Professionals and All-India Survey of Employment Generated in the Transport Sector, All-India Quarterly Establishment-based Employment Survey (AQEES).
• Need of the Survey:
  
  • Domestic workers (DWs) constitute a significant portion of total employment in the informal sector. However, there is a dearth of data on the magnitude and prevailing employment conditions of DW.
  • The Survey is intended to have time series data on domestic workers.
  • The survey will help the government understand significant issues on certain special and vulnerable segments of labour and will guide effective policymaking.
• Domestic Worker:
  
  • About:
    
    • Any person engaged by a household shall be classified as a domestic worker if the frequency of visits by the worker to the household is at least four days during the last 30 days and the goods and/or services produced by the worker are consumed by the members of the household against payment either through cash or kind.
  • Status of Domestic Workers:
    
    • According to the latest data on the e-Shram portal, around 8.8% of the registered 8.56 crore informal sector workers fall in the category of domestic workers.
      
      • India has around 38 crore workers in the informal sector.
    • At the current rate of registration in the e-shram portal, there would be 3-3.5 crore domestic workers in the country.
    • Domestic workers are the third-largest category of workers after agriculture and construction.
    • India is a signatory of the International Labour Organisation Convention C-189 (Domestic Workers Convention, 2011).

Source: TH

Tsirkon Hypersonic Missile: Russia

Why in News

Recently, Russia has fired its Tsirkon (Zircon) Hypersonic Cruise Missile from a warship in the north of the country.

• Earlier, it was reported that China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle that circled the globe before speeding towards its target.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • The Tsirkon Cruise Missile will join Avangard glide vehicles and the air-launched Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles in Russia’s hypersonic arsenal.
    
    • Cruise missiles differ from ballistic missiles in that they fly towards their target at lower altitudes, remaining within the Earth’s atmosphere throughout their trajectory.
  • It is one of the several missiles being developed in Russia that will arm up Russian submarines, frigates, and cruisers.
  • Hypersonic Weapons are much harder to track and intercept than traditional projectiles because they can travel more than five times the speed of sound and maneuver in mid-flight.
• Hypersonic Technology:
  
  • Speed: 5 or more times the Mach or speed of sound.
  • Mach Number: It describes an aircraft’s speed compared with the speed of sound in air, with Mach 1 equating to the speed of sound i.e. 343 metre per second.
  • Technology Used: Most hypersonic vehicles primarily use the scramjet technology, which is a type of Air Breathing propulsion System.
    
    • This is extremely complex technology, which also needs to be able to handle high temperatures, making the hypersonic systems extremely costly.
  • Types:
    
    • Hypersonic cruise missiles: These are the ones that use rocket or jet propellant through their flight and are regarded as being just faster versions of existing cruise missiles.
    • Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV): These missiles first go up into the atmosphere on a conventional rocket before being launched towards their target.
• Development of Hypersonic Technology in India:
  
  • India, too, is working on hypersonic technologies.
    
    • As far as space assets are concerned, India has already proved its capabilities through the test of ASAT under Mission Shakti.
  • Hypersonic technology has been developed and tested by both DRDO (Defence research and Development Organisation) and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).
  • Recently, DRDO has successfully flight-tested the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), with a capability to travel at 6 times the speed of sound.
  • Also, a Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) test facility of the DRDO was inaugurated in Hyderabad. It is a pressure vacuum-driven, enclosed free jet facility that simulates Mach 5 to 12.

‘Matosinhos Manifesto’ to accelerate the use of Space in Europe

Why in News

The European Space Agency (ESA) council has approved a manifesto to accelerate the use of space in Europe.

• Basically, the council has adopted a resolution that lays down a vision for the continent in terms of maintaining and expanding its activities in space.
• Other than this, the council recognised two “inspirators” to reinforce European leadership in science, technology development and inspiration: an icy moon sample return mission and human space exploration.

Key Points

• About the Resolution: The resolution defines three “accelerators” to further advance Europe’s space ambitions.
  
  • Space for a Green Future:
    
    • Space projects that enable it to understand the current state of the planet and help it get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Earth observation satellites and their data are a key part of this.
  • Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response:
    
    • Space applications that allow nations to manage more effectively any crises that crop up.
      
      • Examples: Severe flooding and wildfires were seen in parts of Europe earlier this year (2021). Also, the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has flagged frequent weather events, such as heatwaves, extreme rainfalls and rising sea levels. Some of these factors may influence the way wildfires play out.
  • Protection of Space Assets:
    
    • Russia's use of a missile to destroy a satellite in orbit recently has highlighted the need for new systems to safeguard European astronauts and satellites from interference.
• Significance:
  
  • It will tackle the urgent and unprecedented societal, economic and security challenges faced by Europe and its citizens.
    
    • The large-scale nature and fast pace of the climate crisis and other challenges means that no European nation will be able to effectively address them alone.
  • Space has enormous untapped potential to help tackle these challenges, and an acceleration in developing European space capability is now urgently needed.

Source: IE

Shakti: Advanced Electronic Warfare Suite

Why in News

The Prime Minister handed over the Advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite ‘Shakti’ to the Indian Navy at a ceremony held as part of Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv on 19^th November, 2021.

• Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv is part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahaotsav' celebration.
• The PM also handed over indigenously-built Light Combat Helicopter (HAL’s LCH), and two small drones (‘SWITCH 1.0 UAV’ and ‘MR-20) built by Indian start-ups to the Air Force.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • It will provide an electronic layer of defence against modern radars and anti-ship missiles to ensure electronic dominance and survivability in the maritime battlefield.
    
    • This system will replace the earlier generation EW Systems of the Indian Navy.
  • The system has been integrated with the wideband Electronic Support Measures (ESM) and Electronic Counter Measure (ECM) for the defence of Indian Navy Ships against missile attacks.
  • It will help in finding accurate direction and interception of modern radars.
    
    • The system has a built-in radar fingerprinting and data recording replay feature for post-mission analysis.
  • It will enhance the capabilities of the Indian Navy and termed it as a major milestone towards Atmanirbhar Bharat in areas of advanced defence technologies.
• Designed By:
  
  • Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL) Hyderabad.
    
    • It is a laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for Capital Warships of the Indian Navy for the interception, detection, classification, identification and jamming of conventional and modern Radars.
• Shakti System:
  
  • First Shakti system has been installed on-board INS Visakhapatnam and is being installed on-board Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, INS Vikrant.
  • Twelve Shakti Systems are under production at Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) supported by more than fifty Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) at a total cost of Rs 1805 Crores.
  • These systems are scheduled to be installed on-board capital warships under production, including P-15B, P-17A and Talwar class follow-on ships.

Source: PIB

Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace for 2021

Why in News

Recently, Pratham, a civil society organisation has been conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2021.

• Pratham is dedicated to improving the quality of education among underprivileged children in India and across the world.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development was instituted in the memory of the former prime minister by a trust (Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust) in her name in 1986.
  • It consists of a monetary award of Rs 25 lakh along with a citation.
  • The award is given to individuals or organisations who work towards ensuring international peace and development, ensuring that scientific discoveries are used to further the scope of freedom and better humanity, and creating a new international economic order.
• Pratham:
  
  • About: Set up in 1995, Pratham began its work in slum areas by setting up community-based pre-schools and by offering remedial education to students who lagged behind in their classes.
    
    • Its Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), based on surveying 6,00,000 rural Indian children, is now used as a model to assess education outcomes and learning deficiencies in 14 countries over three continents.
    • To respond to the concerns raised by ASER, in 2007 Pratham launched its flagship programme, Read India, which aims to improve children’s learning by strengthening basic reading and arithmetic.
  • Awarded For: Pratham was awarded for its pioneering work over more than a quarter century in seeking to ensure that every child has access to quality education, for its innovative use of digital technology to deliver education, for its programmes to provide skills to young adults, for its regular evaluation of the quality of education, and for its timely response in enabling children to learn during the Covid-19 related school closures.

Source: TH