Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Reports/Indices & Committees) – June 28, 2020

Social Mobility Index is newly compiled, released by the World Economic Forum ahead of the 50th Annual Meeting of the WEF in January 2020.

• India has been ranked very low at 76th place out of 82 countries on a new Social Mobility Index compiled by the World Economic Forum, while Denmark has topped the charts.
• Measuring countries across five key dimensions distributed over 10 pillars — health; education (access, quality and equity); technology; work (opportunities, wages, conditions); and protections and institutions (social protection and inclusive institutions) — shows that fair wages, social protection and lifelong learning are the biggest drags on social mobility globally.

The GHI has been brought out almost every year by Welthungerhilfe (lately in partnerships with Concern Worldwide) since 2000.

• In 2018, India was ranked 103 out of 119 countries. In 2000, the country was ranked 83 out of 113 countries. Now, with 117 countries in the fray, it has dropped to 102.
• India is ranked 102 of 117 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2019, behind its neighbours Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
• It’s GHI score has also decelerated — from 38.9 in 2005 to 32 in 2010 and then from 32 to 30.3 between 2010 and 2019.
• The GHI score is calculated on four indicators — undernourishment; child wasting, the share of children under the age of five who are wasted (that is, who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute under-nutrition); child stunting, children under the age of five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic under-nutrition; and child mortality, the mortality rate of children under the age of five.

Both Global Economic Prospect Report and Global Financial Development Report are released by World Bank.

NOTE: Global Financial Stability Report is released by International Monetary Fund (IMF).

SDG India Index is a single measurable Index to map the progress of States & UTs towards 2030 SDGs.

• The index is released by NITI Aayog, it is developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics &Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• Kerala tops states in progress towards UN Sustainable Development Goals, while Bihar is at the bottom of Niti Aayog’s SDG Index.
• Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim have joined all the southern states in the top tier of front runners who scored more than 65 points, out of a possible 100.
  

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy launched the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index (SARAL).

• Karnataka has been given the first rank in the index, followed by Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
• SARAL has been designed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in association with Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY).
• The index captures five key aspects — robustness of policy framework, implementation environment, investment climate, consumer experience and business ecosystem.

The goal of the Sargent plan was the reorganization of the entire education system of India. The commission under the chairmanship of the John Sargent submitted its report to the Central Advisory Board of Education CABE in (1944).This scheme of post war educational development was mainly focused on the quality enhancement of higher education (ie. university system).

Recommendations-

• Pre-primary basic school for 3-6 years age group.
• Compulsory and free education for 6-14 year age group.
• High school education of two types – Academic & Technical and Vocational.
• Refresher courses for teachers and better salary for them.
• Abolition of intermediate courses.
• Standard of the universities must be raised.
• Admission should be restricted so only the capable students can go for the higher education.

The Financial Stability Reports (FSR), published by Reserve Bank of India, after approved by FSDC Sub-Committee since its inception, taking inputs from financial sector regulators i.e. RBI, SEBI, PFRDA, IRDAI including Ministry of Finance, are periodic exercise for reviewing the nature, magnitude and implications of risks that may have a bearing on the macroeconomic environment, financial institutions, markets and infrastructure.

• These reports will also assess the resilience of the financial sector through stress tests.
• FSR is a biannual publication.

In June 2019, the Union government formed two cabinet committees — one on Investment, the other on Employment and Skill Development.

The Prime Minister constitutes Standing Committees of the Cabinet and sets out the specific functions assigned to them. He can add or reduce the number of committees.

Investment: The Cabinet Committee on Investment will “identify key projects required to be implemented on a time-bound basis”, involving investments of Rs 1,000 crore or more, or any other critical projects, as may be specified by it, with regard to infrastructure and manufacturing.

• It will prescribe time limits for giving requisite approvals and clearances by the ministries concerned in identified sectors.
• It will also monitor the progress of such projects.

Employment: The Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development is supposed to provide “direction to all policies, programmes, schemes and initiatives for skill development aimed at increasing the employability of the workforce for effectively meeting the emerging requirements of the rapidly growing economy and mapping the benefits of demographic dividend”.

• It is required to enhance workforce participation, foster employment growth and identification, and work towards removal of gaps between requirement and availability of skills in various sectors.
• The panel will set targets for expeditious implementation of all skill development initiatives by the ministries and to periodically review the progress in this regard.

The addition of the two committees is indicative of the new focus areas for the government. The goal of both is new jobs.

The Dinesh Goswami Committee on Electoral Reforms, the Law Commission of India and the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution has recommended a review of the anti-defection law.

• The issues arising out of the decisions given by different Presiding Officers and the interpretation of the law by various courts were discussed at the Conferences of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India as well.
• In view of the near unanimity among the Presiding Officers for a review of the law, the then Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Conference, Shri G.M.C. Balayogi constituted in October 1998 a Committee of Presiding Officers headed by the Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Shri Hashim Abdul Halim, to go into different aspects of the matter.
• The Committee presented its Report in February 2003 recommending inter alia that the provisions relating to splits and mergers be deleted from the Tenth Schedule; the terms ‘voluntarily giving up membership’ and ‘political party’ are definedd; and that a time frame is laid down for decisions on the anti-defection cases.

The Supreme Court’s constitution bench, in its judgment in Public Interest Foundation & Others v Union of India, 2018 explains its limitations in preventing those charged with heinous offences from becoming legislators and finds that Parliament alone is competent to do so.

It satisfies itself by appealing to Parliament to make a law for this purpose on priority and issues a few directions to the Election Commission and the political parties to make the disclosure of the criminal antecedents of candidates contesting elections sufficient and clear to the voters, so that the latter could be warned not to vote the candidates, charged with serious offences.