Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Reports, Acts and Organisations) – August 23, 2020

The crucial link between the founding of a military academy and the attainment of independence was acutely realized by a section of Indian leadership in the days of struggle for independence, whose concerted efforts resulted in the recommendations of the Montague Chelmsford Reforms Committee that enabled ten Indians for receiving training at Sandhurst for induction as commissioned officers;

• Setting up of the Skeen Committee in 1925 and later holding of Round Table Conference in London in 1930, which recommended the establishment of the Indian Sandhurst.
• As a follow up action, a committee was set up under the chairmanship of Field Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode, the then Commander-in-Chief of India, to work out modalities for establishment of an Indian Sandhurst.
• In Jul 1931, the committee recommended establishment of a military academy for induction of 40 Gentlemen Cadets (GC) in each term comprising 15 as Direct Entries, 15 from the ranks through Kitchner College, Nowgaon and 10 from princely states.
• The training span was initially envisaged for three years but later reduced to two and a half years.

Important acts were passed during the period of Indira Gandhi.

• Maintenance of Internal Security Act, 1971 (MISA):A controversial law which gave the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and law enforcement gave absolute power to search and seize properties without a warrant, put individuals under preventive detention and use wiretapping.
• Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969 (MRTP):The objective of the Act was to restrict monopolistic trade activities and to maintain the economy of the country in balance. In short, the law was to make sure that the wealth of the country does not remain concentrated in the hands of the rich.
• Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973 (FERA): What is now popularly known as FEMA, the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 was called FERA back in 1973. The Act aimed to regulate foreign payments and investments and the conversion of foreign exchange.

The Coal Mines (Nationalization) Act, 1973: Acquisition, transfer of right, title and interest of the owners of coal mines was covered under the law.

The B.D. Kumar Committee, which submitted its report in 1975, recommended for setting up of an export-import Bank type institution to finance and promote exports of engineering goods and turnkey projects.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) at the insistence of the Government of India, constituted a Committee to Review the Arrangements For Institutional Credit for Agriculture and Rural Development (CRAFICARD) to look into these very critical aspects.

• The Committee was formed on 30 March 1979, under the Chairmanship of Shri B. Sivaraman, former member of Planning Commission, Government of India.
• Its recommendation was formation of a unique development financial institution which would address these aspirations and formation of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) was approved by the Parliament through Act 61 of 1981.

Nine in 10 people are prejudiced against women, such as thinking university education is more important for men or that men deserve jobs more if work is scarce, the United Nations said.

More than a quarter of men and women also think it is justified for a husband to beat his wife, found the Gender Social Norms Index by the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP), designed to measure how social beliefs obstruct gender equality.

The banking sector plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable development.

• It can lead the way to a more sustainable economy by lending to economic activities that yield the best return from society’s point of view and by guiding customers and stakeholders to manage social and environmental challenges and opportunities.
• At UNEP FI, we work hand in hand with our member banks to increase lending that supports socially and environmentally sustainable economic activities.
• The Principles for Responsible Banking are a unique framework for ensuring that signatory banks’ strategy and practice align with the vision society has set out for its future in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.
• More than 185 banks have now joined this movement for change, leading the way towards a future in which the banking community makes the kind of positive contribution to people and the planet that society expects.
• These banks represent more than a third of the global banking industry. This is a journey of unprecedented scale and scope at a time when such ambition is urgently needed.

The latest edition of the Democracy Index spells gloom for India. The world’s biggest democracy slipped 10 places in the 2019 global ranking to 51st place.

The report published by The Economist Intelligence Unit — the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, which is the sister company to The Economist newspaper — records how global democracy fared, analyzing 165 independent states and two territories.

India was graded in electoral process and pluralism (8.67), government functioning (6.79), political participation (6.67), political culture (5.63) and civil liberties (6.76).

It is becoming clear that climate crisis is creating more refugees than war. Instead of focusing on weeding out ‘illegal immigrants’, the government should stress on what is a much larger issue: the irreversible damage we are causing our environment and the rise in climate refugees.

• Before you roll your eyes at the comparison, you may want to look at these hard-hitting statistics on environmental migrants from the World Migration Report, 2020.
• It states that by end-2018, there were a total of 28 million new internal displacements across 148 countries and territories.
• Nearly 61% (17.2 million) of these new displacements were triggered by disasters, and 39% (10.8 million) were caused by conflict and violence.
• Brought out by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the report highlights that, as in previous years, weather-related disasters triggered the vast majority of all new displacements across the world.

The Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan on July 8, 2019. The Bill replaces the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.  Key features of the Bill include:

• A consumer is defined as a person who buys any good or avails a service for a consideration.  It does not include a person who obtains a good for resale or a good or service for commercial purpose. It covers transactions through all modes including offline, and online through electronic means, teleshopping, multi-level marketing or direct selling.
• Six consumer rights have been defined in the Bill, including the right to: (i) be protected against marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and property; (ii) be informed of the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services; (iii) be assured of access to a variety of goods or services at competitive prices; and (iv) seek redressal against unfair or restrictive trade practices.
• The central government will set up a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers.  It will regulate matters related to violation of consumer rights, unfair trade practices, and misleading advertisements.
• The CCPA may impose a penalty on a manufacturer or an endorser of up to Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment for up to two years for a false or misleading advertisement.  In case of a subsequent offence, the fine may extend to Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment of up to five years.
• Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions (CDRCs) will be set up at the district, state, and national levels.
• Complaints against an unfair contract can be filed with only the State and National   Appeals from a District CDRC will be heard by the State CDRC.  Appeals from the State CDRC will be heard by the National CDRC.  Final appeal will lie before the Supreme Court.

Lok Sabha passed the Code on Wages Bill, 2019, which amends and consolidates laws relating to wages/bonus and universalizes the provisions of minimum wages and timely payment of wages to all employees irrespective of the sector and wage ceiling.

• At present, the provisions of both Minimum Wages Act and Payment of Wages Act apply to workers below a particular wage ceiling working in Scheduled Employments only.
• “This Bill would ensure Right to Sustenance for every worker and intends to increase the legislative protection of minimum wage from existing about 40% to 100% workforce.”
• A release issued by the Ministry noted that the Code on Wages Bill, 2019, subsumes relevant provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.
• After the enactment of the Bill, all these four Acts will get repealed.

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 15, 2019. The Bill seeks to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to provide for road safety.

The Act provides for grant of licenses and permits related to motor vehicles, standards for motor vehicles, and penalties for violation of these provisions.

Compensation for road victims: The central government will develop a scheme for cashless treatment of road accident victims during golden hour.

• The Bill defines golden hour as the time period of up to one hour following a traumatic injury, during which the likelihood of preventing death through prompt medical care is the highest.
• The central government may also make a scheme for providing interim relief to claimants seeking compensation under third party insurance.
• The Bill increases the minimum compensation for hit and run cases as follows: (i) in case of death, from Rs 25,000 to two lakh rupees, and (ii) in case of grievous injury, from Rs 12,500 to Rs 50,000.

Compulsory Insurance: The Bill requires the central government to constitute a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India.

Good Samaritans: The Bill defines a good samaritan as a person who renders emergency medical or non-medical assistance to a victim at the scene of an accident.

• The assistance must have been (i) in good faith, (ii) voluntary, and (iii) without the expectation of any reward.
• Such a person will not be liable for any civil or criminal action for any injury to or death of an accident victim, caused due to their negligence in providing assistance to the victim.

Recall of Vehicles: The Bill allows the central government to order for recall of motor vehicles if a defect in the vehicle may cause damage to the environment, or the driver, or other road users.

Taxi aggregators: The Bill defines aggregators as digital intermediaries or market places which can be used by passengers to connect with a driver for transportation purposes (taxi services).  These aggregators will be issued licenses by state further they must comply with the Information Technology Act, 2000.