Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Reports & Commissions) – May 31, 2020

The Viceroy filled with imperialistic design was not in favor of giving any power to the Indians. He concluded the Indian Universities and the colleges were slowly becoming cradle of Propaganda against the Government. So, with an idea to bring the Universities under control, Lord Curzon appointed Raleigh Commission under Sir Thomas Raleigh. The Raleigh Commission had only one Indian member, Syed Hussain Belgrami. But when the Hindus protested about this, Justice Guru Das Banerjee was called from the High Court of Calcutta and made a member. This commission submitted its report in 1902 and this followed introduction of a Bill called Raleigh Bill. The Raleigh Bill when became an act, it was called Indian Universities Act 1904.

Campbell Commission: In 1865-66, a famine engulfed Orissa, Bengal, Bihar, and Madras and took a toll of nearly 20 lakhs of lives with Orissa alone loosing 10 lakh lives, since the famine was most severe in Orissa; it is called the Orissa famine. The Government officers though forewarned took no steps to meet the calamity. The Government adhered to the principles of free trade and the law of demand and supply, the Government did provide employment to the table booked men leaving the work of charitable relief to voluntary agency. But the famine proved a turning point in the history of Indian famines for it was followed by the appointment of a committee under the chairmanship of Sir George Campbell.

Fraser Commission: Lord Curzon set up a Police Commission under Sir Andrew Frazer in 1902-03. On the basis of recommendation of this commission, a basic structure of Indian domestic intelligence developed and remained almost same till 1947.  He attached Department of Criminal Intelligence (DCI) to the Government of India while set up the Criminal Investigation Departments (CIDs) in the provinces of British India. In 1903, the Thugi and Dakaiti Department was abolished.

Fowler commission: The Indian Currency Committee or Fowler Committee was a government committee appointed by the British-run Government of India on 29 April 1898 to examine the currency situation in India.

Small Scale Industries.

S.S Kohli Committee: To tackle the problem of rehabilitation of potentially viable sick SSI units, the RBI constituted a working group on November 25, 2000 under the chairmanship of Shri S.S. Kohli, the then chairman of Indian Banks Association, to look into the issue. The Working Group submitted its report in May, 2001. All the major recommendations of the working group have been accepted by the RBI, including a change in the definition of Sick SSI units, norms for deciding on the viability of sick units, etc. The revised definition would enable banks to take action at an early stage for revival of the units.

P L Tondon Committee: In 1974, a study group under the chairmanship of Mr. P. L. Tandon was constituted for framing guidelines for commercial banks for follow-up & supervision of bank credit for ensuring proper end-use of funds. The group submitted its report in August 1975, which came to be popularly known as Tandon Committee Report on Working Capital. Its main recommendations related to norms for inventory and receivables, the approach to lending, style of credit, follow ups & information system.

R N Malhotra Committee: In 1993, the Govt. of India set up a committee under the chairmanship of Shri. R N Malhotra, former Governor of RBI to propose recommendations for reforms in the insurance sector. The objective was to complement the reforms initiated in the financial sector.

The first meeting of the Governing Council of the NITI Aayog was held on 8th February, 2015 where the Hon’ble Prime Minister urged all Chief Ministers to work with the Centre to forge a model of cooperative federalism, whereby the Centre and the States – Team India – can come together to resolve differences, and chart a common course to progress and prosperity. In the spirit of cooperative federalism, therefore, the Governing Council had decided that the NITI Aayog would constitute three major Sub-Groups of Chief Ministers:

• RATIONALISATION OF CENTRALLY SPONSORED SCHEMES
• SKILL DEVELOPMENT
• SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAN

In addition, it was also decided that the States will set up two Task Forces under the leadership of the NITI Aayog:

• Agriculture Development
• Poverty Elimination

Jayprakash Narayan on behalf of the Citizens For Democracy had appointed a committee to study and report on scheme for electoral reforms in 1974. The members of the committee were V.M. Tarkunde, M.R. Masai, etc. and it is known as J.P. Committee or Tarkunde committee. The important recommendations of the Tarkunde Committee are as follows:

• The election commission should be a three member body.
• The minimum age of voting should be 18 years.
• The TV and radio should be placed under the control of autonomous statutory corporation.
• A voter’s council should be formed in as many constituenciesas possible which can help in free and fair election.

Broadly, the Parliamentary Committees may be classified into the following categories: (a) Financial Committees (b) Departmentally Related Standing Committees; (c) Other Parliamentary Standing Committees; and (d) Ad hoc Committees.

The International Science Council (ISC) is a non-governmental organization with a unique global membership that brings together 40 international scientific Unions and Associations and over 140 national and regional scientific organizations including Academies and Research Councils. The ISC was created in 2018 as the result of a merger between the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the International Social Science Council (ISSC). It is the only international non-governmental organization bringing together the natural and social sciences and the largest global science organization of its type.

Adopted in 1977, the Budapest Treaty concerns a specific topic in the international patent process: microorganisms. All states party to the Treaty are obliged to recognize microorganisms deposited as a part of the patent procedure, irrespective of where the depository authority is located. In practice this means that the requirement to submit microorganisms to each and every national authority in which patent protection is sought no longer exists.

Global Land Outlook (GLO).

Statement 1 is correct: The Global Land Outlook (GLO) is a strategic communications platform and associated publications of the UNCCD secretariat that demonstrates the central importance of land quality to human well-being. The first edition of the Global Land Outlook was launched in September 2017 at the thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP13) in Ordos, China.

Statement 2 is correct: The GLO aims to communicate a new and transformative vision for land management policy, planning and practice at global and national scales.

The trafficking of wildlife is increasingly recognized as both a specialized area of organized crime and a significant threat to many plant and animal species. The World Wildlife Crime Report (UNODC) takes stock of the present wildlife crime situation with a focus on illicit trafficking of specific protected species of wild fauna and flora, and provides a broad assessment of the nature and extent of the problem at the global level. It includes a quantitative market assessment and a series of in-depth illicit trade case studies.