Daily Current Affairs | 13 March 2020

General Studies-II- Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation.

1. Inclusive Internet Index 2020

News

The Inclusive Internet Index 2020 has been released recently by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Highlights

• The index includes 100 countries of the world, which represent 96% of global GDP and 91% of the global population.
• The index is topped by Sweden, followed by New Zealand and USA.
• Countries like Madagascar, Liberia and Burundi were placed at the lowest rank in the index.
• The overall index score is based on the following indicators:

1. Availability – Examine quality and breadth of internet
2. Affordability – Cost of access relative to income
3. Relevance – Existence of local language content
4. Readiness – Capacity to access the internet, including skills, cultural acceptance, and supporting policy.

• India has been placed at the 46^th

Prelims Facts

Inclusive Internet Index:

• The index is commissioned by Facebook and conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
• The index was first published in 2017 and was aimed to measure the extent to which the internet is accessible along with its relevance.

The Economist Intelligence Unit:

• It is the research and analysis division of The Economist group that was founded in 1946.
• Other index/report published by EIU:

1. Democracy Index
2. Global Liveability Index
3. Global Investment Index

General Studies – III- Challenges to Internal Security through Communication Networks, Role of Media and Social Networking Sites in Internal Security Challenges, Basics of Cyber Security; Money-Laundering and its prevention.

2. 35^th Inception Day of National Crime Records Bureau

News

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) celebrated its 35^th foundation day on 11 March 2020.

Highlights

• Crime Multi-Agency Centre (Cri-MAC) has been inaugurated to share information in cases related to heinous crimes and various issues related to inter-state coordination
• National cybercrime Training Centre (NCTC) was also launched to provide professional quality eLearning services on cybercrime investigation to various stakeholders.

Prelims Facts

National Crime Records Bureau:

• It is an agency of the government of India that is responsible for collecting and analyzing crime data.
• It was established on 11 March 1986 under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• It developed CCTNS in 2009 that acts as a national database of crimes and criminals.

 

General Studies-III- Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

3. Bannerghatta National Park

News

The eco-sensitive zone of Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) has been reduced to about 100 square kilometers, and despite resistance, the approval was given.

Prelims Facts

Bannerghatta National Park:

• It was established in 1970 in Karnataka and was declared a national park in 1974.
• In 2002 a part of this park became a biological reserve.

Eco-sensitive zones:

• These are the areas within 10 kms around Protected Areas, National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries, which are declared by MoEFCC.
• The guidelines issued by MoEFCC lay out the criteria for declaring ESZs. These include Species based, Ecosystem based, and Geomorphological feature based.
• Prohibited Activities include commercial mining, industries causing pollution, major hydroelectric power projects, etc.
• Permitted Activities include agriculture, organic farming, rainwater harvesting, etc.
• ESZs are formed to serve as "shock absorber" for protected areas.

 

General Studies-II- Development Processes and the Development Industry — the Role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.

4. Nidhi Companies

News

The Central government has amended the provisions related to NIDHI under the Companies Act and Nidhi Rules, which will be effective from 15 August 2019.

Highlights

• The amended provision under Section 406 of the Companies Act and Nidhi Rules directs the Nidhi companies to apply to the Central government for updation of their status as Nidhi company in form NDH-4
• Companies incorporated as Nidhi before the Amendment Rules 2019 have to apply within a period of one year from the date of its formation or within a month of the amended rules.
• While companies incorporated on or after the Nidhi Amendment Rules have to apply within 60 days of the expiry of one year from the date of incorporation.

Prelims Facts

Nidhi Companies:

• As per Nidhi Rules, 2014, Nidhi is a company that has been incorporated with an aim to cultivate the habit of savings among its members, receiving deposits and lending to its members only for their mutual benefit.
• It is a type of NBFC, and RBI has the power to issue directions to them regarding the acceptance of deposit from their customers.