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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 27 January 2022

::NATIONAL::

FCRA registration rules

The Supreme Court asked 6,000-odd NGOs to go back to the government for redressal of their grievances on non-renewal of their Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration.

What is the FCRA?

The FCRA was enacted during the Emergency in 1976 in an atmosphere of apprehension that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs by pumping in funds through independent organisations. These concerns had been expressed in Parliament as early as in 1969.
The law sought to regulate foreign donations to individuals and associations so that they functioned “in a manner consistent with the values of a sovereign democratic republic”.
An amended FCRA was enacted under the UPA government in 2010 to “consolidate the law” on utilisation of foreign funds, and “to prohibit” their use for “any activities detrimental to national interest”.
The law was amended again by the current government in 2020, giving the government tighter control and scrutiny over the receipt and utilisation of foreign funds by NGOs.
Broadly, the FCRA requires every person or NGO wishing to receive foreign donations to be registered under the Act, to open a bank account for the receipt of the foreign funds in State Bank of India, Delhi, and to utilise those funds only for the purpose for which they have been received and as stipulated in the Act.
They are also required to file annual returns, and they must not transfer the funds to another NGO.
The Act prohibits receipt of foreign funds by candidates for elections, journalists or newspaper and media broadcast companies, judges and government servants, members of legislature and political parties or their office-bearers, and organisations of a political nature.

How is FCRA registration granted?

NGOs that want to receive foreign funds must apply online in a prescribed format with the required documentation. FCRA registrations are granted to individuals or associations that have definite cultural, economic, educational, religious, and social programmes.
Following the application, the MHA makes inquiries through the Intelligence Bureau into the antecedents of the applicant, and accordingly processes the application.
Under the FCRA, the applicant should not be fictitious or benami; and should not have been prosecuted or convicted for indulging in activities aimed at conversion through inducement or force, either directly or indirectly, from one religious faith to another.

National Voters’ Day

The 12th National Voters’ Day was celebrated across the country on January 25, 2021.

About:

Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Sushil Chandra reiterated Commission’s determination to make elections more inclusive, accessible and participative. He said the theme of this year’s NVD has been specifically chosen accordingly.
ECI has made consistent efforts and has gone that extra mile to empower and facilitate the participation of senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
The latest electoral reforms which facilitate registration for young eligible citizens four times a year now.
Recognising the need for independence of constitutional authorities, the Union Minister stressed upon the need for coordinated functioning without compromising their independence.
ECI could also begin the practice of posthumous awards to honour polling personnel who sacrifice their lives while performing election duties.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

U.N. yet to agree on common definition of terrorism

At the United Nations assembly,India has voicing concern that the global body has neither agreed on a common definition of terrorism nor crafted a well-coordinated policy to tackle the global scourge and dismantle its enabling networks.
India proposed a draft document on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism(CCIT) at the UN in 1986 but it has not been implemented yet as there is no unanimity on the definition of terrorism among the member states.

About:

CCIT provides a legal framework which makes it binding on all signatories to deny funds and safe havens to terrorist groups.

Key objectives of CCIT:

To have a universal definition of terrorism that all 193members of the UNGA will adopt into their own criminal law.
To ban all terror groups and shut down terror camps.
To prosecute all terrorists under special laws.
Make cross-border terrorism an extraditable crime worldwide.

European Union proposes digital rights, principles in global first

The European Commission in a global first proposed a set of digital rights and principles that aim to protect people’s rights, support democracy and ensure a fair and safe online environment.

About:

The digital rights and principles also cover digital devices, ensuring that they support the bloc’s sustainability and green transition goals by providing details on the environmental impact and energy consumption of the devices.
The EU executive said the digital rights and principles aim to provide a guide for policy makers and companies when dealing with new technologies.

Key principles:

Putting people at the centre of the digital transformation i.e., technologies respect democratic values.
Solidarity and inclusion i.e., digitisation should benefit all;
Freedom of choice to help people make their own informed choices.
Participation in the digital public space by promoting an online open environment for a healthy, vivid democratic debate.
Safety, security and empowerment, which covers right to safe digital technologies and protect privacy.

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::ECONOMY::

Project Monitoring Group portal

Union Commerce and Industry Minister has directed the officers concerned to hold regular meetings with state governments and central ministries to ensure timely resolution of issues for the implementation of infrastructure projects.
While reviewing the pace of the implementation of infrastructure projects being monitored through the PMG (Project Monitoring Group) portal.

About:

Project Monitoring Group (PMG) is an institutional mechanism for expedited resolution of issues and regulatory bottlenecks in projects with an investment of INR 500 crores and above in India.
It was set up as a special cell in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India in 2013 and was subsequently brought under the administrative control of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in 2015.
In February 2019, PMG was merged with Invest India, Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce.
PMG seeks to enlist unresolved project issues of all Public, Private and ‘Public–Private Partnership’ (PPP) Projects and undertakes fast-tracking of approvals, sectoral policy issues and removal of bottlenecks in expeditious commissioning.

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::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::

ISRO SSLV

SSLV-D1 Micro SAT is scheduled for launch in April 2022.

About Small Satellite Launched Vehicle (SSLV):

It has been designed to meet ‘Launch onDemand’requirements.
It is a three stage all solid vehicle with capability to launch up to 500 kg satellite mass into 500 km low earth orbit.
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle can launch satellites weighing above 1000kg.
It is the smallest vehicle at 110-ton massat ISRO.
Reduced turnaround time (take only 72hours to integrate, unlike the 70 days taken now).
It has been cost effective (cost will be only around Rs30 crore).
It has multiple satellite mounting options fornano, micro and small satellites.
It has requirement of minimum infrastructure.

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::MISCELLANEOUS::

Padma Awards 2022

This year the President has approved conferment of 128 Padma Awards including 2 duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one).

About:

The list comprises 4 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards
34 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 Posthumous awardees.

Padma Vibhushan (4)

Prabha Atre (Art)
Shri Radheyshyam Khemka - Posthumous (Literature and Education)
General Bipin Rawat - Posthumous (Civil Service)
Shri Kalyan Singh - Posthumous (Public Affairs)

Padma Bhushan(17)

Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad (Public Affairs)
Shri Victor Banerjee (Art)
Gurmeet Bawa – Posthumous (Art)
Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (Public Affairs)Shri Natarajan Chandrasekaran (Trade and Industry)
Shri Krishna Ella and Smt. Suchitra Ella – Duo (Trade and Industry)
Madhur Jaffery (Others-Culinary)
Shri Devendra Jhajharia (Sports)
Shri Rashid Khan (Art)
Shri Rajiv Mehrishi (Civil Service)
Shri Satya Narayana Nadella (Trade and Industry)
Shri Sundararajan Pichai (Trade and Industry)
Shri Cyrus Poonawalla (Trade and Industry)
Shri Sanjaya Rajaram – Posthumous (Science and Engineering)
Pratibha Ray (Literature and Education)
Swami Sachidanand (Literature and Education)
Shri Vashishth Tripathi (Literature and Education)