08, March 2019 08/03/2019 – Posted in: Daily News

Appointment of Lokpal

News Flash

The Supreme Court asked Attorney General K.K. Venugopal to inform it within 10 days a possible date for a meeting of the selection committee for appointment of Lokpal and its members.

Background

The idea of creating an anti corruption ombudsman, in the form of a Lokpal, was first conceptualized in 1968. From that point in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998 and 2001 efforts were made to enact legislation to create the institution of Lokpal, however these efforts stayed ineffective. In the course of the most recent years the issue of enacting a law to create Lokpal has seen active citizen engagement. Continued civic engagement with the issue resonated with the government and the legislature and led to the passing of the Lokpal Bill in the recently concluded winter session of Parliament. The bill has gotten parliament’s consent on 01 Jan 2013.

Structure of Lokpal

8 members, Of which 50 % shall be from amongst scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward castes, minority communities and women.

Selection Committee

The selection committee to appoint Lokpal includes Prime Minister, Loksabha Speaker, Leader of Opposition, Chief Justice of India or a sitting supreme court judge as nominated by the CJI and an eminent jurist to be nominated by the President based on the recommendations of the other members of the selection committee.

Jurisdiction of Lokpal

  • The office of Lokpal shall investigate and prosecute cases of corruption. The jurisdiction of Lokpal extends to the Prime Minister, Ministers, current and former Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assemblies, government employees and employees of companies funded or controlled by the central or state government.
  • Lokpal shall also have jurisdiction over institutions receiving foreign donations in excess of ten lakh rupees per year or such higher limit as specified.
  • The Bill excludes any allegation of corruption against a Member of Parliament in respect of anything said or a vote given in Parliament, from the jurisdiction of Lokpal.

Powers of Lokpal

  • Time -limit of 60 days for completion of inquiry and 6 months for completion of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation. This period of 6 months can be extended by the Lokpal on a written request from CBI.
  • Time -limit of 60 days for completion of inquiry and 6 months for completion of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation. This period of 6 months can be extended by the Lokpal on a written request from CBI.
  • Any inquiry against the Prime Minister has to be held in-camera and approved by two third of the full bench of the Lokpal.
  • Lokpal shall have superintendence over CBI with respect to cases referred by it to CBI. It also specifies that CBI officers investigating cases referred by the Lokpal can only be transferred with the approval of the Lokpal.
  • The act proposes establishment of a Directorate of prosecution within CBI to be headed by Director who is an officer not below the rank of joint secretary for conduction prosecution of cases under the Lokpal Bill.

Source: The Hindu

 

 

Wealth Report

News Flash

The Wealth Report launched globally by Knight Frank, a property consultant.

  • Rich-poor divide in India continues to widen with the rich getting richer by the day than in any other country.

Key Findings

  • It ranked Mumbai as world’s 12th most wealthy city, up from the 18th spot in 2017. London is at number spot reclaiming the position from New York.
  • The report also said that India tops the list when it comes to increase in its billionaire population clocking 116% growth percentage.
  • The country also leads with a rise in the number of ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWI) globally.
  • The total number of billionaires in India has increased from 55 in 2013 to 119 in 2018, while the millionaires have also gone up from 251,000 in 2013 to 326,052 in 2018.
  • The number of super-rich individuals in Asia, and particularly India, is set to surge over the next five years, forecasts Knight Frank’s latest Wealth Report.

India has already seen a huge rise in personal wealth levels over the past five years, with a 30% increase in the ultra high net worth individual (UHNWI) population — those with net assets worth at least $30 million.

Indian Economy’ development is giving a rising numbers of billionaire but is not resulting in equal distribution of income. This is not having ant trickledown effect. An Oxfam report had pointed to the rising income inequality in the country, where the top 1% held 73% of the wealth in 2017, while the poorest half, comprising 67 crore, saw a wealth increase of only 1%.

Source: Business today

 

 

Secure Socket Layer

News Flash

Official website of BJP remained hacked for two days.

  • It’s harmful for a free democratic political space.
  • Also put on risk the visitors to such websites, as many such websites collect signup and feedback data from users.

Report of Comparitech

  • Comparitech is a cyber security firm.
  • The firm analysed the websites of 7,500 politicians in 37 countries, including 887 politicians in India.
  • It found that 60.75% of the global websites did not have Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates.

SSL

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral.

What SSL certificate does

Sites with SSL certificates, which are distinguishable by the letters https:// in their URL, encrypt the data they send to and receive from users. This protects them from “man-in-the-middle” attacks, in which a malicious third-party can intercept and modify a visitor’s communication with the website.

Source: The Hindu

 

 

International Women’s Day 2019

News Flash

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 every year.

8 March

It was on this day that ladies in Soviet Russia picked up the privilege the vote in 1917, henceforth March 8 was pronounced a national occasion for them. The United Nations General Assembly welcomed member states to declare March 8 as the UN Day for ladies’ rights and world harmony in 1977.

Theme 2019

The International Women’s Day 2019 campaign theme of #BalanceforBetter is a call-to-action for driving gender balance across the world.

Gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals

International Women’s Day is also an opportunity to consider how to accelerate the 2030 Agenda, building momentum for the effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially

  • Goal number 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.
  • Goal number 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

2030 Agenda

  • By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes.
  • By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education.
  • End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
  • Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
  • Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

Source: Business Standard