Current Affairs (19th June 2021)

Adi Prashikshan Portal

Context:

• The Minister of Tribal Affairs has launched the ‘Adi Prashikshan Portal’.

About Portal:

• Aim: to act as a central repository for information on all training programmes conducted by Tribal institutions across the country under Adi Prashikshan-Training for Tribals initiative.
• Developed by: Ministry of Tribal Affairs in collaboration with UNDP and Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs)-Odisha.
• Institutions covered under the portal: The portal would act as a Central Repository of all training programs conducted by:
  • Tribal Research Institutes(TRIs)
  • Different divisions of the Tribal Ministry
  • National Society for Education of Tribal Students(NESTS)
  • Centre of Excellences funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and
  • National Tribal Research Institute.

Adi Prashikshan-Training for Tribals initiative:

• It is an initiative to reach the remotest tribal areas using information technology.
• This will allow tribal communities to access their rights and benefits.
• It is an effort to bring Training Institutions, Organizations, Experts and Trainers together.

Significance:

• It will transform the various ongoing training initiatives under different units of the Tribal Ministry.
• It will also catalyze and improve the processes of conducting training by making it online and accessible to all.

Birth, death registrations up in 2019

Context:

• According to the “Vital Statistics of India Based on The Civil Registration System” report the level of registration of births and deaths in the country improved in 2019.

About:

• “Vital Statistics of India Based on the Civil Registration System” is an Annual Report.
• It is published based on reports provided by the Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths of respective States/Union Territories.
• Civil Registration System (CRS) is the process of continuous, permanent, compulsory, and universal recording of births and deaths in the country.
• The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 provides for the compulsory registration of births and deaths.

Key Highlights:

• While 14 States/Union Territories achieved 100% level of birth registrations, 19 States/Union Territories achieved 100% registration in cases of death.
• The report states that the level of birth registration increased from 87.8% in 2018 to 92.7% in 2019. Death registrations went up from 84.6% to 92% during the period.

Sex ratio at birth:

• The share of institutional births in the total registered births was 81.2%.
• The number of registered births increased to 2.48 crore in 2019 from 2.33 crore in 2018.
• The share of male and female was 52.1% and 47.9%.
• The highest sex ratio at birth (SRB) was reported by Arunachal Pradesh (1,024), followed by Nagaland (1,001) Mizoram (975) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (965).
• The lowest SRB was reported by Gujarat (901), Assam (903) and Madhya Pradesh (905), followed by Jammu & Kashmir (909).

Significance:

• Improves better functioning of Government: Countries need to know how many people are born and die each year and the main causes of their deaths – to have well-functioning health systems. Civil registration provides the basis for the individual legal identity of a citizen and helps the government give them access to their rights as a citizen, including entitlements to social security benefits if any.
• Easy tracking of citizens: The only way to track every citizen is through civil registration. It will help in making better and efficient inclusion and exclusion lists for Schemes.
• Correct and up to date Data: For the government, the requirement of a complete CRS system is a must as the data generated through a complete and up-to-date CRS is essential for socio-economic planning and evaluating the effectiveness of various social sector programs.
• Helpful in medical research: At the national level, the vital statistics data generated through Civil Registration is also quite useful for medical research and in the study of sex ratio, mortality and morbidity rates and also in the study of causes of deaths.

Limitations:

• The level of registration was arrived at using the mid-year projected population of the respective States/Union Territories of 2011-2019 based on the 2011 census (Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections, July 2020, National Commission on Population, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare).

• Therefore, it is not comparable with rates presented in previous reports.

• The level of registration was arrived at using Sample Registration System Rates for 2018 as the survey for 2019, could not be completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Also, some States/Union Territories submitted incomplete or partial data, which was not included.

Rules regulating cable TV network amended

Context:

• The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has amended the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994 regulating cable television networks.

About:

• The amendment provides for a statutory mechanism for complaints raised by citizens regarding any content broadcast.
• At present, there are over 900 TV channels that are required to comply with the Programme and Advertising Code laid down by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the Cable Television Network Rules.
• The Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021, provides for a three-level grievance redressal mechanism:

• • self-regulation by broadcasters
  • self-regulation by the self-regulating bodies of the broadcasters
  • oversight by an Inter-Departmental Committee at the level of the Centre.

Procedure for grievance redressal:

• A viewer could file a complaint directly to the broadcaster, who would have to respond within 15 days.
• If the complainant was not satisfied with the response, the complaint could be escalated to the self-regulating bodies set up by TV channels, which should deal with the case in 60 days.
  • Such appeals would be dealt with by the Inter-Departmental Committee set up under the Oversight Mechanism.
  • The Committee would be headed by the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
  • Its members would be from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Home Ministry, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence, and representatives of other Ministries and organisations, including experts, as decided by the Centre.
• This third tier was not only kept aside to hear the appeals, but it could also take up complaints that come directly to the Centre.

Composition of the committee:

• The committee will be headed by the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and have members from various ministries.

Powers of the committee:

• Recommend the Centre to advise, issue a warning, censure, admonish or reprimand a broadcaster, or seek an apology.
• Ask the broadcaster to include a warning card or a disclaimer, or to delete or modify content, or take the channel or a programme off-air for a specified time, where it is satisfied that such action is warranted.

Present Grievance redressal mechanism:

• At present, there is an institutional mechanism by way of an Inter-Ministerial Committee to address the grievances of citizens relating to the violation of the Programme/Advertising Codes under the Rules, but it does not have statutory backing.

Significance of the new rules:

• It paves the way “for a strong institutional system for redressing grievances.
• It places accountability and responsibility on the broadcasters and their self-regulating bodies.

Hallmarking of gold

Context:

• The government has announced the phased implementation of mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery with effect from June 16.
• In the first phase, gold hallmarking will be available in only in 256 districts and jewellers having annual turnover above Rs 40 lakh will come under its purview.

About:

• Hallmarking is the “accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in precious metal articles.”So, it is like a “guarantee of purity or fineness” of precious metal articles.
• The Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) operates gold and silver hallmarking scheme in India.

Metals covered under the purview of hallmarking:

• Gold jewellery and gold artefacts.
• Silver jewellery and silver artefacts.

Exceptions:

• Export and re-import of jewellery as per Trade Policy of Government of India — Jewellery for international exhibitions, jewellery for government-approved B2B domestic exhibitions.
• Watches, fountain pens and special types of jewellery such as Kundan, Polki and Jadau.

Need of making hallmarking mandatory:

• India is the biggest consumer of gold. However, the level of hallmarked jewellery is very low in the country- only 30% of Indian gold jewellery is hallmarked. Main reason behind this is non-availability of sufficient assaying and hallmarking centres (A&HC).
• The mandatory hallmarking will protect the public against lower caratage and ensure consumers do not get cheated while buying gold ornaments.
• It will also help to get the purity as marked on the ornaments.
• It will bring in transparency and assure the consumers of quality.

Shenzhou-12

Context:

• Recently, China has launched a spacecraft carrying three astronauts to part of a space station still under construction for the longest stay in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by any Chinese national.

About:

• The Shenzhou-12, or “Divine Vessel” is being carried by Long March 2F rocket and is bound for the space station module Tianhe.
• It blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu province.
• Shenzhou-12 is the third of 11 missions (four of which will be crewed) needed to complete China is first full-fledged space station.
• Construction began in April 2021 with the launch of Tianhe, the first and largest of three modules.