All India Radio News Summary: 07 DECEMBER 2017
- Centre tells Supreme Court that it is willing to extend the deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar till 31st March next year
The Centre told the Supreme Court that it is willing to extend the deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar to avail various services and benefits of government schemes till 31st March next year.
- 6th February will remain the deadline for linking Aadhaar for availing uninterrupted mobile services as it had been mandated by the apex court.
- Meanwhile, the apex court will set up a Constitution Bench next week to hear interim pleas seeking stay on Centre’s move to link Aadhaar with various schemes and services.
A nine-judge constitution bench of the apex court had held that Right to Privacy was a Fundamental Right under the Constitution. Several petitioners challenging the validity of Aadhaar had claimed it violated privacy rights.
- PM says, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s dream of equality for all is yet to be fulfilled
Prime Minister said Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s dream of equality for all especially social equality is yet to be fulfilled.
PM said,
- Government is committed to ensure equal rights for every countryman.
- People of the country are indebted to Dr Ambedkar for giving a new direction to the country.
- Dr Ambedkar was always hopeful for India’s socio and economic development.
- He said, BHIM app was launched for the poor and downtrodden and is a great step reflecting economic development of the country.
- He is monitoring that every scheme being run by the government meets its deadline.
- Saying he has faith in the youth of the country to fight casteism, Prime minister said young Indians will fulfil the dream of New India.
- National Commission for Minorities has set up a three member committee to study the matter to give minority status to Hindus in eight states
National Commission for Minorities has set up a three member committee to study the matter to give minority status to Hindus in eight states including Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
- The committee will give its report within three months. He said after examining the report, the Commission will take a view over the issue.
- Decision in this regard came following the Supreme Court views over the issue asking the petitioner to approach the Commission.
- The other 6 states are Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.
Last month, the apex court had refused to entertain a petition seeking direction to the Centre to grant minority status to Hindus in eight states saying that issue needed to be decided by the National Commission for Minorities.
About NCM
Despite the safeguards provided in the Constitution and the laws in force, there persists among the Minorities a feeling of inequality and discrimination. In order to preserve secular traditions and to promote National Integration the Government of India attaches the highest importance to the enforcement of the safeguards provided for the Minorities.
With the enactment of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, the Minorities Commission became a statutory body and renamed as National Commission for Minorities.
As per the 2001 Census, these six religious minority communities (Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis), Jains) constitute 18.80% of the country’s population.
Functions of NCM
- Evaluation of the progress of the development of minorities under the Union and States
- Monitoring of the working of the safeguards for minorities provided in the Constitution and in laws enacted by Parliament and the State Legislatures;
- Making recommendations for the effective implementation of safeguards for the protection of the interests of minorities by the Central Government or the State Governments;
- Looking into specific complaints regarding deprivation of rights and safeguards of minorities and taking up such matters with the appropriate authorities;
- Suggesting appropriate measures in respect of any minority to be undertaken by the Central Government or the State Governments;
- Making periodical or special reports to the Central Government or any matter pertaining to minorities and in particular the difficulties confronted by them
- India says its position on Palestine is independent and consistent
Reacting to US recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, External Affairs Ministry said that India’s position is shaped by its views and interests, and not determined by any third country.
Leading the global voice of dissent against the US President’s decision,
- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, the holy city is the final-status issue that must be resolved through direct negotiations.
- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said, the decision tantamount to the United States abdicating its role as a peace mediator after a decade of sponsoring the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
- Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Iran and Qatar have also denounced the US move.
- Saudi Arabia called it unjustified and irresponsible, while France and the UK said they did not support the decision.
- Hamas has called it a new uprising.
- Russia also expressed serious concern over the US decision, saying the move threatened security in the region.
UN Security Council has convened a meeting tomorrow in the wake of the US President’s decision.
- Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance, FRDI Bill is far more depositor friendly than many other jurisdictions
The Government has said, Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance, FRDI Bill is far more depositor friendly than many other jurisdictions, which provide for statutory bail-in, where consent of creditors or depositors is not required for bail-in.
- Ministry of Finance said, the Bill does not propose in any way to limit the scope of powers for the Government to extend financing and resolution support to banks, including Public Sector Banks.
- It said, Government’s implicit guarantee for Public Sector Banks remains unaffected.
The Ministry said, the provisions contained in the FRDI Bill, do not modify present protections to the depositors adversely at all.
The Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017
- The Bill establishes a Resolution Corporation to monitor financial firms, anticipate risk of failure, take corrective action, and resolve them in case of such failure.
- The Corporation will also provide deposit insurance up to a certain limit, in case of bank failure.
- The Resolution Corporation or the appropriate financial sector regulator may classify financial firms under five categories, based on their risk of failure. These categories in the order of increasing risk are: (i) low, (ii) moderate, (iii) material, (iv) imminent, and (v) critical.
- The Resolution Corporation will take over the management of a financial firm once it is classified as ‘critical’. It will resolve the firm within one year.
- Resolution may be undertaken using methods including: (i) merger or acquisition, (ii) transferring the assets, liabilities and management to a temporary firm, or (iii) liquidation. If resolution is not completed within a maximum period of two years, the firm will be liquidated. The Bill also specifies the order of distributing liquidation proceeds.
- UIDAI, has clarified that all notifications for requiring Aadhaar for various welfare programmes stand valid and lawful
The Unique Identification Authority of India, UIDAI, has clarified that all notifications for requiring Aadhaar for various welfare programmes, verifying bank account, PAN card and SIM card with Aadhaar stand valid and lawful.
It said, today’s legal position is that there is no stay from the Supreme Court on Aadhaar and its linking to various services.
- UNESCO recognises Kumbh Mela as cultural heritage of humanity.
India’s Kumbh Mela has been recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
- Kumbh Mela was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at its 12th session in South Korea.
- Kumbh Mela is considered to be the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth, attended by millions irrespective of caste, creed or gender.
