20 May 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – RPwD Act 2016: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• The Indian government has implemented the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act 2016 to establish accessibility rules for individuals with disabilities.

What standards apply to accessibility for those who are disabled?

• Disability accessibility standards deal with laws and regulations aimed at guaranteeing that individuals with disabilities have equal access to and participation in a variety of locations and services. These accessibility requirements apply to the built environment, transportation, information and communication, technology, and public facilities.

The Situation of People with Disabilities in India:

• There are 2.68 crore (2.21% of the population) people with disabilities in India, according to the 2011 census.

Regarding the requirements for accessibility for those with disabilities:

Aim:

• Give disabled persons access to medical care that is preventive, curative, and rehabilitative.

Barriers:

• Poor healthcare services, limited access to high-quality education, and low employment rates.

Important components of accessibility standards:

Physical Environment:

• Examples include accessible parking spaces and walkways, ramps and entrances, and elevators and lifts for vertical accessibility.

Transportation:

• Accessible buses, trains, and stations; wheelchair lifts and ramps; visible and audible announcements.
• Information and CommunicationAccessible print publications, captioned and described audio and video, accessible websites, and digital platforms.

Technology:

• accessibility for keyboard users, screen reader compatibility, and image alternative text.

India started the action:

Conventions:

• India has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
• Both the Asia-Pacific Declaration on the Full Participation and Equality of Persons with Disabilities and the Biwako Millennium Framework have been ratified by India.
• The Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific.

Constitutional:

• According to Article 41 of the DPSP, the state must make appropriate provisions where there are disabilities present.
• 7th schedule: The Constitution’s Seventh Schedule’s State List outlines the issue of “relief of the disabled and unemployable.”
• The number of disabilities rose from 7 to 21 as a result of the Accessible India Campaign and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016.
• Change in MentalityThe emphasis on disabilities has switched from the person to society, from a medical model of disability to a social or human rights model of disability.

Institute:

• Both the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre and the National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation have been established.

Technology:

• A special tool for identifying disabilities is the BIS standard IS 17802, which focuses on ICT product and service accessibility requirements.

What must be done:

• Strengthen health prevention programmes including universal infant and toddler screening, as demonstrated by Kerala’s successful Comprehensive Newborn Screening (CNS) programme.
• Adopt a community-based rehabilitation (CBR) plan to aid the full potential of those with disabilities.
• The general population will learn more about and have a better understanding of disability if social initiatives are made to eliminate stigma and stereotypes about it.
• Inclusion will be facilitated by moving persons from special schools to mainstream settings while encouraging a variety of influences and interactions.

Source The Hindu

2 – Israel Palestine Issue: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• The UN remembered the Nakba, or the mass departure of Palestinians, for the first time in its history.

What is a nakba:

• It makes reference to the widespread uprooting and emigration of Palestinians that occurred in 1948, the year Israel was established. Due to this, over 700,000 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes and become refugees.

Palestinians left their houses for what reason?

• The primary reason for the eviction of Palestinians was the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. The move happened after Israel declared its independence, during the Arab-Israeli war.

A brief timeline of the Israel-Palestine conflict is provided below:

• In the early 20th century, both Jews and Arabs claimed to have ancestors who had lived in Palestine.
• 1917: The Balfour Declaration expresses support for a Jewish national home in Palestine.
• 1947: As part of a partition plan, the United Nations suggests dividing Palestine into Jewish and Arab governments.
• In 1948, Israel formally declares its independence, starting the Arab-Israeli War.
• Israel conquers the Golan Heights, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem in 1967 as a result of the Six-Day War.
• 1993 saw the signing of the Oslo Accords, which provided a framework for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
• The West Bank and East Jerusalem are currently under Israeli control, and Israeli settlement activity and the construction of separation walls have an impact on Palestinian areas.

Palestine’s Palestinian refugees:

• Palestinian refugees continue to face many challenges. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) estimates that there are more than 6 million officially recognised Palestinian refugees. Many of them are still living in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.

Opinions from the global community:

• The international community is in favour of the two-state solution, which would see Israel and a future independent Palestine coexist. A binding agreement has not yet been reached despite numerous attempts and peace conferences, such as the Annapolis Conference in 2007 and the Camp David Summit in 2000. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain both agreed that their relations with Israel would be normalised in 2020.

Views on India:

• India’s views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have evolved over time. India has long supported Palestinian rights and recognised the PLO as the only legitimate voice of the Palestinian people. India has recently changed its approach to one that is more objective and has stressed its support for a two-state solution. India supports the establishment of a Palestinian state that coexists peacefully with Israel and is autonomous, viable, and sovereign.

Conclusion:

• The UN acknowledges past injustice, promotes Palestinian rights, calls for a peaceful conclusion, and expresses compassion with the Palestinian people in remembrance of the 700,000 Palestinians who were displaced 75 years ago.

Source The Hindu

3 – Cross Border Insolvency: GS II – Internal Security:

Context:

• The Indian government has decided to drop its plans to create a framework for cross-border insolvency, which would have allowed foreign lenders to file for bankruptcy on behalf of defaulting Indian businesses in local courts.

In relation to Global Insolvency:

• Cross-border bankruptcy frequently occurs when a debtor has operations or creditors in numerous countries, and for there to be coordination and collaboration among different courts and parties for an efficient and equitable resolution.
• A frequently utilised legal framework for handling cross-border insolvency issues is the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency from 1997.

Why did India change course with its plan?

• Only more than 50 nations, many of which have strict restrictions in place, have adopted the UN model of cross-border insolvency. India stopped implementing cross-border insolvency as a result.

Instead, the government’s primary priority right now are:

• adding larger firms to the informal debt relief programme
• creating a new mechanism to handle group company insolvency and a special system for the real estate sector.
• Fill any voids in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code’s application. speed up the process of accepting cases and approving rescue plans
• Avoid unethical business practises by letting corporate management down.

In relation to insolvency:

Insolvency:

• failure to repay debts that are outstanding.

Bankruptcy:

• court’s declaration of insolvency, coupled with the necessary actions to remedy it and protect creditors’ interests.

Code on Bankruptcy and Insolvency:

• It integrates regulations relating to business firm insolvency resolution and was passed in 2016.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Amendment Bill, 2021:

• exposes MSMEs with defaults up to Rs 1 million to the Pre-packaged Insolvency Resolution Process (PIRP).

Problems with the IBC:

• High haircuts (debt foregone by creditors); significant delays in resolution; insufficient settlement, with more than 50% of cases ending in liquidation; There isn’t enough digitisation.

Achievements:

• addressing non-performing assets (NPAs) and bringing India’s insolvency regime back to life; enhanced credit control and India’s performance in dealing with insolvency.

International Insolvency Provision:

• IBC, 2016 sections 235 (adjudicating agencies submitting letters of request to foreign courts) and 234 (permits the central government to enter into bilateral agreements) now establish a fundamental framework for cross-border insolvency.

Conclusion:

• The formation of a cross-border insolvency regime will be taken into consideration once the institutional competence and overall bankruptcy resolution ecosystem are better developed.

Source The Hindu

4 – Pension Adalat: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare will shortly begin an all-India pension adalat with the intention of settling ongoing pension issues.

Status:

• Seven all-India pension adalats have been held since the initiative’s launch in 2017; this one is the eighth.
• Benefits: The adalat brings all parties involved in a dispute together on one platform to assist rapid resolution and timely pension processing.

Additional efforts

• ANUBHAV, CPENGRAMS, and CGHS are only a few of the sites that will be connected with the recently created “iIntegrated pensioners’ portal” (ipension.nic.in).
• Bhavishya portal (to access a pension slip, receive Form-16, and check the status of a life certificate submission).
• The purpose of SANKALP is to undertake substantial social interventions using the knowledge, expertise, and time that Central Government Pensioners have available to them.

Source The Hindu