28 February 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – HAL: GS II – Topic à Statutory and Non-Statutory Bodies:

Context:

• The Hindustan 228-201 LW aircraft was created by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has now approved a new variation of the aircraft (HAL).
• According to the defence PSU with its Bangalore headquarters, this model of the Hindustan 228-201 LW aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of 5,695 kg with 19 passengers.

About the HAL:

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a state-owned aerospace and defence company in India, is headquartered in Bangalore.
• In the modern world, HAL is among the oldest and largest aerospace and defence companies. As of December 23, 1940, it was founded.
• HAL began building aeroplanes in 1942 with the licenced production of the Harlow PC-5, Curtiss P-36 Hawk, and Vultee A-31 Vengeance for the Indian Air Force.
• Nowadays, HAL runs 4 manufacturing facilities in India along with 21 manufacturing divisions and 11 dedicated Research and Development (R&D) centres.
• The President of India appoints the Board of Directors at HAL on behalf of the Government of India through the Ministry of Defence.
• Presently, HAL is involved in the design, development, and production of fighter jets, helicopters, jet engines, marine gas turbine engines, avionics, software, the supply of spare parts, and the refurbishment and modernisation of Indian military aircraft.
• The HAL HF-24 Marut fighter-bomber was the first indigenous fighter developed in India.

History:

• In partnership with the then-Kingdom of Mysore, Walchand Hirachand established Hindustan Aircraft Corporation in Bangalore on December 23, 1940.
• Walchand Hirachand is the company’s chairman.
• The Indian Government had acquired a third of the corporation by April 1941.
• When India gained independence in 1947, the control of the corporation was transferred to the Indian government.
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was founded on October 1st of that year when Hindustan Aircraft Limited joined the partnership formed in June by the IAF Aircraft Manufacturing Depot, Kanpur.

Source à The Hindu

2 – Enforcement Directorate: GS II – Topic Statutory and Non-Statutory Bodies:

 Context:

• Chief Engineer Virendra Kumar Ram, who was detained by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering investigation, has been suspended by the Jharkhand government’s Rural Development Department.
• On February 23, a special PMLA court in this city ordered Mr. Ram to spend five days in ED custody. The case has to do with alleged anomalies in the way various initiatives were carried out.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is what, exactly?

• The investigation of money laundering offences and transgressions of foreign exchange rules is the responsibility of the multidisciplinary agency known as the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).
• It is managed by the Ministry of Finance’s Department of Revenue.
• The Enforcement Directorate, a leading financial investigation division of the Indian government, strictly abides by Indian law and the constitution.

Where Does ED’s Origination Take Place?

• This Directorate was first established on May 1st, 1956, when the Department of Economic Affairs established a “Enforcement Unit” to handle violations of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA), 1947, which dealt with FX Control Regulations.
• Its headquarters were in Delhi, and the Director of Enforcement was a Law Service Officer.
• At Bombay and Calcutta, it had two branches.
• This Unit was renamed the “Enforcement Directorate” in 1957, and a second branch was established in Madras (now Chennai).
• The Department of Economic Affairs turned over management of the Directorate to the Department of Revenue in 1960.
• FERA 1947 was repealed and replaced by FERA 1973 as time went on.
• FERA, 1973, a regulatory law, was repealed with the start of the economic liberalisation movement, and in its substitute, the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA), went into effect on June 1st, 2000.
• The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) was also passed in accordance with the International Anti-Money Laundering framework, and ED was given responsibility for its enforcement beginning on July 1st, 2005.

What is the ED’s structure?

• The Director of Enforcement is in charge of the Directorate of Enforcement, which has its headquarters in New Delhi.
• Special Directors of Enforcement are in charge of five regional offices, which are located in Mumbai, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, and Delhi.
• In addition to 11 sub-Zonal Offices, each of which is led by an Assistant Director, the Directorate has 10 Zonal offices, each of which is overseen by a Deputy Director.
• Recruitment: Officers are hired directly or by luring them away from other investigative agency.
• It consists of police, excise, customs, and income tax officials from the IRS (Indian Revenue Services), IPS (Indian Police Services), and IAS (Indian Administrative Services).
• Duration: In November 2021, the President of India issued two decrees allowing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate directors’ terms to be increased from two to a maximum of five years.
• The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Act, 2003 (for CV Commissioners) and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946 (for ED) have both been amended to give the government the authority to retain the two chiefs in their positions for an additional year after their initial two-year terms have ended.
• Currently, the chiefs of the Central Agency have fixed terms of two years, although they are now eligible for three annual extensions.
• But, after a total of five years, including the time specified in the first appointment, no additional extensions will be given.

 Source The Hindu

3 – DGCA: GS II – Topic Statutory and Non-Statutory Bodies:

Context:

• Arun Kumar, director general of civil aviation (DGCA), claims that for every three pilots who complete their training, there is one unemployed in the country. As airlines increase their fleet size, the “oversupply” of pilots that currently exists will be eliminated.

Background information on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation:

• It was created by the 2020 Aircraft (Amendment) Bill as a statutory body.
• It is in responsible of providing aviation licences, such as PPLs, SPLs, and CPLs in India. It also conducts investigations into aviation accidents and incidents, upholds all aviation regulations.
• The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which the Indian government aims to model after the American Federal Aviation Administration, will replace the organisation (FAA).

DGCA activities:

• Registration of aircraft for civil aviation.
• Airport approval.
• A licence is given to pilots, engineers in charge of maintaining aircraft, air traffic controllers, and flight engineers. Appropriate exams and inspections are also conducted.
• Setting standards for civil aircraft registered in India to receive certificates of airworthiness.
• As part of accident prevention strategies, investigations into occurrences and serious accidents involving aircraft up to 2250 kg AUW are conducted, and safety aviation management programmes are put into practise.

 Source The Hindu

4 – Agnipath Scheme: GS II – Topic Government Policies and Interventions:

Context:

• The Delhi High Court maintained the legitimacy of the Agnipath programme for armed forces recruitment on Monday. The court dismissed many petitions that questioned the scheme’s introduction on the grounds that it had been done so in the national interest.
• After studying the documentation, Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad’s division bench maintained that the Agnipath initiative is a properly thought-out policy decision by the Indian government.

About:

• It makes it possible for determined and patriotic young people to join the military and serve for four years.
• According to this idea, the young soldier joining will be referred to as Agniveer. Youth will have a brief window of opportunity to enlist in the military.
• The majority of the 45,000 to 50,000 new recruits who will join the military under the new plan will leave in just four years.
• After four years, for a total of 15 years, only 25% of the batch will be hired back into their respective services.

Eligibility criteria:

• The only eligible employees are those with lower officer ranks (those who do not join the forces as commissioned officers).
• In the army, commission officers hold the highest positions.
• Only commissioned officers hold the rank in the Indian Armed Forces. They frequently participate in commissions run by the president and are required by law to protect the country.
• Applicants must fall within the age range of 17.5 and 23.

Objectives:

• It aims to provide young people with the “Josh” and “Jazba” the opportunity to enlist in the military.
• As a result, it is anticipated that the average age of the Indian Armed Forces will drop by 4 to 5 years.
• The plan projects that within six to seven years, the average age of the armed forces, which is currently 32 years old, will fall to 26 years old.

 Benefits:

• After completing their four years of service, the Agniveers would be given a one-time “Seva Nidhi” payment totaling Rs 11.71 lakhs, which will also include any interest that has accrued.
• A Rs 48 lakh, four-year life insurance policy would also be given to them.
• The amount of the refund, which includes salary for any unused time, will surpass Rs 1 crore in the event of death.
• After serving for four years, soldiers who leave the military will be given government support for rehabilitation. Students will obtain skill certificates and bridge courses.

 Source The Hindu