Daily Current Capsules - 01^st AUGUST 2019

National Affairs
Triple Talaq Bill, the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance, 2019 Bill has been passed by the Rajya Sabha

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the bill/act and its provisions) + Mains ( GS II social justice +role of judiciary and executive)
What's the NEWS

• Triple Talaq Bill known as Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 has been passed in the Rajya Sabha in a landmark vote with 99 votes in favour and 84 against.
• The Triple Talaq bill was tabled in the upper house of the Parliament by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
• The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 aims to ban and criminalise the practice of divorce among Muslims by simply stating Talaq three times.

Know! the main concerns of the bill ( things require detailed re-examination)

• When the divorce is declared invalid for non existent act, why is there a punishment. The bill is very stringent, proposes unfair punishment for non-punishable act.
• Sending husband to jail for 3 years virtually ends any possibility of reconciliation.
• Whether making it a cognizable and non-bailable offence would lead to it being misused against Muslim men.
• Husband is the sole earner, it will bring financial crisis on the family. In principle, there should not be a criminal remedy for a civil contract.
• Whether resorting to an illegal and arbitrary form of divorce should necessarily lead to a prison term of 3 years beside a fine and it raises the issue of proportionality.
• Whether the civil wrong, which is mainly a breach of a marriage contract in an arbitrary manner, ought to be treated as a crime.
• On one hand, it says instant triple talaq is void and hence marriage continues to subsist (remain in force). But it also talks of issues such as custody of children and maintenance, which would arise only after a divorce.
• If the husband is imprisoned, from where will he provide for the subsistence allowance?
• Will the woman be allowed to live in the married family after such a "void" divorce?
• Where will she go, if she is thrown out by the husband's family as their son is jailed because of the talaq?

Know! the provisions of the bill

• The bill criminalises instant divorce by Muslim men and seeks jail term of three years for the guilty.
• According to the bill, a woman can approach a magistrate for "subsistence allowance" not only for herself but also for her minor child. And on the issue of the custody of the child, the magistrate has the right to take a call.
• The bill provide three year jail for Muslim who take divorce by saying 'talaq' thrice and it was passed by the Lok Sabha in December 2018.
• Twice the government had promulgated an ordinance on triple talaq in September 2018 and on February 2019. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha but remained pending in Rajya Sabha.
• As we know that if the bill remains pending in Rajya Sabha after presenting it then it does not lapse with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. Also, if it is passed by Lok Sabha and remains pending in Rajya Sabha then it lapses with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
• The major issue over the law was 'three year jail' that the opposition claimed by saying that it will generate fear amongst the Muslims. Later, the government introduced the provision of 'bail' during the trial.

Know! about triple talaq

• The term 'Talaq' derives from Arabic verse which means 'freeing or undoing the knot' that refers to a divorce.
• The Quranic message is very explicit about divorce as it leans more toward safeguarding marriage than dissolving it abruptly.
• But still people need separation through Talaq or complete breakdown of marriage then it require arbitration before husband and wife.
• Triple Talaq- which in reality is not for pronouncing three times but followed by three step process and also never pronounces in one go without arbitrators from both side because Islam gives provision of rethink, reconsider and reconcile, if it is possible.

State Specific
Didi Ke Bolo campaign
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the campaign)
What's the NEWS

• 'Didi Ke Bolo' campaigned launched by Mamta Banerjee in which 1,000 party workers will meet thousands of people in next 100 days to learn about local issues.

Know! more about it

• A new political campaign ‘Didi Ke Bolo' has been initiated by the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee to address the public grievances and other social issues. This campaign is launched with an eye to the next assembly elections in the state.
• In this initiative every citizen of West Bengal can directly contact chief minister. People can reach out to her by calling on a specific number.
• Mamta Banerjee launched a phone number - 9137091370 and a website - www.didikebolo.com.
• One can drop his/her message, issue etc. on website or connect on given phone number with suggestions or problems.

Bilateral Relations
India, Russia sign Rs 1,500 crore deal for air-to-air missiles ( R-27) to be used by Su-30

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about air to air missile R-27) + Mains ( GS II bilateral relations)
What's the NEWS

• R-27 is a medium range air-to-air missile which was initially developed for MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets.
• India has signed a deal worth Rs 1500 crore to buy R-27 air-to-air missiles from Russia.
• The objective of this deal is to boost the capabilities of Indian Air Force (IAF) in beyond visual targets. R-27 air-to-air missiles will be equipped on the Su-30MKI fighter jets.
• R-27 is a medium-range air-to-air missile which was initially developed for MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets.
• Russia developed these missiles to add the capability to the Sukhoi and MiG warfare aircraft. Indian Air Force has signed Rs 7600 crore deals in the past two months. These deals have done to acquire types of equipment under emergency requirements.

Know! more about the R-27 Missile

• The R-27 (AA-10 Alamo) is an air-to-air guided missile. Russian firm Vympel and Ukrainian firm Artem manufacture this missile. Russian Air Force deployed these missiles in the 1990s on its fourth generation fighter jets.
• R-27 missile can destroy air targets even in adverse weather conditions. Length of the missile is 4 meter while body diameter is 0.23 meter. Weight of the missile is 253 kilograms.
• Once missile air-launched, it can strike radio-emitting air targets during day and night. The R-27P1 has a range of 72km, while the R-27EP1 can engage targets within the range of 110km.

Know! the emergency power given to the army

• Government has given emergency purchasing powers to all three military services. The Army can buy whatever warfare equipment is important to safeguard our borders.
• As per the powers given to security forces, they can buy armed equipment of their choice within three months at a cost up to Rs 300 crore. These powers were given to the forces after Pulwama attack in which 44 CRPF personnel were killed.

Miscellaneous Factoids
Muthulakshmi Reddi's - India's first woman legislator
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Muthulakshmi reddi)
What's the NEWS

• Dr Muthulakshmi Reddi was India's first legislator and also known as a woman of many firsts.
• Tamil Nadu Government declared that every year hospitals will celebrate her birth anniversary as ‘Hospital Day.'
• Muthulakshmi Reddi was an Indian educator, lawmaker, surgeon, and a social reformer. Dr Muthulakshmi Reddi devoted her life to the benefit of public health and the battle against gender inequality.
• Muthulakshmi Reddi was born on July 30, 1883, in Tamil Nadu. She became the first female surgeon in a government hospital and the first woman legislator in the country during British India.

National
India's 7^th Economic Census begins from Tripura
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about economic census) + Mains ( GS II economic development)
What's the NEWS

• The 7^th Economic Census of India began from Tripura which will be followed by other states in the next few days.
• Enumerators started visiting door to door and business establishments across Tripura to collect data on various economic variables.

Know! more about the process of economic census

• Officials of the State Economics and Statistics Department said that data will be collected on various economic variables like nature of economic activities, size of workforce and type of establishments in agriculture and non-agriculture sectors.
• The census is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
• The CSC e-Governance Services India Limited has been entrusted with data collection
• Under the provisions of Collection of Statistics Act, 2008, data will be collected through door to door survey of each household and commercial establishment.
• Findings of this survey will be available by March 2020 while fieldwork is expected to be completed by December 2019.
• According to the previous Economic Census held in 2013, 58.5 million establishments in India were employing around 131 million workers. The first economic census were held in 1977

Know! more about Economic Census

• Economic Census counts all entrepreneurial and commercial units in India that involved in any economic activities.
• It can be agricultural or non-agricultural sector involved in producing or distributing goods or providing services not for the sole purpose of own consumption.
• In Indian Economy unorganised sector has a big contribution for employment generation and providing a boost of economy and economic census is the only source that provides complete data of all establishments in the country.
• It also provides a significant insight of commercial, economic and entrepreneur activities across the country.
• The 7^th Economic Census will be conducted using state-of-the-art ICT platform, real-time data validation and scrutiny, monitoring and supervision using interactive MIS dashboards, finalization and dissemination of results through Statistical reports.

Consumer Protection Bill 2019 passed by Lok Sabha
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the new provisions in consumer protection bill)
What's the NEWS

• The Consumer Protection Bill 2019 that seeks to protect and enforce consumer rights was passed through a voice vote by the Lok Sabha. The Consumer Protection Bill seeks to establish the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA).
• The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) will take immediate action on complaints filed by consumers. The authority will take action after a complaint is filed by even a single consumer and it can also file a class suit.

The Consumer Protection Bill 2019 Objective

• The main objective of the Consumer Protection Bill is to ease the process of addressing the grievances of consumers.
• The Consumer Protection Bill 2019 seeks to replace the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The bill proposes setting up of a Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and forums at the district, state and national levels for fast redressal of consumer complaints.

Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)

• Central Consumer Protection Authority is a national level regulator dealing with matters related to violation of consumer rights, unfair trade practices and false or misleading advertisements that are prejudicial to the interests of public and consumers.
• The CCPA deals with the rights of consumers as a class. It will comprise an investigation wing headed by a Director-General with powers of search and seizure.
• The District Collector is empowered to report to the CCPA regarding mass consumer complaints in the concerned jurisdiction.

Know! the key provisions Consumer Protection Bill 2019

• The Consumer Protection Bill aims to protect consumers' interests through a redressal mechanism that would ensure timely and effective settlement of disputes.
• It seeks to enlarge the scope of the existing law and make it more effective and purposeful.
• It seeks to establish a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to protect consumer rights and look into the issues related to false or misleading ads.
• It has provisions for post-litigation stage mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism. It also provides for product liability action
• The bill provides for fine and ban on celebrities for endorsing misleading advertisements:
• The bill also provides for penalty up to life term jail sentence in case of adulteration.
  
  

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