Current Affairs 9th January 201

Current Affairs 9th January 2019 - Important Points

• Lok Sabha passes DNA (Use and Application) Technology Regulation Bill on - 8th January 2019
• Citizenship Amendment Bill approved in - Lok Sabha
• Who has been appointed Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal? - Kumar Rajesh Chandra 
• Who will be there to strengthen the Digital Payments Ecosystem? - Nilekani Panel

Current Affairs 9th January 2019 - Details

Lok Sabha passes DNA (Use and Application) Technology Regulation Bill on - 8th January 2019

The Lok Sabha passed the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019 by voice vote after a brief discussion on 8th January 2019. The bill is seeking to provide regulation for the use and application of DNA technology for the purpose to establish the identity of certain category of persons including the victims, suspects, under trials,offenders, missing persons and others.

Important Features

• The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill provides for mandatory accreditation and regulation of DNA laboratories.
• Through this, it is seeking to ensure that with the proposed expanded use of this technology in the country, there is also the assurance that the DNA test results are reliable and the data remain protected from misuse or abuse in terms of the privacy rights of the citizens of country.
• The bill is also seeking to ensure speedier justice delivery and increased conviction rate.
• It is also seeking to establish a National DNA Data Bank and Regional DNA Data Banks.
• The bill’s provisions will be enabling cross-matching between persons who have been reported missing on one hand and unidentified dead bodies found in various parts of the country on the other.
• It will help in establishing the identity of victims in mass disasters.

Citizenship Amendment Bill approved in - Lok Sabha

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was approved in Lok Sabha. The objections have raised in Assam against the passage of the bill. The people of Assam fear that the amendment bill undermines the Assam Accord of 1985.
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019

• The bill goals to grant Indian citizenship to all mistreated religious minorities including Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists & Parsis from 3 neighbouring nations of Bangladesh, Pakistan &  Afghanistan.
• The bill is appropriate to all states & UTs of the nation & the beneficiaries of the can stay in any part of the nation.
• The bill when approved would provide a huge relief to the mistreated immigrants who have come
  through western borders of the nation to States like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, MP, & other states.
• According to the reports, the government would form the cut-off date at December 31st, 2014, to
  provide citizenship to mistreated religious minorities.
  Addressing the concerns against the Bill
• The burden of the mistreated immigrants will be shared by the entire nation & not by Assam alone.
• The Union Home Minister also guaranteed full support for the state governments in the implementation of the bill.

Who has been appointed Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal? - Kumar Rajesh Chandra 

The designation of Kumar Rajesh Chandra as the Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has been sanctioned by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. According to the notification, he would continue in the position up to 31st December 2021 i.e. date of his retirement on superannuation/until further orders, whichever is earlier. Kumar Rajesh Chandra is a 1985 batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre.
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by the PM decides on the appointments to numerous
top positions under the Government of India. The committee also has Union Home Minister as the
member.
Sashastra Seema Bal

• Post Chinese incursion of 1962, it was realised that the borders of the nation could not be safeguarded with the force of rifles alone.
•  The government felt the significance of the backing & resolute will of a committed border population together with an in-depth thoughtful & familiarity of the terrain and the culture & ethos of the border population was needed to defend the borders effectively.
• Hence a unique, unconventional yet particular organization, which would work in the far, flung, weak, strategic, remote, climatically & topographically difficult border areas & encourage the border population across several states towards the cause of defending our National sovereignty was apprehended as Special Service Bureau in 1962.
• It was finally created in March 1963. This Special Service Bureau was retitled the ‘Sashastra Seema Bal’ in January 2001.

Who will be there to strengthen the Digital Payments Ecosystem? - Nilekani Panel

The RBI has formed a high-level committee under Nandan Nilekani to propose measures to reinforce the safety & security of digital payments in the nation.
Members of the Committee

Nandan Nilekani will be leading the committee which consists of earlier Reserve Bank of India deputy governor H.R. Khan, former Managing Director & CEO of Vijaya Bank Kishore Sansi, earlier secretary in ministries of IT & steel Aruna Sharma & Chief Innovation Officer, Centre for Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship, IIM Ahmedabad, Sanjay Jain.
Terms of the Reference

• To inspire digitisation of payments & improve financial inclusion through digitization.
  Revising the existing status of digitisation of payments in the nation, identifying the present gaps in the ecosystem & guiding ways to bridge them.
• Evaluating the present levels of digital payments in financial inclusion.
• Propose measures to fortify the safety & security of digital payments.
• Guide a road map for increasing customer confidence & trust while retrieving financial services through digital modes.
• Undertake cross-nation examination to identify best practices to quicken digitisation of the economy &  financial inclusion through greater usage of digital payments.
• Propose a medium-term strategy for deepening of digital payments.