Daily Current Affairs including static notes - 11 JUNE

The Hindu -

Insolvency Code Amendment (GS 3 Eco)

  • President Ram Nath Kovind has given his nod to promulgate the Insolvency and Bankruptcy code (Amendment) Ordinance 2018.
Details: The bankruptcy code is a one stop solution for resolving insolvencies which at present is a long process and does not offer an economically viable arrangement. A strong insolvency framework where the cost and the time incurred is minimized in attaining liquidation has been long overdue in India. The code will be able to protect the interests of small investors and make the process of doing business a less cumbersome process.
President Ram Nath Kovind has assented to the promulgation of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 on June 6, 2018. This ordinance makes some fine-tuning mechanisms in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
This ordinance brings some specific changes affecting mainly real estate and financial sectors. The notable changes are as follows:
Homebuyers would now be treated as financial creditors or, in other words, on par with banks. The amendment enables homebuyers (either as an individual or group) to initiate insolvency proceedings against errant builders. Homebuyers shall have the right to be represented in the committee of creditors (CoC), which takes the key decision regarding revival of the company or its liquidation.
The amendment has changed the voting share required in CoC meetings. For extending the insolvency process beyond 180 days till 270 days and for appointment of the resolution professional (who oversees the process), now a voting share of 66% is sufficient, compared with earlier requirement of 75%. Unless a specific approval is required in the Code, all other decisions of the CoC can be taken with 51% voting share against the earlier norm of 75%.
Withdrawal from the insolvency process is permitted with the approval of 90% of voting share of the CoC.
The amendment ordinance gives some special benefits to the Micro, Small and Medium Sector Enterprises. Now, the promoters of MSMEs are allowed to bid for their companies as long as they are not willful defaulters and don’t attract any other related disqualification. This has corrected the anomaly in the section 29A of the existing act which had barred promoters of defaulting assets from bidding for their assets.
This ordinance provides relief to home buyers by recognizing their status as financial creditors. Due representation in the Committee of Creditors (CoC) makes them integral part of the decision-making process. Section 7 of the law will allow financial creditors to file application seeking insolvency resolution process. This is important because many home buyers are facing hardships on account of delayed and incomplete real estate projects.

Rise in India-ASEAN naval games (GS 2 IR)

  • India is instituting a series of bilateral and multilateral naval exercises with Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries as part of the increasing military-to-military cooperation.
  • This is in addition to assisting the countries in capacity building and sale of military hardware.
Details: Later this month, the Navies of India and Indonesia will hold their first bilateral exercise in the Java Sea. India will stage a new trilateral exercise with Thailand and Singapore soon.
The bilateral with Indonesia is in addition to the Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) that the two sides conduct. The 31st edition of CORPAT concluded on June 9 in which India had deployed INS Kulish, a Kora class missile corvette, and one Dornier maritime patrol aircraft.
The new trilateral naval exercise with Thailand and Singapore was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his key note address at the Shangri La dialogue in Singapore. The dates and modalities of the exercise are being worked out.
The Navy recently conducted maiden bilateral exercises with Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
About CORPAT: CORPAT is a bilateral maritime exercise between India and Indonesia. Both countries have been carrying out maritime exercise twice a year since 2002. The CORPAT exercise between the two navies carries search and rescue operations, institutes measures for vessels indulged in unlawful activities as well as control pollution.
Apart from securing the trade sea route, the Coordinated Patrol also serves to enhance mutual understanding and inter–operability between the two navies. The CORPAT thus reflects the shared concerns between the two countries for a peaceful Indian Ocean for the benefit of international community.
About ASEAN: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten Southeast Asian countries which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational and socio-cultural integration amongst its members and other Asian countries, and globally. Since its formation on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, the organization’s membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Its principal aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and socio-cultural evolution among its members, alongside the protection of regional stability and the provision of a mechanism for member countries to resolve differences peacefully.
India is a dialogue partner in ASEAN.

Mauritius to host global Hindi meet

  • The World Hindi Conference is a major event organized every three years by the External Affairs Ministry.
  • This year’s conference has been scheduled to be held in Mauritius.
Details: The upcoming 11th World Hindi Conference in Mauritius is likely to produce directives to increase the popularity of Hindi globally.
Work on the international meet from August 18 to 20 is under way in the External Affairs Ministry. However, some prominent Hindi literary figures have expressed their disappointment at the way the event has shaped up over the years.
The conference will cover both classical and modern elements of Hindi, and it intends to get delegates and scholars of Hindi from all over the world. It is also hoped to produce concrete guidelines for the promotion of Hindi as a language of globalization and possibly at the United Nations.
The World Hindi Conference is a major event organized every three years by the External Affairs Ministry.
The World Hindi Secretariat (WHS) supported by India is located in Mauritius, the government of the country does not promote Hindi on its website; nor is the language acknowledged officially.
The website mentions English and French as the languages spoken in Mauritius, but leaves out Hindi referring merely to existing “Asian languages.”
The WHS will be the organizing authority of the event.
Leading literary voices of Hindi have raised doubts about the scope of the upcoming conference saying the event might end up as a public relations exercise in view of the 2019 election and urged the Ministry to use the opportunity to support genuine scholars of Hindi.
Over the past few decades, the event has been held both in India and abroad but it has failed to reinvent itself.

SCO calls for global front to fight terror groups (GS 2 IR)

  • The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has resolved to fight terrorism, separatism and extremism with a renewed vigor in the next three years.
  • It has called for a unified global counter-terrorism front under the coordination of the UN.
Details: The grouping of eight countries, including China, India and Russia, came out with a declaration at the end of its two-day annual summit, with a resolve to deepen cooperation to contain terrorism, extremism and separatism.
It said all the member countries were for reaching a consensus on adopting the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, and emphasized the importance of comprehensive measures to reach a peaceful settlement of international and regional conflicts.
The SCO leaders adopted a Joint Appeal to Youth, in which they asked them not to get influenced by extremist ideologies.
The declaration said the SCO would work to stop the spread of terrorist ideology and eliminate factors and conditions that facilitated terrorism and extremism, acknowledging that there can be no justification to any act of terrorism or extremism.
The member states also noted that the interference in the domestic affairs of other states under the pretence of combating terrorism and extremism is unacceptable, as well as the use of terrorist, extremist and radical groups for one’s own purposes.
The SCO called for “effectively fulfilling” the requirements of specialized UN Security Council resolutions to counter any forms of financing of terrorism and providing material and technical support to it. In relation to the developments in West Asia, the SCO talked about the growing threat from foreign terrorists who returned to their countries or find shelter in third countries to continue their terrorist and extremist activity within the bloc.
In the summit, the leaders also talked about the special role of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure in the fight against “the three evils” — terrorism, extremism and separatism — to ensure regional security.

Govt. opens doors to lateral entry (GS 2 Gov)

  • The Union government has invited “outstanding individuals” to join the government at the level of Joint Secretary at the Centre.
  • This has been done in an apparent bid to bring in expertise from the private sector and infuse talent into the country’s bureaucracy.
Details: The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has invited applications for 10 senior-level positions in the departments of Economic Affairs, Revenue, Commerce and Highways and others.
The notification issued by the DoPT says it is looking for 10 “outstanding individuals”, who are willing to contribute towards nation building.
The notification invites individuals working at comparable levels in private sector companies, consultancy organizations, international/ multinational organizations with a minimum of 15 years’ experience, besides those working in central public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, statutory organizations, research bodies and universities.
The recruitment will be on contract basis for three to five years. The intake will be made in 10 departments initially but will expand to other categories in the second phase.
The post of Joint Secretary is crucial for policy making and implementation of government programmes and schemes, with most crucial decisions in Ministries and departments taken by officials at that level.
Though the idea of lateral entry into the administrative framework has been under discussion for some years now, this is the first move towards implementing the idea, which is generating curious debate on the pros and cons of the move.
The departments for which applicants are sought include Revenue, Financial Services, Economic Affairs, Commerce and Civil Aviation, Agriculture and Cooperation, Highways and Shipping and Environment and Climate Change.
The notification specifies a minimum age of 40 and minimum qualification of graduation from a recognized university or institute, while higher qualification will be an added advantage.

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