UPSC Daily Current Affairs | Prelim Bits 22-01-2020

Social Mobility Index

• Social Mobility Index is newly compiled, released by the World Economic Forum ahead of the 50th Annual Meeting of the WEF.
• It measures countries across five key dimensions distributed over 10 pillars — health; education (access, quality and equity); technology; work (opportunities, wages, conditions); and protections and institutions (social protection and inclusive institutions).
• The Index shows that fair wages, social protection and lifelong learning are the biggest drags on social mobility globally.
• The Index is topped by Denmark.
• India ranks 76th out of 82 economies.
• The areas of improvement for India include social protection (76th) and fair wage distribution (79th), 41st in lifelong learning and 53rd in working conditions. 
• The Areas of improvement for India include social protection (76th) and fair wage distribution (79th).
• The top five are all Scandinavian, while the five economies with the most to gain from boosting social mobility are China, the United States, India, Japan and Germany.

National Startup Advisory Council

• Union government has notified the structure of the National Startup Advisory Council.
• It will be chaired by commerce and industry minister, the council will do the following

1. Suggest measures to foster a culture of innovation amongst citizens and students in particular.
2. Promote innovation in all sectors of economy across the country.
3. Support creative and innovative ideas through incubation.
4. Create an environment of absorption of innovation in industry.

• The council will facilitate public organizations to assimilate innovation with a view to improving public service delivery, promote creation, protection and commercialization of intellectual property rights, and make it easier to start, operate, grow and exit businesses by reducing regulatory compliances and costs.
• The council will also suggest measures to “promote ease of access to capital for startups, incentivize domestic capital for investments into startups, and mobilize global capital for investments in Indian startups.
• India ranks 136 on ‘starting a business’ in the World Bank’s ease of doing business table against an overall rank of 63.
• Some of the measures in the works are also expected to tackle this.

UNMOGIP

• In 1948, the Security Council adopted resolution 39, establishing the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) to investigate and mediate the dispute of Kashmir.
• In 1949, at the recommendation of UNCIP, first team of unarmed military observers, which eventually formed the nucleus of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), arrived in the mission area to supervise, in the State of Jammu and Kashmir, the ceasefire between India and Pakistan and to assist the Military Adviser to UNCIP.
• In July 1972, India and Pakistan signed an agreement defining a Line of Control in Kashmir, which, with minor deviations, followed the same course as the ceasefire line established by the Karachi Agreement in 1949.
• India took the position that the mandate of UNMOGIP had lapsed, since it related specifically to the ceasefire line under the Karachi Agreement. Pakistan, however, did not accept this position.
• Given the disagreement between the two parties over UNMOGIP's mandate and functions, the Secretary-General's position has been that UNMOGIP could be terminated only by a decision of the Security Council.
• In the absence of such an agreement, UNMOGIP has been maintained with the same arrangements as established following December 1971 ceasefire.
• Since the Simla Agreement of 1972, India has adopted a non-recognition policy towards third parties in their bilateral exchanges with Pakistan over the question regarding the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The military authorities of Pakistan have continued to lodge alleged ceasefire violations complaints with UNMOGIP.
• The military authorities of India have lodged no complaints since January 1972 limiting the activities of the UN observers on the Indian-administered side of the Line of Control, though they continue to provide necessary security, transport and other services to UNMOGIP.

Reciprocating Territory

• Ministry of Law and Justice recently declared United Arab Emirates as a “reciprocating territory” under Section 44A of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908.
• Through the status the orders passed by certain designated courts from a ‘reciprocating territory’ can be implemented in India, by filing a copy of the Verdict or judgement concerned in a District Court here.
• The courts so designated are called ‘superior Courts’.
• The notification also declared a list of courts in the UAE to be “superior Courts” under the same section.
• Section 44A, titled “Execution of decrees passed by Courts in reciprocating territory”, provides the law on the subject of execution of decrees of Courts in India by foreign Courts and vice versa.
• Under Explanation 1 of S. 44A - “Reciprocating territory” means any country or territory outside India which the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be a reciprocating territory for the purposes of this section; and “superior Courts”, with reference to any such territory, means such Courts as may be specified in the said notification.”
• S.44A (1) provides that a decree passed by “a superior Court” in any “reciprocating territory” can be executed in India by filing a certified copy of the decree in a District Court, which will treat the decree as if it has been passed by itself.
• According to Explanation-2, the scope of the Section is restricted to decrees for payment of money, not being sums payable “in respect of taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a fine or other penalty”.
• It also cannot be based on an arbitration award, even if such an award is enforceable as a decree or judgment.
• Apart from UAE, the other countries declared “reciprocating territories” are United Kingdom, Singapore, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Trinidad & Tobago, New Zealand, the Cook Islands (including Niue) and the Trust Territories of Western Samoa, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Aden.
• Through the decision, Indian expatriates in the UAE would no longer be able to seek safe haven in their home country if they are convicted in a civil case in the UAE.

Tribal Youth Exchange Programme

• Tribal Youth Exchange Programme is organized by the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• The programme aims at providing an opportunity to tribal youth to visit different places to understand the culture, language, lifestyles, educational avenues, development activities and educational opportunities.
• During the visit, the participants will interact with the local communities and youth, affiliated with the NYKS Youth Clubs to develop cultural ties.

Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre

• India recently opens First Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre in Niger, a West African Nation.
• The convention center has been designed as a spacious, modern and eco-friendly facility, including a 2,000 capacity Plenary Hall, to witness high-level and wide-ranging participation from African Union (AU) member states and other high-level conventions.
• It is the first center to be established in Africa by India to honor the memory of Mahatma Gandhi whose 150th birth anniversary was observed in 2019.

Source: The Hindu, Economic times, Indian Express