Top News Highlights- 5 September 2024

Take-Off of India’s First Indigenous Combat Unmanned Aircraft

• Overview: Bengaluru-based firm Flying Wedge Defence and Aerospace successfully launched the FWD 200B, India’s first indigenously built Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle, or UCAV.
• Significance: This can be considered a key development in India’s defence indigenization effort, wherein the country attains a higher level of accomplishment toward self-sufficiency in the realm of advanced defence technologies.
• Technical Specifications: The UCAV operates at altitudes up to 15,000 feet, has a cruise speed of 152 mph, and can endure missions up to 7 hours.
• Defence Policies: Supported by policies like the Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy and the ‘Make in India‘ initiative.

Constitution of the 23rd Law Commission

• Mandate: Entrusted with examining and suggesting legal reforms necessary to bring about improvements in the Indian legal system within three years from 2024 to 2027.
• Salient Focus Areas: Inclusion of simplification of laws, enhancement of gender-related equality in legal provisions, and efficacy in the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs).
• Significance: This Commission has indeed played a very active role in laying the foundation stones for India’s legislation to attain the ideals of justice and good governance.
• Composition:  Comprised of one chairperson, four full-time members, and several ex-officio and part-time members.

Introduction of AgriSURE Fund and Krishi Nivesh Portal

• Objective: To promote farm-sector startups through the AgriSURE fund and single window investment platform through Krishi Nivesh Portal.
• Investment: AgriSURE fund involves ₹750 crore from NABARD, the Ministry of Agriculture, and Private Investors.
• Importance: This would encourage innovations in agriculture, rural infrastructure, and value addition to farm produce.
• Operation Impact: It is likely to generate job opportunities and undertake IT-enabled services in agriculture.

Corruption Report by Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)

• Overview: The CVC annual report for 2023 presented complaints on corruption in various fields.
• Statistics: Over 74,203 complaints of corruption were received; the highest against railway employees, Delhi local bodies, and public sector banks.
• Vigilance Mechanism: Punitive, preventive, and participative mechanisms to reduce corruption.
• Importance: It brings transparency and accountability to the functioning of the government and its public sector undertakings.

President Critiques Judicial Delays and Infrastructure

• Public anxiety for judicial delays and perceived insensitivity has been coined as ‘Black Coat Syndrome’.
• Judicial Statistics: More than 88287 cases are pending in the Supreme Court as of August 2024.
• Initiatives: Modernizing judiciary through e-Courts project, and alternative dispute resolutions.
• Infrastructure Focus: Emphasizing the development of court infrastructure to make it inclusive and accessible.

Extension of PMAY Benefits to Marginal Workers

• Policy Amendment: In an endeavour to extend further benefits of PMAY to migrant and unorganized workers, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has initiated a proposal to include them within the ambit of PMAY.
• Impact: The scheme of PMAY has been extended for a further period of five years, effective from 1st April 2022, to enable housing at affordable rates for more people and make it inclusive by giving support to the most vulnerable sections. It targets the construction of two crore more houses.
• Operational Tool: The Management Information System-MIS Portal is operational for better management and outreach.

Key Concepts and Policies

• UCAV-Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle: An aircraft that does not have any human pilot onboard, employed for military functions.
• Law Commission of India: “Non-statutory body constituted for taking up the work of legal reform for promoting justice and ensuring certainty in the law to develop the institution of administration of justice of the country in such a fashion as would serve best the needs of the independent Bharat.”
• AgriSURE Fund: AgriSURE will be a Transformative Acceleration Fund that aims to catalyze Public-Private Investments in agriculture and allied sectors through Agri Startup(s)/Rural Enterprises.
• Central Vigilance Commission (CVC): Apex Indian statutory body created to address government corruption.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY): A scheme launched by the Indian government to make available affordable housing to the urban poor.