Current Affairs August 2018 - Committees
1 - Government constituted High Level Empowered Committee to address the issues of Stressed Thermal Power Projects
With a view to resolve the stress and revive Stressed Thermal Power Assets, the Government has decided to set up a High Level Empowered Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary.
The Committee would look into the various issues with a view to resolve them and maximise the efficiency of investment including changes required to be made in the provisioning norms/Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), Asset Restructuring Company (ARC) Regulations and any other measures proposed for revival of stressed assets so as to avoid such investments becoming NPA.
2 - NGT constituted committee to monitor rejuvenation project of Ganga
National Green Tribunal constituted a panel under chairmanship of former Allahabad High Court judge to analyze rejuvenation project of Ganga from Haridwar to Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.
National Green Tribunal is an Act of the Parliament of India which enables creation of a special tribunal to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental issues. The tribunal shall consist of a full time chairperson, judicial members and expert members.
3 - IRDAI constituted working group to review norms for insurance surveyors
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India constituted a working group to the norms for insurance surveyors. The 7-member working group has been formed to address areas pertaining to licensing, renewal and others in the context of the existing regulatory framework for Surveyors and Loss Assessors.
The group will study the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association of the Indian Institute of Insurance Surveyors and Loss Assessors and make recommendations to bring about alignment with the Surveyor Regulations. The working group will make holistic analysis of the existing regulatory framework.
4 - NGT formed committee on protection of natural conservation zones
A committee has been formed to look into whether sub regional plans for protection of Natural Conservation Zones were compatible with the regional plan prepared by the National Capital Region Planning Board. The committee is comprised of secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, secretary, Ministry of H&UA, chairman, Central Pollution Control Board, National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO and secretaries of Urban Development Departments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
The committee will submit report to the bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, within one month. Ministry of Environment and Forests will act as nodal agency of the committee.
5 - B Sesikeran committee formed to review food labelling standards
A committee to be headed by B Sesikeran has been formed by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to review food labeling and display regulations - Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2018. It is a three member committee having group of experts from the health and nutrition sector. B Sesikeran is a former director of National Institute of Nutrition.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India to regulate import, export, distribution, sale of food and specify standards.
6 - NGT appointed ex-judge Justice S J Vazifdar as chairman of panel to decide Vedanta's plea
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has appointed former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice S J Vazifdar as head of a three-member committee to decide mining company Vedanta's plea challenging closure of its Sterlite copper plant at Tuticorin.
The committee will also include representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board and the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The tribunal had asked the committee to assume work within two weeks and decide the matter within six weeks thereafter.
7 - Committee on review of penal provisions of Company Act 2013 submitted final report
The committee on review of penal provisions of Company Act 2013 submitted its final report to Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley.
The government constituted the committee to review the existing framework dealing with offences under the Companies Act, 2013 and related matters. It will also make recommendations to promote better corporate compliance. The committee has made several recommendations related to corporate compliance and corporate governance such as restructuring of Corporate Offences to relieve Special Courts from adjudicating routine offences.
