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1. Govt to set up Central Consumer Protection Authority by first week of April

2 CMS COP 13
3. Worldwide Educating for the Future Index
4. India ranks 131 on flourishing index: Report
5. ICRG Recommends Continuation of Pakistan in Grey List
6. Private Member Bill for Two-Child Policy Norm

1. Govt to set up Central Consumer Protection Authority by first week of April

Why in news ?
• Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has said the Central Consumer Protection
Authority (CCPA) will be set up by the first week of April this year.
o The CCPA to be set up under Consumer Protection Act 2019, will address
issues related to
consumer rights,
unfair trade practices,
misleading advertisements and
impose penalties for selling spurious and adulterated products.
Important facts
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• The Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 was approved the Parliament in 2019 replacing
Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
• It aims to focus on rapid settlement of consumer disputes, strict penalties for wrong
doings that include misleading ads by rms and adulteration.
• The authority is being constituted to makes sure of the act is implemented in the
right way.
Consumer Protection Bill, 2019
• The Lok Sabha passed the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, which seeks to
strengthen the consumer rights and provides a mechanism for redressal of
complaints regarding defects in goods and deficiency in services.
• Apart from setting up of authorities for timely and effective administration and
settlement of consumer disputes, the bill also seeks to bring in e-commerce under
their jurisdiction and hold celebrities accountable for false and misleading
advertisements of products that they endorse.
o Also consumer courts at the district, state and national level, the bill
proposes a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote,
protect and enforce consumer rights as a class and protect them from unfair
trade practices.
o CCPA, envisaged as a regulator, can file a class action suit if required and
would take immediate action on any consumer complaint.
• The bill proposes strict action against the advertiser in case of misleading
advertisements but not against the media through which the advertisement is being
publicised.
• Celebrities can be fined up to ₹10 lakh. For repeat offences, this may rise to ₹50
lakh, with a jail term of up to five years It also provides for product liability action
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on account of harm caused to consumers due to defective products or deficient

services.
The Bill will replace the earlier Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

2. CMS COP 13
Why in news ?
• On February 20, 2020, Asian Elephant,Great Indian Bustard and Bengal Florican
were declared as “Endangered Migratory Species” at the CMS COP 13.
• The proposal was accepted by 130 countries.
Asian Elephant
• India declared Indian Elephant as “National Heritage Animal”. This provides highest
degree of legal protection to the animal under Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act,
1972.
• The Asian elephants are called Indian Elephants in the country.
• The threats to the Indian Elephants include habitat loss, human elephant conict,
habitat fragmentation, illegal trade and poaching.
Bengal Florican
• The population of the species has declined greatly due to habitat loss. The Bengal
Florican does not breed outside the protected areas today.
• It is listed as the critically endangered species under the IUCN list and is of the
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topmost conservation priority.
Great Indian Bustard
The Great Indian Bustard is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world.

• Scientific Name: Ardeotis nigriceps

• Habitat: Dry grasslands and scrublands on the Indian subcontinent; its largest
populations are found in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
• Protection Status
Important Facts
o Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List
o In Appendix I of CITES,
o In Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

3. Worldwide Educating for the Future Index

Why in news?
• India jumped five ranks in the Worldwide Educating for the Future Index (WEFFI)
2019, as per a report published by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Important points?
• The ranking is provided based on the ability of a country to equip their students in
skill-based education.
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o India ranked 35th with an overall score of 53.

The scores were provided based on the performance of the countries
in three countries namely teaching, policy environment and teaching
environment.
In 2018, India ranked 40th with an overall score of 41.2.
• In Policy Environment, India scored 56.3, in teaching environment its score was 52.2
and in socioeconomic environment India’s score was 50.1. India has performed
better in socio-economic environment.
o This is because in 2018, its score was 32.2. However, the performance
decreased in policy environment as the score in the area in 2018 was 61.5
Reasons for the Growth
The report attributes India’s growth to the new national education
policy introduced and published in 2019 that mentions future-oriented skills such as
critical thinking, communication and entrepreneurship.

o The education policy was highlighted in the Union Budget 2020 and it will
come under ‘Aspirational India’ which will focus on skill-based education, a
greater inflow of finance to attract talented teachers and innovate and build
better labs.
A degree level full-fledged online education programme along with apprenticeship

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embedded degree or diploma courses in 150 higher educational institutions is also
proposed which will begin by March 2021.
Reasons for the Growth
• The report attributes India’s growth to the new national education
policy introduced and published in 2019 that mentions future-oriented skills such as
critical thinking, communication and entrepreneurship.

o The education policy was highlighted in the Union Budget 2020 and it will
come under ‘Aspirational India’ which will focus on skill-based education, a
greater inflow of finance to attract talented teachers and innovate and build
better labs.
• A degree level full-fledged online education programme along with apprenticeship
embedded degree or diploma courses in 150 higher educational institutions is also
proposed which will begin by March 2021.

Worldwide Educating for the Future Index

• The index and report are commissioned by the Yidan Prize Foundation.
• It was developed to assess the effectiveness of education systems in preparing
students for the demands of work and life in a rapidly changing landscape.
• It is the first comprehensive global index to evaluate inputs to education
systems rather than outputs such as test scores and concentrates on the 15-24
age band in 35 economies.

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4. India ranks 131 on flourishing index: Report

Why in news?
On February 20, 2020, WHO, Lancet and UNICEF together released a report titled “A Future
for the World’s Children”. According to the report, a new Global index has been included in
comparing performance of child nutrition, education and sustainability.

Important points

• According to the report, India ranked 131 in flourishing index and 77 on

sustainability index.
• Highlights The report says that India has improved in health and sanitation.
However, it has to increase its spending on Health. Around 180 countries
were compared in the report.
• The parameters of comparison included child survival, child wellbeing, health
and education, sustainability, child nutrition.
• Key Findings of the report Because of stunting and poverty, around 250
million children in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of not
reaching their developmental potential. Best and Least Performers

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5. ICRG Recommends Continuation of Pakistan in Grey List

Why in News?
The International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) of the Financial Action Task Force
(FATF) has recommended that Pakistan be retained on the “Grey List”, given the country’s
failure to completely implement the 27-point action plan to check terror financing.
It needs to be noted that a recommendation by the ICRG is a precursor to the final
decision at the FATF plenary session, and is usually not overturned. Since 2007, the
the ICRG has analysed high-risk jurisdiction and recommended specific action to
address the money laundering/terror financing risks emanating from them.
The FATF Plenary is the decision making body of the FATF. It meets three times per
year. The latest meeting will conclude on 21st February, 2020 in which final decision
with respect to Pakistan will be taken.
The FATF meeting is being held a week after an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan
sentenced Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack and founder of
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), to 11 years in two terror financing cases.
The Financial Action Task Force
Formation: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental
body established in 1989 during the G7 Summit in Paris.
Objectives: To set standards and promote effective implementation of
legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money
laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of
the international financial system.

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Secretariat: Its Secretariat is located at the Organisation for Economic

Cooperation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris.
Member Countries: The FATF currently has 39 members including two
regional organisations — the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation
Council. India is a member of the FATF.
Lists under FATF:

o Grey List: Countries that are considered safe haven for supporting
terror funding and money laundering are put in the FATF grey list.
This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter
the blacklist.
o Black List: Countries known as Non-Cooperative Countries or
Territories (NCCTs) are put in the blacklist. These countries support
terror funding and money laundering activities. The FATF revises
the blacklist regularly, adding or deleting entries.

6. Private Member Bill for Two-Child Policy Norm

Why in News
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Recently, a Private Member’s Constitution Amendment Bill has been introduced in the
Rajya Sabha proposing incentives in taxation, education and employment for people who
limit their family size to two children.
The Bill is likely to be discussed when Parliament meets for the second half of the
Budget session.
Key Features of the Bill
The Bill proposes for the incorporation of a new provision — Article 47A(Duty of
the State to promote small family norm) — in Part IV of the Constitution.

o Part IV of the Indian Constitution deals with the Directive Principles of the
State Policy.
The proposed insertion of Article 47A intends to withdraw all concessions from
people who fail to adhere to the ‘small-family-norm’.
The Bill also intends to offer incentives in taxes, employment, education and priority
in social benefit schemes and school admissions etc to its people who keep their
family limited to two children.
Current Status
Presently, six states including Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra
Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have made the two-child norm mandatory for all
panchayat members.

o In 2018, 412 panchayat members in Rajasthan had been removed from

their posts because they failed to comply with the two-child norm.
The Supreme Court has upheld the provision in several states that debars members
with more than two children from contesting and holding panchayat posts.
Need for Two-Child Policy Norm
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India’s population has already crossed 125 crores and India is expected to surpass
the world’s most populous nation-China in the next couple of decades.
Despite having the National Population Control Policy (2000), India is the second-
most populous country in the world.
Thus, India’s natural resources are extremely over-burdened and facing over-
exploitation.
Criticism of the Two-Child Policy
The restricted child policy will create a shortage of educated young people needed to
carry on India’s technological revolution.
The problems like gender imbalance, undocumented children, etc. faced by China (as
a result of the one-child policy) might be experienced by India.
India's birthrate is slowing down to sustainable levels. In 2000, the fertility rate was
still relatively high at 3.2 children per woman. By 2016, that number had already
fallen to 2.3 children.

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