 A very good evening to all our friends and welcome to the Hindu News Analysis of Shankar IAS Academy for the date 22nd December 2020. First of all, we are happy to inform you that the second test batch of pre-storming 2021 program of Shankar IAS Academy has started from 11th December 2020. It is the prelims test series for the upcoming UPSC preliminary examination 2021. Our pre-storming program is India's first full-fledged artificial intelligence supported preliminary test series. All the required details are provided in the description of this video and also in the comment section. With this, let us start our Hindu News Analysis. The relevant news articles taken up for today's discussion from five different editions of the Hindu newspaper is given here for your reference. Also, the handwritten notes in the PDF format and timestampings for all the news articles taken up for today's discussion is given in the description box and also in the comment section for the best interest of the viewers. Let's now start with our first news article. Now, this news article talks about the successful testing of F-A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet's capability with the Indian Navy's aircraft carrier. The demonstrations were held in coordination with US Navy at a naval air station situated in Maryland. As per the testing, F-18 did well with the Indian Navy's Toba or short take-off but arrested recovery system. See, in a Toba system, no catapult is used for assisted take-off from the deck. Please note that a catapult is an external device that is used to allow aircraft to take off from a very limited amount of space such as a deck of a vessel and occasionally a land-based runway. It can launch aircraft that have a high thrust-to-weight ratio. Simple constriction, simple installation and inexpensive maintenance are some of its advantages. And note that only a few types of aircraft can be launched from carrier decks using the Stobar operation. In this context, let us see in detail about the F-A-18 Block III Super Hornet. See, it is the world's most lethal or destructive, advanced combat-proven multi-role front-line fighter jet which is capable of performing around a varied range of activities which includes air superiority, day-night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defense and also activities like maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and buddy refuelling. It is remarkable that significant technology insertions in the form of advanced cockpit, new computing and advanced data link, conformal fuel tanks, increased airframe life and also the ability to carry wide variety of weapons makes this aircraft to be the most lethal platform for air force and navies around the world. In fact, it is believed to have got the potential to enable the Indian armed forces to challenge the next generation of conflicts. Being a part of the Boeing's proposed Buy India 4 India Sustainment Program, the Block III Super Hornets could be serviced in partnership with the Indian Navy as well as the India-U.S.-based partners throughout the life cycle of this aircraft. And it is also remarked to have created opportunities for cooperation in naval aviation between U.S. and India. See, the article also mentions about the INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant which work with the Stobar mechanism. Now, let us see them in detail. First, let us know about INS Vikrant which derives its name from India's first majesty class aircraft carrier, Hercules, which was acquired from Britain in 1957. And this aircraft carrier was commissioned in 1961 as INS Vikrant. However, later in year 1997, it was decommissioned. And usually in naval traditions, names of various ships are passed on to sexer services. INS Vikrant is capable of operating 20 fighter jets and 10 other aircrafts. Please note that the design and the construction of this indigenous aircraft carrier was sanctioned by the government in January 2003 and it is still under construction. Being India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, it marks a special feather in India's indigenous defense capabilities. The construction of the ship is a truly pan-Indian effort with active participation from private as well as public enterprises. This in turn witnesses India's efforts at achieving self-reliance in the field of warship design and construction. It is notable that the successful completion of INS Vikrant will put India in the elite group of four world nations including the US, Russia, the United Kingdom and the France who are capable of designing and constructing aircraft carriers. Now coming to INS Vikrant Maditya, know that it is the largest ship to join the Indian Navy on 16th November 2003 and it was acquired from Russia. This floating airfield has an overall length of about 284 meters and a maximum beam of about 60 meters that structures as much as three football grounds put together. It is a 44,500 tons mega-structure of steel with 20 stories. In total the ship has 22 decks and it has the capacity to operate up to a range of over 7,000 nautical miles or 13,000 kilometers. The ship is equipped with state-of-the-art launch and recovery systems along with the aids to enable smooth and efficient operation of ship-borne aircrafts. So in this discussion we saw about FAA-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, the Stobar system and also about INS Vikrant and INS Vikrant Maditya. With this let us move on to the next news article. Now this news article is with reference to the auction of radio spectrum for commercial mobile services. In this topic we will have a brief discussion on what is spectrum and how government mobilizes revenue through auction of spectrum etc. The syllabus relevant for this analysis is highlighted here for your reference. Please go through it. See spectrum means the radio frequencies allocated to the mobile industry and other sectors for communication over airwaves. More frequencies including both coverage and capacity bands means mobile operators can connect more people and offer faster speeds. For this radio spectrum is divided into frequency bands which are then allocated to certain services. For example in India the FM radio band is used for broadcasting radio services and it operates from 87.5 MHz to 108 MHz. The band is subdivided into channels that are used for a particular transmission so that the individual channels in the FM band represent the separate broadcast radio stations like we have Radio Michi 93.5. And in the same way if you are using Airtel 4G then you are accessing internet in 1800 or 2300 MHz bands. This is because Airtel has bought these bands in auction. See this spectrum is a sovereign asset like our territorial waters along the cost which means use of airwaves in each country is overseen by the government or the National Regulatory Authority which manages it and issues the needed licenses. Now today's news says that government is going to auction or sell new bands to mobile operators. The potential revenue accrual to the government at reserve prices is about 50 billion US dollars. Similarly, total reserve price for spectrum which was put on auction in 2016 was about 90 billion US dollars while the realized value was just about one-tenth of that. This is because no one bought 700 MHz spectrum band in the last auction. Hence we can see that the 2016 auction could be considered as a failure. So there are several factors that determine the success of spectrum auction. First is the reserve price of spectrum. Second, the willingness to pay by the telecoast depends on the position compared to the over-the-top providers or OTT providers. This is because over-the-top providers are providing substitutes such as the voice over internet protocol or VOIP. See the voice over internet protocol is a technology that allows you to make calls using an internet connection. And OTT services refer to applications and services that are accessible over the internet and they work on mobile operators network. We have examples like Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. So in the recent days, voice over internet protocol is getting more attention as calls made through these platforms are free. We know that if we have an internet connection like Wi-Fi, we'll be able to call others through WhatsApp. So if more people are using WhatsApp calls and not recharging their SIM cards to make calls, the revenue to telecom operators like the Airtel, Vodafone, etc. will reduce. And as a result, they may not show much interest in auction. Few also indicate that the rise of voice over internet protocol subscribers could have a positive effect on winning bid prices. This is mainly because we need internet to make a VOIP call. So we will recharge at least the internet pack for our phone. Now the third one is the allocation of unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi. By offloading mobile data, Wi-Fi supplements the carrier network and reduces the demand for mobile network capacity. Several countries including the United States have unlicensed a few spectrums. It means operators can use these bands for free. For example, the 60 GHz spectrum provides huge capacities in a limited area that is for Wi-Fi. So it means if there is more unlicensed spectrum allocation, the demand will be lower for licensed spectrum. See the reserve prices of different bands for the forthcoming auction indicate that the average price per MHz per population is around $3 and it is for sub GHz band and it is around $1.7 for mid band. So you know that average price per MHz per population is a common metric used for comparing spectrum prices. These are comparable to only some of the higher winning bid prices in other countries which means prices are very high in India. So higher reserve prices may leave a large spectrum blocks unsold as in 2016 auction. We should know that spectrum is a perishable scarce resource. If it cannot be used, then its value is lost. Now, when the whole country is adopting a new known for work from home due to COVID-19 crisis, it is important for the government to ensure that the spectrum put on the block is sold successfully. So you may think that the higher prices are good for country as companies will pay a lot of money to the government. Here we should note that high prices means companies will demand high prices from consumers as how all the companies increase their data prices in the last December. Here prices also means low affordability, which is a prerequisite for successful adoption of technology. So the government should consider reducing the prices and de-licensing more spectrum bands for sending Wi-Fi signals. And now that the over-the-top firms have been brought under the regulations under the ambit of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the government should realize certain guidelines on how they will be regulated and what they will be regulated on so that the telecos and over-the-top providers can join hands to provide superior services for the benefit of the customers. So this is all about this editorial. With this, let us move on to the next news article. Now, let us take up this news article which talks about the government's decision to extend the suspension of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Court that is IBC till March 31, 2021. See, it is in order to help the businesses cope with the lingering difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision was taken because of the corona-induced restrictions which resulted in underperformance of businesses all over India. Also, many companies do not fit into the one-time restructuring option which was given by RBA. Now, what is one-time restructuring option or one-time restructuring of loans? See, such a scheme allows banks to restructure loans of borrowers who were regular in their repayments and did not have more than 30 days overdue as of March 1 2020 without downgrading their asset classification to a non-performing asset. So in this context, let us have a look at the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Court of 2016. See, IBC of 2016 is the Bankruptcy Law of India. Now, what is insolvency? See, insolvency is a situation where the individuals or companies are unable to repay their outstanding debt and the threshold for invoking insolvency under the Insolvency Bankruptcy Court of 2016 starts from 1 crore rupees. Now, let us see what does the current court aims to do. See, the 2016 court applies to both companies and individuals. It provides for a time-bound process to resolve insolvency. That means, when a default in repayment occurs, the creditors gain control over the debtor's assets and must take decisions to resolve the insolvency within a 180 days period. Now, let us see what mechanisms are in place to facilitate the insolvency resolution under the court. See, the court creates various institutions to facilitate resolution of insolvency. The first one is Insolvency Professionals. See, it is a specialized cadre of licensed professionals who will administer the resolution process, then manage the assets of the debtor and also provides information for creditors to assist them in decision-making. Now, the second one is Insolvency Professional Agencies. See, the Insolvency Professionals will be registered with the Insolvency Professional Agencies and these agencies conduct examinations to certify the Insolvency Professionals and enforce a court of conduct for their performance. Now, the third one is Information Utilities. See, the creditors will report the financial information of debt owed to them by debtors and such information will include records of debt, liabilities and also defaults. Now, the fourth one is Adjudicating Authorities. See, they include National Companies Law Tribunal for Companies and Debt Recovery Tribunals for Individuals. So, keep this in mind. The proceedings of the resolution process will be adjudicated by the Debt Recovery Tribunal for Individuals and National Companies Law Tribunal for Companies. Now, the court also mandates the creation of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board. See, the board will regulate Insolvency Professionals, Insolvency Professional Agencies and also the Information Utilities set up under the court. And know that this board will consist of representatives from Reserve Bank of India, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Corporate Affairs and also Ministry of Flow. Now, what is the procedure to resolve Insolvency under the IBC? See, the first step to resolve Insolvency is Initiation. See, when a default occurs, the resolution process may be initiated by the debtor or creditor. In this, a decision is made to resolve the Insolvency. Here, a committee consisting of financial creditors will take a decision regarding the future of the outstanding debt which is owed to them. Here, they may choose to revive the debt owed to them or sell the assets of the debtor in order to repay the debts owed to them. And it should be noted that if a decision is not taken in 180 days, the debtor's assets goes into liquidation. Now, what is liquidation? Now, if the debtor goes into liquidation, an Insolvency Professional administers the liquidation process and proceeds from sale of the debtor's assets are distributed in the already established order of precedence. That means the creditor who has given more money to the debtor will be allocated more of the proceeds from the liquidation process. So, this is all about Insolvency and Bankruptcy Court of 2016. With this, let us move on to the next news. Now, have a look at this question. It is based on this news article which talks about the National Human Rights Commission's direction to the Odisha Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police to submit reports on the steps taken to KERP witchcraft violence and also about the initiatives to create awareness on witchcraft accusations and on the compensation for victims. So, in this regard, let us see in detail about National Human Rights Commission. Before that, what is human rights? See, according to the section 2, clause 1 subclass D of the Protection of Human Rights Act, human rights can be defined as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual, guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and which is enforceable by the courts in India. Now, talking about National Human Rights Commission, know that it is an autonomous statutory body which was created by an Act of Parliament in order to protect and safeguard human rights. It was established under the provisions of the Protection of Human Rights Act on 12th October 1993 and it is also in compliance with the Paris Principles and know that National Human Rights Commission enjoys independence when it comes to expressing views and making decisions related to human rights issues which includes its powers of a civil court in summoning and witnessing the attendance of the witnesses and in examining them on oath as per the Court of Criminal Procedure. It has also got the powers to recommend the government or the concerned authority to make compensation payment to the victim. Now, let us talk about the composition of National Human Rights Commission. See, it consists of a chairperson who is a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India or a former Judge of the Supreme Court. And it has one member who is a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, one member who is a former Chief Justice of a High Court and two members who are persons having knowledge of or practical experience in human rights and it also consists of other deemed members. Now, see, the National Human Rights Commission members are appointed by the President of India on recommendations of a Select Committee and know that the Prime Minister of India is the chairperson of this Select Committee and the members include the Speaker of Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister, Leader of Opposition in both Rajasabha and Lok Sabha and the Deputy Chairman of Rajasabha. Now, as per the section 12 of Protection of Human Rights Act, the functions of National Human Rights Commission includes inquiry on the violation of human rights and the negligence of a public servant in preventing it. Please note that the inquiry can be initiated on three occasions. One is Suomoto. That means the National Human Rights Commission can initiate an inquiry by its own. Now, secondly, the inquiry can be initiated on a petition which is presented by a victim and thirdly, on a petition presented by any person on the behalf of the victim. Now, the other functions of the National Human Rights Commission includes intervention into pending proceedings, visits conducted by it to study the living conditions of the people, then reviewing the constitutional safeguards, then passing the recommendations on factors inhibiting the enjoyment of human rights, then undertaking and promotion of research in field of human rights and it also includes spreading the human rights literacy among various social sections and encouraging the efforts of non-governmental organizations and other institutions working in the field of human rights. So, this is all about National Human Rights Commission. With this information, have a look at this question. Consider the following statements with reference to National Human Rights Commission. Two statements are given here. The first statement reads, a former chief secretary can become the chairman of National Human Rights Commission. See, this statement is incorrect. Only a retired chief justice of India or a former Supreme Court judge can become the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission. Now, the second statement reads, the chairman of National Human Rights Commission cannot be reappointed. See, it talks about the chairman's tenure. Now, this statement is correct because remember, once the tenure is over, the chairperson and members of the National Human Rights Commission are not eligible for further employment under the center or a state government. So, the question asks for correct statement or statements. Here, statement one is incorrect and statement two is correct. So, the correct answer for this question is option B, 2 only. With this, let us move on to the next news article. Now, have a look at this question. It is with reference to this news article which tells a crime manual for CBA was released recently and this will be instrumental in guiding the agency on legal matters and it will also be a tool for efficient probe. Now, in this regard, let us have a brief understanding about CBI. See, the Central Bureau of Investigation was set up in 1963 by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs. However, we should know that right now CBI is under Ministry of Personnel and it was the Santanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption that recommended the establishment of CBI. And remember that CBI is not a statutory body. It is an attached office under the Ministry of Personnel and it derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946. And know that CBI is the main investigating agency of the central government. It also provides assistance to the Central Vigilance Commission and LOGPAL. Now, what is the mandate of CBI? See, it deals with investigating cases of corruption, bribery and misconduct of central government employees, then investigating cases related to economic laws and economic offenses, then investigating serious crimes having national as well as international ramifications which are committed by organized gangs of professional criminals. And its function also includes coordinating the activities of the anti-corruption agencies and the various state police forces. And on the request of a state government, it also takes up any case of public importance for investigation. Here, note that the CBI can take up investigation in a particular state only on the request of the state government. And also it is to be noted that the central government can authorize the CBI to investigate any crime in a state only with the consent of the concerned state government. However, the Supreme Court and High Courts can order CBI to investigate any crime anywhere in the country without the consent of the state government. Now, the Director of CBI, who is the Inspector General of Police of the Delhi Special Police Establishment is responsible for the administration of this organization. He is appointed by a three-member committee which consists of Prime Minister as the Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India or Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him as its members. Now, this is done in accordance with the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act of 2013 that amended the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946. Now, the Director of CBI has been provided a security of tenure of two years by the Central Vigilance Commission Act of 2003. And it is also to be noted that a CBI Academy is located at Ghasiabad in Uttar Pradesh. Now, this is all about Central Bureau of Investigation. With this information, see this question. Consider the following statements with reference to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The first statement reads, it is a statutory body. We have seen that it is a non-statutory body. And the second statement reads, it comes under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs. See, this statement is also incorrect. So, both the statements are incorrect. See, CBI is a non-statutory office under the Ministry of Personal, Public Revencies and Pensions. So, in this question, we have to identify the incorrect statement or statements. Since both the statements are incorrect, the correct answer for this question is option C, both 1 and 2. With this, we have analysed all the relevant news articles from today's The Hindu newspaper. Now, let us move on to the Practice Questions Discussion section based on today's news analysis. See, the first question. Consider the following statements. The first statement reads, advanced cockpit, new computing and advanced data link, conformal fuel tanks, etc. are the features of F-A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets. Yes, this statement is correct. The F-A-18 Block III Super Hornet has significant technology insertions in the form of advanced cockpit, new computing and advanced data link, conformal fuel tanks, increased airframe life and also the ability to carry wide variety of weapons. Now, the second statement reads, in a store bar system, no catapult is used for assisted take-off from the deck. See, this statement is also correct. Know that in a store bar system, no catapult is used for assisted take-off from the deck. Here, a catapult is an external device that is used to allow an aircraft to take off from a very limited amount of space. So, in this question, we have to identify the correct statement or statements. Since both the statements are correct, the correct answer is option C, both 1 and 2. Now, see this second question. Over-the-top services which were hitherto unregulated have recently been brought under the ambit of here the correct answer is option A, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Now, see this third question. Consider the following statements with reference to Insolvency and Bankruptcy Court of 2016. The first statement reads, the minimum threshold to initiate insolvency proceedings is 1 crore rupees. Yes, this statement is correct. The threshold for invoking insolvency under the IBC has been raised to 1 crore. Now, the second statement reads, the proceedings of the resolution process will be adjudicated by the National Company's law tribunal for individuals and companies. See, this statement is incorrect. The proceedings for resolution process will be adjudicated by the National Company's law tribunal for companies and the debt recovery tribunal for the individuals. So, here the first statement is correct and the second statement is incorrect. We have to identify the correct statement or statements. So, the correct answer is option A, one only. Now, we have come to the end of analysis of all the news articles taken up for today's discussion and also the discussion of practice questions. If you like this video, please press the like button, comment, share and do subscribe to Shankar IAS Academy YouTube channel for more videos and updates related to civil service preparation. Thank you.