Current Affairs 11-OCT-2023 (The Hindu)

National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)

(H-B-D,T,C- Pg-14,12,16)

NCLT

• Statutory body - created in 2016 under the Companies Act, 2013.
• Role - dealing with corporate disputes (civil matters) arising under Companies Act, 2013.
• Decision - accordance with principles of natural justice.
• Quasi-judicial authority.

Benches

• Principal bench - New Delhi.
• Others - Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

Composition

• A President + several Judicial & Technical Members.
• President
• Appointed by the Government of India after consultation with the Chief Justice of India.
• Judge of the high court/has been a judge of the high court for 5 years.
• Members
• Appointed by the Government of India based on the recommendation of a selection committee.

Functions of the NCLT

• Adjudication of cases related to insolvency & liquidation of corporate companies.
• Mandated by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
• Insolvency proceedings of individual partnership firms are dealt with by Debt tribunals.
• Deals with pending cases under the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985.
• Deals with proceedings under the Companies Act, 2013.
• Examples: Arbitration, Compromise, reconstruction, and Winding up of Company.

Appeal

• Decisions of the NCLT are appealed before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).
• Decisions of the NCLAT are appealed before the Supreme Court.

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following statements regarding the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT):

1. It deals with corporate disputes that are of civil and criminal nature.
2. The decisions of the NCLT can be directly appealed before the Supreme Court.
3. It even deals with insolvency cases of corporate persons under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

1. (a) Only one
2. (b) Only two
3. (c) All three
4. (d) None

Green Crackers

(H,C Pg-7,9)

Green Crackers

• Eco-friendly crackers
• They will release less Air & Noise Pollution
• Developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI).

Characteristics of the Green Crackers

• Release 30% less pollution than traditional crackers.
• Emit noise in the range of 100-130 decibels.
• Come with a green logo and Quick Response (QR) code.

3 Varieties of Green Crackers

Safe water releaser (SWAS)

• Suppresses the dust by releasing water vapor in the air.
• Does not contain potassium nitrate and sulfur.
• Release of particulate dust will be reduced by approximately 30 percent.

Safe thermite cracker (STAR)

• Does not contain potassium nitrate and sulfur.
• Results in the reduced emission of particulate matter and reduced sound intensity.

Safe minimal aluminum (SAFAL)

• Minimum usage of aluminum.
• These crackers use magnesium in the place of aluminum.
• Produce less sound as compared to traditional crackers.

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following statements regarding Green Crackers:

1. Green crackers release water vapor and don't allow the dust particles to rise.
2. They are produced using barium nitrate as an alternative for the banned chemical zeolite.
3. The green crackers are completely pollution free.

How many of the statements given here are correct?

1. (a) Only one
2. (b) Only two
3. (c) All three
4. (d) None

National Tele Mental Health Programme of India - Tele MANAS

(H,C Pg-7,9)

Tele MANAS

About the Tele-Manas

• Tele MANAS - Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States.
• Launched - October 2022.
• Aim of the program
  • Provide - round the clock, free tele-mental health services across the country.
  • Serving the people particularly in remote or under-served areas.
• National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru - nodal agency for this program.
• It coordinates the activities of tele-services across India.
• Services available in 20 languages as opted by the state.
• Toll-free, 24/7 helpline number – 14416.
• Users can select the language of choice to use mental health services.

Structure of Tele-MANAS

• 2 Tier system is followed.
• Tier 1
  • State Tele-MANAS cell consists of trained counselors & mental health specialists.
• Tier 2
  • Consists of specialists at District Mental Health Program (DMHP)/Medical College resources for physical consultation.
  • e-Sanjeevani for audio-visual consultation.

Process of Tele-Manas

Need for Tele-MANAS

• GOI conducted National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) through the NIMHANS in 2016.
• Results of the survey
  • Prevalence of mental disorders in years & above is about 10.6%.
  • The treatment gap for mental health services ranges from 70% to 92% for different disorders.
• It was enhanced by the Covid-19 pandemic, which also affected the mental health of the people.

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Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following statements about Tele-MANAS program in India.

1. It aims to provide tele-mental health services to people in India.
2. ICMR is the nodal agency for the overall implementation of the scheme.
3. The scheme was modelled on the achievement of the Mental health care scheme of Karnataka.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct:

• (a) Only one
• (b) Only two
• (c) All three
• (d) None