Sanjay Mitra committee to prepare policy framework for taxi operators

 The Union Government has constituted a three member committee to prepare a policy framework for taxi and other transport operators. 

• The committee will be headed by Sanjay Mitra, Secretary of Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. The committee was constituted after taxi and other transport operators had appraised the situation emerging from Supreme Court’s order and directions of Environment Pollution Control Authority of banning diesel taxis in the National Capital Region (NCR).
•  It will look into these issues and come up with appropriate recommendations to address the same in a time bound manner.

SC sets up RM Lodha Panel to oversee functions of Medical Council of India

 The Supreme Court has appointed a three-member high-powered committee headed by former Chief Justice of India (CJI) RM Lodha to oversee the functions of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

•  Ruling in this regard was given by the SC Bench comprising Justices Anil R Dave, A K Sikri, R K Agrawal, Adarsh K Goel and R Banumathi.

About the Panel :

• Other two members of the panel are Vinod Rai, former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and Dr SK Sareen, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences. 
• The committee is tasked to oversee all statutory functions under the Medical Council of India (MCI), Act.
• The committee will function till the Union Government puts in place a new mechanism for regulation by bringing a new legislation or amending the statute. 
• SC Ruling MCI had repeatedly failed in its duties and the quality of medical education in the country was at its lowest ebb. 

Shyam Benegal Committee submits its report on Cinematograph Act/ Rules to Shri Jaitley

 A Committee had been set up on 1st jan under the Chairmanship of Shri Shyam Benegal to lay down norms for film certification that take note of best practices in various parts of the world and give sufficient and adequate space for artistic and creative expression,  lay down procedures and guidelines for the benefit of the CBFC Board to follow and examine staffing patterns with a view to recommending a framework that would provide efficient and transparent user friendly services. 

The Committee chaired by Shri Shyam Benegal submitted major part of their recommendation to Hon’ble Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Arun Jaitley .

Major highlights of the report –

•  CBFC should only be a film certification body whose scope should be restricted to categorizing the suitability of the film to audience groups on the basis of age and maturity.
•  The applicant must specify the category of certification being sought and the target audience.

Panel suggests fine or jail for celebs in misleading ads

In its report on the Consumer Protection Bill 2015, tabled in Parliament today, the panel has suggested legal teeth to To make celebrities accountable for misleading advertisements, a Parliamentary Standing Committee recommended stringent provisions, including a jail term of up to five years and a hefty penalty of up to Rs 50 lakh, to protect consumer interest.

• The committee, headed by Telugu Desam Party Member of Parliament J C Divakar Reddy, said in its report: "The committee strongly feels that misrepresentation of a product, especially of food product, should be taken very seriously, considering the influence of celebrities and high networth individuals and companies. 
• The existing laws are not deterrent enough to discourage manufacturers or publishers from using such personalities for misleading ads.”
• The committee recommends that for first time offence, the offender may be penalised with either a fine of Rs 10 lakh or imprisonment up to two years or both.

Govt. constitutes Ashok Dalwai committee for doubling farmers’ income

   The Union Govt. has recently constituted 8-member inter-ministerial committee to prepare a blueprint for doubling farmer’s income by 2022.

• The committee will be headed by Ashok Dalwai, Additional secretary at the Union Agriculture Ministry and is expected to submit the report in two months.
• Earlier,  Govt. had announced in the Union Budget 2016-17, to double farm incomes by 2022.
• "The committee will chalk out a plan to shift farm policies from being production-oriented to based on incomes,"
• The eight-member panel will identify potential areas of agriculture where more investment should happen and suggest ways to reduce the risk of farming by diversifying to horticulture and allied activities like livestock and fisheries to boost income .