EXERCISE KAZIND

Context

• The 6th edition of Indo - Kazakhstan joint training exercise -KAZIND-22 will be conducted at Umroi (Meghalaya). 

Exercise Kazind

• Exercise Kazind is a joint training between the armies of India and Kazakhstan.
• Joint annual training exercise with the Kazakhstan Army was instituted in 2016 as Exercise Prabal Dostyk, which was later upgraded to a company level exercise and renamed as Ex Kazind in 2018.

2022 Exercise

• Kazakhstan Army soldiers comprising of troops from the Regional Command, South and Indian Army soldiers from the 11 Gorkha Rifles will be participating in the exercise.

Aim

• Aim of the exercise is to build positive military relations, imbibe each other’s best practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking counter-terrorist operations in semi urban / jungle scenario, under a UN peace enforcement mandate. This joint exercise will enable the two armies to train, plan and execute a series of combined tactical drills for neutralising of likely threats that may be encountered in UN peace keeping operations.

Significance

• During the exercise, participants will engage in variety of missions ranging from joint planning, joint tactical drills, basics of special arms skills, HADR and raiding a hostile target.
• “Exercise KAZIND” will enhance the level of defence cooperation between Indian Army and Kazakhstan Army which will further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations.

https://newsonair.gov.in/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=452325

New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2022

Context

• Parliament has passed the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2022 with Rajya Sabha approving it today unanimously. Lok Sabha has already passed the Bill. 

New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC)

• The New Delhi International Arbitration Centre(NDIAC) is an autonomous^] institution based in New Delhi, to conduct arbitration, mediation, and conciliation proceedings. It was established in 2019 and declared as an Institute of National Importance by an Act of Parliament.

The recent Amendment

• The Bill amends the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Act, 2019.  The Bill renames the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre as the India International Arbitration Centre.
• It will amend the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Act, 2019. It was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 8, 2022.
• The Bill was introduced because it was felt that the current name of the institution gives an impression of it being city-centric whereas it should be reflective of the aspirations to promote India as a hub of institutional arbitration.

Provisions of the Act

• The Act requires the Arbitration Centre to strive to facilitate the conduct of international and domestic arbitration and conciliation and the new legislation expands this to include the conduct of other forms of alternative dispute resolution. 
• The manner of conduct of arbitration and other forms of alternative dispute resolution will be specified by the Central government through regulations.
• The Bill also allows the government to provide for removing any difficulties in implementing the Act up to five years from the date of commencement of the Act.  

https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=Parliament-passes-New-Delhi-International-Arbitration-Centre-(Amendment)-Bill%2c-2022&id=452308

Public Accounts Committee

Context

• Public Accounts Committee has emphasized on timely procurement of essential items and equipment to strengthen the Armed Forces. The committee has recommended reducing timelines of contracting processes, periodic review of stocks and providing adequate medical facilities to the troops posted at the forward locations.

About Public Accounts Committee

• The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is a committee of selected members of parliament, constituted by the Parliament of India, for the purpose of auditing the revenue and the expenditure of the Government of India.
• They check that parliament exercises over the executive stems from the basic principle that parliament embodies the will of the people. This committee along with the Estimates committee (EC) and Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU) are the three financial standing committees of the Parliament of India.
• It serves as a check on the government especially with respect to its expenditure bill and its primary function is to examine the audit report of Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) after it is laid in the Parliament.
• C&AG assists the committee during the course of investigation. None of its members are allowed to be ministers in the government. The main function of the committee is to ascertain whether the money granted by parliament has been spent by government within the scope of the demand.
• The Public Accounts Committee consists of not more than twenty-two members, fifteen elected by Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament, and not more than seven members of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament.
• The members are elected every year from amongst its members of respective houses according to the principle of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote. The chairperson is appointed by the Lok Sabha speaker. The term of office of the members is one year.

https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=Public-Accounts-Committee-emphasizes-on-timely-procurement-of-essential-items-%26-equipment-to-strengthen-Armed-Forces&id=452298

Zonal Cultural Centres

Context

• Ministry of Culture has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) with headquarters at Patiala, Nagpur, Udaipur, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Dimapur and Thanjavur. These centers aim to conserve and develop art, culture and crafts across the country.

Zonal Cultural Centres

• The establishment of Zonal Cultural Centre was announced by the Prime Minister of India for the northern region during his visit to Hussainiwala, Punjab on 23rd March 1985.
• The concept was enlarged with the setting up of seven Zonal Cultural Centers in the 7th Five Year Plan.
• These centers have been set up cutting across the territorial and linguistic boundaries and reflect and project not only the uniqueness of forms and culture of the participating states but also their linkages with each other as part of a composite Indian culture.
• These Zonal Cultural Centers were located away from the state capitals (except Eastern Zone Culture Centre in Kolkata), the criterion for selection is the traditional cultural moorings of the place and its accessibility to the people. Institutionally each center has a complex which includes galleries for exhibitions, facilities for performing arts, auditorium, archives, and library etc.

Objectives

• The Zonal Cultural Centers have been set up with the prime objective of creative development of Indian culture in the different regions and for building up a sense of cultural cohesiveness in the country.
• The ZCCs work for national unity through cultural integration. They seek to inspire, foster and promote fine arts, dance, drama, music, theatre, crafts and related forms of creative expression. 
• The special feature of the Zonal Cultural Centers is the emphasis on people’s participation which is ensured through adequate representation to exponents of various art forms, promotion of rural art forms, stress on folk art and tribal art and through the organization of traditional village fairs and festivals.

Organisational Set-Up

• The Zonal Cultural Centers has been set up as registered autonomous bodies under the Societies Registration Act.
• They are governed by a governing body which is headed by the Governor of the state in which the Zonal Cultural Centre has its headquarter.
• The governing body consists of the nominees of Government of India not below the rank of Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, a nominee of the participating state Governments and eminent personalities in various art disciplines.
• Besides the Governing Body, the ZCCs also have Finance Committee and Program committees to oversee and decide upon the program content for the year and the expenditure pattern. The day to day affairs of the centers is seen by the Director of the Centre.

Funding

• The government provides regular annual grant-in-aid for conducting various activities and programmes to ZCCs. However, no State and Union Territory wise funds are released by the Ministry for the purpose.

https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=Culture-Ministry-set-up-seven-Zonal-Cultural-Centres-to-conserve%2c-develop-art%2c-culture-%26-crafts-across-country&id=452207