PNB Fraud Case : Interpol Issues Red Notice

IN NEWS

• The Interpol has issued a Red Notice against Ami Modi, wife of the Punjab National Bank fraud case prime accused Nirav Modi, in connection with the money-laundering probe being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate.

About

• The International Criminal Police Organization is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime control. Headquartered in Lyon, France, it has seven regional bureaus worldwide and a National Central Bureau in all 194 member states, making it the world's largest police organization.
• INTERPOL originated with the first International Criminal Police Congress in 1914, which brought officials from 24 countries to discuss cooperation on law enforcement matters. It was founded in 1923 as the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC), the agency was effectively moribund until after the Second World War. In 1956, the ICPC adopted a new constitution and the name INTERPOL, derived from its telegraphic address used since 1946.
• INTERPOL provides investigative support, expertise, and training to law enforcement worldwide, focusing on three major areas of transnational crime: terrorism, cybercrime, and organized crime. Its broad mandate covers virtually every kind of crime, including crimes against humanity, child pornography, drug trafficking and production, political corruption, copyright infringement, and white-collar crime.

INTERPOL NOTICES

• INTERPOL Notices are international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information. Notices are published by the General Secretariat at the request of a National Central Bureau and are made available to all our member countries.

TYPES OF NOTICE

• Red Notice: To seek the location and arrest of wanted persons wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence.
• Yellow Notice: To help locate missing persons, often minors, or to help identify persons who are unable to identify themselves.
• Blue Notice: To collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a crime.
• Black Notice: To seek information on unidentified bodies.
• Green Notice: To provide warning about a person’s criminal activities, where the person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety.
• Orange Notice: To warn of an event, a person, an object or a process representing a serious and imminent threat to public safety.
• Purple Notice: To seek or provide information on modus operandi, objects, devices and concealment methods used by criminals.
• INTERPOL–United Nations Security Council Special Notice: Issued for groups and individuals who are the targets of UN Security Council Sanctions Committee.

KAVKAZ-2020

IN NEWS

• Kavkaz-2020, a multi-lateral exercise will be held in September and the Indian contingent would include 160 personnel from the army, 40 troops of IAF and two Navy officers.

ABOUT KAVKAZ-2020

• The exercise is being held in the Astrakhan province of Southern Russia where member countries of Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Central Asian countries would be participating. China and Pakistan have also received invitations to participate in KavKaz 2020 as both countries are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
• India had earlier also participated in this exercise with both China and Pakistan as part of it.
• India, China, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Belarus, Turkey, Armenia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are set to take part in Kavkaz 2020.

GEOGRAPHY OF KAVKAZ

• The word Kavkaz is derived as a modern variant of Caucasus or Caucasia, a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and mainly occupied by Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and southwestern Russia.
• The Kavkaz region is home to the Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus mountain range, which has historically been considered a natural barrier between Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

National Clean Air Programme

Why in NEWS?

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slammed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) over its report on the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) which proposes 20- 30% reduction of air pollution by 2024.

About

• A bench headed by NGT Chairperson said the stand of the MoEF that pollution cannot be controlled except to the extent of certain percent is directly hit by the Constitutional and statutory mandate under Article 21 of the Constitution.
• Right to clean air stands recognized as part of right to life and failure to address air pollution is denial of right to life.

About NGT

• It is a specialised body that was formed under the NGT Act, 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases that are related to protection and conservation of the environmental, forests and other natural resources.
• It also draws an inspiration from Article 21 of the Indian Constitution which assures to provide a healthy environment to the citizens of India.
• It was formed by replacing the National Environment Appellate Authority.
• India became the third country in the world after Australia and New Zealand, for setting up a specialised environmental tribunal and also the first developing country to do so.
• NGT has a total of five places of sittings namely: Bhopal, Pune, New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, amongst which, New Delhi is the Principal place of sitting.

About National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)

• It was launched in January 2019, it is the first ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target.
• It proposes a tentative national target of 20%-30% reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 2024, with 2017 as the base year for comparison.
• However, the government has stressed that NCAP is a scheme, not a legally binding document with any specified penal action against erring cities thus programme will not be notified under the Environment Protection Act or any other Act to create a firm mandate with a strong legal back up for cities and regions to implement NCAP in a time bound manner for effective reduction.
• The plan includes 102 non-attainment cities, across 23 states and Union territories, which were identified by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on the basis of their ambient air quality data between 2011 and 2015.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)

Why in NEWS?

• APEDA, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has signed MoUs with AFC India Limited, and National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), Delhi.

About

• The objective is to utilise their expertise by mutually working together to synergize the activities in the interest of agriculture and allied sectors for bringing better value to the stakeholders.
• APEDA has been focusing on collaborative approach to bring synergy with number of organisations and institutions having inherent professional and specialised expertise in different areas for capacity building of various stakeholders and providing solutions for addressing some of the identified interventions for the development of Agriculture and its export enhancement in consonance with the objectives set under Agri Export Policy announced by Government of India.

About APEDA

• It was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act 1985.
• The Authority replaced the Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC).
• APEDA, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industries, promotes export of agricultural and processed food products from India.
• APEDA has been entrusted with the responsibility to monitor import of sugar.
• It looks after the development of industries relating to the scheduled products for export by way of providing financial assistance or otherwise for undertaking surveys and feasibility studies, participating through subsidy schemes.
• Registration of persons as exporters of the scheduled products and fixing of standards and specifications for the scheduled products for the purpose of exports.
• Carrying out inspection of meat and meat products in slaughterhouses, processing plants, storage premises and improving packaging of the scheduled products.
• APEDA is mandated with the responsibility of export promotion and development of the following scheduled products:

1. Fruits, Vegetables and their Products.
2. Meat and Meat Products.
3. Poultry and Poultry Products.
4. Dairy Products.
5. Confectionery, Biscuits and Bakery Products.
6. Honey, Jaggery and Sugar Products.
7. Cocoa and its products, chocolates of all kinds.
8. Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverages.
9. Cereal and Cereal Products.
10. Groundnuts, Peanuts and Walnuts.
11. Pickles, Papads and Chutneys.
12. Guar Gum.
13. Floriculture and Floriculture Products.
14. Herbal and Medicinal Plants.