Why in News?

• The Centre has recently issued another order on the central deputation of Deputy Inspector General-level IPS officers.

Highlights:

• The order held that IPS officers coming to the Centre at the DIG level would no longer be required to be empanelled at that level with the Union Government.
• The order came after its proposal to amend the All India Service Rules that would allow it to call any IAS, IPS or IFoS officer on central deputation with or without the state’s consent.
• According to existing rules, a DIG-ranked IPS officer with a minimum experience of 14 years could only be deputed to the Centre if the Police Establishment Board empanelled them as DIGs at the Centre.
• The board chooses the panel on the basis of officers’ career and vigilance records.
• Till now, only the Superintendent of Police-level officers does not require empanelment at the Centre.
• The new order makes the entire pool of DIG-level officers in a state eligible for central deputation.
• However, this would not automatically allow DIGs to come to the Centre. Officers would still have to be put on the offer list for central deputation which is decided by the states and the Centre in consultation.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the move is aimed at increasing the pool of DIG-level IPS officers for central deputation in the backdrop of massive vacancies in Central Police Organisations (CPOs) and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
• According to data sourced from various CPOs and CAPFs, out of 252 posts reserved for IPS officers at DIG level at the Centre, 118 (almost half) are vacant.
• Also, it increases the size of the pool of officers available to the Centre.
• IPS officers have a quota of 40% in CPOs and CAPFs. The Centre had in November 2019 written to states proposing to decrease this quota by 50%, saying more than 60% of posts remain vacant since most states do not spare their officers.

1. Amnesty International

Tag- International Organisations

Why in News?

• Human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch Has recently Russia of using cluster bombs and vacuum bombs in the ongoing war (on Ukraine).

Highlights:

• Amnesty International said international humanitarian law prohibits the use of inherently indiscriminate weapons such as cluster munitions. Launching indiscriminate attacks that kill or injure civilians constitutes a war crime.
• International humanitarian law is a set of rules that seek to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects people who are not or are no longer participating in hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare.
• A cluster munition means a “conventional munition that is designed to disperse or release explosive submunitions each weighing less than 20 kilograms, and includes those explosive submunitions”.
• Essentially, cluster munitions are non-precision weapons that are designed to injure or kill human beings indiscriminately over a large area, and to destroy vehicles and infrastructure such as runways, railway or power transmission lines.
• They can be dropped from an aircraft or launched in a projectile that spins in flight, scattering many bomblets as it travels.
• Many of these bomblets end up not exploding, but continue to lie on the ground, often partially or fully hidden and difficult to locate and remove, posing a threat to the civilian population for long after the fighting has ceased.
• The Convention on Cluster Munitions specifically identifies “cluster munition remnants”, which include “failed cluster munitions, abandoned cluster munitions, unexploded submunitions and unexploded bomblets”

 

2. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

Tag: International Relations

Why in News?

• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Recently put all activities relating to Russia and Belarus on hold and under review in the wake of the current conflict in Ukraine.

Highlights:

• The AIIB referred to the situation as “war in Ukraine”, the closest to “invasion” that any Chinese Government-affiliated institution has until now described the situation in the east European Country.
• After years of life in a growing, globally connected economy, Russians find themselves in a Country Increasingly unplugged from the world.
• Following President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, a sweeping wave of sanctions by the European Union and the U.S. has combined with an exodus of foreign companies and investors, leaving Russia more isolated and economically restricted.
• For several days, long lines formed near ATMs around Russia as people rushed to withdraw cash — both foreign currency and rubles — amid fears of a breakdown in electronic banking.
• The value of the ruble has plummeted to a record low, less than 1 cent, as many people watched their savings erode.
• The Kremlin has banned all Russians from transferring foreign currency abroad and ordered exporters to exchange 80% of their foreign currency proceeds for rubles.
• On social media, Russian shoppers are noting early price increases for some products, particularly Electronics and Appliances.
• Many people in Russia who work for foreign companies have been anxious about being able to receive pay, as the first batch of key Russian banks has been booted from the interbank SWIFT system to target oil and gas profits.
• International artists and cultural organizations have also imposed their own restrictions.

3. International Criminal Court(ICC)

Tag- International Organisations

Why in News?

• The International Criminal Court(ICC) has recently announced that it will open an investigation into possible war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine. There are specific international standards for war crimes.

Highlights:

• War crimes are defined as serious violations of humanitarian laws during a conflict.
• The definition, established by the Rome Statute of the ICC , is derived from the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
• It is based on the idea that individuals can be held liable for the actions of a state or its military.
• The taking of hostages, wilful killings, torture or inhuman treatment of prisoners of war, and forcing children to fight are some of the more Obvious Examples.
• To decide whether an individual or a military has committed a war crime, international Humanitarian Law lays down Three Principles:
• It is illegal to target objectives that are “expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objectives, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.
• It requires parties to a conflict to avoid or minimise the harm done to the civilian population.