PIB – June 3 , 2019


Topic covered- Governance Challenges to Internal Security through Communication Networks

Draft Copyright (Amendment) Rules, 2019

Context

  • In order to ensure compliance of Copyright Act with digital platforms gaining popularity, the Central government on Monday proposed the Copyright Amendment Rules, 2019 and released a draft for comments.

About the Draft Copyright (Amendment) Rules, 2019

  • The copyright regime is governed by the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Copyright Rules, 2013, which were last amended in 2016.
  • Its objective is to ensure smooth compliance of Copyright Act in the light of technological advancement in digital era and to bring them in parity with other relevant legislations.

Key highlights

  • The Chairman and other members of the Board shall be appointed as per the provisions of the Trade Marks Act, 1999.
  • The copyright society needs to fix the tariff in accordance with the guidelines issued by any court or the board.
  • When fixing its tariff the copyright society may consider, “cross-sectional tariff comparisons, economic research, the nature and scope of the use of the work, the commercial value of the rights in use and the benefits to licensees,”.
  • It is mandatory for copyright societies to publish “the annual transparency” report for each financial year on its Website.
  • Such a report will contain details regarding the activities of the society in the financial year, information on refusals to grant a licence, description of its legal and governance structure besides financial information related to rights revenues for each category of rights administered among other.
  • The draft also proposes to set rules in cases when copyright societies cannot distribute royalties when “the relevant author or other could not be identified or located.”
  • Rules 29 to 31 will be amended to include “each mode of broadcast” for the words “radio broadcast or television broadcast”. Rules 29 to 31 deals with Statutory license for broadcasting of literary and musical works and sound recordings.
  • Royalties of authors / owners who cannot be identified to be kept for three years.
  • It includes the requirement of having an Annual Transparency report which the copyright society must draw up.

What is copyright Society?

  • A copyright Society is a legal body which protects or safeguards the interest of owners of the work by giving assurance to the creative authors of the commercial management of their works. These societies issue licences and collects royalties in accordance with a tariff scheme.

Topics covered- Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies

Population Research Centres (PRCs)

Context

  • Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is organizinga two-day orientation workshop for Population Research Centres (PRCs) to highlight the various features of the flagship schemes of the Health Ministry for concurrent monitoring.

About Population Research Centres (PRCs)

  • The Population Research Centre (PRC) at the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), was set up by the Government of India in 1957 on the recommendation of a Research Advisory Committee (RAC) constituted earlier by the Planning Commission.
  • The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare established a network of Population Research Centres (PRCs).
  • It is mandated to provide, inter alia, critical research based inputs related to the Health and Family Welfare Programs and Policies at the national and state levels.

Objective

  • PRCs were established to undertake research projects relating to demographic research and biological studies & qualitative aspect of population control, family planning.
  • The aim of Health Ministry was to gainfully utilize feedback from these research studies and then plan or formulate strategies and policy interventions of ongoing schemes.

Functioning

  • These are Autonomous in their functioning.
  • PRCs are provided 100 per cent central assistance in the form of grant-in-aid on a year-to year basis.
  • Activities of PRCs are monitored by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare through regular periodical progress reports and meeting, seminars etc.
  • Administratively, these PRCs are under the control of their host University/Institutions where they are located.
  • The PRCs are established as well as fully funded by the Ministry of health & family Welfare.

Topic covered- Disaster and disaster management

Heat waves

Context

  • The Health Ministry has issued a health advisory for people to stay safe during the heat wave conditions prevailing in the country.
  • At present, heat wave conditions are prevailing over parts of East U.P, West Rajasthan, Vidarbha, West Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, East Rajasthan, West U.P and East M.P.

What is a Heat wave?

  • A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual weather in the area and relative to normal temperatures for the season.
  • Heat waves can cause adverse effects on human health, including other sectors.
  • Heat wave is considered if maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C or more for Plains, 37°C or more for coastal stations and at least 30°C or more for Hilly regions.

Reasons of Heat wave in India

  • Deforestation, the heat-island effect, and industrial pollution are also being blamed for exacerbating heat waves.
  • Studies have linked an increase in heat waves to more increase in El Nino events, or years marked by an anomalous heating in the Central Pacific Ocean that’s linked to a weakening of the Indian monsoon.
  • The Indian Ocean temperatures are also rising faster than the other oceans, and this, too, may be reducing moisture over the Indian mainland, thus playing some part in longer stretches of hot days.
  • According to the MET Department, the presence of an anti-cyclonic circulation over south Pakistan and neighbouring regions is the reason behind the hot winds prevailing over the entire northwest India.

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