Current Affairs Dec 2017 - Committees

1 - Minorities Commission sets up committee on giving minority status to Hindus

National Commission for Minorities has set up a three-member committee to study the matter to give minority status to people of Hindu faith in eight states: Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur where their population is less than 50%. The Commission is Chaired by Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi and will give its report within three months. Other two NCM members are Sulekha Kambre and Manjeet Singh Rai. Ajay Kumar, Additional Secretary of NCM, is committee secretary

2 - Government sets up committee for drug pricing

An expert level multi-disciplinary committee was set up by the department of pharmaceuticals for assistance on matters pertaining to implementation of drug price control order such as pricing and launch of new drugs and medicines. Committee will be binding regulators as its recommendations and making it in favor of poor patients. Other issues covered by committee are ceiling price on drugs, classification of drugs, control on retail prices, claims of pharmaceutical companies about additional therapeutic features in any drug formulation and bulk drug.

3 - Government formed committee to work on NPAs of power sector

A high-level committee headed by NITI Aayog chief executive Amitabh Kant was set up to find a solution on problems of stressed assets in India's power sector. According to Economic Survey 2016-17, non-performing assets in power sector account for 5.9% of total outstanding banking advances of Rs 4.73 trillion. The committee held its first meeting with ministries of power, coal and department of financial services and reviewed 34 coal-fueled power projects with a debt of Rs1.77 trillion.

4 - Railway Board forms panel to review Flexi-fare system

The Railway Board has formed a six-member committee to review the process of flexi-fare system in premium trains. The Board will compare the prices with that of other modes of transport in the same sectors. Under the flexi-fare system, base fares increase from 10% to 50% with every 10% of berths booked. The committee should assess the impact of implementation of flexi-fare in its current form with respect to revenue generated for the railways.

5 - Delhi Government forms panels to look into fee hike in private schools

The Delhi government has formed ‘Fee Anomaly Committees’ to look into the matter of fee hikes by private schools in Delhi. The three-member committee will comprise of district deputy directors of education, an education officer of the zone and a chartered accountant. Every district will have such a committee. The committee is expected to look into every complaint within 90 days. Parents can register their complaints with the committee in the prescribed format by paying a processing fee of Rs 100.