Deputy Speaker Is An Officer of Parliament

Even after three years and seven months of its current term, the Lok Sabha has yet to elect a Deputy Speaker, and the Supreme Court has reportedly notified the Union government of the non-election. Historically, a Deputy Speaker has been just as significant for the House as the Speaker.

What procedure is used?

There are two Lok Sabha presiding officers: The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, who serve as the Lok Sabha’s two presiding officers, are chosen by the members of the Parliament.

Article 93 of the Constitution states that these two presiding officers are chosen one after the other as soon as the House reconvenes following the election.

Practice of electing speaker and deputy speaker: The practice followed so far has been to elect the Speaker after the oath-taking. Thereafter, within a few days, the Deputy Speaker is also elected.

Office of Deputy Speake Speaker of the Lok Sabha

The Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha is not subordinate to the speaker of Lok Sabha; is responsible for the Lok Sabha. and

He/she is the second-highest-ranking legislative officer of the Lok Sabha.

He/ She acts as the presiding officer in case of leave of absence caused by death or illness of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

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It is by convention that the position of Deputy Speaker is offered to the opposition party in India.

But if a government does not favour an Opposition member for political reasons, it is free to choose a member from its own party.

The Historical Significance of the office

Government of India Act of 1919: The history of the office of Deputy Speaker goes back to the government of India Act of 1919 when he was called Deputy President as the Speaker was known as the president of the central legislative assembly.

Role is necessary to share the responsibility of running the House: Although the main functions of a Deputy Speaker were to preside over the sittings of the assembly in the absence of the Speaker and chair the select committees etc., the position was considered necessary to share the responsibility of running the House with the Speaker and guide the nascent committees.

The India-US ICET: Transformative Impact On Bilateral Relations

The United States and India launched their collaboration on crucial and emerging technologies earlier this month (ICET). If this effort lives up to its potential, it might fundamentally alter relations between India and the United States. Ajit Doval, the national security adviser, stated that turning intents and ideas into deliverables was crucial on the eve of the dialogue. Historically, there have been slips here.

Background

US technology attempts by India Parallels India has made numerous attempts since the 1960s to join the American technological revolution.

Failure due to mismatch: However, every attempt has fallen short, mostly due to a mismatch in the objectives shared by the two cooperating nations.

The ICET is maybe in a stronger position because, unlike prior incarnations, it comes at a time when India is also developing its managerial and technological capabilities and is becoming a significant economic force.

What is Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET)?

Launched by PM Modi and President Joe Biden: The ICET initiative was launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden in May 2022.

Goal to elevate and expand Indo-US Partnership: strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions of the two countries.

Directly monitored by PMO and White house: The Prime Minister’s Office in Delhi and the White House in Washington will oversee and direct the ICET.

Six focus areas of co-development and co-production: Strengthening innovation ecosystems, defence innovation and technology cooperation, resilient semiconductor supply chains, space, STEM talent, and next generation telecom.

American aid so far

Significant role in India’s development efforts and quest for technological capability: A major driver of the process was the Cold War which persuaded the U.S. to provide sweeping assistance in a range of areas to India. While the Soviet Union emerged as a major player in areas like steel, heavy electricals, petroleum and mining, the U.S. focused on modernising engineering and management education, science and technology (S&T), and agriculture.

Nuclear energy cooperation: US helped build India’s first reactors for research and power. An entire generation of Indian nuclear scientists were trained in the U.S., including some who subsequently helped in making nuclear weapons.

Aid in Education in initial phase and vice versa: The massive aid provided by the U.S. to modernise Indian education, especially engineering and management, should have led to a growing industrial sector, but the Indian economy stalled in the 1960s and India ended up with a system where IIT and IIM graduates ended up benefiting the U.S. economy.

Aid in agriculture: The one area in which India did get lasting and important benefits was agriculture where American S&T helped trigger the Green Revolution and end an era of food shortages.

Gandhi-Reagan Science and Technology Initiative: The Gandhi-Reagan Science and Technology Initiative led to the 1984 India-U.S. MoU on sensitive technologies, commodities and information.

New American willingness to promote Indian S&T and the arms industry: In 1987, the U.S. agreed to assist India’s Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) programme and allowed the sale of front-line GE 404 engine to India.

Current Status

India has steadily advanced in status as a friend of the U.S. and has purchased U.S. weapons and systems worth billions of dollars.

It is now deemed to be a Major Defence Partner, though not a Major Non-Nato Ally, a much more useful designation that Pakistan still retains.

The course has not been problem-free witness the pressure India faced under CAATSA and on account of its oil trade with Russia.

Ambitious goals

Great deal for India: The ICET has set up a range of ambitious goals which mean a great deal for India. Some of them are aspirational, others political. A few are over the top, such as the belief that the U.S. will help India to develop advanced jet engines.

Licence for jet engines: As of now, all that is on the table is the possible licence manufacture of GE-404/414 engines for the LCA. This is not new. But cutting-edge jet engines are the crown jewels of the U.S., which the country will not part with

Live transcription of Supreme Court proceedings introduced

Using artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge capabilities, the Supreme Court provided live transcription of court proceedings for the first time in the nation.

What is the process of AI-based transcription?

AI-based transcription automatically converts audio or video input into written text using sophisticated machine learning techniques.

The software recognises and records spoken words, which are then formatted into a text document using speech recognition and natural language processing (NLP) technology.

Natural Language Processing (NLP): What is it?

A branch of computer science, artificial intelligence, and computational linguistics called “natural language processing” (NLP) studies how computers and human (natural) languages interact.

It entails creating computational models and algorithms that can comprehend, decipher, and produce human language.

NLP is used in a variety of applications, including language translation, sentiment analysis, text summarization, speech recognition, and more.

It combines techniques from computer science, linguistics, and psychology to enable computers to process and understand natural language.

Benefits of the move

Improved access to justice: For the hearing impaired and those with limited understanding of English.

Enhanced transparency and accountability: The transcripts can be reviewed and analyzed.

Reduced errors and inaccuracies: AI-based technology is more efficient and reliable than human transcriptionists.

Time-saving and cost-saving: For the court system and litigants, as live transcription eliminates the need for manual transcription and subsequent editing making justice dispensation faster than ever.

Legal awareness in public domain: Availability of real-time transcripts can help journalists and researchers report on court proceedings more accurately and quickly.

Other AI solutions used in Indian Judiciary

E-SCR project: The electronic Supreme Court Reports (e-SCR) has more than 34,000 judgments available, accords free access to the official law reports of the Supreme Court’s reported Judgments to the law students, lawyers, and other legal professionals and to the public at large with special tools for the accessibility to those with visual disabilities as well.

SUPACE: Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Courts Efficiency (SUPACE) is a tool that collects relevant facts and laws and makes them available to a judge.

SCI-Interact: In 2020, the Supreme Court developed a software called, SCI-Interact, to make all its 17 benches paperless. This software helps judges’ access files, annexures to petitions and make notes on computers.

LIMBS: Earlier, the Department of Legal Affairs has introduced a web-based application called LIMBS or Legal Information Management & Briefing System. The idea is to track the entire life cycle of a case efficiently.

SUVAAS: In November 2019, the Apex Court launched an indigenously engineered neural translation tool, SUVAAS, to translate judicial orders and rulings from English to vernacular languages faster and efficiently.

Challenges for the AI breakthrough

Cost and Resources: The implementation of live transcription would require significant financial and technological resources.

Accuracy of Transcription: The accuracy of the live transcription is an important issue as any errors in the transcription could have significant implications, particularly in legal proceedings.

Privacy and Security: The live transcription of court proceedings could raise concerns about privacy and security as sensitive information could be disclosed or key judicial interpretations could be tampered.

India, Singapore launch UPI-PayNow Linkage

A “real-time payment linkage” was made possible by the formal connection of Singapore’s PayNow and India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

What are PayNow and UPI?

[A] Integrated Payments Platform (UPI)

UPI is a mobile-based quick payment system in India that enables users to build their own Virtual Payment Addresses (VPAs) and make round-the-clock payments instantly.

It removes the danger of the remitter disclosing bank account information.

UPI allows users to transfer or receive money and supports both Person-to-Person (P2P) and Person-to-Merchant (P2M) payments.

B] PayNow

It is a fast payment system in Singapore.

It enables peer-to-peer funds transfer service, available to retail customers through participating banks and Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NFIs) in Singapore.

It allows users to send and receive instant funds from one bank or e-wallet account to another in Singapore by using just their mobile number, Singapore National Registration Identity Card (NRIC)/Foreign Identification Number (FIN), or VPA.

What is the UPI-PayNow linkage?

Cross-border retail payments are generally less transparent and more expensive than domestic transactions.

The project to link both the fast payment systems was initiated in September 2021 to facilitate faster, more efficient and transparent cross-border transactions relating to trade, travel and remittances between the two countries.

Significance of the integration

Enhanced cross-border transactions: The integration will enable easier cross-border transactions between India and Singapore, reducing the need for intermediaries and associated costs.

Easier remittances: The integration will make it easier for Indian workers in Singapore to send money back home to their families.

Boost to trade and investment: The integration will facilitate smoother transactions between businesses in the two countries, potentially increasing trade and investment.

Strengthening of diplomatic ties: The integration is expected to improve diplomatic ties between India and Singapore.

How the integration works?

The integration is made possible through the use of standardized QR codes.

The QR codes will allow users to transfer funds between the two systems in real-time, without the need for intermediaries.

Implications for the future

More integrations: The success of the UPI-PayNow integration could pave the way for similar integrations between other countries.

Increased use of digital payments: The integration is expected to encourage the adoption of digital payments in both India and Singapore, potentially reducing the use of cash.