1. Defense Planning Committee

1.1 Salient feature of DPC

Nature: DPC will be a permanent interministrial body.
Composition: It will consist of the Chairman of the Chiefs of the Staff Committee (COSC), other service chiefs, Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Secretary (expenditure) in the Finance Ministry.
NSA is also empowered to co-opt other members as and when required
Committee will operate through four sub-committees: on Policy and Strategy, Plans and Capability Development, Defence Diplomacy, and Defence Manufacturing Ecosystem
Chief of Integrated Staff in the Defence Ministry will be the member secretary of the DPC, and his headquarters will be the secretariat.

1.2. Functions

Formulation of national security strategy, strategic defence review and doctrines; international defence engagement strategy; roadmap to build defence manufacturing eco-system; strategy to boost defence exports; and prioritised capability development plans for the armed forces over different time-frames in consonance with the overall priorities, strategies and likely resource flows
Analysis and Evaluation of national defence and security priorities, foreign policy imperatives, operational directives and associated requirements, relevant strategic and security-related doctrines, defence acquisition and infrastructure development plans, including the 15-year Long-Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP), defence technology and development of the Indian defence industry and global technological advancement.
It will identify the “means” and “ways” across inistries, obtain Cabinet Committee on Security approval for a capability development plan & guidance for budgetary support etc. to achieve its objective.
DPC will submit all its reports to the defence minister.

1.3. Significance

Defence-planning process has remained an arbitrary, sporadic and neglected activity in India. Previous attempts which include ‘defence planning cell’ (1962), Committee for Defence Planning (1977 under the Cabinet Secretary), Defence Planning Staff (headed by a 3-star Director-General) and failure in creation of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) bear testimony to this.
The composition of the committee reflects its goal of bringing both military and civilian components of defence planning on one platform. This is absolutely vital for a modern defence strategy that is nimble and adaptable to changing security realities.
It will lead to efficient resources distribution among the services and within the various branches of each service
Defence Manufacturing: It will help in streamlining of procurement process by speedy decision making and establishing a strong indigenous defence manufacturing base for meeting domestic need which can be later resulted into export of defence armaments.

2. Amendments To Prevention Of Money Laundering Act

Context

Money laundering can be regarded as a multiplier of criminal activities as it gives economic power to criminals.
The current arrangements in India leave the fate of money laundering cases on probes and prosecution by multiple agencies because the definition of “proceeds of crime” is dependent on predicate offences listed under schedule of PMLA act.
Thus fighting money laundering without fighting organized crime is a waste of time and efforts.
Money laundering as a separate offence begins where the intention to conceal the illicit money ends and it needs to be treated separate offence to break the link between money laundering and organized crime and speed up investigations.

Significance of treating as separate offence

Financial Action Task force (FATF) in its review in 2010 and India’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money had also recommended the same as this will facilitate quick action against those indulging in money laundering.
Further it will bring India’s law in line with foreign practices such as U.K where money laundering is treated as a stand-alone crime and based on circumstantial evidence, they have to just establish that the proceeds had a criminal origin, rather than waiting for the outcomes of various other probes.