Info Nuggets

Guillotine

• Each year, after the Budget is presented in the floor of the Lok Sabha by the Finance Minister, the House has the opportunity to discuss the financial proposals contained in it. The process of deliberations on the Budget sets off with a general discussion followed by the Vote on Account, debating and voting on the Demands for Grants and finally, consideration and passing of the Appropriation and Finance Bills.
• Guillotine refers to the exercise vide which the Speaker of the House, on the very last day of the period allotted for discussions on the Demands for Grants, puts to vote all outstanding Demands for Grants at a time specified in advance. The aim of the exercise is to conclude discussions on financial proposals within the time specified.
• All outstanding demands for Grants must be voted by the House without discussions once the guillotine is invoked.
• Once the pre-specified time for invoking the guillotine is reached, the member who is in possession of the house at that point in time, is requested by the Speaker to resume his or her seat following which Demands for Grants under discussion are immediately put to vote. Thereafter, all outstanding Demands are guillotined.
• Invoking the guillotine ensures timely passage of the Finance Bill and the conclusion of debates and discussions on the year’s Budget.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance of 32 countries from North America and Europe committed to fulfilling the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty signed on 4 April 1949. In accordance with the Treaty, the fundamental role of NATO is to safeguard the freedom and security of its member countries by political and military means. NATO is playing an increasingly important role in crisis management and peacekeeping.

NATO’s essential purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.

1. POLITICAL– NATO promotes democratic values and encourages consultation and cooperation on defence and security issues to build trust and, in the long run, prevent conflict.
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   2. MILITARY– NATO is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes. If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military capacity needed to undertake crisis-management operations. These are carried out under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – NATO’s founding treaty – or under a UN mandate, alone or in cooperation with other countries and international organizations.

   NATO provides a unique opportunity for member countries to consult and take decisions on security issues at all levels and in a variety of fields. A “NATO decision” is the expression of the collective will of all 32 member countries since all decisions are taken by consensus.

All member countries that participate in the military aspect of the Alliance contribute forces and equipment, which together constitute the integrated military structure of the Alliance. These forces and assets remain under national command and control until a time when they are required by NATO for a specific purpose (i.e. conflict or crisis, peacekeeping). NATO, however, does possess some common capabilities owned and operated by the Alliance, such as the AWACS early warning radar aircraft.

NATO against Terrorism

• NATO’s work on counter-terrorism focuses on improved threat awareness and preparedness, developing adequate capabilities and enhancing engagement with partner countries and other international actors.
• On 12 September 2001, less than 24 hours after the terrorist attacks against the United States, NATO declared the attacks to be an attack against all the 28 NATO member countries within the terms of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
• This landmark decision was followed by practical measures aimed at assisting the United States in different fields, in relation to its campaign against terrorism.

NATO and Cyber defence

Against the background of increasing dependence on technology and on the Internet, the Alliance is advancing its efforts to confront the wide range of cyber threats targeting NATO’s networks on a daily basis. The growing sophistication of cyber attacks makes the protection of the Alliance’s communications and information systems (CIS) an urgent task. This objective has been recognised as a priority in NATO’s Strategic Concept.