Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 6th July 2021

What is in news : Government of Karnataka has identified Roerich estate as a biodiversity heritage spots in Bengaluru

About :

• Area - 460 acres
• Partly maintained by the Forest Department.
• Original owners : Russian painter from the early 20th century Svetoslav Roerich and Devika Rani, the first lady of Indian cinema.
• As the couple neither had any children nor had they willed the property to anyone, Karnataka government owns it legally
• Devika Rani was the first lady of Indian cinema, grandniece of Rabindranath Tagore and founder of Bombay Talkies, India’s first modern movie studio.

What is in news : Recently the Ministry of Women and Child Development released Draft anti-trafficking Bill, the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021.

What are its provisions :

• It extends to all citizens inside as well as outside India
  • Persons on any ship or aircraft registered in India wherever it may be or carrying Indian citizens wherever they may be,
  • A foreign national or a stateless person who has his or her residence in India at the time of commission of offence under this Act, and
• The law will apply to every offence of trafficking in persons with cross-border implications.

Victims Covered:

• It extends beyond the protection of women and children as victims to now include transgenders as well as any person who may be a victim of trafficking.
• It also does away with the provision that a victim necessarily needs to be transported from one place to another to be defined as a victim.

Defines ‘Exploitation’: The exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation including pornography, any act of physical exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or forced removal of organs, illegal clinical drug trials or illegal bio-medical research.

Government Officers as Offenders: Offenders will also include defence personnel and government servants, doctors and paramedical staff or anyone in a position of authority.

Penalty:

• A minimum of seven years which can go up to an imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of Rs 5 lakh in most cases of child trafficking.
• In case of the trafficking of more than one child, the penalty is now life imprisonment.
• Property bought via such income as well as used for trafficking can now be forfeited with provisions set in place, similar to that of the money laundering Act.

Investigation Agency: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) shall act as the national investigating and coordinating agency responsible for prevention and combating of trafficking in persons.

National Anti-Human Trafficking Committee:

• Once the law is enacted, the Centre will notify and establish a National Anti-Human Trafficking Committee, for ensuring overall effective implementation of the provisions of this law.
• This committee will have representation from various ministries with the home secretary as the chairperson and secretary of the women and child development ministry as co-chair.
• State and district level anti-human trafficking committees will also be constituted.

What is AIJS : An ALL-INDIA JUDICIAL SERVICE, if created , is a cadre of judges who can be appointed at the districts courts level across the country.

Background :

• Article 233 a first speaks about AIJS, that lays down principle  for appointments to Judicial services at district level. 
• AIJS was proposed by the 14th Report of the Law Commission of India in 1958 with a aim of creating a centralised cadre of District Judges that would draw better talent.
• The Constitution (Fourty-second Amendment) Act 1976 inserted an “All-India Judicial Services” provision into Article 312 that lays down the legal ground for creation of All-India Services
• The Law Commissions in its several reports had suggested the creation of the service.
• Proposal floated by the government in the year 2012, but the draft bill was abandoned due to opposition from High Courts, claiming violation of their rights.
• At present, various high courts and state service commissions hold exams to recruit judicial officers.
• NITI Aayog, in its report, ‘Strategy for New India@75’, also mooted the creation of an All India Judicial Service (AIJS) for making appointments to the lower judiciary.

Why is it required:

• Standardise process of appointments to lower judiciary.
• Create a carder of dedicated, professional judicial officers.

Arguments in favour of AIJS

• Efficiency and efficacy of judiciary would be increased.
• Transparent and efficient method of recruitment would be followed.
• The issue of pendency and issue of delay of cases would be solved to a great extent.
• Corruption, nepotism etc. would be strongly dealt with.
• Best legal talent across the country would be selected on the basis of merit.
• Better qualified judges in the lower judiciary would translate into more experienced judges in the higher judiciary.
• Public faith in the judiciary would be restored.

Arguments against AIJS

• Issue of differences in local laws of each state.
• Local languages and dialects would pose problems in a hyper technical field such as law.
• May lead to conflict between Centre & State as the power to recruit judicial officers so far rests with the states.
• Legal Education in India is mismanaged. Except for a few well reputed law schools across the country, legal education is not prioritised.
• It will be difficult for the less privileged to enter the profession.
• Currently, the judges of subordinate courts are appointed by the governor in consultation with the High Court which will not be so if AIJS is implemented. This may be construed as a violation of the Independence of Judiciary as some other body will have a control in appointments.
• There is no substantial improvement in the existing efficacy of the procedure for filling the vacancy in the judiciary.

What is in news : CoWIN Global Conclave was held on July 5, 2021.

About CoWIN Global Conclave

• Joint initiative by Union ministries of health, external affairs and the NHA.
• Aim is to share India’s experience with respect to universal vaccination in order to fight COVID-19 through Co-WIN.

About Co-WIN Portal

Co-WIN portal

• Was developed by central information technology (IT) system to strategize, implement, monitor and evaluate Covid vaccination.
• Stands for Covid Vaccine Intelligence Work.
• Government’s web portal to register for COVID-19 vaccination.
• Platform has been integrated in Aarogya Setu and UMANG Apps.
• Certificate after COVID-19 vaccination can be obtained through platform.
• Three vaccines Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V can be registered through platform as of now.
• Started offering vaccination for frontline workers of India on January 16, 2021.

What is in news : A part of the Arctic’s ice called “Last Ice Area”, located north of Greenland, has melted before expected. Scientists had believed this area was strong enough to withstand global warming.

What is Last Ice Area :

• This is the area defined by scientists as one which could withstand global warming even after ice of Arctic has melted down.
• This region is located north of Greenland and Ellesmere Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut.
• The total disappearance of summer ice in the Arctic was estimated by the year 2040, however the 'Last Ice Area’ was the exception.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was the first to use the term Last Ice Area.

What are the reasons for this change :

• 80 percent of thinning can be attributed to weather-related factors such as winds that break up and move the ice around
• 20 percent can be attributed to longer-term thinning of the ice due to global warming.

What is in news : National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited has invited Expression of Interest (EOI) for sale of fly ash, in its endeavour to achieve 100% utilization of fly ash, from the designated plants of the Middle East and other regions

What is Fly Ash :

• It is called fly ash because it is transported from the combustion chamber by exhaust gases.
• It is collected from the exhaust gases by electrostatic precipitators or bag filters

What is expression of Intrest : An Expression of Interest (EOI) is one of the initial transaction documents. The EOI indicates a serious interest from the buyer that their company would be interested to pay a certain valuation and acquire the seller's company through a formal offer.

NTPC

• NTPC Ltd. is a central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Power.
• Aim: To provide reliable power and related solutions in an economical, efficient and environment-friendly manner, driven by innovation and agility.
• It became a Maharatna company in May 2010.
• India’s largest power generating company.

• ‘Namma Bengaluru Tree Census’ app that was released last year, was made available to citizens recently. The Karnataka Forest Department has partnered with Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS) had developed the app that enables citizens to map trees in private areas.
• The State’s first, and the country’s second, ‘school of mining’ will come up in Ballari to offer training in management of mines (for owners) and technical skills (for workers).
• Boxer M.C. Mary Kom and men’s hockey team skipper Manpreet Singh will be flagbearers for India at the opening ceremony of Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to get underway on July 23 . Wrestler Bajrang Punia will be the flagbearer at the closing ceremony on August 8. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has communicated the decision in this regard to the Organising Committee of the Games.
• Government has asked National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch platform for electronic vaccine vouchers.These vouchers are like electronic prepaid instruments which can be used only for vaccination. Employers can purchase these vouchers in bulk. Vouchers will be sent to smartphone or feature phone of employee. Employee will then share voucher at hospital for cashless vaccination. With the help of vouchers, hospitals would get money instantly credited to its account.
• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry has initiated a project on Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). The task has been assigned to Quality Council of India (QCI). ONDC aims at promoting open networks developed on open sourced methodology, using open specifications and open network protocols independent of any specific platform. ONDC is expected to digitize the entire value chain, standardize operations, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiencies in logistics and enhance value for consumers.
• The UAE’s Hope spacecraft, which is orbiting Mars since February this year, has captured images of glowing atmospheric lights in the Red Planet’s night sky, known as discrete auroras. The UAE Space Agency said on its website that the data gathered by the oribter “include far and extreme ultraviolet auroral emissions which have never been imaged before at Mars.”