Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Earth is warming at faster pace than in last 2,000 years: study

News

• World temperatures rose faster in the late 20th century than at any other time in the last 2,000 years, according to a study released.

Findings

• Average global temperatures are currently around 1°C hotter than pre-industrial times, there have been a number of periods of cooling and warming over the centuries. This had led sceptics of manmade global warming to suggest that human activity is not the main driver of climate change.
• Researchers used data compiled from nearly 700 temperature indicators tree rings, sediment cores, coral reefs and modern thermometer readings to provide a comprehensive timeline of the planet’s recent climate history.
• The findings are clear: at no point in modern human history did temperatures rise so quickly and so consistently as in the late 20th century the period where the world’s post-war, fossil fuel-powered economy reached unprecedented heights of production and consumption.
• The study found that pre-industrial temperature fluctuations were largely driven by volcanic activity.
• But it also concluded that humans had never witnessed such rapid global warming as in the latter part of the 20th century.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Bill to scrap 58 old laws introduced in Lok Sabha

News

• The government introduced in Lok Sabha a bill to repeal 58 old laws which, Law Minister said, are a source of inconvenience and trouble for people.

Beyond News

• Law Minister said the government has already repealed 1,458 old and archaic Acts and the move to scrap 58 more laws is a part of the same exercise.
• Some of the old Acts that have been repealed are the Hackney Carriage Act 1879 which was legislated for the regulation and control of hackney-carriages, Dramatic Performance Act 1876 when theatre was being used a medium of protest against the British rule.
• Law Minister said the Centre has conveyed to States the need to repeal 225 old laws which are in their realm.

Bill to set up single tribunal to settle inter-State water introduced

News

• A Bill to help adjudicate disputes relating to waters of inter-State rivers and river valleys at a faster pace was introduced in Lok Sabha.

Beyond News

• The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019 seeks to amend the Inter State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 to streamline the adjudication of inter-State river water disputes.
• A key feature of the Bill is the constitution of a single tribunal with different benches, and the setting of strict timelines for adjudication.
• Benches will be set up under the single tribunal. A retired Supreme Court judge will head the tribunal.
• There will be benches formed as and when required. The benches though will be wound up once a dispute is resolve, sources said.
• The tribunal will be mandated to deliver final award in two years and it is proposed that whenever it gives order, the verdict gets notified automatically, the sources said.
• As per the current provisions of the 1956 Act, a tribunal can be formed after a State government approaches the Union government with such a request and the Centre is convinced of the need to form the tribunal.
• At present, there are nine Tribunals including those on Cauvery, Mahadayi, Ravi and Beas, Vansadhara and Krishna rivers.

Andhra Pradesh Assembly passes bill on 75% quota for local youth

News

• The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed the A.P. Employment of Local Candidates in Industries/Factories Bill.

Beyond News

• It is a significant piece of legislation providing for 75% reservation to local youth in industries and factories, and train eligible candidates for bridging the skill gap.
• The Bill is applicable to all industries and factories and also Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects already established and those set up after it becomes an Act.
• In respect of industries or factories listed in the first schedule of the Factories Act, 1948, industries, factories and PPP projects could seek exemption from the proposed legislation if local candidates were not available, and the government would take appropriate decisions within two weeks.

Lok Sabha passes Bill criminalising instant triple talaq

News

• Lok Sabha passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 which criminalises instant triple talaq among Muslims and attracts a jail term of three years for the husband.
• Cleared after a prolonged debate in the lower house with a majority of 303 votes this is the first time that the bill was tabled in the 17th Lok Sabha by the Central Government after coming back to power.

SC orders setting up of special courts in districts with over 100 pending POCSO cases

News

• The Supreme Court directed the setting up of special courts in each district across the country that had over a 100 cases of child abuse and sexual assault pending trial under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

News

• A Bench led by the Chief Justice of India directed the courts to be set up within 60 days. They will be established under a Central scheme and fully funded by the Centre. This means the Centre would fund everything from the payment of the presiding officers, staff and support persons to the court’s child-friendly infrastructure.
• The order came on a suo motupublic interest litigation petition registered by the Supreme Court after being concerned by the “alarming rise” in child abuse cases and their long pendency in courts.
• Noting that children were the victims in such cases, the CJI said there was no excuse for a long delay in justice for them. The traumatised victims needed to be treated with compassion and kindness. In short, a completely different approach was required while investigating and trying POCSO cases.
• The court said the support persons in these special courts, who perform the crucial role of a bridge between the child victim and the court’s officers and investigators, should comprise dedicated people who had excellent academic qualifications and devoted to child rights.
• The court, though it deferred any orders for the establishment of exclusive forensic laboratories for POCSO cases, ordered the directors of the existing ones to deal with POCSO case evidence promptly to cause no delay in the probe or trial of such cases.
• The court had registered the PIL plea under the title ‘In-re Alarming Rise in The Number of Reported Child Rape Incidents.”
• The PIL plea was instituted on the basis of the court’s own report that showed that from January 1 to June 30 this year, 24,212 First Information Reports were filed across India.
• Of these, 11,981 were still being probed by the police and in 12,231 cases, the police had filed the charge sheets. Trial had commenced in 6,449 cases only, it said, adding that they were yet to commence in 4,871. Till now, the trial courts had decided only 911 cases, that is, about 4% of the total cases registered.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Chandrayaan-2: GSLV Mark III-M1 vehicle reduces number of orbit-raising exercises, saves fuel

News

• In its maiden operational flight, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III-M1 (GSLV Mark III-M1) vehicle used for launching Chandrayaan-2 had successfully placed the satellite in the Earth Parking Orbit (EPO) with perigee (closest distance from the earth) of 170 km and an apogee (farthest distance from the earth) of 45,475 km.

Beyond News

• The apogee of the earth parking orbit is about 6,000 km more than originally envisaged.
• As a result, the number of earth-bound steps or manoeuvres needed to take the satellite to the highest orbit of nearly 1,44,000 km apogee has been reduced from seven to six. The reduced number of manoeuvres will translate into fuel savings.
• After the satellite is placed in the Earth Parking orbit, the apogee is increased in steps to take it to the final earth-bound orbit of about 1,44,000 km. The satellite goes around the earth in elliptical orbits and to increase the apogee, the satellite is fired when it comes closest to the earth (perigee).
• In the first of the orbit-raising exercise that was carried out, the perigee was increased from 170 km to about 230 km, while the apogee was reduced from 45,475 km to 45,162 km.
• The second orbit raising manoeuvre will be undertaken tonight (July 25) when the focus will be to increase the apogee in large measure, while there will be only a small increase in the perigee distance.
• Totally there will be six earth-bound, orbit-raising manoeuvres before the trans-lunar insertion, including the one on July 24. If the satellite had not gained nearly 6,000 km while being placed in the earth parking orbit, then there would have totally been seven orbit-raising manoeuvres.

Sugar mills back move to build 4 million tonne buffer

News

• The Centre has decided to expand the buffer stock of sugar and simultaneously halt the trend of raising the minimum support price for sugar cane to correct demand-supply imbalances, stabilise retail prices and reduce payment arrears from mills to farmers.

Beyond News

• A series of bumper harvests over the past few years, combined with higher rates of sugar recovery from sugar cane, resulted in production vastly overshooting domestic demand and led to a crash in retail prices.
• Estimates suggest that the country will produce 32.95 million tonnes of sugar in the current marketing year, as against the annual domestic demand of just 26 million tonnes.
• At the same time, the Centre has been regularly increasing the Fair and Remunerative Price, the minimum price that mills must pay to sugar cane cultivators.
• As a result, payment arrears shot up to ₹25,000 crore earlier this year, and are still above the ₹15,000 crore mark.
• The Cabinet has now decided to maintain the status quo by keeping the FRP unchanged at ₹275 a quintal for the next sugar marketing year, which begins in October. This decision is in line with the recommendation of the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices.

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