Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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People are ingesting 5 g of microplastic particles every week, equivalent in weight to a credit card: study

News

• People worldwide could be ingesting 5 g of microscopic plastic particles every week, equivalent in weight to a credit card, researchers said.

Findings

• Coming mostly from tap and especially bottled water, nearly invisible bits of polymer were also found in shellfish, beer and salt, scientists reported.
• The findings, drawn from 52 peer-reviewed studies, are the first to estimate the sheer weight of plastics consumed by individual humans: about 250 g over the course of a year.
• Another study calculated that the average American eats and drinks in about 45,000 plastics particles smaller than 130 microns annually, while breathing in roughly the same number.
• In the last two decades, the world has produced as much plastic as during the rest of history, and the industry is set to grow by 4% a year until 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research.
• More than 75% of all plastics winds up as waste.
• A third of that some 100 million tonnes is dumped or leaches into Nature, polluting land, rivers and the sea. On current trends, the ocean will contain one metric tonne of plastic for every three metric tonnes of fish by 2025.
• Plastic particles have recently been found inside fish in the deepest recesses of the ocean, and blanketing the most pristine snows in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Indian Medical Council Amendment Bill cleared

News

• The Cabinet has approved the Indian Medical Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, and the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, both of which had lapsed in the 16th Lok Sabha session.
• Both the Bills are now set to be reintroduced in the upcoming Parliament session.

Beyond News

• The Indian Medical Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, is aimed at bringing in transparency, accountability and quality in the governance of medical education in the country and would provide for supersession of the Medical Council of India (MCI) for a period of two years from August 26, 2018, the Centre said.
• The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, meanwhile, seeks to extend the period for reconstitution of the Central Council from an existing period of one year to two years so that the tenure of the Board of Governors may be extended for a further period of one year with effect from May 17, 2019.
• In an effort to make the Dental Council of India more effective, the Union Cabinet also approved the introduction of a Bill to amend the Dentists Act, 1948.
• The Bill would help restructure the Dental Councils and the representation of Central government members and elected members would no longer be made mandatory in the Dental Councils.

Union Cabinet extends President’s rule in J&K for 6 more months

News

• President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir would be extended for six more months, beginning July 3 and the Union Cabinet gave its nod for this.

Beyond News

• A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister, gave its approval for the extension of the Central rule, which has been continuing in Jammu and Kashmir since June 20, 2018.
• After the Cabinet nod, President Ram Nath Kovind would sign the proclamation for imposition of President’s rule in the State and it would come into effect on July 3.

Union Cabinet clears fresh bill to ban instant triple talaq

News

• The Union Cabinet approved the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019, paving the way for the legislation to be introduced in the upcoming session of Parliament.

Beyond News

• The Bill, which would replace the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Second Ordinance, 2019, once passed, would put a curb on the practice of talaq-e-biddat, or instant triple talaq.
• The Bill would ensure gender equality and gender justice to Muslim women. The Bill would also help in protecting the rights of married Muslim women and prevent divorceby practice of ‘talaq-e-biddat’ by their husbands. The Bill will be introduced in the forthcoming session of the Parliament.
• The Bill had been introduced in Parliament in 2018 but had lapsed with the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha. The Bill declares the practice of triple talaq void and illegal, making it punishable by three years in jail and a fine. It also provides for payment of subsistence allowance to married Muslim women and dependent children.
• Taking forward decisions made in the last months of the previous government, the Centre has decided to introduce a Bill on faculty recruitment in central educational institutions in the coming session of Parliament.
• The legislation would provide for 10% reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) and restore an older system of reservation which would allow full representation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
• The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Bill, 2019, was approved by the Cabinet, and will allow filling up of more than 7,000 existing vacancies by direct recruitment, according to an official statement.
• The new Bill is “expected to improve the teaching standards in the higher educational institutions by attracting all eligible talented candidates belonging to SCs/STs/SEBCs/EWS” categories, the government said.
• The Cabinet also approved a two-month extension to the commission for examining sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) so that it could consult States and Union Territories on the issue before submitting its report.

Eviction from govt. residences to be quicker

News

• Evicting those over-staying at government residences could become a quicker process, with the Union Cabinet clearing an amendment to the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.

Beyond News

• The amendment will enable smooth and quick eviction of unauthorised occupants from government residences, making the premises available for allotment to those awaiting accommodation.
• The new Bill will replace a 2017 Bill and will be introduced in the upcoming Parliament 
• The proposed amendments would enable the estate officer to apply summary proceedings for evicting unauthorised occupants from residential accommodations and to levy damage charges for accommodation held during the period of litigation.
• Currently, the eviction process can take years, but the amendment will enable the estate officer not to follow elaborate proceedings like serving notice, show cause, inquiry, rather he or she can initiate summary eviction proceedings.

Cabinet nod for Aadhaar as ID proof at banks, telcos

News

• The Union Cabinet approved a Bill to allow voluntary submission of Aadhaar as identity proof for use by private entities such as banks and telecom companies.

Beyond News

• ‘The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019’, which will replace an ordinance, also gives a child an option to exit from Aadhaar on attaining 18 years of age.
• The Bill proposes deletion of section 57 of the Aadhaar Act that bars use of Aadhaar by private entities, while also providing for civil penalties for violation of Aadhaar.
• The decision would enable UIDAI to have a more robust mechanism to serve the public interest and restrain the misuse of Aadhar, subsequent to this amendment, no individual would be compelled to provide proof of possession of Aadhaar number “or undergo authentication for the purpose of establishing his identity unless it is so provided by a law made by Parliament.
• For the convenience of general public in opening of bank accounts, the proposed amendments would allow the use of Aadhaar number for authentication on voluntary basis as acceptable KYC document under the Telegraph Act, 1885, and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Cybercriminals topmost source of distrust in India: Survey

News

• Cybercriminals remain the number one source of distrust in the Internet in India, where 79% of people say social media companies contribute to their distrust up from 74% in 2018.
• Simultaneously, 60% Indians are aware of the data protection and privacy rules, a figure which is quite healthy against the global average of 44%.

Beyond News

• These were the findings released as part of the 2019 CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey on Internet Security and Trust.
• The Survey, now in its fifth year, is the world’s largest and most comprehensive survey of Internet security and trust, involving more than 25,000 Internet users in over 24 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.
• The survey says cyber criminals in India contribute to 85% of distrust, followed by social media (79%), own government (66%) and foreign government (65%).

RBI to pump in Rs 15,000 cr liquidity

News

• The RBI said it will infuse Rs. 15,000 crore into the financial system.
• Based on an assessment of prevailing liquidity conditions and also of the durable liquidity needs going forward, the RBI has decided to conduct purchase of (six) government securities under OMOs for Rs. 150 billion on June 13 through multi-security auction using the multiple price method.

New agency to develop space warfare weapon systems

News

• To enhance the capabilities of the armed forces to fight wars in space, the government has approved the setting up of a new agency which will develop sophisticated weapon systems and technologies.

Beyond News

• The Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister has cleared the setting up of the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRO) which has been entrusted with the task of creating space warfare weapon systems and technologies.
• The decision was taken at the topmost level some time ago and the agency has started taking shape under a Joint Secretary-level scientist.
• The agency would be provided with a team of scientists which would be working in close coordination with the tri-services integrated Defence staff officers.
• It would be providing the research and development support to the Defence Space Agency (DSA) which comprises members of the three services. The DSA has been created “to help the country fight wars in the space”.

Gujarat begins evacuation of people as cyclone ‘Vayu’ nears coast

News

• In view of cyclonic storm ‘Vayu’ that is expected to hit the coastal areas of Gujarat, the State authorities have begun evacuation of people from low lying or vulnerable areas in the coastal districts.

Beyond News

• Around 3 lakh people from Gujarat and the Union Territory of Diu will be shifted to the more than 700 shelters set up by the authorities.
• The State government has deployed 36 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, which will reach their respective areas on Wednesday. In all, 34 teams of Army, two BSF teams, and units of the Air Force, the Navy and the Coast Guard have been put on standby mode.
• ‘Vayu’ has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, forcing authorities to put Gujarat on a high alert. The State authorities have ordered the closure of schools for three days in coastal districts, deployed NDRF teams and asked fishermen to return to the coast.
• The government has also advised fishermen against venturing into the sea in the next few days while ports have been directed to flag a danger signal.
• There has been rain in some coastal areas of South Gujarat and isolated places in Saurashtra while wind speed has also received increased.
• The government also cancelled Cabinet meeting and directed all Ministers to oversee preparations by administration in coastal districts.
• The State-wide school enrolment drive scheduled for June 13-14, during which all Ministers, legislators and top bureaucrats would enrol children at schools in their respective areas, has been cancelled.

DRDO conducts maiden test of hypersonic technology demonstrator

News

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted the maiden test of an indigenously developed Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) along with several technologies.

Beyond News

• The DRDO launched a technology demonstrator vehicle to prove a number of critical technologies for futuristic missions from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
• The missile was successfully launched at 1127 hours and it was tracked by various radars, telemetry stations and electro optical tracking sensors through its course.
• The test was undertaken to validate several technologies including the HSTDV.
• Some technologies have been validated while some remained inconclusive of which the data is being analysed.
• In the test, a missile with the technology demonstrator vehicle mounted on it is launched and the vehicle is released only after the missile reaches a certain altitude and velocity, one official explained.
• In scram-jet technology, combustion of fuel takes place in a chamber in the missile at supersonic speeds. This is different from a ram jet system where the system collects the air it needs from the atmosphere during the flight at subsonic speeds and the propellants burn in the combustion chamber.

Indian Navy hosts maritime information sharing workshop at IFC-IOR

News

• The Indian Navy is hosting a maritime information sharing workshop under the aegis of the Information Fusion Centre Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at Gurugram.

Beyond News

• Over 41 delegates from 29 countries of the IOR are participating in the two-day event.
• In the course of two days, the workshop aims to acquaint participants about IFC-IOR and its information sharing mechanisms and promote sharing of best practices in this field.
• This aims to yield better response to the myriad security and safety challenges that IOR faces.
• Issues such as maritime terrorism, piracy, human and drug trafficking, humanitarian assistance as well as disaster relief and the legal perspective of combating these challenges would be looked into.
• A table top information sharing exercise is scheduled to practice and validate some of the concepts and procedures that have been evolved during the workshop.
• The IFC-IOR was inaugurated in December last year. The centre has thus far established linkages with more than 16 countries and 13 international maritime security agencies.

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