Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Cyclonic storm ‘Daye’ crosses Odisha coast, rains to continue till Saturday

News

• Cyclonic storm ‘Daye’crossed the coast near Gopalpur in Odisha, triggering heavy downpour accompanied by high velocity wind in several parts of the state.

Beyond News

• The cyclonic storm “Daye” over northwest Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestward with a speed of about 23 kmph and crossed south Odisha and adjoining Andhra Pradesh coast close to Gopalpur, Director, Meteorological Centre, said.
• The cyclonic system then lay centred over south Odisha, about 40 km west-northwest of Gopalpur and about 150 km east-southeast of Bhawanipatna.
• Under its impact, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to lash several places.
• The MeT centre also warned of gale wind with speed reaching 60-70 kmph and gusting up to 80 kmph along and off south Odisha for a few hours.
• The State government has instructed officials in coastal districts and various departments to be alert to tackle any emergency situation.
• Danger signs withsignal number 3, which warns of surface winds clocking 40-50 kmph, have been hoisted at all ports of Odisha.
• The cyclone warning division’s (CWD) advisory said the sea will be very rough over central and north Bay of Bengal and off Odisha, West Bengal and north Andhra Pradesh coasts.

In the tribal hearland of Adilabad, Muharram is a part of Adivasi ethos

News

• The influence of the non-tribal culture has apparently come to the tribal heartland of Adilabad during the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
• Muharram was a State festival then and it is generally believed that it has evolved into a tribal event over the years incorporating some of the religious methods of the ethnic people.

Beyond News

• The assimilation of culture of the aboriginal Raj Gond, Pardhan or Andh tribes is what makes Adivasi Muharram different from the Shia event but makes it somewhat similar to the one which is observed by Hindus in North Telangana.
• Thousands of tribal devotees flock the makeshift or permanent ‘dargahs’ scatterred all over the tribal belt making wishes which forms the core activity of the event.
• A good number of aboriginal habitations, especially in Adilabad and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts, boast of ‘dargahs’ which happen to be the resting places of ‘sawaris’ that symbolise the sacrifice of Hasan and Hussain, the grandsons of Prophet Mohammed. The dargahs are looked after under the guidance of a ‘mujawar’ or custodian who is invariably a Muslim.
• The sawaris have a central long wooden piece with a rounded off distal end, sometimes carrying a ‘panja’ or palm or ‘naal’ or a crescent moon shaped object, from where the plethora of cloth pieces offered by devotees are suspended.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Sex offenders’ registry launched with 4.4 lakh entries

News

• The first-of-its-kind national sex offenders’ registry launched has names and details of some 4.4 lakh people convicted for various sexual offences across the country.

Beyond News

• The database is for those convicted for sexual offences 2005 onwards. It includes name, address, photograph and fingerprint details of the convict. A Home Ministry statement said the database would not compromise any individual’s privacy.
• India became the ninth country in the world to have a National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO), accessible only to law enforcement agencies for the purpose of “investigation and monitoring”.
• The proposal to set up a registry was mooted by the UPA government after the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case in New Delhi.
• The database will be maintained by the National Crime Records Bureau, that will also track whether the State police were updating the records on time.
• The database will include offenders convicted under charges of rape, gang rape, Protection of Children from Sexual Offenders Act (POCSO) and eve teasing.

U.S. blacklists Chinese agency for buying Russia military equipment

News

• The Trump administration imposed sanctions on the Chinese military on Thursday for buying fighter jets and missile systems from Russia, in breach of a sweeping U.S. sanctions law punishing Moscow for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Beyond News

• The U.S. State Department said it would immediately impose sanctions on China’s Equipment Development Department (EDD), the branch of the Chinese military responsible for weapons and equipment, and its director, Li Shangfu, for engaging in ”significant transactions” with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms exporter.
• The sanctions are related to China’s purchase of 10 SU-35 combat aircraft in 2017 and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment in 2018, the State Department said.
• They block the Chinese agency, and Li, from applying for export licenses and participating the U.S. financial system.
• It also adds them to the Treasury Department’s list of specially designated individuals with whom Americans are barred from doing business.
• The administration also blacklisted an additional 33 people and entities associated with Russian military and intelligence, adding them to a list under the 2017 law, known Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA.
• CAATSA also seeks to punish Russia for its aggression in Ukraine and involvement in Syria’s civil war.
• Doing significant business with anyone on that list can trigger sanctions like those imposed on China.
• Some of those added to the list, which now contains 72 names, were indicted in connection with Russian interference in the U.S. election, the official said.
• The measures come as the Trump administration pursues a variety of strategies to clamp down on China and faces growing pressure to respond strongly to U.S. intelligence agency reports that Russia is continuing to meddle in U.S. politics.

Protecting persons with HIV/ AIDS

News

• The Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Act of 2017 safeguards the human rights of people living with HIV and AIDS.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a notification to bring the Act into force from September 10.

Beyond News

• The Act was born out of an urgent need to prevent and control the virus and syndrome. It has highlighted the necessity for effective care, support and treatment for HIV and AIDS.
• The Act spawns from the commitment to the global community under the Declaration of Commitment on Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (2001) for enhanced coordination and intensification of national, regional and international efforts to combat the virus and syndrome in a comprehensive manner.
• The statute aims to provide equal rights to persons with HIV and bring them into the mainstream. The Act gains importance as it makes it a legal obligation to protect the privacy of persons with HIV and AIDS.
• The law addresses discrimination meted out to persons with HIV and AIDS. It fortifies the health and medical health-care system for them and introduces legal accountability along with formal mechanisms to inquire into complaints and redress grievances.
• The Act lists various grounds on which discrimination against persons with HIV is prohibited. These include the denial, termination, discontinuation or unfair treatment with regard to employment, educational establishments, health-care services, standing for public or private office, and insurance.
• The Act provides that every HIV infected or affected person below the age of 18 years has the right to reside in a shared household. The Act prohibits any individual from publishing information or advocating feelings of hatred against HIV positive persons and those living with them.
• Section 37 makes such propagation of hatred punishable with a term of imprisonment which shall not be less than three months but which may extend to two years, with fine which may extend to ₹1 lakh.
• As per the provisions of the Act, every person in the care and custody of the state shall have the right to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and counselling services.

Mumbai Corporation to kickstart leprosy detection drive

News

• The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be undertaking a survey to identify new leprosy patients as part of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP).

Beyond News

• Around 3.17 new leprosy patients are detected for every 1 lakh people in the city every year. This year, between April and September, 195 new leprosy patients were identified in the city.
• The Central government’s NLEP consists of a Leprosy Case Detection Campaign, which identifies leprosy patients through door-to-door surveys. Hundreds of volunteers and Accredited Social Health Activists are involved in carrying out the surveys.
• The survey will cover around 47 lakh people living in slums, chawls and labour families. Around 3,500 surveyors have been trained to carry out the survey. The teams will also consist of leprosy patients who are part of the Association of Persons Affected with Leprosy, a partner in the survey.
• The teams will cover 25 houses every day. The BMC will be creating publicity about the survey through posters, pamphlets, radio and TV advertisements.
• The BMC officers also gave information on the government’s programme to treat and rehabilitate leprosy patients detected through the survey. They will be given financial aid and offered rehabilitation, physiotherapy and reconstructive surgery. Surgeries will be conducted for free and patients will be given an allowance.
• Mumbai has 11 leprosy reporting units, including four supervisory urban leprosy units, six non-governmental organisations and one hospital (Acworth). These reporting units cover 208 health posts in the city.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe sends back first images

News

• Just over a month into its seven-year mission to touch the Sun, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has beamed back the first-light data from each of its four instrument suites, the U.S. space agency said.

Beyond News

• Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe’s (WISPR) the only imager on the probe door was opened, allowing the instrument to take the first images during its journey to the Sun.
• WISPR with both its inner and outer telescope snapped a blue-toned, two-panel image of space with stars visible throughout. While the Sun is not visible in the image, it showed Jupiter.
• The probe also sent data back from its three other instruments on board: ISoIS, FIELDS and SWEAP which are all dedicated to unravelling the mysteries of the Sun.
• The Parker Solar Probe’s first close approach to the Sun will be in November.

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