IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-02

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Aadhaar-social media profile linking: Supreme Court concerned at dangers of dark web

News

• The Supreme Court stressed the need to find a balance between the right to online privacy and the right of the State to detect people who use the web to spread panic and commit crimes.

Online privacy

• A Bench of Justices expressed concern over the dangers of the dark web.
• Facebook contended that there were four petitions – two in the Madras High Court and one each in the Bombay and the Madhya Pradesh High Courts – on the issue.
• The court finally issued notice to the Centre and the States on the plea made by social media platforms for transferring the proceedings in High Courts to the apex court.

India’s campaign for permanent seat at UNSC slowing down

News

• Despite repeated assertions of its right to a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, India’s campaign for expansion of the UNSC has slowed down.

Permanent seat at the UN Security Council

• The slow pace is visible in the fact that India’s campaign did not prompt the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to move towards the resolution for expanding the UNSC four years after the General Assembly in a landmark decision in 2015 had declared plans for the same.
• India seems to have depended on the argument that it is entitled to a seat at the UNSC because of multiple factors such as population, growing economic stature and growing global responsibilities like peacekeeping.
• One of the key historic reasons for India’s quest for a permanent seat at the UNSC was to ensure protection of national interest in crucial diplomatic moments when the organ takes up contentious issues such as Kashmir.
• In recent years, India has insisted on getting bilateral assurance from visiting heads of states and governments, but permanent member countries such as the U.K., the U.S., Russia and France have expressed support bilaterally without actively collaborating with India in the UN for expanding the council.

India, China defence joint working group meets in Beijing

News

• India and China reviewed the situation on the border and agreed on more port calls by each other’s Navies as part of measures to improve military to military cooperation, at a meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) between the Defence Ministries in Beijing last week.

Military to military cooperation

• The focus of the discussions was on border management, more port calls and activities linked to the celebration of 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries between April 2020 and March 2021.
• The Indian delegation was led by a Joint Secretary from the Defence Ministry along with one star officer each from the three Services.
• The JWG discussions will be followed by the annual defence and security dialogue headed by the Defence Secretary.
• In December, the armies of India and China will hold the annual exercise Hand-in-Hand at Umroi near Shillong.
• The two-week, company-level exercise will take place in the second half of December and the exercise planning conference to finalise the modalities is scheduled this month.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-03

Pallikaranai marsh has shrunk to a tenth of its size since 1965: Amicus Curiae

News

• The Pallikaranai marshland, the only urban wetland of Chennai city, had miserably shrunk from its expanse of 5,500 hectares recorded in 1965 to just about 600 hectares in 2013 owing to large scale development of residential areas, Information Technology parks, institutions of higher education and related infrastructure.

Findings

• In a report submitted before a Division Bench said, the marshland was situated about 30 km inland of the Bay of Bengal.
• Originally formed as a salt marsh created by the backwaters of Bay of Bengal, it now receives freshwater through rains and surplus water from 31 sub-urban water tanks.
• The marshland provides crucial eco system services such as flood mitigation, groundwater recharge, fishing and recreation.
• One of the main reasons for the 2015 Chennai floods was the sand bar formation (accumulation of silt and waste) near the canal mouth of estuaries, creeks and unchecked urban development that prevented exit of natural water run-off.
• Further, due to destruction of natural recharge zones in the marsh, groundwater level in the localities nearby had gone down.

Dumping yards

• Suggested that two garbage dumping yards, one operated by Chennai Corporation on 70 hectares and another by Alandur Municipal Corporation on the marshland should be shut down and shifted elsewhere.
• Due to dumbing of garbage, the marsh, in its current ecological conditions, emits more carbon dioxide and methane than it absorbs.
• The report also said the Perungudi sewage treatment plant occupying 250 acres of prime marshland was another great threat to fragile ecosystem.
• Report pointed out that the marshland forms part of the Central Asian flyway or migration route of water birds that link their northern most breeding grounds in Russia to the southernmost non breeding or wintering grounds in West and South Asia, the Maldives and the Indian Ocean Territory.
• It was an important stopover for the migratory species for resting and refuelling.

Chandrayaan-2 successfully inserted into Lunar orbit

News

• The moon-bound Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft underwent a crucial orbit manoeuvre.

Lunar Orbit Insertion

• It was carried out using the onboard propulsion system and the spacecraft is now at 114 km x 18072 km orbit.
• The move, called the Lunar Orbit Insertion, makes the spacecraft capture the lunar orbit and start going around the Moon.
• To enter the final orbit over the lunar poles, Chandrayaan-2 will undergo more such orbit maneuvers.
• The lander Vikram will then separate from the Orbiter and perform complex braking maneuvers. It is expected to soft-land on the South Pole of the moon on September 7.
• The health of the spacecraft is being continuously monitored from the Mission Operations Complex at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network in Bengaluru with support from Indian Deep Space Network antennas near Bengaluru and that all the systems are healthy.

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