IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-02

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Andhra Pradesh cancels bar licences, brings in new policy

News

• The Andhra Pradesh State government issued orders cancelling licences for all bars in the State, and brought out a new licensing policy paving the way for implementation of liquor prohibition in a phased manner.

Liquor prohibition

• Following representations from women organisations and the public, the decision had been taken in order to reduce road accidents and other crime committed under the influence of alcohol.
• The new policy envisaged a reduction in the number of bars in each Urban Local Body (ULB) i.e., municipal corporation, municipality and Nagar Panchayat, by 40%. In case there is only one existing bar in the ULB, the number will be retained.
• The number of bars in respect of hotels that are 3-star and above, and micro-breweries in the ULBs will be excluded from the existing number of bars, and only the remaining number will be cut by 40%.
• The new licence period will be for two years, from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021.
• According to the government order, Article 47 of the Constitution of India enjoins that the State shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of consumption of liquor, except for medicinal purposes, of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are injurious to health.
• Towards achieving total prohibition, the number of retail shops had been reduced from 4,380 to 3,500, and the A.P.
• Further, it had been decided to reduce the number of bars, increase the licence fee and reduce the business hours to curtail the availability of alcoholic beverages to the general public, the GO said.
• All the existing bar licences in Form-2B granted under the A.P. Excise (Grant of licence of selling by Bar and Conditions of Licence) Rules, 2017 made under the A.P. Excise Act, 1968 shall be withdrawn by the licence granting authorities in accordance with the Sec.32(1) of the A.P. Excise Act, 1968.

Bengaluru is India’s top-ranked city in new global inclusive prosperity index

News

• Bengaluru emerged as India’s highest ranked city at No. 83 in a new index of the world’s 113 cities in terms of economic and social inclusivity, topped by Zurich in Switzerland.

Global inclusive prosperity index

• The first-ever Prosperity & Inclusion City Seal and Awards (PICSA) Index, released in the Basque Country capital of Bilbao in northern Spain, is designed to showcase not only the quantity of economic growth of a city but also its quality and distribution across populations.
• Delhi at 101 and Mumbai at 107 are the other Indian cities to make at the index, with the top 20 awarded a PICSA Seal as the world’s highest-ranked cities building inclusive prosperity.
• Bilbao, the host city of the new index, is ranked at 20.
• Commissioned by Basque institutions and compiled by D&L Partners, the PICSA Index measures factors such as the affordability of housing and access to education and healthcare, besides GDP per capita.
• It marks the first time that the world’s major cities have been ranked not just by the size and health of their economy, but for their efforts to build inclusive and prosperous environments for all its citizens.
• The higher end of the list is dominated by European cities, with 15 of the top 20, joined by four North American cities (Ottawa in 8th place; Washington DC ranked 11th; Seattle in 14th and Boston in 16th) and Taipei, which is the only Asian city to make it into the top 20 at 6th place.
• For the index, the cities were assessed on comparable data from the main focus areas by a jury of experts and business leaders. These assessments then produced an overall score for each city’s inclusive prosperity, allowing them to be ranked based on a wide range of measures.

Bill to replace ordinance banning production, sale of e-cigarettes introduced in Lok Sabha

News

• A bill to ban production, import and sale of electronic cigarettes and similar products was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

Replace ordinance

• The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Bill, 2019, seeks to replace an ordinance issued on September 18.
• The bill makes the manufacturing, production, import, export, distribution, transport, sale, storage or advertisements of such alternative smoking devices a cognizable offence, attracting a jail term and a fine.
• First-time violators will face a jail term of up to one year and a fine of ₹1 lakh. For subsequent offences, a jail term of up to three years or a fine of ₹5 lakh, or both, according to the ordinance.
• The storage of e-cigarettes shall also be punishable with imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of up to ₹50,000, or both.
• The government had cited health risk to people, especially youth and issued an ordinance to ban such products.
• The bill authorised officials to conduct searches in premises, stating that where such searches were not permissible, authorities might attach properties, stocks of e-cigarettes or records maintained by the manufacturer, producer exporter, transporter, importer, stockist against whom a complaint had been made.
• The owner or occupier of the place that stocks e-cigarettes should voluntarily prepare a list of such stock in his possession and without delay submit the stock to the nearest authorised officer.
• However, e-cigarettes promoting trade bodies, users and other stakeholders have been opposing government’s move to ban “alternative” smoking device, alleging it was a “draconian” step taken in haste to protect the conventional cigarette industry.

70 celebratory activities to mark 70th anniversary of India-China ties

News

• India and China will jointly hold 70 celebratory activities to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as agreed to during last month’s informal summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping.
• They also vowed to jointly combat terrorism and radicalisation and expand bilateral trade and investment during informal summit meeting.

Establishment of diplomatic ties

• The activities, which include parliamentary exchanges, will demonstrate the historic connect between the two civilisations as well as their growing bilateral relationship over the years.
• They will further deepen people-to-people exchanges between the two countries at all levels, including between their respective legislatures, businesses, academics, cultural and youth organisations as well as the defence forces, the MEA said.
• The two sides will also engage in cooperative projects in studying ancient maritime links between India and China through the establishment of sister-state relations between Tamil Nadu and Fujian Province.
• They will explore the possibility of establishing an academy to study links between the southern Indian States and the Chinese province, conduct research on maritime links between India and China and hold a conference on a ship voyage that will trace the historic connect between the two civilisations.
• The Chinese side will hold a China-India Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum in India as well as the 2nd China-India Drug Regulation Meeting.
• The Indian side will also organise a special event on pharmaceuticals in China as part of the activities.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-03

156 booked under ‘Life is Precious’ drive

News

• The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has booked 156 persons in the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division in Kerala under various sections of the Indian Railways Act in the last couple of months as part of its ongoing ‘Life is Precious’ campaign.

Prosecution mode

• The initiative was launched earlier this year with the objective of preventing untoward incidents leading to needless loss of lives on railway tracks.
• Initially, the campaign was confined to awareness through distribution of leaflets and sensitisation through the public announcement system at railway stations before the RPF switched to prosecution mode two months ago.
• Those found guilty of offences are charged under Sections 147 (Trespass and refusal to desist from trespass) and 156 (Travelling on roof, step or engine of a train) of the Indian Railways Act, entailing fine and imprisonment or both.
• Last year, as many as 276 lives were lost in the Thiruvananthapuram railway division in such avoidable incidents. The number has only risen this year and has long surpassed the 200-mark.
• Though the RPF has already switched to the prosecution mode, they also continue to conduct awareness campaigns, apart from issuing warnings through the public announcement system in three different languages.

‘Avian botulism’ reason for bird deaths near Sambhar Lake

News

• The Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, confirmed avian botulism a neuro-muscular illness caused by a toxin which is produced by a bacterial strain as the reason for mass mortality of birds, including migratory species from Northern Asia, at Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan.

Botulism

• • The laboratory tests conducted on the samples of carcasses collected from the lake confirmed the disease infecting the birds, the probability of which was earlier stated by veterinarians in the State.
  • The illness, caused by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, affected the nervous system of birds, leading to flaccid paralysis in their legs and wings and neck touching the ground.
  • More than 18,000 carcasses of birds have been removed from the lake and its catchment area so far, raising concern among environmentalists and ornithologists.
  • The scientists at IVRI found the samples infested with maggots of third stage with a clear indication that the avian mortality had occurred over a period of time.
  • Located 80 km south-west of Jaipur, Sambhar Lake is India’s largest inland saline water body and has been designated as a wetland of international importance, attracting thousands of migratory birds during winter.

India Post introduces app to track letters online in Vellore

News

• As part of its digitisation programme, India Post has introduced a new mobile application for monitoring the clearance and despatch of letters posted at a particular letter box.
• One such facility was inaugurated at Vellore Head Post Office.

Nanyatha

• The app-based monitoring system, Nanyatha, contains data pertaining to the location of the letter box, date and time of clearance, number of letters picked up and postal staff number.
• Residents can check these details online via the website https:appost.in/nanyatha
• Every letter box has a distinctive barcode which consists of a pin code followed by a two-digit serial number. The postal department staff will capture the location coordinates of the letter box and will then open it, note the number of letters inside, and scan the bar code that the letter box has been assigned.
• Through a smartphone app, the staff member will then enter his/her name, and the number of items cleared. This information will be uploaded on the central server, from where it can be monitored till the letters reach the destination post offices.
• The software will also assist in reviewing how many letters have been posted and in examining whether letter boxes should be withdrawn or removed.

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