comprehensive current affairs 23rd july 2020

Indian Human Resource Development Minister launched ‘Shagun.

Shagun is an over-arching initiative to improve school education system.
This will be achieved by creating a junction for all portals/websites relating to various activities of the Department of School Education and Literacy in the Government of India and States/UTs.

Websites of 1200 Kendriya Vidyalayas, 600 Navodaya Vidyalayas, 18000 other CBSE affiliated schools, 30 SCERTs, 19000 organisations affiliated with NTCE among others are integrated with Shagun.
Report cards of 15 lakh schools all over the country will be available on the newly created junction. The website also provides vital information relating to availability of nearby schools. Common people can directly give their feedback about schools.

The portal seeks to connect approximately 92 lakh teachers and 26 crore students.

Key focus areas: 

Reinforcing and cleaning the data of the Integrated Online Junction through feedback from Stakeholders
Ensuring full interoperability among the websites, portals and applications which are already hosted in the junction.

Creating high quality e-contents, including quizzes and puzzles to enhance learning and also for teachers in aiding classroom transactions Using artificial intelligence and deep machine learning in a variety of ways to enhance the quality of school education including for designing evidence based inventions.

UPSC is going to reimburse airfares of civil services aspirants travelling for test.

UPSC will reimburse airfares of civil services aspirants travelling for test
The commission will also help candidates with their lodging and transport requirements, the statement said. The commission will also help candidates with their lodging and transport requirements, the statement said.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will reimburse ‘to-and-fro’ airfares of civil services aspirants appearing for the personality test in New Delhi as train services are “not fully functional” due to Covid-19 curbs, according to an official statement issued on Monday.

 

Vulnerable groups petition global fund.

Deprived of sources of livelihood during the pandemic, sex workers, trans-persons, gay and bisexual men, drug users and people living with HIV/AIDS have written to the Global Fund for

AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) protesting against being ignored by governments and multilateral agencies in COVID-19-related emergency relief efforts.

Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) 

·         Founded in 2002, GFATM, also known as Global Fund, is an international financing organization.

·         The Global Fund was formed as an independent, non-profit foundation under Swiss law and hosted by the World Health Organization in January 2002.

·         In January 2009, the organization became an administratively autonomous organization, terminating its administrative services agreement with the World Health Organization.

·         It aims to “attract, leverage and invest additional resources to end the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to support attainment of the Sustainable Development Goalsestablished by the United Nations.”

·         It is a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and people affected by the diseases.

·         Its secretariat is in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

U.S accuses China of undermining Myanmar sovereignty.

The US has accused China of undermining the sovereignty of Myanmar through its actions in states like Kachin bordering China.The US Chargé d’Affaires in Myanmar George N. Sibley has said in an article on Saturday that China has tried to intimidate, threaten and undermine Myanmar sovereignty by encouraging unregulated banana plantation in the Kachin state, non-demarcation of fisheries and similar other acts.

He has also said that China aided in unregulated investment and corruption in the mining and forestry sector. The infrastructure and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) promoted by China lead to piling up of debts and ceding of regulatory control benefitting China at the cost of Myanmar.

Referring to the human trafficking from Myanmar, the US embassy official says that nearly 80 percent of Myanmar’s reported human trafficking cases in 2019 involved women being trafficked to China. Law enforcement in China often looks the other way and fails to help these vulnerable victims.
The US embassy Chargé d’Affaires also referred to the illicit drug trade. He said billions of dollars worth drugs and chemicals have been seized by the Myanmar authorities. Most of these came from China. The Chinese embassy in Myanmar refuted the allegations and said that the statement was intended to drive a wedge with its neighbours.

Global demand for cancelling debts of developing countries takes root.

The burden of debt on the developing countries that amounts to over $11 trillion should be cancelled in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of global notables has demanded.

Led by former Brazil President DilmaRousseff the group says the debt should go in meeting the public health requirements in these challenging times.

“This debt has ballooned over the past several decades, leaving most developing countries in an unsustainable financial situation. Defaults and debt adjustments seem to be a permanent fixture amongst developing countries, coming for reasons that are often external to the fundamentals of their economies,” said the statement on debt cancellation.

Apart from Ms.Rousseff, the statement was also backed by former Greek Finance MinsterYanisVaroufakis and Argentine lawyer and activist Juan Grabois among others. 

US orders China to close its Houston consulate.

The United States (US) has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston and accused it of ramping up spying operations, dramatically escalating diplomatic tensions between the feuding superpowers.

Wednesday´s announcement infuriated Beijing, which vowed to retaliate as the two countries squabble over a slew of issues ranging from trade to the coronavirus pandemic and China´s policies in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea.

The Chinese Consulate in Houston was opened in 1979 -- the first in the year the US and the People´s Republic of China established diplomatic relations, according to its website.

The website says the office covers eight southern US states -- including Texas and Florida -- and has nearly one million people in the area registered at the consulate. There are five Chinese consulates in the US, as well as an embassy in Washington.

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 .

This law empowers buyers to ask for replacements, refunds or damages from brands, e-tailers and service providers.Aggrieved customers in India will now be able to seek effective legal remedy,on the lines of class action suits seen in many countries.

Salient features;

Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA):

Act proposes a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to regulate matters of consumer rights, trade practices and advertisements prejudicial to the interests of the public, and to promote, protect and enforce the rights of the consumers as a class.

This will be able to file suo motu cases on behalf of a class of customers, thereby initiating class action suits that would hold brands and e-tailers accountable.

What is Simplified Dispute Resolution Process:

·         Consumer Commissions are empowered to enforce their orders.

·         State Commissions & District Commissions can now review their own orders.

·         Ease of approaching Consumer Commissions through E-filing and video conferencing for hearing.

what is Mediation:

·         Mediation is prescribed as an Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism.

·         Reference to mediation by Consumer Commissions wherever scope for early settlement exists and parties agree for it.

·         No appeal against settlement through mediation.

what is Product Liability:

A manufacturer or product service provider or product seller to be responsible to compensate for injury or damage caused by defective product or deficiency in services.This provision would deter manufacturers and service providers from delivering defective products or deficient services.

 

IIT-M researchers use artificial materials and ultrasound to detect defects in large structures.

Recently Scientists from IIT Madras and the University of Nairobi have used metamaterials to improve detection of defects in large structures by guided wave ultrasound.

Details:
Engineering structures including buildings, pipelines and rails require periodic testing to prevent catastrophic failures occurring due to corrosion, impact, and strain.

High-frequency sound waves that travel in the bulk are widely used for non-invasive and non-destructive testing of structural materials.

Conventional bulk ultrasonic inspection is tedious and time-consuming as it involves point-by-point assessment of structures.

What is Guided Wave TestingTesting?

In guided wave testing (GWT), the sound waves are sent along the length of the structure rather than into the structure, allowing the waves to travel longer distances.

GWT has poorer resolution than conventional ultrasound-based testing due to diffraction limitations.
The research team used metamaterials to improve the resolution of guided ultrasound waves.

What are Meta Materials?

Metamaterials are artificially crafted materials with unique internal microstructures that give them properties not found in nature.

The constituent artificial units of the metamaterial can be tailored in shape, size, and interatomic interaction, to exhibit unusual properties.

 

Alerts were issued recently about the threats of malware BlackRock.

What is BlackRock?

It is a banking Trojan and is said to be an enhanced version of existing Xerxes malware which itself is a variant of the LokiBot Android trojan.

·         A trojan is any type of malicious program disguised as a legitimate one. Often, they are designed to steal sensitive information (login credentials, account numbers, financial
information, credit card information, and the like) from users.

·         Banking trojans are a specific kind of trojan malware. Once installed onto a client machine, banking trojans use a variety of techniques to create botnets, steal credentials, inject malicious code into browsers, or steal money.

It collects user information by abusing the Accessibility Service of Android and overlaying a fake screen on top of a genuine app. It uses Android DPC (Device Policy Controller) to provide access to other permissions.

·        It surfaces as a google update. It is said to have the design to overlay attacks, send, spam, and steal SMS messages as well as lock the victim in the launcher activity.

·        It can also act as a keylogger (i.e. track the keys struck on a keyboard), which essentially could help a hacker to acquire financial information. Despite being a banking Trojan, BlackRock is said to target non-financial apps.

·       It targets a total of 337 apps, which is significantly higher than any of the already known malicious code. It makes Antivirus Applications Useless.

Craniopagus Surgery.

India’s only successfully separated craniopagus twins from Odisha Jagga and Balia were discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), two years after they were admitted, operated and started on rehabilitation at the hospital. 

About: 
The toddlers were born with fused brain and skull, a condition known as craniopagus.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that this is the rarest of the rare surgery and it can be called ‘AIIMS Delhi Jagga and Balia craniopagus surgery’. 

He said this was the first successful craniopagus conjoined twin separation surgery from India wherein both the children had survived. Worldwide only 10-15 children have survived after surgical separation of this condition in the last 50 years. 

comprehensive current affairs 22 july 2020

EC not to extend postal ballot to those aged 65 years and above.

With more than 70 lakh electors above 65 years of age, the Election Commission has decided against extending postal ballots to them in the upcoming Bihar Assembly election due to the logistical challenges posed, an EC source said.

The EC had recommended extending the postal ballot facility to electors over 65 years as the age group had been termed most vulnerable to COVID-19. The Law Ministry notified the change to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 on June 19, extending the facility to electors above 65 years, as opposed to the existing provision for above 80 years.

However, on July 16, the EC announced that it would not be extending the facility to electors of age 65 and above due to logistical, staff and safety protocol-related constraints.
The source said that while reviewing the preparations for the poll, the EC decided that it would not be possible to arrange the facility for about 72 lakh electors, about 10% of the total 7.19 crore voters in the State.

The source said the facility for this category of electors is not the conventional postal service. The system works as a polling station on the move, with the polling staff visiting the homes of senior citizens.

Indian Parliament to bring in new norms ahead of monsoon session.

For the monsoon session of Parliament, to ensure that the members adhere to physical distancing norms, a plan is being mulled over, whereby members of both Houses will sit spread out in the RajyaSabha and LokSabha halls.

One House will meet in the morning and the other in the afternoon, with enough time in between to sanitise both the halls.

This plan was arrived at following a meeting between RajyaSabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu and LokSabha Speaker Om Birla.

 

India and Bhutan launched Jaigaon -Ahllay Trade Route.

Two countries launched a new route that operates between Jaigaon in West Bengal and Ahllay in Bhutan.

Expected Benefits:

• Boost bilateral trade and commerce.

• Beneficial for the movement of heavy vehicles like trucks and industrial raw materials from India to Bhutan.

•Decongest vehicular traffic along the Jaigaon-Phuentsholing route.

India-Bhutan Trade:

• India is Bhutan’s largest trading partner. The bilateral trade stood at Rs 9,227 crore in 2018.

• Bhutan imports mineral products, machinery and mechanical appliances, electrical equipment, base metals, vehicles, vegetable products, plastics and articles from India.

• Bhutan exports electricity, portland cement, dolomite, timber and wood products, potatoes, cardamom and fruit products to India.

Kholongchhu (Joint Venture) Hydroelectric Project:

• Hydropower sector is the flagship area of India-Bhutan bilateral cooperation.

• The run-of-the-river project is located on the lower course of the Kholongchhu river in
Trashiyangtse district of eastern Bhutan.

• The project envisages an underground powerhouse of four 150 MW turbines, with water impounded by a concrete gravity dam of 95 metres height.

• It will be implemented by Kholongchhu Hydro Energy Limited, a joint venture company formed between Druk Green Power Corporation of Bhutan and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam of India.

UN draft declaration goes soft on reforms demand.

Despite India’s repeated demands for reform of the UN Security Council, the process of the expansion of the membership is expected to slow down this year with the final draft of the Declaration on the Commemoration of the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the U.N. favouring a softer approach to the issue.

Mention of ‘discussions’ in this key anniversary document is being interpreted as dilution of the progress made on the path of reform of the principal organs of the UN during the 122nd plenary meeting of the General Assembly.

The final draft for the upcoming UNGA is also a step down from the Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on September 16, 2005 when the call for reform was demanded against the backdrop of widespread unilateral decisions as seen during the Iraq war of 2003 and the “war on terror”.
The 2005 Resolution had expressed strong global will to stop misuse of military power and said, “We are determined to reinvigorate the intergovernmental organs of the United Nations to adopt them to the needs of the twenty-first century”.

 

Bangladesh bans free internet for social media users.

The Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has issued orders for the telecom companies to stop free internet services to its subscribers for accessing social media. 

The regulatory authority asked the telecom service providers to stop the service because it gives rise to unhealthy competition between the companies. 

The BTRC order also said that this facility was being used by some people for carrying out criminal activities on the social media.

BTRC issued the order after it was instructed by the information ministry to ensure safe internet and maintain normal market competition. The telecom companies have started implementing the order from Friday.

CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur, unveils the COVID Protection System (COPS) for Workplace.

CMERI or the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute is the apex R&D institute for mechanical engineering under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
The institute’s mandate is to serve the industry and develop mechanical engineering
technology so that India’s dependence on foreign collaboration is substantially reduced in strategic and economic sectors.

Besides, the institute is facilitating innovations and inventions for establishing the claims
of Indian talent in international fields where Indian products shall ultimately compete.
It is located in Durgapur, West Bengal.

COVID Protection System (COPS) for Workplace:

This system can be utilised by organisations as healthcare workers and frontline security guards are vulnerable to COVID-19 through infected individuals and contaminated objects.

The COPS is a conglomeration of Solar Based Intelligent Mask Automated Dispensing Unit cum Thermal Scanner (IntelliMAST), Touchless Faucet (TouF) and 360 degree Car Flusher.

·        IntelliMAST: It is an Intelligent surveillance kiosk which identifies the body
temperature and whether an individual is wearing face mask or not through
customized software solutions.

·        Touchless Faucet (TouF): It is being launched for households and office spaces. The
system dispenses liquid soap and water from the same faucet with a time-gap of 30 seconds, which is as per the latest Government guidelines.

·         360 degree Car Flusher: It is a sodium hypochlorite water screen that uses
specialized nozzle design to ensure that the sanitizer diffused water is evenly spread
over and under the car body or wheels with adequate water force and coverage.

·         These are now available for Technology Transfers and Product Orders.

 

Giant cockroaches discovered from eastern Indian Ocean.

A new species of cockroach has been found deep in the Indian Ocean by a team of researchers from Singapore.The researchers found the species when they were working on the unexplored waters of Indian Ocean in Banta. Bantan is in the southern coast of West Java in Indonesia.The newly found cockroach species has been named “Bathynomusraksasa”.

The cockroach belongs to the genus Bathynomous. It has 14 legs and uses them to crawl along the bed of oceans in search of food.It measured 50 centimetres in length and is big for isopods.

In general, the isopods that reach to a length of 50 centimetres are generally referred to super giants.The raksasa eats dead marine animals such as fish and whales. It can also go for long periods without food. This is a common trait the raksasa shares with cockroaches.

India looks into privatisation of more banks.

India is looking to privatise more than half of its state-owned banks to reduce the number of government-owned lenders to just five as part of an overhaul of the banking industry, government and banking sources said.

The first part of the plan would be to sell majority stakes in Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, UCO Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and Punjab & Sind Bank, leading to an effective privatisation of these state-owned lenders, a government official said.

The official said that such a plan would be laid out in a new privatisation proposal the government is currently formulating, and this would be put before the Cabinet for approval.The Centre is working on a privatisation plan to help raise money by selling assets in non-core companies and sectors when the country is strapped for funds due to lack of economic growth caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several government panels and the RBI have recommended a maximum of five state-owned banks.
The divestment may not happen in this financial year due to unfavourable market conditions, the sources said.India expects bad loans at its banks could double after the crisis brought the economy to a standstill.

 

Centre and Telcos assure supreme court on non re-assessment of AGR dues.

The Centre and telcos on Monday assured the Supreme Court that they would not conduct any re-assessment or re-calculation of the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues.

A Bench led by Justice Arun Mishra said it would not tolerate “even for a second” any attempt to re-assess the AGR dues which now stands at ₹1.6 lakh crore. The Bench, however, reserved its verdict on the timeline for the staggered payments.

The Bench observed that 15 or 20 years was not a reasonable time period and the telcos must come forward with an appropriate time frame. The Centre had earlier urged the court that up to 20 years be given to the firms for the payments.

 

A Pincer in Ladakh.

Context: 
While India has long considered the potential of a two-front war with Pakistan and China, it was only in 2009 that a keynote address at a seminar in Delhi, by the then Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor, forced a serious re-evaluation.

The debate regarding India’s capability to fight a war in which there is full collusion between China and Pakistan has generally remained inconclusive.

Most detractors of the belief regarding China’s military-operational support to Pakistan, in the event of latter’s adventurismagainst India, have leaned on the argument that China will adopt a policy to suit its interests.

Both in 1965 and 1971, it made some promises to Pakistan but chose to stay away. Of course, that was during the Cold War.

Altering Chinese attitude:

From 2005, the process of rapid military modernisation saw China pursue its strategic interests, including border management on land and sea, more aggressively.

Limited and fairly benign experiments with “walk in” operations across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) began after 2008.

An expression of the mutuality of strategic interests with Pakistan came with the reported presence of 11,000 PLA troops in Gilgit-Baltistan in 2011.

Post 2013, Pakistan rampedup its proxy campaign in J&K almost in sync with two China-related trends.
First, enhanced PLA assertiveness in Eastern Ladakh. Second, the announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — Xi Jinping’s ambitious, and almost personal, project.

A progressively altering Chinese attitude towards the Kashmir issue started to take shape as early as 2008-09, with the issue of stapled visas to Indians residing in J&K.

The denial of a visa to the Northern Army Commander in August 2010 was with the clear intent of expressing increasing diplomatic support to Pakistan.

This support was also witnessed on issues like the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Pakistan’s involvement in global terrorism and the abrogation of Article 370.

Belt and Road initiatives:

The BRI was probably long in the making. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a part of the BRI that is less economic in orientation than strategic.

It is described by many as the flagship of the BRI.

The corridor is also a part of China’s Indian Ocean strategy and in its current avatar, it is little more than a shaky communication artery with some additional projects thrown in.

The BRI is a far more ambitious project, the survival of which in the post COVID-19 setting has been questioned by experts.

Yet, China’s long-term strategic vision is not something that the international strategic community is adeptat assessing.

Prime Minister’s observation on expansionism having no place in the modern era was an indirect message to China.

We are about midway through the period that China has set for itself to rise to a position of greatness — beginning in 1978 — for which it is increasingly employing coercion.

It is seeking that milestone on a faster track, post the devastation due to COVID-19.

China-Pakistan:
It is no longer Pakistan seeking Chinese support for its adventurism as much as it is the other way around.
The mutuality of interests has increased and military coordination has become a larger part of the overall strategy.

China may force further escalation this season depending upon how the world responds to its expansionism.
Yet it could also adopt a posture which prepares it, along with Pakistan, towards a future “pincer approach” in Ladakh.

This does not presuppose the limitation of Chinese intent to just Ladakh — Arunachal, Sikkim and the Central Sector very much under the scanner as part of the expanded collusive strategy.
However, it is Ladakh where the effect is intended most and it is there that the pincer approach may prove more challenging for India.

Preparedness:
Currently, India may not be optimally prepared for such a contingency but the Chinese may not be either.
This is because they have tried setting the stage too early in their eagerness to spring a surprise — in turn, the Chinese could be surprised.

That is where Pakistan comes in as a force multiplier to keep the options open as far as timing is concerned — the current campaigning season or a postponed one.

In postponing, the Chinese will seek greater Pakistani activity in J&K and Ladakh, including attempts to keep the LoC alive along with terror in the hinterland to dilute Indian optimisation in Ladakh.
Assuming that confrontation with the Sino-Pak combine is inevitablenow or later, one of the ways for India to offset this is to project sufficient capability.

The diplomatic and military domains have to play this out effectively.

India cannot be seen to be alone or militarily weak. It has tremendous support internationally which must translate into a higher level of strategic support.

Militarily, Pakistan should never be able to perceive that it will be allowed to fight as per choice and conceived strategy.

Conclusion:
China’s success or failure in such adventurism will set the course of its future strategy against its multiple adversaries.

That is the psyche which India must exploit to prevent escalation and win this and impending standoffs without fighting.

This needs a rapid and all-out national effort with highest priority accorded to it, including budgeting.
China has made the major mistake of creating a face-off that it thought it could win without fighting but it is now mired in a situation that it did not think through.

Extending this face-off will be a logistics nightmare for both countries. On its part, India cannot afford to focus only on the northern borders.

A firm and full strategy to deal with Pakistan in all contingencieshas now become imperative.

Comprehensive Current affairs 20 July 2020

Modi interacts with IBM CEO Arvind Krishna via Video Conferencing.

  

Indian PM congratulated Arvind Krishna for becoming the global head of IBM earlier this year. He mentioned the strong connect of IBM with India and its huge presence in the country, with over one lakh people working across 20 cities in the company.

Talking about the impact of COVID on business culture, Modi said that ‘work from home’ is being adopted in a big way and the government is constantly working towards providing infrastructure, connectivity and regulatory environment to ensure that this technological shift is smooth. He also discussed the technologies associated and challenges involved in the recent decision of IBM to make 75% of its employees to work from home.

Modi appreciated the role played by IBM, in association with CBSE, towards the launch of AI curriculum in 200 schools in India. He said that the government is working towards introducing students to concepts such as AI, machine learning etc at an early stage, to further the tech temperament in the country. IBM CEO said that teaching about technology and data should be in the category of basic skills like algebra, needs to be taught with passion and should be introduced early.

He also highlighted that this is a great time to invest in India. He said that the country is welcoming and supporting investments taking place in the tech sector. He noted that while the world is witnessing slowdown, FDI inflow in India is increasing. He said that the country is moving forward with the vision of a self-sufficient India so that a globally competent and disruption resilient local supply chain can be developed. IBM CEO briefed PM about IBM’s huge investment plans in India. He expressed confidence in the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Other areas of discussion included the issues of data security, cyber attacks, concerns around privacy, and health benefits of Yoga.

Consumer Protection Act, 2019 comes into force.

The Consumer Protection Act,2019 comes in to force from today i.e. 20thJuly 2020. While briefing the media about the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 through video conference here today, Indian

 

Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan said that this new Act will empower consumers and help them in protecting their rights through its various notified Rules and provisions like Consumer Protection Councils, Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions, Mediation, Product Liability and punishment for manufacture or sale of products containing adulterant / spurious goods.

The Act includes establishment of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers. The CCPA will be empowered to conduct investigations into violations of consumer rights and institute complaints / prosecution, order recall of unsafe goods and services, order discontinuance of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements, impose penalties on manufacturers/endorsers/publishers of misleading advertisements.Shri Paswan further said that the rules for prevention of unfair trade practice by e-commerce platforms will also be covered under this Act. The gazette notification for establishment of the Central Consumer Protection Authority and rules for prevention of unfair trade practice in e-commerce are under publication.

Under this act every e-commerce entity is required to provide information relating to return, refund, exchange, warranty and guarantee, delivery and shipment, modes of payment, grievance redressal mechanism, payment methods, security of payment methods, charge-back options, etc. Including country of origin which are necessary for enabling the consumer to make an informed decision at the pre-purchase stage on its platform.

E-commerce platforms have to acknowledge the receipt of any consumer complaint within forty-eight hours and redress the complaint within one month from the date of receipt under this Act.

The New Act introduces the concept of product liability and brings within its scope, the product manufacturer, product service provider and product seller, for any claim for compensation.

Alternate Dispute Resolution mechanism of Mediation has been provided in the new Act. This will simplify the adjudication process. A complaint will be referred by a Consumer Commission for mediation, wherever scope for early settlement exists and parties agree for it. Mediation will be held in the Mediation Cells to be established under the aegis of the Consumer Commissions. There will be no appeal against settlement through mediation.

Earlier Consumer Protection Act, 1986a single point access to justice was given, which is also time consuming. The new act has been introduced after many amendments to provide protection to buyers not only from traditional sellers but also from the new e-commerce retailers/platformsplatforms and will prove a significant tool in protecting consumer rights in the country.

Induction of Rafale in Indian Air Force.

The first batch of five Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale is likely to arrive in India by end July 2020. The aircraft will be inducted at Air Force Station Ambala on 29 July subject to weather. No media coverage is planned on arrival. The final induction ceremony will take place in second half of August 20 wherein full media coverage would be planned.

IAF aircrew and ground crew have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft, including its highly advanced weapons systems and are fully operational now. Post arrival, efforts will focus on operationalisation of the aircraft at the earliest.

 

Indian MoD signs contract with BEML for procurement of 1,512 Mine Plough for T-90 tanks.

With an aim to boost ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government, with the approval of Indian defence Minister,Acquisition Wing of Ministry of Defence (MoD), has today signed a Contract with Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) for procurement of 1,512 Mine Plough (MP) for Tank T-90 S/SK at an approximate cost of Rs 557 crore. The contract has Buy and Make (Indian) categorisation with a minimum of 50 per cent indigenous content in make portion of the contract.

These mine ploughs will be fitted on T-90 Tanks of Indian Armoured Corps which will facilitate individual mobility to Tanks while negotiating mine field. Mobility of Tank Fleet will enhance manifold, which in turn would extend the reach of Armoured Formation deep into enemy territory without becoming mine causality.

With the induction of these 1,512 mine ploughs, planned to be completed by 2027, the combat capability of the Army will be further enhanced.

Badal e-inaugurates Zoram Mega Food Park in Mizoram.

 

Union Minister of Food Processing Industries in the Government of India and Member Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal today inaugurated the Zoram Mega Food Park Ltd at Kolasib in Mizoram through virtual conference. The Food Park built at a cost of Rs 75 crore and spread over 55 Acres of land will directly benefit over 25,000 farmers and will provide employment opportunities to over 5,000 people in the region. Describing the inauguration of the food park as a new dawn for the region, Mrs Badal said that it will go a long way in realizing the dream of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for an

Atmanirbhar Bharat. She informed that in the last six years, 88 projects including 7 in Mizoram initiated for the entire North-Eastern Region with an outlay of Rs1000 crore by her Ministry which will directly benefit 3 lakh farmers and will provide job opportunities to 50,000 youth from the region.

MoU between CBDT and MoMSME signed.

A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed today between the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India (MoMSME) for sharing of data by CBDT to MoMSME. The MoU was signed by Smt. Anu J. Singh, Principal Director General of Income Tax (Systems), CBDT and Shri. Devendra Kumar Singh, Additional Secretary & Development Commissioner, MoMSME.

The MoU will facilitate seamless sharing of certain Income-tax Return (ITR) related information by the Income Tax Department to MoMSME.

The MoU comes into force from the date it was signed. Both the organisations will appoint Nodal Officer and Alternate Nodal Officers to facilitate the process of data exchange.

The MoU marks the beginning of a new era of cooperation and synergy between the CBDT and MoMSME.

 

 

 

Adevice for long-termmonitoring of cells & tissues and study drug delivery effects, tissue repair and regeneration.

Preservation of secondary cell lines, primary cells, and primarytissue explants outside the incubator environment for long hours and continuous monitoring of the growth and electrophysiology recording for controlled drug delivery is a major requirement.

The need for monitoring of growth patterns of cells over long hours on desired substrates and the functionality of an explant-tissue in a non-vivo environment in their laboratory triggered ateam from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research(JNCASR) an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India to come up with a suitable device.

The JNCASR team of Prof. K.S. Narayan, K. Anilkrishna, C.S. Deepak, and P. Sumukh designed and fabricated a hand-held bench-top micro incubator technology and demonstrated the ability to introduce and deliver drug reagents (channel blockers) in a controlled manner and see their effects.

UPSC Gears up to Conduct Personaltiy Tests (Interviews) for the Civil Services Examination 2019 in the Backdrop of COVID-19 Pandemic.

 

The Union Public Service Commission was in the midst of conducting the Personality Tests (PTs)/Interviews for 2,304 candidates for the Civil Services Examination, 2019 (CSE-2019) when the Government of India decided to impose a lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. The Commission also reviewed the position and decided to defer the remaining PT Boards for 623 candidates of the CSE-2019 from 23.03.2020 onwards.

With gradual lifting of the lockdown, the Commission has decided to hold the PTs for the remaining candidates from 20th to 30th of July, 2020 and all the candidates have been suitably informed in advance. In order to address the safety and health concerns of the candidates, expert advisers and staff of the Commission, suitable arrangements have been put in place.

Global methane emissions soar to record high.

Global emissions of methane have reached the highest levels on record. Increases are being driven primarily by growth of emissions from coal mining, oil and natural gas production, cattle and sheep ranching, and landfills.

 

Between 2000 and 2017, levels of the potent greenhouse gas barreled up toward pathways that climate models suggest will lead to 3-4 degrees Celsius of warming before the end of this century. This is a dangerous temperature threshold at which scientists warn that natural disasters, including wildfires, droughts and floods, and social disruptions such as famines and mass migrations become almost commonplace. The findings are outlined in two papers published July 14 in Earth System Science Data and Environmental Research Letters by researchers with the Global Carbon Project, an initiative led by Stanford University scientist Rob Jackson.

Growing sources of methane

Globally, fossil fuel sources and cows are twin engines powering methane’s upward climb. “Emissions from cattle and other ruminants are almost as large as those from the fossil fuel industry for methane,” Jackson said. “People joke about burping cows without realizing how big the source really is.”

Throughout the study period, agriculture accounted for roughly two-thirds of all methane emissions related to human activities; fossil fuels contributed most of the remaining third. However, those two sources have contributed in roughly equal measure to the increases seen since the early 2000s.

Possible solutions

Tropical and temperate regions have seen the biggest jump in methane emissions. Boreal and polar systems have played a lesser role. Despite fears that melting in the Arctic may unlock a burst of methane from thawing permafrost, the researchers found no evidence for increasing methane emissions in the Arctic – at least through 2017.

According to Jackson and colleagues, curbing methane emissions will require reducing fossil fuel use and controlling fugitive emissions such as leaks from pipelines and wells, as well as changes to the way we feed cattle, grow rice and eat.

 

 

Why a separate anti-torture law?

Context:

The alleged torture of a father-son duo in Tamil Nadu has once again given rise to the demand for a separate law against torture.

It is therefore essential to examine whether the existing law is inadequateto deter incidents of custodial torture.

Torture definition:

Torture is not defined in the Indian Penal Code, but the definitions of ‘hurt’ and ‘grievous hurt’ are clearly laid down.

Indian courts have included psychic torture, environmental coercion, tiring interrogative prolixity, and overbearing and intimidatorymethods, among others, in the ambitof torture.

Voluntarily causing hurt and grievous hurt to extort confession are also provided in the Code with enhanced punishment.

Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, a judicial magistrate inquires into every custodial death.

Liability:

The National Human Rights Commission has laid down specific guidelines for conducting autopsy under the eyes of the camera.

The Supreme Court judgment in DK Basu v. State of West Bengal was a turning point in the evolving jurisprudence on custodial torture.

The Court’s decision in Nilabati Behera v. State of Orissa made sure that the state could no longer escape liability in public law and had to be compelled to pay compensation.

Similarly, the Court has held in many cases that policemen found guilty of custodial death should be given the death penalty.

Therefore, there is neither a dearthof precedents nor any deficiency in the existing law.

Vague, harsh and retributive:

However, a fresh draft of the Prevention of Torture Bill was released in 2017 for seeking suggestions from various stakeholders.

The Bill was not only vaguebut also very harsh for the police to discharge its responsibilities without fear of prosecution and persecution.

It was inconsistent with the existing provisions of law.

It included ‘severe or prolonged pain or suffering’ as a form of torture but that was left undefined.

The proposed quantum of punishment was too harsh.

Though the 262nd Law Commission Report recommended that the death penalty be abolished except in cases of ‘terrorism-related offences’, the Bill provided for the death penalty for custodial deaths.

In the Bill, the proposed registration of every complaint of torture as an FIR and blanket denial of anticipatory bail to an accused public servant was not reasonable.

The bail can be refused in appropriate cases, but excluding an investigating officer from availing such an opportunity shall be no less than putting him on the highest pedestal of mistrust.

Overall, the proposed Bill was not a reformative one. It was vague, harsh and retributive in nature.

CAT:

In 2017, the Central government admitted in the SC that it was considering the 273rd Report of the Law Commission that recommended ratificationof the U.N. Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment (CAT).

CAT was signed by India, but is yet to be ratified.

However, except for minor discrepancies, the prevalent law in India is adequateand well in tune with the provisions of CAT.

 

Root cause of the problem:

Retired Supreme Court Justice Deepak Gupta said that we first need to implement the law as we have it.

“The investigations, the prosecutions are not fair; these must be rectifiedfirst,”he said.

He exhortedthat the police need to be trained better. The temptation to use third-degree methods must be replaced with scientific skills.

Conclusion:

Thus, the need of the hour is to strike at the root cause of the problem and implement recommendations of various commissions to bring in necessary reforms.