9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – February 4th, 2023

Posted on February 4th, 2023 Last modified on February 25th, 2023 Comments

Dear Friends,

We have initiated some changes in the 9 PM Brief and other postings related to current affairs. What we sought to do:

Ensure that all relevant facts, data, and arguments from today’s newspaper are readily available to you.
We have widened the sources to provide you with content that is more than enough and adds value not just for GS but also for essay writing. Hence, the 9 PM brief now covers the following newspapers:
1. The Hindu
2. Indian Express
3. Livemint
4. Business Standard
5. Times of India
6. Down To Earth
7. PIB
We have also introduced the relevance part to every article. This ensures that you know why a particular article is important.
Since these changes are new, so initially the number of articles might increase, but they’ll go down over time.
It is our endeavor to provide you with the best content and your feedback is essential for the same. We will be anticipating your feedback and ensure the blog serves as an optimal medium of learning for all the aspirants.
- For previous editions of 9 PM Brief – Click Here
- For individual articles of 9 PM Brief– Click Here

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

There’s a lot in a name: Use of the term ‘northeast’ doesn’t do justice to the complex history of the region’s states

Source– The post is based on the article “There’s a lot in a name: Use of the term ‘northeast’ doesn’t do justice to the complex history of the region’s states” published in The Indian Express on 4th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS1- Regionalism

Relevance–

News– The article explains the issues related to use of term northeast for extreme eastern parts of country

What is the meaning of the term northeast?

It is a metaphor used to describe the complex, rich and heterogeneous area in India’s eastern extreme.

The identity of the northeast is shaped primarily by its oppositional relationship with other parts of the country. The term remains a shorthand for Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.

The “backward”, “underdeveloped”, “culturally isolated”, or “historically distant” are used to mark its distinctiveness from other parts of the country.

It is further reinforced through exclusive region-wide planning bodies, separate ministries and region-specific area studies centres.

What is the history associated with the region?

In its colonial origins, the northeast was a frontier inhabited by the wild peoples of farther India who are culturally outside Bharat.

The adoption of the term by independent India was the recognition of its conflict-mediating and order-keeping functions in a politically unsettled region. After 75 years of independence, there is no shift in our understanding of the term.

What are issues with the use of the term northeast?

There is no agreement on what unifies the constituents of the northeast. There is no single criterion of culture, language, religion, ecology, economy, or agriculture that unifies the region. Yet, it is treated as a distinctive cultural zone.

Its use has generated complex images, assumptions, beliefs and cultural justifications about the region and its peoples.

It essentializes the history and identity of the various states and their peoples. They are considered unique and incomparable.

The continued use of the term distorts its constituent states’ complex social and cultural environment and their deep historical links with other parts of the country.

It misrepresents the political, cultural and historical richness of the individual states.

GS Paper 2

Two years after Myanmar coup, how the country is a mess — and India’s headache has worsened

Source: The post is based on the article “Two years after Myanmar coup, how the country is a mess — and India’s headache has worsened” published in The Indian Express on 4^th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – International Relations

Relevance: India-Myanmar Relations

News: The article discusses the changing political scenario of Myanmar and its effect on the bilateral relations between India and Myanmar.

How did the political scenario of Myanmar change?

The Myanmar army seized power on February 1, 2021. The reason behind the coup was the fear that the party which won the election would rewrite the 2008 Constitution and move the powers of the military out of it.

Therefore, the Myanmar military overthrew the elected government and returned Myanmar from democratic state to military dictatorship.

However, the army led government/junta regime has failed to bring the country under its control.

Pro-democracy civilian resistance groups (People’s Defence Forces or PDFs) are fighting the junta and they have been joined by ethnic armed organisations (EAOs).

Furthermore, a National Unity Government comprising many of the elected parliamentarians has been lobbying foreign governments for diplomatic recognition.

The situation in Myanmar has turned violent.

How is the situation of Myanmar present concerns for foreign policy for India?

India has pursued a “dual-track policy” for over three decades with Myanmar, i.e., doing business with the junta and as well as sympathizing with the pro-democracy forces.

In the mid-1990s, Myanmar military helped India in securing the borders of its Northeastern states from Northeastern insurgencies. From that time, India has had a good relation with Myanmar military rulers.

Furthermore, India’s engagement with the junta was also seen as retaining its influence in Myanmar in the backdrop of rising threat from China.

Now, with the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, India is held between supporting pro-democratic groups and military rulers. It has its own national interest involved in it, i.e., border security management and restricting China in Myanmar.

What are other associated concerns with India?

Obstacle in cross boundary transport: PDFs control large parts of the area in the Sagaing region through which the trilateral highway passes. There have been occasions when Indian officers had to intervene with the local PDF leaders to allow project vehicles to pass.

Obstacle in developmental project: Sittwe port in Myanmar has been developed by India as part of the Kaladan project. The port was developed with the objective of India-Myanmar maritime trade and to provide alternate access to India’s landlocked north-east states.

It was said that it was ready for inauguration. However, now it seems way far.

Security concerns with the North-eastern states of India: The Myanmar coup has led the people to move out of the country. Mizoram is hosting thousands of refugees from the adjoining Chin state in Myanmar.

Moreover, the Myanmar Air Force has bombed the area on the border with Mizoram. Its effect was also seen in the state which triggered panic in the area.

Further, as per UN Office for Drugs and Crime, there has been a 33 percent spike in poppy cultivation in Myanmar. The sharpest increase has been noticed in Chin state, in an area that borders northern Mizoram and southern Manipur.

Threat to national security: The Myanmar junta has recruited Indian insurgent groups (IIGs) in regions adjoining Manipur and Nagaland to fight against the local PDFs and other groups. The group has been renamed as junta.

The People’s Liberation Army, one of the groups of IIGs, has been held responsible by India for the deadly attack on an Assam Rifles convoy.

Rohingya crisis: The Myanmar military has not been able to resolve the Rohingya crisis, which has also been the cause of regional destabiliser.

Concerns with India’s image: India describes itself as the “mother of democracy”. Its presidency of the G20 is an opportunity to project the voice of the global south. Therefore, India would be in a dilemma in supporting the type of government in Myanmar and representing its stand on it globally.

What is the way ahead for India?

Despite these concerns, India has options like it can – a) open channels to the democratic forces and to some ethnic groups; b) can work more actively with ASEAN; c) could open an army-to-army channel with the junta; d) increase people to people channels; e) offer scholarships to Myanmar students like it did for Afghan students.

On Budget 2023: Health in Amrit Kaal

Source– The post is based on the article “On Budget 2023: Health in Amrit Kaal” published in The Indian Express on 4th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Issues related to development and management of health

Relevance– Health spending

News– Recently, the central government presented the budget for this year.

The total central government budget for health will be roughly Rs 86,175 crore. It is roughly Rs 615 for every citizen.This is a 2.7% increase from the previous fiscal year.

In real terms, the central government’s health spending has declined.

What are issues with health spending in India?

A day of hospitalisation at a public hospital is estimated at Rs 2,800. At a private hospital, it is Rs 6,800. The Ministry of Health is expected to provide health services at a low budget . Therefore, the system fails the most vulnerable and they are forced to turn to the expensive private sector.

The poor, elderly and sick are already at a disadvantage. A greater proportion of disposable incomes is taken away from a poor household as compared to a non-poor one. It further broadens the gap between the two.

If a working member of the household falls sick, he must often withdraw from active employment. Their main source of income dries.

Households have to often sell or mortgage their productive assets to cover the treatment costs. This further reduces their capacity to bounce back.

According to the WHO, 55 million people fall into poverty or deeper poverty every year due to expenditures on health.

India currently spends about 3.2% of its GDP on health. This is much lower than the average health spending of the Lower and Middle Income Countries. It is around 5.2% for these countries.

The government spends about Rs 2.8 lakh crore roughly 1.1% of the GDP. In contrast, China spends 3%, Thailand 2.7%.

What is the way forward for health funding in India?

First, the National Health Mission allocates less than 3% for non-communicable diseases. In comparison, the allocation for communicable diseases is three times more and for reproductive and child health services about nine times greater.

The burden of disease from NCDs accounts for more than half of the total burden of disease. Greater focus on communicable diseases should be rebalanced now to pay attention to non-communicable diseases.

Second, public health and primary health care focus on rural areas. Urban areas have poorly developed infrastructure for primary care. Greater resources are needed to improve health here.

Third, health research has been neglected for too long. Spending Rs 20 per Indian is inconsistent with the need for innovations and technologies in the sector.

The bulk of the resources provided to the ICMR goes towards maintaining the large pool of scientists and the output is poor.

India should follow the example of countries where government-funded health research is conducted at academic institutions.

The government’s role is to make grants and not to carry out the majority of research. Competitive funding will encourage the best research.

We must find ways to both find more money for health, and also more health for the money to ensure that all Indians achieve their true potential.

Charge sheet scrutiny is not a case of prying eyes

Source– The post is based on the article “Charge sheet scrutiny is not a case of prying eyes” published in The Hindu on 4th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Functioning of judiciary

Relevance– Issues related to Criminal justice system

News– The Supreme Court has ruled that a charge sheet filed against an accused in a criminal case is not a ‘public document’ under the ambit of the Right to Information Act 2005 or the Indian Evidence Act.

What is the reasoning provided by SC in this decision?

In the Court’s view, the charge sheet is different from the FIR. It cannot be shared with anyone other than the accused and the victim. A charge sheet is a comprehensive account of the crime in question.

It has vital information such as a list of prosecution witnesses and documents in support of the investigating officer’s conclusions.

The details contained in these documents even before a trial begins would be detrimental to the accused and the victim.

What are the arguments against the decision of the SC?

The judgement seems to contradict an order passed by the Court in Youth Bar Association of India vs Union of India (2016). It directed that the FIR should be on the relevant investigating agency’s website within 24 hours of its registration.

In earlier days of the Republic, confidentiality was the tradition of the judiciary. Courts were a sacrosanct institution. The slightest criticism of judicial decisions invites contempt and punishment.

We now have a situation where judges are often criticised in the media for judicial decisions that are unconventional.

It is true that vested interests might engage in finding loopholes in the charge sheet to undermine the prosecution case.

But this should not prevent the public from access to the charge sheet before commencement of the trial. It should not be denied an opportunity to evaluate the quality of an investigation.

Critical analysis by an outsider has the potential to enhance the soundness of an investigation. It can prevent prosecution against innocent individuals.

A trial court will actually benefit from outsider scrutiny of the prosecution case if a charge sheet is made available to the public.

A chance for the public to study a charge sheet will ensure that prospects of loosely framed charge sheets will be fewer.

Pakistan Conundrum – Islamabad’s economic collapse won’t be good for India

Source: The post is based on the article “Pakistan Conundrum – Islamabad’s economic collapse won’t be good for India” published in The Times of India on 4th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – India and its neighbourhood- relations.

Relevance: About Pakistan’s economic crisis.

News: Recently, the IMF review mission rejected Pakistan’s debt management plan and demanded a steep increase in electricity tariffs to restrict subsidies. In response, Pakistan’s PM agreed to implement the harsh conditions.

What is the status of Pakistan’s economic crisis?

Pakistan is in the midst of a deep forex crisis with reserves down to just $3. 09 billion as of January 27. This can cover only 18 days of imports. Thus, Pakistan desperately needs to complete the pending ninth review of the IMF to avoid default.

Why Pakistan’s power sector is a cause of concern?

Pakistan’s power sector has a) unsustainable subsidies, b) poor transmission, c) lack of accountability, c) privatisation of the power sector led to the creation of 12 local distribution companies that mostly provided employment to military retirees, and d) The government is also paying more than Pakistani Rs 1 trillion as Tariff Differential Subsidy.

Why does India need to worry for Pakistan’s economic crisis?

Pakistan is also facing a new spate of home-grown terrorism. A total collapse of the Pakistani government could see the entire stretch from the Iran-Afghanistan border to Lahore becoming an extremist hotbed.

This will complicate India’s security challenges and lead to an even greater Af-Pak problem than the one the world has faced.

Going green – The Budget can help India transition out of its dependence on fossil fuels

Source: The post is based on the article “Going green – The Budget can help India transition out of its dependence on fossil fuels” published in The Hindu on 4th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Energy.

Relevance: About green initiatives in budget 2023-24.

News: In the recent budget highlighted the government’s commitment to move towards net-zero carbon emission by 2070.

What are the major green initiatives in budget 2023-24?

Read here: Major thrust planned for green energy

What is the rationale behind the announced green initiatives in budget 2023-24?

Inter-State transmission system for the grid integration of renewable energy from Ladakh: With its vast stretches of barren land and one of the country’s highest levels of sunlight availability, Ladakh is considered an ideal location to site photovoltaic arrays for producing a substantial capacity of solar power.

The transmission line will address the hurdle in setting up solar capacity in the region.

Viability gap funding for battery energy storage systems: Energy storage systems are crucial in power grid stabilisation and essential as India increases its reliance on alternative sources of power generation including solar and wind.

Exemption of customs duty on the import of capital goods and machinery required to manufacture lithium-ion cells: With the electric vehicle (EV) revolution poised to take off, the availability of indigenously produced lithium-ion batteries have become a necessity, especially to lower the cost of EVs.

Why India’s green initiatives in budget 2023-24 is essential?

a) India holds the key to hitting global climate change targets given its sizeable and growing energy needs, b) With the country’s population set to overtake China’s this year, India’s need for energy is set to surge exponentially, and c) The energy transition is urgent to leverage new industries, generate jobs on a sizeable scale, and add to overall economic output.

GS Paper 3

Co-ops Get Their Moment In The Sun

Source: The post is based on the article “Co-ops Get Their Moment In The Sun” published in The Times of India on 4^th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Government Budgeting

Relevance: Budget 2023-24 for the cooperative sector

News: The article discusses measures announced by this year’s budget to boost the cooperative sector.

What are some of the measures announced in the budget for cooperatives?

Decentralised storage capacity: The budget has announced setting up of massive decentralised storage capacity so that farmers can store their produce and receive remunerative prices by selling at an appropriate time. It will be the world’s largest grain storage facility.

Concessions in income tax rate: The budget has announced a concessional income tax rate of 15% for cooperatives to promote the growth of new cooperative manufacturing societies.

Increase in the limit of cash deposits and loans: The budget has increased the limit of cash deposits and loans to Rs 2 lakhs in cash provided by primary agricultural cooperative societies (PACs), primary cooperative agricultural and rural development banks.

Higher Limit for TDS: Cooperative societies has been given a higher limit of Rs 3 crore for tax deducted at source (TDS) on cash withdrawals.

Relief to sugar cooperatives: The claims for payment made to sugar farmers before the assessment year 2016-17 will now be considered an expenditure. This is expected to provide approximately Rs 10,000 crore in relief to the sugar cooperatives.

Model bye-laws: The budget also announced that model bye-laws for PACS are being formulated. It will enable them to become multipurpose cooperatives to meet the country’s diverse needs and remain financially profitable.

What are the other developments made by the government for cooperatives?

National database of cooperatives: The government is establishing a national database of cooperatives to reduce the sectoral and geographical variations.

National Cooperative Policy: A committee has been constituted by the cooperation ministry to formulate a National Cooperative Policy. It will include stakeholders’ recommendations and become a link to connect the masses with the country’s financial system.

National Cooperative University: The government is also working towards establishing a National Cooperative University to provide trained manpower to cooperatives.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU): Recently an MoU has been signed, enabling PACS to provide the services offered by the Common Service Centre.

Computerisation: The computerization of 63,000 agricultural cooperatives has also been started.

These are some of the measures taken up by the government. Further to read what are cooperatives: Click Here.

AI chatbot, my future colleague

Source– The post is based on the article “AI chatbot, my future colleague” published in The Indian Express on 4th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS3- Awareness in the field of IT and Robotics

Relevance– AI enabled technologies

News– Over the past few months, a chatty bot has become a sensation.

What is chatbot?

It is a generative AI or algorithm that can be used to make content. We can type questions on Chatbot and receive written answers.

It enables the human-machine hybrid work mode that is slowly becoming popular.

It maintains objectiveness in its response and does not have subjective biases.

What is the potential of this technology?

ChatGPT or similar AI tools are already being used by architects, lawyers and coders in their workplaces.

For architects, it can generate images of designs based on inputs. For lawyers, it creates first drafts of basic agreements. It swiftly writes simple codes for coders.

It’s also good for examinations. Recently, ChatGPT scored higher than many human candidates on an MBA exam at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

Microsoft Corp has announced that it will make a multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI. It will incorporate AI tools like ChatGPT into all its products and make them available for other businesses to build on.

Why is there a need to be cautious about the use of this technology?

It is no substitute for thoughtful and careful research. Its findings cannot be relied on to substitute the judgement of a lawyer, doctor or engineer or other professionals.

It might also start eliminating junior-level positions in fields like law, architecture, coding and research-oriented jobs.

The future of white-collar work will be impacted as AI will steadily replace them. It creates challenges for countries like India where unemployment is already high.

‘India’s much-hyped tiger recovery needs a total reboot and official monopoly over tiger research should end’

Source: The post is based on the article “‘India’s much-hyped tiger recovery needs a total reboot and official monopoly over tiger research should end’” published in The Times of India on 4th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Environment and Bio-diversity Conservation.

Relevance: About issues of tiger conservation.

News: According to a world-renowned conservation scientist, India has about 3,000 tigers, but with focused efforts based on the science of the tiger-prey relationship, India has the potential to hold 10,000-15,000 tigers in the wild.

Why man-animal conflict is a central problem in tiger conservation?

Man-animal conflict is a national problem. This is because a) competition for space is high among tigers, leading to intraspecific aggression. This causes evicted tigers to come into conflict with humans, b) India has 3. 8 lakh sq km of suitable forests but the viable breeding tiger population is concentrated only in about 50,000 sq km area.

How to address man-animal conflict to enhance tiger conservation?

State chief wildlife wardens have enormous powers under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. They need to take some hard decisions such as Tigers that predate and have lost the fear of humans should be immediately killed. This will mitigate the conflict by at least 70%.

This is because capturing tigers is not a solution as there are no places with abundant wild prey for tigers.

The role of forest bureaucracy should be only to protect tigers from people and people from tigers.

What are the other steps that have to be done for tiger conservation?

a) The government should take steps to increase prey density to more natural levels, b) National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) should remove restrictions on the tranquilising or killing of dangerous problem tigers, c) Adherence to habitat management principles should be based on solid science and not whims and fancies, d) Official monopoly over tiger research, monitoring, nature education, tourism, filmmaking, and even village relocation should end.

NTCA and India’s much-hyped tiger recovery need a total reboot. For that, a new wildlife task force with experienced officials, scientists, and enlightened political leaders needs to be set up to ensure a radical overhaul of tiger conservation.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme

Source: The post is based on the article “Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme” published in PIB on 3rd February 2023

What is the News?

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare has informed Lok Sabha about Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme(PMNDP).

What is Dialysis?

Dialysis is a procedure that removes waste and fluids from the body that the kidneys are not able to remove.

Dialysis also aims to keep the body in balance by correcting the levels of various toxic substances in the blood.

Without dialysis, all patients with complete kidney failure would die from the build-up of toxins in the bloodstream.

Types of Dialysis: There are two main types of dialysis:

Hemodialysis (HD, commonly known as blood dialysis): In HD, the blood is filtered through a machine that acts like an artificial kidney and is returned back into the body. HD needs to be performed in a designated dialysis center. It is usually needed about 3 times per week, with each episode taking about 3-4 hours.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD, commonly known as water dialysis): In PD, the blood is cleaned without being removed from the body. The abdomen sac (lining) acts as a natural filter. A solution (mainly made up of salts and sugars) is injected into the abdomen that encourages filtration such that the waste is transferred from the blood to the solution.

– There are 2 types of PD – continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and automated peritoneal dialysis(APD). CAPD needs to be done 3 to 5 times every day, but does not require a machine. APD uses an automated cycler machine to perform 3 to 5 exchanges during the night while the patient is asleep.

What is Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme(PMNDP)?

Launched in: 2016-17

Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Nodal Mission: National Health Mission(NHM)

Aim: To ensure the availability of dialysis services free of cost to Below Poverty Line(BPL) beneficiaries at the district hospitals in the country.

The guidelines for Programme envisage the provision of dialysis services in PPP (Public Private Partnership) mode.

Financing: For Below Poverty Line (BPL) economic group: 100% expenses are directly covered under NHM by the government.

For non-BPL patients: They can get treated at the district hospitals by paying the same rates as paid by the government for the BPL patient.

Govt eases rules to help disabled register vehicle

Source: The post is based on the article “Govt eases rules to help disabled register vehicle” published in The Hindu on 4th February 2023.

What is the News?

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has asked states to register vehicles owned by people with disabilities under the ownership category of ‘Divyangjan’ and extend necessary tax benefits.

Who is eligible for registering vehicles under the Divyangjan category?

Vehicles owned by people with 40% disability are eligible for registration under the ownership category of “Divyangjan”. These vehicles will be provided with necessary tax benefits such as GST and road tax benefits and exemptions such as paying toll on highways.

What are the guidelines issued regarding the registration of vehicles under the Divyangjan category?

Firstly, Persons with disabilities who own a vehicle and hire a driver can’t be deprived of getting the vehicle registration under the ‘Divyangjan’ category. This means now it is the ownership of the vehicle and not the type of vehicle that will be the deciding factor for registration under the category.

Secondly, he/she may not be able to afford a new vehicle and once he applies for registration of the vehicle in his name, it should be registered under the category of ‘Divyangjan’.

The third condition is of a vehicle owner becoming physically disabled and then applying for a change in the ownership category. In that case too, the authorities must change the category to ‘Divyangjan.

Govt. extends deadline for laggard solar scheme

Source: The post is based on the article “Govt. extends deadline for laggard solar scheme” published in The Hindu on 4th February 2023.

What is the News?

The deadline for the PM KUSUM scheme to install 30,000 MW solar power capacity in rural India by 2022 has now been pushed to March 2026.

What is Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Uttham Mahabhiyan(PM-KUSUM)?

Launched in: 2019

Nodal Ministry: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Aim: To provide energy and water security to farmers, enhance their income, de-dieselise the farm sector and reduce environmental pollution.

Components: PM-KUSUM scheme supports three different kinds of installations, known as the three components of the scheme as given below:

– Component-A: 10,000 MW of decentralized ground-mounted grid-connected renewable power plants of individual plant size up to 2 MW.

– Component-B: Installation of 20 lakh standalone solar-powered agricultural pumps.

– Component C: Solarisation of 15 lakh existing grid-connected Agriculture pumps.

Must read: Revitalising PM-KUSUM

Supreme Court eases procedures for terminally ill patients to withdraw medical treatment

Source: The post is based on the article “Supreme Court eases procedures for terminally ill patients to withdraw medical treatment” published in The Hindu on 4th February 2023.

What is the News?

The Supreme Court has modified its 2018 judgment on passive euthanasia and living wills.

What is a Living Will/advance medical directive(AMD)?

Click Here to read

What was the 2018 Supreme Court judgment on living will?

In 2018, the Supreme Court recognised and gave sanction for passive euthanasia and living will/advance directives.

In that judgment, the court had ruled that the right to life under Article 21 includes the right to live with dignity and the same includes the smoothening of the process of dying in case of a terminally ill patient or a person in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery.

The court had laid down guidelines for ‘living will’ made by terminally ill patients who beforehand know about their chances of slipping into a permanent vegetative state.

But these guidelines were challenged in the court on the ground that they were not implementable. The Supreme Court then agreed to modify its guidelines.

What are the modified guidelines issued by the Supreme Court on Living will/advance medical directive(AMD)?

The Supreme Court has modified the previous judgement to do away with the necessity of a judicial magistrate to attest or countersign a living will.

The SC said that the document will be a part of the National Health Digital Records.

At the time of its implementation, that is when the executor/person is terminally ill with no hope of cure, the treating doctor at the hospital would ascertain the genuineness of the living will, compare it with the copy in the digital health records, consult with the relatives about the option that withdrawal of care would be the “best choice”.

The hospital would then form a primary medical board with the treating doctor and two specialists who would verify the condition of the patient within 48 hours.

Then a secondary medical board would be constituted with the Chief Medical Officer of the district nominating the members. This board would again re-ascertain the patient’s condition within 48 hours and give its findings on whether or not to withdraw medical care or life support.

The hospital would then have to convey the findings of both the primary and secondary boards along with the consent of the relatives to the Judicial Magistrate before giving effect to the living will.

In case, the boards refuse to give effect to the living will, the person named in it or the treating doctor or the hospital could approach the High Court concerned. The Chief Justice of the High Court can set up an independent committee of expert medical doctors.

What happens when there is no living will?

In such cases, the treating doctor could inform the hospital, which would constitute a primary medical board.

The board would meet with the patient’s family or next friend or guardian and discuss consent. The meeting should be recorded in writing. Then the same course of action will follow.

Tihar jail to get AI-powered surveillance system

Source: The post is based on the article “Tihar jail to get AI-powered surveillance system” published in The Hindu on 4th February 2023.

What is the News?

Tihar jail is installing artificial intelligence(AI)-powered CCTV cameras to monitor inmates and fight crime.The premises will also have a real-time grievance redressal system.

What is Tihar Jail?

Tihar jail is the largest prison complex in South Asia. It is home to some of the most high-profile criminals.

Tihar jail, which has the capacity to house 5,200 inmates, has 12,762 prisoners at present across its nine central prisons.

The overcrowding has made monitoring inmates difficult. Despite advanced security surveillance, the killing of Sidhu Moosewala last year was reportedly plotted inside Tihar jail.

What are the steps being taken to address these concerns at Tihar Jail?

AI Powered CCTV Cameras: In the pilot project, 20 AI-powered cameras with built-in facial recognition will be installed. As many as 1,248 additional CCTV cameras will also be put in place.

The cameras will cover repetitive hand movements such as while assaulting another person, or hand movements suggestive of a phone call, and automatically trigger an alert to the officers. The cameras will also capture instances of inmates leaving the designated perimeter.

However, the AI-powered cameras will not be installed in jails which house only women prisoners, because of “privacy concerns”.

Grievance redressal mechanism: The mechanism has been in place for years, but the existing system is time-consuming and completely manual.

The new mechanism will address physical and mental distress calls in real-time. A PCR call-like feature set up in each ward will help respond to distress calls. Staffers will also be provided with walkie-talkies to communicate with each other.

Operation Sadbhavana in Ladakh

Source: The post is based on the article “ Operation Sadbhavana in Ladakh” published in PIB on 4th February 2023

What is the News?

The Indian Army is running Operation Sadbhavana in Ladakh.

What is Operation Sadbhavana?

Operation Sadbhavana (Goodwill) is a unique humane initiative undertaken by the Indian Army in Ladakh.

Purpose: The focus of the operation is to improve the overall core social indices of Education, Women & Youth Empowerment, and Health care with a simultaneous thrust on capacity building through the implementation of community/infrastructure development projects.

Indian Army is presently running seven (07) Army Goodwill Schools (AGS) under ‘Operation SADBHAVANA’ in Ladakh Region. More than 2,200 Students are currently studying in these schools.

What is Kargil Ignited Minds Initiative?

It is an initiative launched by the Indian Army exclusively for girl students of Kargil. It aims to prepare these students for various competitive examinations for admission into various professional colleges and institutions in India.

Government initiates various steps under National Bioenergy Programme to promote and encourage establishment of new waste to energy plants

Source: The post is based on the article “Government initiates various steps under National Bioenergy Programme to promote and encourage establishment of new waste to energy plants” published in PIB on 3rd February 2023.

WGovernment initiates various steps under National Bioenergy Programme to promote and encourage establishment of new waste to energy plantshat is the News?

The Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy has informed Lok Sabha about the National Bioenergy Programme and other initiatives.

What is the National Bioenergy Programme?

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has notified the National Bioenergy Programme in November 2022.

Duration of the scheme: FY 2021-22 to 2025-26

Sub-schemes: The programme comprises of following sub-schemes:

– Waste to Energy Programme: Under this, companies that take up production of biogas, bioCNG, and electricity from urban, industrial and agricultural waste and residues would be given central financial assistance(CFA).

– Biomass Programme: It is aimed at supporting the manufacturing of briquettes and pellets, apart from the promotion of biomass (non-bagasse) based cogeneration in industries.

– Biogas Programme to support the setting up of family and medium size Biogas in rural areas.

What is a Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation(SATAT) Initiative?

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What is the GOBAR-Dhan Scheme?

GOBAR-Dhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources- Dhan) was launched by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) in 2018 as a part of the Biodegradable Waste Management component under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) (SMB-G) to positively impact village cleanliness and generate wealth and energy from cattle and organic waste.

The main focus of the scheme is to keep villages clean, increase the income of rural households, and generate energy and organic manure from cattle waste.

Who is a ‘puisne’ judge, and what does the term mean?

Source: The post is based on the article “Who is a ‘puisne’ judge, and what does the term mean?” published in Indian Express on 4th February 2023

What is the News?

Chief Justice of India (CJI) has recently reiterated that the collegium takes into consideration the seniority of Chief Justices and senior puisne judges while deciding on recommending judges.

What does Puisne mean?

According to the dictionary, the word puisne has French origins, which means “later born” or younger.

Puisne is almost always used in the context of judges, and essentially denotes seniority of rank.

The term puisne judge is used in common law countries to refer to judges who are ranked lower in seniority, i.e., any judge other than the Chief Justice of that court.

Note: Common law is the body of law that is created by judges through their written opinions, rather than through statutes or constitutions (statutory law). The United Kingdom (UK) and the Commonwealth countries, including India, are common law countries.

About Puisne Judge in India

In India, all judges have the same judicial powers, but the Chief Justice is the senior-most judge and has an additional administrative role.

The reference to a puisne judge in India is only used while considering the order of seniority for appointments and elevations to High Courts, but it does not affect a judge’s judicial power.

Newly-discovered ancient ‘marine crocodile’ fossil could be the oldest of its kind ever found

Source: The post is based on the article “Newly-discovered ancient ‘marine crocodile’ fossil could be the oldest of its kind ever found” published in Indian Express on 4th February 2023.

What is the News?

A new study has uncovered a new thalattosuchian — an ancient ancestor of the modern-day crocodile.

What is Thalattosuchian?

Thalattosuchia is the name given to a clade of marine crocodylomorphs from the Early Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous that had a cosmopolitan distribution.

Thalattosuchians are referred to colloquially as ‘marine crocodiles’ or ‘sea crocodiles’, despite the fact they are not members of Crocodylia, but are more distantly related.

What have scientists discovered?

Scientists have discovered the fossils of Turnersuchus hingleyae. It represents the only complete Thalattosuchian of its age and dates back to the early Jurassic, Pliensbachian period, which was about 185 million years ago.

The discovery of this fossil helps fill a gap in the fossil record and suggests that Thalattosuchians and other crocodile-like animals could have originated around 15 million years farther than Turnersuchus.

Due to their relatively long, slender snouts, they would likely have looked similar to the currently living gharial crocodiles. Gharial crocodiles are usually found in the major river systems of Northern India.

Yaya Tso to become Ladakh’s first biodiversity heritage site

Source: The post is based on the article “Yaya Tso to become Ladakh’s first biodiversity heritage site” published in Livemint on 2nd February 2023.

What is the News?

Yaya Tso has been proposed as Ladakh’s first biodiversity heritage site(BHS).

What is Yaya Tso?

Yaya Tso is located in Ladakh. It is known as a birds’ paradise for its beautiful lake located at an altitude of 4,820 metres.

The lake could be reached from Mahe monastery on the way to Tsomoriri lake after driving up to the nunnery and then crossing a small mountain pass.

Significance: It is a nesting habitat for a large number of birds and animals, such as the bar-headed goose, black-necked crane and brahminy duck.

– It also has the distinction of being one of the highest breeding sites of the black-necked crane in India.

What is a Biodiversity Heritage Site(BHS)?

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What is the SECURE Himalaya Project?

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