Daily Current Affairs for 03th Jan 2023

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GS PAPER: III

India is now part of world’s largest radio telescope project

Why in the news?

  • Even as ISRO  launched a unique observatory to study X-rays and black holes in deep space and the stage is being set to construct the third node of the LIGO in Maharashtra, scientists in India will now also be part of the international mega-science project, the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) that will function as the world’s largest radio telescope.

Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) & India

  • The SKAO is not a single telescope but an array of thousands of antennas, to be installed in remote radio-quiet locations in South Africa and Australia, that will operate as one large unit meant to observe and study celestial phenomena.
  • India, through the Pune-based National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) and some other institutions, has been involved in the development of SKA since its inception in the 1990s.
  • Considering the multinational collaboration, SKAO was established as an intergovernmental organisation in 2021 following years of negotiation in which India, too, participated.

How countries can join SKAO?

  • Countries have to sign, and ratify, the SKAO convention to formally become members. The Government’s approval for joining the project, with a financial sanction of Rs 1,250 crore, is the first step towards the ratification.
  • The approval, which the Department of Atomic Energy announced in its 2023 year-ending note, comes weeks after India gave its go-ahead to construct the third node of the US-based Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) in Hingoli district of Maharashtra.

Research filed of SKOA

  • Gravitational wave research is one of most promising fields for scientific discovery. The first detection of gravitational waves by the two existing LIGO detectors in the US won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017.
  • The SKA will also search for gravitational waves but is meant to study a range of phenomena being able to peer much deeper into the universe — more than 3,000 trillion km — to study galaxies and stars in greater detail.
  • These are aimed at advancing the scope of astronomical observations for improving the overall understanding of the universe and its evolution.

Contribution of India

  • India’s main contribution to the SKA is in the development, and operation, of the Telescope Manager element, the “neural network” or the software that will make the telescope work.
  • NCRA, a unit of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, which operates India’s largest network of radio telescopes called the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) near Pune, led an international team from nine institutions and seven countries to develop the software.
  • It is the success of building and operating GMRT that landed NCRA this responsibility with the SKA.
  • The SKA-India consortium comprises engineers and scientists from over 20 national-level research institutions which include: NCRA; Aryabhatta Institute of Observational Sciences; Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, IIT-Kharagpur; IISER, Mohali and Thiruvananthapuram; TIFR; Raman Research Institute; Indian Institute of Science and Physical Research Laboratory.
  • Some of the countries taking part in building the SKA include the UK, Australia, South Africa, Canada, China, France, India, Italy and Germany.

About GMRT

  • GMRT is the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope operating within the 110-1,460 MegaHertz frequency range. This unique telescope has, so far, yielded remarkable scientific results after studying pulsars, supernovae, quasars, galaxies and its observation time has always remained oversubscribed.
  • In 2021, GMRT became only the third in India to be recognised with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Milestone facility.
  • In June last year, GMRT was among the six top radio telescopes used to enable the detection of the nano-hertz gravitational waves for the first time.

 

GS PAPER – II

Designated Terrorist

Why in the news?

  • Gangster Goldy Brar, the mastermind behind the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, was declared a designated terrorist by the Centre under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
  • Amendments introduced in 2019 brought in provisions by which the Centre can declare individuals — not only organisations — as designated terrorists. 

Who is a “terrorist”?

  • The words “terror” or “terrorist” are not defined, but the UAPA defines a “terrorist act” as any act committed with intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, security, economic security, or sovereignty of India or with intent to strike terror or likely to strike terror in the people or any section of the people in India or in any foreign country. While the original Act dealt with “unlawful” acts related to secession; anti-terror provisions were introduced in 2004.
  • The 2019 Bill sought to empower the central government to designate an individual a “terrorist” if they are found committing, preparing for, promoting, or involved in an act of terror. A similar provision already existed in Part 4 and 6 of the legislation for organisations that can be designated as a “terrorist organisation”.

How individuals are declared terrorists?

  • The central government may designate an individual as a terrorist through a notification in the official gazette, and add his name to the Fourth Schedule to the UAPA. The government is not required to give an individual an opportunity to be heard before such a designation.
  • At present, in line with the legal presumption of an individual being innocent until proven guilty, an individual who is convicted in a terror case is legally referred to as a terrorist, while those suspected of being involved in terrorist activities are referred to as terror accused. The 2019 amendment did not clarify the standard of proof required to establish that an individual is involved, or is likely to be involved, in terrorist activities.

What happens when an individual is declared a terrorist?

  • The designation of an individual as a global terrorist by the United Nations is associated with sanctions including travel bans, freezing of assets and an embargo against procuring arms. The 2019 amendment, however, did not provide any such detail.
  • The amendment also gave the Centre the power to remove a name from the schedule when an individual makes an application. If an application filed by an individual declared a terrorist is rejected by the government, they have the right to seek a review within one month after the application is rejected.
  • Under the amendment, the central government set up a review committee comprising a chairperson (a retired or sitting judge of a High Court) and three other members. The review committee will be empowered to order the government to delete the name of the individual from the schedule that lists “terrorists”, if it considers the order to be flawed.
  • Apart from these two avenues, the individual can also move the courts challenging the government’s order.

 

GS PAPER – II

Hit and run law

Why in news?

  • Transporters across the country struck work to protest the increase in punishment in hit and run case in the yet to be implemented Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.
  • The union ministry of home affairs convened a meeting with the All-India motor transport congress.
  • The government clarified that the new laws have not been implemented yet and will be only implemented after consultation with AITMC.

What is the new law and protest about?

  • The truck drivers have announced a strike against the increase in punishment in hit and run case.
  • The new provisions prescribe jail term of up to 10 years or rs7 lakh fine if truck drivers flee an accident spot or fail to report the incident to the authorities.
  • In the erstwhile Indian penal code, the punishment for the offense was 2 years of punishment.
  • Transporters including bus and taxi unions had called a nationwide strike from January 1 to January 30 to protest section 106 of the BNS.

What is government stand as of now?

  • Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla said that they had discussion with All India motor Transport congress representatives.
  • He said that new rule has not been implemented yet.
  • Before implementing Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 106/2 government will discuss with All India motor transport congress representative.

Impact of the protest?

  • It led to chaos in several states as people indulged in panic buying fearing g drying up of stocks.
  • Many petrol pumps ran out of fuel across the country as people queued up to get fuel supplies amid uncertainty.

 

GS PAPER – III

Free movement regime at Myanmar border

Why in news?

  • The union government is all set to scrap the free movement regime along the Myanmar border.

What is free movement regime?

  • Under the FMR every member of hill tribes who is either citizen of India or citizen of Myanmar and who resides with a 16km on either side of border can cross the border.
  • They only need a border pass, usually valid for a year and can stay for up to two weeks.

What is the recent change?

  • People living in border areas, who could cross over to India will soon require visas.
  • India and Myanmar shared an unfenced border, and people of either side have familial and ethnic ties, which prompted the arrangements in 1970, s.
  • It was last revised in 2016.
  • The official said that around 300 km of border will be fenced and a tender will be issued in next few days.

Why this change is brought?

  • Manipur government has suspended the FMR since 2020.
  • They also urged Indian home ministry of home affairs cancel the FMR along the India Myanmar border and complete its fencing.
  • He attributed the ongoing ethnic violence in the state to free movement of people from across the border.
  • Migrant influx had also increased in region after military coup in Myanmar, as there was influx of undocumented migrants.

Geographical location of Myanmar

  • India shares a 1,643 km long border with Myanmar which passes through the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram.

https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.pIhErcnXmMXKyoGm7zFwZAHaFP&pid=Api&P=0&h=220

 

GS PAPER – III

CAA to be notified before LS polls announcement

Why in news?

Rules for citizenship act, the bill for which was cleared by parliament in December 2019 will be notified much before the announcement of the Lok Sabah elections.

What is CAA?

  • The Act seeks to amend the definition of illegal immigrant for Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist, Jains and Christian (but not Muslim) immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have lived in India without documentation.
  • They will be granted fast track Indian citizenship in 5 years (11 years earlier).
  • The Act (which amends the Citizenship Act 1955) also provides for cancellation of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration where the OCI card-holder has violated any provision of the Citizenship Act or any other law in force.

Who is eligible?

  • The CAA 2019 applies to those who were forced or compelled to seek shelter in India due to persecution on the ground of religion. It aims to protect such people from proceedings of illegal migration.
  • The cut-off date for citizenship is December 31, 2014, which means the applicant should have entered India on or before that date.
  • The act will not apply to areas covered by the Constitution’s sixth schedule, which deals with autonomous tribal-dominated regions in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
  • Additionally, the act will not apply to states that have an inner-line permit regime (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram).
  • Implementation of the law: The rules for implementation of the Act were never notified (and that is why the law can’t be implemented) and the government sought repeated extensions for framing the rules.

Reason for delay in implementation

  • Soon after the passage of law, widespread protest broke out across the country.
  • The rules for implementation of the act were notified and the government sought repeated extension for framing the rules.
  • Eight extensions later the government is ready with the rules necessary for implementation.
  • Sources told that rules are now ready and the online portal is also in place.

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