Current Affairs 02-07-2020

GI tag sought for Udangudi jaggery

What is in news?

GI tag sought for Udangudi jaggery ‘Udangudi panangarupatti’ is a type of jaggery produced from palmyrah palm at Udangudi in Thiruchendur region.

About :

• Udangudi panangarupatti is a type of jaggery produced from palmyrah palm at Udangudi in Thiruchendur region.
• “The field works have been completed by Mother Teresa Women’s University, Tirunelveli District Palmyrah Products Co-operative Federation, Tuticorin and the Council.
• A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place.

Indian Boilers Act 

what is in news?

At least 7 persons have been injured after a blast took place in a boiler at Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd (NLCL) in Cuddalore district

About :

• Without meticulous care, boilers are dangerous pieces of equipment.
• Highpressure and superheated steam make for a lethal combination, if their release mechanism is not kept in good order, and there is an explosion.
• For this very reason, they are regulated strictly under the Indian Boilers Act, at least on paper. The terrible consequences of lax boiler safety were evident three years ago in Rae Bareli, when a blast at an NTPC power plant killed a few dozen people.
• NLC India, a key power producer, has an obligation to present a transparent report on why its facilities are beset by mishaps.

What is boiler?

A boiler is simply an enclosed vessel which boils water and ultimately turns it into steam which is used for heating of rooms and heavy fuel oils on the ships.

The boilers are fitted with different safeties as the steam pressure is upto 8 bars in most cases.

Boiler are of two types:

• WTB (Water tube Boiler) or High pressure boiler : vessel that are steam driven (steam turbine) or Tanker fitted with IGG (inert gas generator)
• STB (Smoke tube Boiler) or donkey boiler : These are fitted on vessel with Internal Combustion Engine,and maybe used for COPT(Cargo Oil Pump Turbine)
• On board a vessel, STB or WTB may be used as per the requirement.

The Indian Boilers Act-1923:

The Indian Boilers Act-1923 was enacted with the objective to provide mainly for the safety of life and Property of persons from the danger of explosions of steam boilers and for achieving uniformity in registration and inspection during operation and maintenance of boilers in India.

Salient features:

• Every boiler owner is required to make an application to the Chief Inspector of Boilers for the inspection of the boiler along with the treasury challan of the requisite fees as per requirements of Indian Boilers Act-1923.
• Under Indian Boilers Act-1923 Indian Boilers Regulation-1950 has been framed. This Regulation deals with the materials, procedure & inspection techniques to be adopted for the manufacture of boilers & boiler mountings & fittings.
• The boiler is inspected by the Inspectorate as per the procedure laid under IBR -1950 and if found satisfactory, a Certificate is issued for operation for a maximum period of 12 months.
• The boilers which are not found satisfactory during the inspection are repaired as per the procedure laid under Indian Boilers Regulation-1950 & are re-inspected as explained above.
• The Boilers which are transferred to NCT of Delhi are also inspected in the similar fashion after their records are obtained from the parent state.
• The Boilers are also casually visited by the Inspectorate from time to time to check the validity of their certificates, safe and efficient operation.

Custodial Death :

what is in news?

CBCID had commenced investigation in the morning into the custodial deaths of Sattankulam businessmen Jayaraj and his son Benicks.

About :

• According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, between 2001 and 2018, only 26 policemen were convicted of custodial violence despite 1,727 such deaths being recorded in India.
• Only 4.3% of the 70 deaths in 2018 were attributed to injuries during custody due to physical assault by police.
• Except in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, no policeman was convicted for such deaths across the country.
• Apart from custodial deaths, more than 2,000 human rights violation cases were also recorded against the police between 2000 and 2018. And only 344 policemen were convicted in those cases.
• Reasons for Low Conviction: Most of custodial deaths were attributed to reasons other than custodial torture, which included suicide and death in hospitals during treatment.

Constitutional and Legal Provisions:

• Protection from torture is a fundamental right enshrined under Article 21 (Right to Life) of the Indian constitution.
• The right to counsel is also a fundamental right under Article 22(1) of the India constitution.
• Section 41 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) was amended in 2009 to include safeguards under 41A, 41B, 41C and 41D, so that arrests and detentions for interrogation have reasonable grounds and documented procedures, arrests are made transparent to family, friends and public, and there is protection through legal representation.

SPG Protection:

what is in news?

• Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was asked to vacate the government accommodation allotted to her in 1997 within one month, as the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry cancelled the allotment.
• Consequent upon withdrawal of SPG protection and grant of Z+ security cover by Ministry of Home Affairs, which does not have provision for allotment/retention of government accommodation on security grounds

Background :

• The SPG was raised in 1985 with the intention to provide proximate security cover to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their immediate family members.
• It was created after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Parliament passed the SPG Act (1988) dedicating the group to protecting the Prime Ministers of India.
• After Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination (1991), the SPG Act was amended, offering SPG protection to all former Prime Ministers and their families for a period of at least 10 years.

Categories of security:

• Besides the SPG, VIPs in India are protected by other security forces as well. The levels of security cover are determined by the threat perception around the individual.
• The highest level of security cover is the Z-plus category, followed by Z, Y, and X categories.
• The higher the level of cover, the larger the number of personnel protecting the individual.
• Roughly 24-36 personnel with automatic weapons are deployed for Z-plus category protectees and 16-20 personnel guard Z-category protectees.
• The elite ‘Black Cat’ commandos of the NSG are deployed to protect VIPs for whom the threat perception is the highest.

Postal ballot plan :

What is in news?

The Election Commission of India said  that political parties had been consulted on its decision to extend postal ballot to more categories of voters.

About :

• The Representation of the People Act, 1951 provides for any person to be given the postal facility by the ECI in consultation with the government.
• The ECI had recommended that three categories of electors – those 80 years and above, persons with disabilities, and essential services workers – be given the facility.
• ECI rolled it out as a pilot in seven constituencies in the Jharkhand elections last year.

Background:

• On October 22, the Law Ministry amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to extend the facility of postal ballots to people who are unable to cast their vote because of service conditions.
• The amendment comes after the EC wrote to the Law Ministry two months ago proposing that voters on duty in fields such as aviation, shipping, Railways, emergency services, those employed in long-distance road transport, the elderly, the physically-challenged, and journalists covering elections should be allowed to vote by postal ballot in upcoming Assembly elections.

Important facts:

• A concept of ‘absentee voter’ has been introduced and defined for the elections.
• People under the new category can choose to vote through postal ballot by filling up Form 12D and submitting it to the nodal officer within five days of notification of an election.
• These votes will be registered at a special centre specified by the Election Commission (EC).
• Definition- absentee voter: An absentee voter is someone who is employed in “essential services”. The EC will notify which jobs and professions are covered under “essential services” after consulting the government.

Striped hairstreak; Elusive prince

What is in news?

Lepidopterists have discovered two species of butterflies – the Striped Hairstreak and Elusive Prince – in Arunachal Pradesh.

About:

• The Striped Hairstreak (Yamamotozephyrus kwangtugenesis) was located in Vijaynagar bordering Myanmar. It was first recorded by Japanese entomologists in Hainan province of China.
• The Elusive Prince (Rohana tonkiniana) was found in Miao on the periphery of the Namdapha National Park. It has a Vietnamese connection and was thought to be the more familiar Black Prince found in the Eastern Himalayas.
• India now has 1,327 species of butterflies, up from 1,318 in 2015.
• The recording of the two butterflies follows the “rediscovery” of the Assam Keelback, a non-venomous snake from the Gelling area of Arunachal Pradesh after 129 years.

Assam keelback

What is in news?

Assam keelback has recently been rediscovered after 129 years in Arunachal Pradesh.

 About:

• Scientific Name: Herpetoreas pealii.
• Common Name: Assam keelback; Peal's keelback.
• It is a species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae.
• The species is endemic to Northeast India. It has been recorded from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
• The species is small — about 60 cm long, brownish, with a patterned belly.
• It was discovered 129 years ago in 1891 by Samuel Edward Peal, a British tea planter based in Upper Assam.

Advanced virology lab for covid-19 testing

What is in news?

The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, has established an Advanced Virology Lab for testing COVID-19.

About:

• The facility has been developed based on the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• The Advanced Virology Lab is a Bio Safety Level- 3 facility.
• It has a “Negative Pressure”, which means it has a suction facility that can suck any aerosol and pass it through filters. It can filter virus or bacteria to make it a safe COVID-19 testing facility. It reduces the possibilities of infections at the culture facilities.