21 DECEMBER 2021 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS CAPF AFCAT NDA SSB

1. BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM (BESS)

Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has awarded a contract for setting up a 100 MW (AC) solar with 40 MW/120 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project to be set up at Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh.

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The project, with one of the largest grid-connected BESS projects in the country, will demonstrate how, by using a large battery storage system like BESS, solar power can be used to provide clean solar energy during evening peak hours.
The contract has been awarded to M/s Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd.
The project, supported by the World Bank, SECI’s internal resources & domestic loans, is key to a line of innovative Renewable Energy (RE) projects planned by SECI.

Important Info :

Key facts

Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is a Schedule-A CPSU under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
It is engaged in promoting and development various RE resources, especially solar and wind energy, RE-based storage systems, floating solar, trading of power, consultancy as well as emerging areas such as green Hydrogen, green Ammonia, Waste to Energy, RE-powered electric vehicles, etc.

Source : PIB

2. SACRILEGE IN SIKHISM

The debate about sacrilege in Sikhism — and what the appropriate punishment for such conduct is — has heated up again after some incidents in the past few years.

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The lynching of a man Saturday for allegedly trying to desecrate the Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden Temple adds to what has been a long-simmering controversy.
The concept of beadbi or sacrilege in Sikhism emanates largely from the fact that Sikhs consider the Guru Granth Sahib to be a living Guru.
For all incidents of sacrilege in Punjab, police invoke Sections 295 and 295A of the IPC. The punishment is two years’ imprisonment in the case of Section 295, which involves destruction, damage to or defiling of a “place of worship”, or “any object held sacred”.
Section 295A provides for three years of imprisonment for the “deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens”.

Important Info :

Amendments

In the wake of criticism for the sacrilege incidents of 2015, the then Akali-BJP government passed a bill in the state assembly that amended the IPC. This amendment added Section 295AA, which would invite life imprisonment for sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib.
But the bill did not receive the assent of the President and was returned by the Union Home Ministry on the grounds that it was against the secular spirit of the Constitution of India.
In 2018, when Captain Amarinder Singh was chief minister, the amendment was again passed by the assembly, and it covered holy books of all religions, to tide over the objection raised by the home ministry. But this bill, too, was never enacted.

Source: The Hindu

3. SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND SERVICE DELIVERY PROGRAM

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 17th December 2021 signed a $350 million policy-based loan to improve access to urban services in India by accelerating policy actions and reforms to enhance service delivery and promote performance-based central fiscal transfers to urban local bodies (ULBs).

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The first subprogram under Sustainable Urban Development and Service Delivery Program will establish essential policies and guidelines for urban reforms at the national level followed by specific reform actions and program proposals at the state and ULB-level under second subprogram.
ADB will provide knowledge and advisory support to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in program implementation, including monitoring and evaluation.

Source: PIB

4. RAINWATER HARVESTING

Minister of State for Jal Shakti informed Rajya Sabha about the Rain Water Harvesting.

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Though Water is a State subject, Central Government has taken a number of important measures for implementation of rain water harvesting through scientific manner including watershed principles in the country.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has formulated guidelines for the States to adopt measures suitable to local conditions, such as Unified Building Bye Laws (UBBL) of Delhi, 2016, Model Building Bye Laws (MBBL), 2016 and Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines, 2014.
Under them, adequate focus has been given on requirement of rainwater harvesting and water conservation measures.
In addition, a number of States have done notable work in the field of water conservation/harvesting such as
- ‘Mukhyamantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan’ in Rajasthan,
- ‘Jalyukt Shibar’ in Maharashtra, ‘Sujalam Sufalam Abhiyan’ in Gujarat,
- ‘Mission Kakatiya’ in Telangana,
- NeeruChettu’ in Andhra Pradesh,
- Jal Jeevan Hariyali in Bihar,
- ‘Jal Hi Jeevan’ in Haryana, and
- Kudimaramath scheme in Tamil Nadu.

Source: PIB

5. MULTI STATE COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES (MSCS) ACT, 2002

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah announced that the Centre has decided to amend the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002 to “plug the loopholes in the Act”.

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There are many Cooperatives societies such as those for sugar and milk, banks, milk unions etc whose members and areas of operation are spread across more than one state. The Act was passed to govern such cooperatives.
Since the law was enacted, 1,479 such societies have been registered, of which 9 have been deregistered since. Maharashtra has the highest number at 567, followed by Uttar Pradesh (147) and New Delhi (133).
Credit societies constitute the bulk of registered societies at 610, followed by agro-based ones (which include sugar mills, spinning mills etc) at 244. There are 96 multistate cooperative dairies and 66 multistate cooperative banks.
Why does the government plan to amend the Act? There is an apparent lack of day-to-day government control on such societies. Unlike state cooperatives, which have to submit multiple reports to the state registrar, multistate cooperatives need not.

Source: Indian Express

6. FUGITIVE ECONOMIC OFFENDERS

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Lok Sabha that banks have recovered ₹13,109.17 crores by selling the assets of fugitives like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, and Mehul Choksi.

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Talking about the recovery of ₹13,109.17 crore from the sale of assets of wilful defaulters, who have now fled the country, the Finance Minister said ₹792 crore were earned from the sale of assets belonging to Mr. Mallya and others on July 16, 2021.
The Minister’s comments came during her reply to a discussion on the second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants which was passed by the Lok Sabha by a voice vote.
The discussion on the Supplementary Demands for Grants, authorising the government to spend an additional ₹3.73 lakh crore during the current fiscal, concluded last week.

Important Info :

Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA) became a law on July 31, 2018.
Objectives:
- To deter economic offenders from avoiding the process of Indian law by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts.
- To ensure that fugitive economic offenders return to India to face the action in accordance with law.
Defining Fugitive economic offender (FEO): FEO is defined as an individual
- who has committed offences involving an amount of 100 crore rupees or more and
- has ran away from India to avoid criminal prosecution.
Special Court: A special court will be established under the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 to declare a person as a Fugitive Economic Offender.
Attachment of property: Special courts can direct the Central government to seize assets of fugitive economic offender including those that are proceeds of the crime.
Appeal: Appeals against the orders of the special court will lie before the High Court.

Source: The Hindu

7. JAMMU AND KASHMIR DELIMITATION COMMISSION

The Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission has proposed to increase six seats for the Jammu division and one for the Kashmir division, besides reserving 16 seats for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled Tribes in the Union Territory.

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The Kashmir division currently has 46 seats and Jammu 37. The commission is headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (retd.).
The commission has not specified the districts where the SC and ST seats would be reserved.
It said that the 2011 census was the basis for carving out the new seats. According to the census, the population of the Kashmir division was 68.8 lakh and Jammu 53.5 lakh.
The draft proposal added that nine seats would be reserved for the Scheduled Tribes and seven for the Scheduled Castes. Jammu and Kashmir will now have a 90-member Legislative Assembly, up from the 87 prior to the Centre’s decision to end the special constitutional position of the erstwhile State.
This has triggered sharp reactions from the regional parties. There is already a Supreme Court ruling granting a status quo regarding delimitation, if the commission prepares the draft based on 2011 census. It will be unconstitutional.

Source: The Hindu

8. CENSORSHIP IN UAE

United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that it will end censorship of films that are released in cinemas, a decision that is being interpreted as the Gulf country’s effort to become competitive in the region and importantly, appear broad-minded and liberal to foreigners.

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According to IGN Middle East, recently, the Adam Driver and Lady Gaga starrer ‘House of Gucci’ received numerous cuts due to its sexual content, while the release of Marvel Studios’s ‘Eternals’ was delayed for similar reasons.
The move to stop censoring is important for the country as it tries to diversify its economy by reducing dependence on oil, and attracting foreign investment.
Recently, it has also carried out some social or “secular-leaning reforms” which include decriminalising the consumption of alcohol and allowing out-of-marriage cohabitation.
Earlier this month, the country announced that government offices will be adapting to a four-and-a-half workday week, which will treat Saturdays and Sundays as weekends from 2022, an attempt to align with typical western work weeks.

Source: Indian Express

9. GABRIEL BORIC

Leftist former student leader, 35-year-old Gabriel Boric, will become Chile’s youngest president and one of the youngest political leaders in the world. Boric won with 56% of the votes, while his opponent 55-year-old José Antonio Kast trailed with 44% of the votes.

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These elections have been one of the most polarised in Chile’s history and there have been several socio-political and economic factors that have contributed to it.
The elections were preceded by the nationwide protests that started in 2019 as massive riots in the capital Santiago, in response to the rise in the city’s subway fare. It later spread across the country and grew to include anger towards rising inequality, privatisation and increasing cost of living.

Source: Indian Express

10. SKILL DEVELOPMENT OF UNEMPLOYED YOUTH

Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship informed Lok Sabha about various initiatives to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on skill development training.

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Ministry has implemented special programme for training of reverse Shramik (migrant) impacted from COVID-19 under its flagship scheme PMKVY. This component has covered 116 districts of 6 States, namely, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh selected under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan (GKRA) of Ministry of Rural Development.
Ministry is implementing special programme, 'Customized Crash Course Programme for COVID Warriors' with the aim to train about one lakh COVID warriors in six healthcare-related job roles.
On-line skill training has been introduced in both short term and long-term skilling ecosystem. On-line short-term training is being imparted through eSkill India portal and long-term training through the Bharat Skill portal.

Source : PIB

21 DECEMBER 2021 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS CAPF AFCAT NDA SSB

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