Current Affairs 23-07-2020

PASSEX

What is in news?

Indian Naval ships conducted a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with the U.S. Navy’s USS Nimitz carrier strike group near the Andaman and Nicobar islands as it is transiting the Indian Ocean.

About:

• The maritime drill, PASSEX, aims at further enhancing interoperability between Navies of both the countries. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is on its way to be deployed in the Gulf region from the South China Sea.

• With regular large-scale exercises deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Indian Navy had conducted similar PASSEXs with Japanese and French Navy in the recent past.

Important Facts :

• The exercise comes amid a high alert by the Navy in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) due to the stand-off with China along the border in Ladakh.

• The Navy is keeping a close watch on the movement in the IOR of Chinese naval ships, whose presence has gone up considerably over the years in the name of anti-piracy patrols.

• In 2017, China opened its first overseas military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

Consumer Protection Act, 2019

What is in news?

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 came into force on 20th July 2020. This new Act will empower consumers and help them in protecting their rights through its various notified Rules and provisions.

About:

• The Act includes establishment of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) which will be empowered to conduct investigations into violations of consumer rights and institute complaints or prosecution, order recall of unsafe goods and services, order discontinuance of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements etc.

• This new Act will protect consumers rights through its 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 rules for prevention of unfair trade practice by e-commerce platforms will also be covered under this Act. 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.

Generation Unlimited India (YuWaah!)

What is in news?

Union Ministry of Youth Affairs signed a Statement of Intent with YuWaah to work in partnership to promote volunteerism among the youth of India as well as to help them transition from education and learning to productive work, skilling and being active citizens.

About:

• UNICEF had launched Generation Unlimited India (YuWaah) in November 2019.

• It is a multi-stakeholder alliance which aims to facilitate youth to gain relevant skills for productive lives and the future of work. The target age group of YuWaah includes adolescent girls and boys.

• Its key mission is to promote among youth foundational skills, life skills and flexible learning and identifying and scaling impactful delivery models.

• YuWaah intends to create platforms to guide youth to market opportunities (career guidance, mentorship, internships, apprenticeships) and facilitate integration of career guidance in school education.

ChAdOx1 nCoV-19

What is in news?

The early-stage human trial data of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University has shown positive result. It is safe and induces immune response, with mild side effects in some participants.

About:

• The vaccine - called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 - is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees.

• The recent study showed 90 percent of involved people developed neutralising antibodies and T-cells that can fight coronavirus after one dose.

How does this vaccine candidate work?

• When someone is infected with the Covid-19 virus, it spreads in the body easily because of the spikes on its surface, known as the ‘spike protein’, which allow the virus to penetrate cells and, thereafter, multiply.

• The vaccine developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca, which belongs to a category called non-replicating viral vector vaccines, tries to build the body’s immunity against this spike protein.

• The idea is to create antibodies to fight this spiked surface so that the virus does not even have the chance to penetrate the cells.

Postal Ballots

What is in news?

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

About:

• Earlier, the ECI had recommended extending the postal ballot facility to electors over 65 years as the age group had been termed most vulnerable to COVID-19.

• subsequently, the Law Ministry notified the change to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, extending the facility to electors above 65 years, as opposed to the existing provision for above 80 years.

• However, now ECI 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.

Postal voting

• What is it? Through this facility, a voter can cast her vote remotely by recording her preference on the ballot paper and sending it back to the election officer before counting.

• Legal backing: Section 60 in 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.

• Who can avail this facility? A restricted set of voters can exercise postal voting.

• Members of the armed forces like the Army, Navy and Air Force, members of the armed police force of a state (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside India and their spouses are entitled to vote only by post. Voters under preventive detention can also vote only by post.

• Special voters such as the President of India, Vice President, Governors, Union Cabinet ministers, Speaker of the House and government officers on poll duty have the option to vote by post. But they have to apply through a prescribed form to avail this facility.

• Recently, the Law Ministry, introduced a new category of ‘absentee voters’, who can now also opt for postal voting. These are voters employed in essential services and unable to cast their vote due to their service conditions. Currently, officials of the DMRC, Northern Railway Services and media persons are notified as absentee voters.

NSO Report on Immunisation among Children

What is in news?

National Statistical Office (NSO) released a report on immunisation among children. The survey was conducted during July 2017-June 2018.

About:

• Around 60% of children under five years of age were fully immunised. This includes about 59% of boys and 60% of girls across the country who had been fully immunised with all eight prescribed vaccinations — BCG, OPV- 1, 2,3, DPT- 1,2,3 and measles.

• In rural India, about 58% (57% boys and 60% girls) children under five years, and about 62% (62% boys and 61% girls) children in urban India had been fully immunised.

• Majority of the children received vaccination from government hospitals or clinics.

• About 95% of children in rural India and 86% of children in urban India had received some vaccination from government hospitals including primary and community health centres or even Anganwadi centres.

• Private sector catered to about 5% of children in rural India, though the percentage was slightly higher at 14% of children in urban India who received any vaccination.

Important Facts :

• The Intensified Mission Indradhanush, launched by PM Modi in 2017, aims to reach each and every child under two years of age and all pregnant women who have been left uncovered under the routine immunisation programme.

• The government had set a target to achieve 90% immunisation coverage this year. However, the programme has suffered a big blow due to the pandemic.

Mine plough for T-90 tanks

What is in news?

Ministry of Defence signed a Contract with Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) for procurement of 1,512 Mine Plough (MP) for Tank T-90 S/SK at cost of Rs. 557 crore.

About:

• The contract has Buy and Make (Indian) categorisation with a minimum of 50% 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. The induction of these 1,512 mine ploughs is planned to be completed by 2027.

• 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. It will also boost the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government.

ENCOUNTERS

What is in news?

The killing of gangster Vikas Dubey by the Uttar Pradesh Police has put the spotlight back on encounters or executive killings. The Supreme Court and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have framed guidelines that are to be followed in cases of custodial deaths.

NHRC guidelines:

• In 1993, the Commission had issued general guidelines that every case of custodial death must be intimated to it within 24 hours.

• If a death is prime facie found to be a case of death that took place unlawfully, the NHRC would grant compensation to the victim’s kin and penalise the errant state and its officials.

• A FIR is to be registered under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which penalises culpable homicide. The Indian Evidence Act puts the burden of proof on the defence — the police in this case — to prove that the offence was not committed.

Interventions by courts:

• In 2009, in the case of ‘Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee v. Government of Andhra Pradesh’, the Andhra Pradesh High Court made it mandatory to charge policemen with culpable homicide in every case of encounter killing.

• In 2014, in the case of ‘People’s Union for Civil Liberties & Anr vs State of Maharashtra and Ors’, the Supreme Court decided that –every custodial death would be probed by a magistrate as per Section 170 of the CrPC.

• Investigation shall be conducted by the CID or police team of another police station under the supervision of a senior officer.

Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA)

What is in news?

The Supreme Court mandated Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA) has issued a notice to the Delhi Government on an advertisement of the Delhi Government which had appeared in newspapers on the 16th July, 2020.

About:

• The front page advertisement that was published in multiple newspapers across editions on July 16, publicised performance of Delhi government schools in Class 12 board exams. The advertisement also carries a photograph and quote of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

• The committee has sought an explanation from the Delhi government within 60 days, explaining how this advertisement does not violate the Supreme Court guidelines of avoiding glorification of political personalities.

Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA)?

• Under the Supreme Court guidelines of May, 2015, “the content of government advertisements should be relevant to the governments’ constitutional and legal obligations as well as the citizens’ rights and entitlements”.

• Subsequently to Supreme Court directives of May, 2015, the Government of India in 2016 had set up a Three Member Body consisting of “persons with unimpeachable impartiality and who have excelled in their respective fields” to look into Content Regulation of Government funded advertisements in all media platforms.

• The Committee is empowered to address complaints from the general public on violation of the Supreme Court guidelines and make suitable recommendations. It can also take suo-moto cognizance of any violation of the Supreme  Court guidelines.

• Presently the CCRGA is chaired by Shri Om Prakash Rawat, former Chief Election Commissioner of India.