25 JUNE 2021 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1.UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES PREVENTION ACT (UAPA)

The Delhi High Court granted bail to Jawaharlal Nehru University students Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal and Jamia Millia Islamia student Asif Iqbal Tanha, arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the northeast Delhi riots in 2020.

About:

• Notwithstanding the fact that the definition of ‘terrorist act’ in Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) is “wide and even somewhat vague”, the phrase ‘terrorist act’ cannot be permitted to be casually applied to criminal acts that fall squarely within the definition of conventional offences, the Delhi High Court remarked.
• It said the word ‘terrorism’ or ‘terror’ has nowhere been defined in the UAPA. Hence, the court must be careful in employing the definitional words and phrases used in section 15 (of the UAPA that defines ‘terrorist act'). 

Important Info :

• UAPA
• The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) was enacted in 1967.
• Section 15 of the UAPA defines “terrorist act” and is punishable with imprisonment for a term of at least five years to life. In case the terrorist act results in death, the punishment is death or imprisonment for life.
• The 2004 amendment was to ban organisations for terrorist activities, under which 34 outfits, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad, were banned.
• The 2019 amendment gave the Home Ministry the power to designate individuals as terrorists.
• In September 2019, the four individuals to be first designated as terrorists were JeM chief Masood Azhar, LeT’s Hafiz Saeed, his deputy Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who planned and executed the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. 

Source : The Hindu

2.ANNUAL REVIEW OF STATE LAWS 2020

The study report, “Annual Review of State Laws 2020,” which covered 19 States was released by the PRS Legislative Research (“PRS”), a New Delhi-based think tank.

Sitting days

• The Karnataka legislature, which is bicameral, met on 31 days last year, the highest for any State in 2020.
• It was followed by Rajasthan (29 days) and Himachal Pradesh (25 days).
• For comparison, Parliament met for 33 days last year.
• In 2020, the average number of sitting days for the 19 States was 18, which was 11 less than the four-year (2016-19) average of 29.
• Number of bills
• As for the number of Bills passed last year, Karnataka again topped the list with 61 Bills, followed by Tamil Nadu (42) and Uttar Pradesh (37). For this purpose, Appropriation Bills were excluded.
• Among poor performers under this category, Delhi passed only one Bill; West Bengal passed two Bills, and Kerala three Bills.

Important Info :

• Duration of time taken to pass Bills
• On the duration of time taken to pass Bills, the previous year saw 59% of the Bills being passed by the legislature of the States on the day of introduction.
• A further 14% was adopted within a day of being introduced.
• Only 9% of the Bills was passed more than five days after introduction, some of which were referred to committees for further examination.

Source : The Hindu

3.NATIONAL PORTAL FOR TRANSGENDER PERSONS

Just over six months after it was launched, the Centre’s national portal for issuing certificates of identity to transgender persons has issued 1,557 certificates as of June 16, 2021, according to Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry data.

About:

• In November 2020, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment launched a ‘National Portal for Transgender Persons’.
• It has been developed within 2 months of Notification of Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020 on 29 September, 2020.
• This Portal would help a transgender person in applying for a Certificate and Identity card digitally from anywhere in the country.
• The most important benefit is that it helps the transgender person to get the I-Card without any physical interface and without having to visit any office. Through the Portal, they can monitor the status of their application that ensures transparency in the process.
• Getting Transgender Certificate and Identity Cards as per their self-perceived identity is an important provision of The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. 

Source : The Hindu

4.INLAND VESSELS BILL, 2021

The Union Cabinet gave the nod to the Inland Vessels Bill, 2021.

About:

• It will replace the Inland Vessels Act, 1917.
• The Bill will regulate safety, security and registration of inland vessels.
• A key feature of the Bill is a unified law for the entire country, instead of separate rules framed by the States.
• The Bill provides for a central data base for recording the details of vessel, vessel registration, crew on an electronic portal.
• It requires all mechanically propelled vessels to be mandatorily registered. All non-mechanically propelled vessels will also have to be enrolled at district, taluk or panchayat or village level.
• The certificate of registration granted under the proposed law will be deemed to be valid in all States and Union Territories, and there will be no need to seek separate permissions from the States. 

Source : The Hindu

5.RICE BRAN OIL

Department of Food and Public Distribution E-launched “NAFED Fortified Rice Bran Oil”.

About:

• Rice bran oil is the oil extracted from the hard outer brown layer of rice called chaff (rice husk). It is known for its high smoke point of 232 °C (450 °F) making it suitable for high-temperature cooking methods such as stir frying and deep frying.
• Rice bran oil has a composition similar to that of peanut oil.
• Rice Bran oil has multiple health benefits, including lowering cholesterol level due to its low trans-fat content and high mono unsaturated and poly unsaturated fat contents. It also acts as a booster and reduces the risk of cancer due to the high amount of Vitamin E it contains.
• This oil is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the best substitutes for other edible oils.

Important Info :

• NAFED
• National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) is an apex organization of marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce in India.
• It was founded on 2 October 1958.
• It is registered under Multi State Co-operative Societies Act.
• It is Headquartered in New Delhi.

Source : PIB

6.REGULATION OF MICROFINANCE

Reserve Bank of India has released a Consultative Document on Regulation of Microfinance. It has been released for harmonising the regulatory frameworks for various regulated lenders in the microfinance space.

The key proposals of the Consultative Document are enumerated below:

• A common definition of microfinance loans for all regulated entities.
• Capping the outflow on account of repayment of loan obligations of a household to a percentage of the household income.
• A Board approved policy for household income assessment.
• No pre-payment penalty; no requirement of collateral; and greater flexibility of repayment frequency for all microfinance loans.
• Alignment of pricing guidelines for NBFC-MFIs with guidelines for NBFCs.
• Introduction of a standard simplified fact sheet on pricing of microfinance loans for better transparency.
• Display of minimum, maximum and average interest rates charged on microfinance loans on the websites of regulated entities.

Important Info :

• Background
• Taking into consideration the constantly evolving milieu in the financial sector, it is proposed to review the regulatory framework for Non-Banking Financial Company - Micro Finance Institutions (NBFC-MFIs).
• There is a case for having a framework which is uniformly applicable to all regulated lenders in the microfinance space including scheduled commercial banks, small finance banks and NBFC-Investment and Credit Companies, rather than prescribing these guidelines for NBFC-MFIs alone.

Source : Business Standard

7.SIMHACHALAM TEMPLE

The High Court of Andhra Pradesh struck down G.O. Ms. Nos 72 and 74, through which Sanchaita Gajapathi Raju was appointed as the hereditary trustee/chairperson of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Vari Devasthanam at Simhachalam and ordered that P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju be reinstated as its chairman.

About:

• Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple, Simhachalam is a Hindu temple situated on the Simhachalam Hill Range, which is 300 metres above the sea level in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It is dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped there as Varaha Narasimha. As per the temple's legend, Vishnu manifested in this form (lion's head and human body) after saving his devotee Prahlada from a murder attempt by the latter's father Hiranyakashipu.
• Simhachalam temple resembles a fortress from outside with three outer courtyards and five gateways. The architecture is a mixture of the styles of the Kalinga Architecture, Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, and the Cholas.
• The temple faces west instead of east, signifying victory.
• Simhachalam is the second-largest temple, after Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh, in terms of income earned.

Source : The Hindu

8.FUTURISTIC INFANTRY COMBAT VEHICLES (FICVs)

The Indian Army has issued a tender, or a Request For Information (RFI), for the procurement of 1,750 Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICVs) to replace the Russian-origin infantry vehicles in service.

About:

• This is the Army’s third attempt for the procurement of a new infantry vehicle.
• According to the RFI, the FICVs would be employed for cross-country operations, including amphibious operations in plain and desert terrain along the Western borders and high altitudes, up to 5,000 m, and mountain terrain along the northern borders in eastern Ladakh, the central sector and north Sikkim. They would replace the 1980s vintage Russian-origin BMP-2.
• Based on the responses to the RFI, the Army would finalise the specifications and also decide the procurement category.
• The main operational tasks that would have to performed by the FICV include destroying enemy tanks, armoured personnel carriers, combat vehicles, low-flying helicopters and other ground-based weapon platforms and positions. 

Source : The Hindu

9.DAWKI

The felling of several iconic pine trees for widening a road in Meghalaya capital Shillong has triggered outrage, forcing the State government to intervene.

About:

• Green activists said the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) took advantage of the COVID-19 lockdown to chop the pine trees locals were attached to.
• But the government swung into action on June 23 after photos and videos of the logs lying beside the road from the town’s Rilbong Bridge to Upper Shillong went viral.
• This stretch of the road is part of the 71 km Shillong-Dawki four-lane project estimated to cost ₹1,251 crore.
• Dawki, a town in West Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya, is a trade point on the border with Bangladesh.

Source : The Hindu

10.DELIMITATION IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR

PM Modi backs delimitation exercise and grassroots democracy in J&K.

About:

• Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of an Assembly or Lok Sabha seat to represent changes in population over time.
• This exercise is carried out by a Delimitation Commission, whose orders have the force of law and cannot be questioned before any court.
• The objective is to redraw boundaries (based on the data of the last Census) in a way so that the population of all seats, as far as practicable, be the same throughout the State. Aside from changing the limits of a constituency, the process may result in change in the number of seats in a state.

Important Info :

• How often has delimitation been carried out in J&K?
• Delimitation exercises in J&K in the past have been slightly different from those in the rest of the country because of the region’s special status — which was scrapped by the Centre in August 2019.
• Until then, delimitation of Lok Sabha seats in J&K was governed by the Constitution of India, but the delimitation of the state’s Assembly seats was governed by the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution and Jammu and Kashmir Representation of the People Act, 1957.
• Assembly seats in J&K were delimited in 1963, 1973 and 1995.
• The last exercise was conducted by the Justice (retired) K K Gupta Commission when the state was under President’s Rule and was based on the 1981 census, which formed the basis of the state elections in 1996. 

Source : The Hindu