DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 18th July 2024

Syllabus

• Prelims – POLITY

Context: On July 11, the BJP-led MahaYuti government introduced the Maharashtra Special Public Security (MSPS) Act, 2024, targeting the issue of Naxalism in urban areas.

Background:-

• The provisions of the proposed Bill, which allows the State to declare any organisation as ‘unlawful’ with offences categorised as cognisable and non-bailable, has raised concerns and is being dubbed the ‘urban naxal’ law.

Why was the Bill proposed?

• According to Maharashtra government, Naxalism is not limited to rural areas, but is increasing in urban areas through frontal organisations. These active frontal organisations of Naxal groups give constant and effective support in terms of logistics and safe refuge to its armed cadre.
• Such frontal organisations propagate maoist ideology of armed rebellion against the constitutional mandate and disrupt public order in the State.
• According to government, unlawful activities of such frontal organisations need to be controlled through effective legal means and that existing laws are ineffective to tackle the issue.

How different is it from the UAPA?

• The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) is invoked in cases related to Naxalism and terrorism. This law empowers the state to classify organisations as ‘unlawful associations.’
• Both the laws are almost the same. However, in the MSPS Act, an advisory board of three persons who are or have been qualified to be appointed as judges of the High Court shall oversee the confirmation process, while under UAPA, a tribunal led by a High Court judge verifies the State’s declaration.
• In addition to the UAPA, the State also enforces the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA) to address perceived extreme situations involving individuals labelled as ‘urban Naxals’.
• If the proposed legislation is passed, it would allow the State police and security agencies to arrest individuals without a warrant and often without informing them of the charges. All offences under this Act would be cognisable and non-bailable.

key provisions of MSPS bill

• The MSPS Act empowers the State to designate any suspected ‘organisation’ as an ‘unlawful organisation’ and outlines four offences for which a person may be penalised
  • (i) being a member of an unlawful organisation,
  • (ii) being a member and raises funds for an unlawful organisation or harbours any member of the unlawful organisation,
  • (iii) whoever manages or assists in the management of an unlawful organisation, or promotes or assists in promoting a meeting, and
  • (iv) whoever commits or abets or attempts to commit or plans to commit any unlawful activity.

When could it come into existence?

• Since the Bill was tabled at the end of the Assembly’s term, and that too in the Lower House first rather than the Upper House, its progress will largely depend on the next government, as the State is scheduled to go to polls in October or November.
• The day after the Bill was tabled, the monsoon session was prorogued, and as a result, the proposed bill lapsed, unless the MahaYuti government issues an ordinance to implement it.

Source: Hindu

Syllabus

• Prelims – SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Context: The Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) has issued an advisory for potato farmers across the country, warning of a high risk of late blight disease in the crop due to changes in weather conditions.

Background:

• Late blight disease, a fungal infection is a significant threat to potato crops, causing substantial yield losses and reducing tuber quality.The disease is favoured by cool, moist weather conditions, making the current weather scenario conducive to its spread.

What is late blight disease?

• It is a disease of potato and tomato plants that is caused by the water mold Phytophthora infestans.
• The disease occurs in humid regions with temperatures ranging between 4 and 29 °C (40 and 80 °F). Hot dry weather checks its spread.
• Potato or tomato plants that are infected may rot within two weeks.
• When plants have become infected, lesions (round or irregularly shaped areas that range in colour from dark green to purplish black and resemble frost injury) appear on the leaves, petioles, and stems.
• A whitish growth of spore-producing structures may appear at the margin of the lesions on the underleaf surfaces. Secondary fungi and bacteria (particularly Erwinia species) often invade potato tubers and produce rotting that results in great losses during storage, transit, and marketing.
• The disease can be managed with a timely application of fungicide, though epidemics can occur rapidly once crops are infected.
• In addition to fungicide application, the CPRI advisory stresses the need for proper drainage in fields and preventing weed growth — which can in turn harbour the disease-causing fungus and increase the risk of infection in potato crops.

Source: Hindustan times

Syllabus

• Mains – GS 1 & GS 2

Context: In the recently concluded general elections in the U.K., a record 263 women MPs (40%) have been elected to the House of Commons.

Background:

• India provided the right to vote for all its women right from the first general elections in 1952. While the right to vote was provided to all women since the commencement of the Constitution, the representation of women in the Lok Sabha and State legislative assemblies has been far from satisfactory.

Women representatives in independent India

• The percentage of women MPs in the Lok Sabha had been very low between 5% and 10% till 2004. It rose marginally to 12% in 2014 and currently stands at 14% in the 18th Lok Sabha.
• The representation in State Legislative Assemblies is even poorer with the national average being around 9%.
• As on April 2024, India ranks 143 in the list of countries in the ‘Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments’ published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a global organisation for national parliaments.
• The Trinamool Congress has the highest proportion of women MPs in the current Lok Sabha at 38%.
• The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and principal Opposition Congress party have around 13% each.
• Naam Tamilar Katchi, a State party in Tamil Nadu, has been following a voluntary quota of 50% for women candidates in the last three general elections.

How do women MPs fare worldwide?

• Women representation in parliament varies across different democracies.
• It is a perennial issue to promote higher representation for women who constitute half the population in all countries.
• The important methods used across the world to ensure higher representation of women are:
  • (a) voluntary or legislated compulsory quotas for candidates within political parties and
  • (b) quota in parliament through reservation of seats.
• Quotas within political parties provide more democratic choice to voters and allows flexibility to parties in choosing women candidates.
• Opponents of having a reserved quota in parliament for women argue that it would be seen as women not competing on merit. As the seats reserved for women would be rotated after each delimitation, it may also reduce the incentive for MPs to work hard to nurture their constituencies.

What is the 106th amendment?

• Parliament through the 106th constitutional amendment provided for one-third reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State legislative assemblies.
• This reservation shall come into effect based on the delimitation exercise after the relevant figures of the first Census conducted after the commencement of this act is published.
• Hence, the Census which is overdue since 2021 should be conducted without any further delay to ensure that this reservation is implemented starting with the general elections in 2029.

Source: Hindu

Syllabus

• Prelims – ENVIRONMENT

Context: Jerdon’s Courser has not been visually spotted in over a decade. This courser is a restricted-range endemic found locally in India in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh.

Background:

• Once thought extinct, the species was miraculously rediscovered in 1986 near Reddipalli village in Kadapa, prompting the establishment of the Sri Lankamalleswara wildlife sanctuary.

About Jerdon’s courser :

• The Jerdon’s courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) is a nocturnal cursorial (adapted for walking and running) bird endemic to India.
• The bird was discovered by the surgeon-naturalist Thomas C. Jerdon in 1848 but not seen again until its rediscovery in 1986.

• The Jerdon’s courser is categorised as “Critically Endangered” by BirdLife International and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resource (IUCN) because it is believed to have a small and declining population.
• Information on its distribution, population, and habitat requirements is sparse for numerous reasons: its nocturnal habits, nature of its habitat, its shy habits and extreme rarity

Source: Times of India

Syllabus

• Prelims – POLITY

Context: The recent Supreme Court ruling emphasizes that states do not have the authority to modify the Schedule Caste (SC) list published under Article 341 of the Indian Constitution.

Background:

• The court quashed a Bihar government notification from 2015 that classified the Tanti-Tantwa community as SC, reverting them back to the category of Extremely Backward Class. The court called the notification “mala fide” and emphasized that only Parliament has the authority to amend the SC list through legislation, not state governments.

About Article 341 :

• Article 341 of the Indian Constitution plays a crucial role in the recognition and identification of Scheduled Castes (SC).
• The list of Scheduled Castes is intended to provide special privileges and benefits to these communities, promoting their social and educational advancement.

Presidential Authority:

• Article 341(1) empowers the President to specify, through a public notification, the castes, races, or tribes deemed as SCs in relation to a particular State or Union territory.
• The President consults with the Governor (in the case of a State) during this process.

Parliament’s Power:

• Article 341(2) grants Parliament the authority to include or exclude any caste, race, or tribe from the list of Scheduled Castes specified in the Presidential notification.
• Changes to the list can only be made through legislation by Parliament.

Source: Hindu

Syllabus

• Prelims – Polity

Context: Recently, the Bengaluru bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s petition seeking insolvency proceedings against ed-tech giant Byju’s.

Background:

• The BCCI – which administers professional cricket in India – had sought initiation of insolvency proceedings against Byju’s over alleged unpaid dues of Rs 158.90 crore under their sponsorship contract for the Indian cricket team.

About National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) :

• The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is a quasi-judicial body established by the Central Government of India under section 408 of the Companies Act, 2013.
• NCLT was constituted on June 1, 2016.
• It operates under the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013.
• NCLT was formed based on the recommendation of the V. Balakrishna Eradi committee on law relating to the insolvency and the winding up of companies.

Functions:

• The NCLT disposes of proceedings under the Companies Act, including arbitration, compromise, reconstruction, and winding up of companies.
• It is also the Adjudicating Authority for insolvency proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
• Under the Companies Act, 2013, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has the authority to approve the merger of firms in India. This is part of its jurisdiction.
• The NCLT’s role is to oversee the legal aspects of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, to ensure they comply with statutory provisions and are in the best interest of shareholders and creditors.

Appeals:

• Decisions taken by the NCLT can be appealed to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), and further appeals can be made to the Supreme Court on points of law.

Source: Inc42

Q1.) Consider the following

1. Jerdon’s courser
2. Pigmy Hog
3. Great Indian Bustard
4. Indian Leopard

How many of the above are classifeid as critically endangered?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. Only three
4. All four

Q2.) With reference to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), consider the following statements:

1. The NCLT is a quasi-judicial body under the Companies Act, 2013.
2. The NCLT disposes of proceedings under the Companies Act, including arbitration, compromise, reconstruction, and winding up of companies.
3. The NCLT is the Adjudicating Authority for insolvency proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
4. Decisions taken by the NCLT can be appealed to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).

How many of the above given statements are correct?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. Only three
4. All four

Q3.) Consider the following statements about the Article 341 of the Indian Constitution.

1. Article 341 of the Indian Constitution empowers the President to specify castes, races, or tribes as SC for various states and union territories.
2. Parliament has the authority to include or exclude any caste, race, or tribe from the list of Scheduled Castes specified in the Presidential notification.

Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  18th July 2024 – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs.st

Q.1) –  c

Q.2) – b

Q.3) – b