Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Social issue; Indian Polity
In news:
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code is a colonial-era provision which criminalises homosexuality.
Hadiya, a Hindu girl from Kerala, converted to Islam and chose to marry a Muslim man.
Important Value Addition
Background:
Section 377 of the IPC states, “Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with 1[imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.” This archaic British law dates back to 1861 and criminalises sexual activities against the order of nature and the ambit of this law extends to any sexual union involving penile insertion.
In 2009, in a landmark judgment, the Delhi High Court described Section 377 as a violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Following this, religious groups moved the Supreme Court for a direction against the verdict.
In 2013, Supreme Court overruled the Delhi High Court’s order and reinforced criminalisation of homosexuality stating that Parliament’s job was to scrap laws. This judgment by the apex court was highly criticised by the LGBTQ community in India and was seen as a setback for human rights.
Pic: https://iasbaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/SECTION_377_COL-min.jpg
In January 2018, the Supreme Court said a larger group of judges would re-consider the previous judgment and examine Section 377’s constitutional validity.
SC bench to decide constitutionality of Section 377, whether Section 377 stood in conformity with Articles 21 (right to life), 19 (right to liberty) and 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution.
Pic: https://d39gegkjaqduz9.cloudfront.net/TH/2018/07/11/DEL/Delhi/TH/5_01/916469a0_2236431_101_mr.jpg
Article link: ‘Choosing a partner is a person’s fundamental right’ – Today’s Paper …
Part of: GS prelims and mains II – International Relations; India and the World
Key pointers:
The two sides signed 11 MoUs and agreements
Part of: GS prelims – Health and social issue; Science and Technology
In news:
We have already read about FSSAI’s Operation Sagar Rani, now ‘The Eat Right Movement’ programme – ‘Eat Healthy’ and ‘Eat Safe’.
Do you know?
Part of: Environment and Biodiversity
TOPIC: General Studies 2:
- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
- Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
- Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.
Introduction:
From previous articles, we read that –
United States announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) terming it “hypocritical and self-serving.”
The withdrawal of the U.S. sent shock waves through the international community, foreign-policy think-tanks and human rights non-governmental organisations. However, some feel this was the right decision and are now advocating withdrawal by other countries; this includes those in India.
About UNHRC
Analysis of HRC functioning:
The commission’s record of performance is somewhat mixed. It has done a laudable job of creating an awareness of human rights in the country and sensitizing public servants and political authorities. But its record has been uninspiring in many other spheres of its work and, over the years, there has been a steady decline of its credibility.
Some of the achievement of Commissions
Resolutions adopted by the commission have highlighted most important subjects dealing with – Myanmar’s ethnic cleaning of its Rohingya population, Syria’s targeting of hospitals and other civilian institutions, the Saudi-led coalition’s bombing and starving of Yemeni civilians, and South Sudanese fighters’ slaughter of civilians because of their ethnicity. (including LGBTIQ rights and discrimination on the basis of religion)
Another aspect overseen by the HRC is the appointment of special rapporteurs — independent mandate holders — on issues including internal displacement, torture, racial discrimination, as well as country specific mandates.
Connecting the dots:
TOPIC: General Studies 3:
- Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
- Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
- Disaster and disaster management.
Since 1970, more than two million people have been killed by natural disasters, especially in the ‘Ring of Fire’ region around the Pacific Ocean.
As per UN report, approximately 43,000 a year have been killed.
In 2004 alone, the Indian Ocean tsunami struck 14 countries, and killed more than 18,000 people in India.
Role of Big Data:
There is a way to dramatically cut down on the number of people impacted by such disasters, and that is by using data.
If we are to save lives and prevent damage to economies, it is critical to identify the most vulnerable populations. Data on these communities can be used to pursue ‘risk-informed development’.
Data also help identify the gaps and makes recommendations on where to allocate resources to mitigate risks from disasters.
Institution to study risks
Conclusion:
Big data also provides a deeper understanding about how an economy is interconnected: how devastation of a rice crop by a disaster can trigger a chain impact across several industries and services, such as transportation, rice-trading, packaging and retail.
With such valuable information, governments can anticipate disasters and reduce risks through preventive measures such as early warning systems, safety drills, and resilient infrastructure.
Connecting the dots:
Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section)
Q.1) Koushal judgement is related to
Q.2) Sahyog-HYEOBLYEOG’ is joint exercise between Indian and
Q.3) China is bordered with which of the following countries?
Select the correct statements
Q.4) India has negative bilateral trade balance with
Select the correct code:
Q.5) Consider the following statements about Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
Select the correct statements
U.K. failed to have a proper conversation on immigration
Is China meritocratic?
The only way out
Sowing Slogans
Nothing to hide
Bullet train to start in 2022
