UPSC DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS (20TH SEPTEMBER, 2023)

One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment Bill

Syllabus: GS1/ Social Empowerment

In News

• Lok Sabha passes  Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 granting 33% seats to women in LS & state legislative assemblies
  • The Bill is referred to as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

About the Bill Highlights

• Representation of women in India’s legislatures: The Bill noted that though women participate substantially in Panchayati raj institutions and municipal bodies, their representation in the State legislatures and in Parliament is still limited.
  • Women MPs constitute a mere 15% of the Lok Sabha, and only account for about 10% of members in many State Assemblies.
• Reservation to women: The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 to provide 33 percent reservation to women in Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies.
  • According to The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Bill 2023, “as nearly as maybe, one-third (including the seats reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election to the House of People shall be reserved for women”.
  • The Bill proposes a similar provision for Assemblies in the states and Delhi.
• Introduction of Articles: It  proposes to introduce new articles — 330A and 332A — in the Constitution.
  • These new provisions will introduce the changes for Lok Sabha and Assemblies respectively.
• Need of Delimitation exercise:The Bill makes the implementation of women’s reservation contingent upon the delimitation process.
• Sunset clause: The bill also has a sunset clause, mandating that the reservation will be for a period of 15 years from the date of commencement of the Act.

Previous Attempts

• Attempts to create a quota for women have been ongoing since the mid-1990s. 
• In March 2010, Rajya Sabha passed The Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008, but the legislation was not taken up by Lok Sabha. 

Challenges

• Delimitation process & delay: The upshot of these conditions is that women’s reservation may not effectively be operationalised in Lok Sabha before the general elections of 2029.
  • The 42nd Amendment froze the delimitation exercise until the results of the first Census after 2000 was published. In 2001, this was further extended for 25 years. And now, delimitation would happen after the results of the first Census after 2026 is published.
• Need of specifications: The Bill states that one-third of the seats in Parliament and state Assemblies will be reserved for women. However, it doesn’t specify how these seats will be identified.

• Need of enactment of a law: This proposed constitution amendment is enabling in nature. In other words, it will grant the government the power to enact a law for its implementation.
  • Hence, it is expected that the determination of seats will be addressed by a separate law that the government will introduce.

• Politics as men’s profession: Politics is often seen as a male bastion, and women are discouraged from entering it on the pretext that it is not a ‘feminine’ profession.
  • Female candidates were often made to contest in elections as “namesakes” for their husbands.
• Infrastructural barriers: Young women face severe infrastructural barriers to entering politics.
  • This includes a lack of clean toilets and safe accommodation during fieldwork.

Way Ahead

• As India strives to become a Vishwa Guru, we must not overlook the pivotal role women can play in nation building and development. 

Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund For Sportspersons (PDUNWFS)

Syllabus: Miscellaneous, Sports

Context

•  The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports felicitated players under Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons (PDUNWFS) in New Delhi.

About PDUNWFS

• It was set up in March 1982 with a view to help sportspersons who play well but are from poor and needy families.
• Objective: Providing financial assistance to outstanding sportspersons, coaches and their family members living in indigent circumstances for various purposes like ameliorate condition, medical treatment, injuries, procurement of sports equipment and participation in national and international sports events etc.

Other Financial Assistance Schemes for Sportspersons

• Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS): It was launched in 2014 under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), Government of India, has been a professional setup to provide holistic support to all athletes.
  • The scheme provides personalized coaching support to the athletes from the best global coaches, International training sessions, visa facilitation support as well as top-of-line research support to track opponent performances.

• Khelo India Programme: It is one of the most significant Indian government schemes for sports aimed at identifying and nurturing talent at the grassroots level. The scheme seeks to provide financial assistance and infrastructure support to selected athletes to help them develop their skills and achieve their potential in their chosen sport.
• National Sports Talent Search Scheme: It is a scheme aimed at identifying and nurturing sporting talent in the country. The scheme provides financial assistance and infrastructure support to selected athletes to help them develop their skills and achieve their potential in their chosen sport.

Yes -Tech System

Syllabus: GS3/Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country

News

• The Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister recently made a pitch for generating real-time assessments of likely yields for all essential crops.

About

• The demand is in vogue as the country suffers from a want of an automated system of reliable farm output estimation.
• As of now, we can estimate the extent of land which is getting covered under wheat, but we don’t know what will be the output.
• A new automated real-time Yield Estimation System called YES-Tech was put in place from this Kharif season for the wheat and rice crop.
• The system, created with assistance from ISRO and ICAR, will be ramped up to cover other crops, particularly pulses and oilseeds. 
• That would help the economy much better so that we can plan our imports to ensure that the farmer doesn’t suffer because of policy relating to imports or exports. 

Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar

Syllabus: GS3/Science and Technology

In News

• The Union government is set to institute the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar — 56 prizes to felicitate scientists, technologists and innovators.
  • The 56 proposed awards are a stark reduction from the almost 300 science prizes that used to be given by Union Ministries.

About

• Categories: 3 Vigyan Ratna, 25 Vigyan Shri, 25 Vigyan Yuva–Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, and 3 Vigyan Team.
  • Vigyan Ratna will recognise the lifetime achievement of scientists, Vigyan Shri will recognise distinguished contributions to a field, Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar will encourage young scientists who have made exceptional contributions in their field, and Vigyan Team will recognise teams of three or more.
• The RVP awards will commence from 2024, and will be given by the President or the Vice President.
• The awards will be announced annually on May 11, which is National Technology Day, and will be awarded on National Space Day, August 23. 
  • These are the days on which India successfully conducted its second nuclear test in 1998, and then catapulted the Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander on the moon this year.
• Fields: These prizes will be awarded annually for physics, chemistry, biological sciences, mathematics and computer science, earth science, medicine, engineering science, agricultural science, environmental science, technology and innovation, atomic energy, space science and technology, and a 13th category, simply called “others”.
• Eligibility: There are no age limits for any prizes except the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, for which recipients must be 45 years or younger.
  • The new awards will also be open to persons of Indian origin (PIOs), though a maximum of one such may be awarded the Vigyan Ratna, while three PIOs each can be selected for the Vigyan Shri and the VY-SSB. However, PIOs will not be eligible for the Vigyan Team awards.
• Akin to the prestigious Padma awards, these awards will not include any cash component; instead, they will likely bestow a certificate and a medallion on the awardee.
• A committee under the chairmanship of the principal scientific adviser will select the awardees.
  • This committee will be constituted annually, with the committee members ineligible for the award during their tenure. 
• The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) will coordinate the administration of the awards process for two years, after which it will be taken over by the proposed National Research Foundation.

Flux Cored Solder Wire (Quality Control) Order, 2023

Syllabus: GS2/Important aspects of governance

Context

• A new Quality Control Order (QCO) for ‘Flux Cored Solder Wire’ was notified by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

About: Flux Cored Solder Wire

• It includes a specific type of solder wire that has flux in the centre of the wire.
• It is used in soldering electronic components, automobiles, telecommunication and diverse engineering industries.
  • Establishing a quality control regime, by DPIIT, for its key products such as smart metres, welding rods & electrodes, Cookware and Utensils, Fire Extinguishers, Electric Ceiling Type Fans, Solar DC Cable and Fire Survival Cable and Domestic Gas Stoves for use with Piped Natural Gas etc.

Importance of Quality Control Order (QCO) for Flux Cored Solder Wire:

• It is crucial for the safety of the consumers, and to improve the manufacturing quality standards in the country and curb the imports of sub-standard products into India.
• It aims to develop world-class products of good quality in India, thereby fulfilling the objective of creating an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, and enhancing the brand and value of ‘Made in India’ products.

Relaxation:

• To ensure smooth implementation of the QCO and Ease of Doing Business, relaxations have been granted to domestic small industries with three months, and micro industries with six months.

Offence and Penalties:

• Manufacturing, storing and sale of non-BIS certified products will be prohibited as per the BIS Act, 2016, after the implementation of the QCOs.
• The violation of the provision of the BIS Act can attract a penalty of imprisonment up to two years or with fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for the first offence.
  • In case of second and subsequent offences, the fine will increase to Rs 5 lakh minimum and extend up to ten times the value of goods or articles.

Standards Clubs of BIS

Syllabus: GS2/Important aspects of governance

Context

• Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) establishes 6467 Standard Clubs for students across the nation.

About

• Standards Clubs initiative of BIS was started in 2021.
• In this initiative, students from science backgrounds are guided by dedicated science teachers as mentors who are provided with specialised training by BIS.
  • There are 5,562 Standards Clubs have been created in schools, and 905 clubs in different colleges, including 384 clubs in engineering colleges.

Objective

• To sensitise young members of society about the importance of standards in improving quality of life.
• It instils the paramount importance of quality, standards, and generating scientific temperament in young minds with the help of student-centric activities.

Financial Support

• One-time Laboratory Grant (maximum of Rs. 50,000/-) for high and higher secondary eligible Government Schools with Standards Clubs.
• Rs. 1,00,000/- to establish ‘Manak Kaksha’ in government institutions where Standards Clubs have been formed.

Activities Under Standard Clubs

• Standards writing competitions;
• Quiz competitions;
• Debates, essay writing and poster making;
• Exposure visits to laboratories & Industrial units and more.

Green Nudges

Syllabus : GS 3/Environment

In News

• Study suggests, A ‘green nudge’ cut single-use plastic waste in China,

What are Green Nudges?

• Green nudges are gentle persuasions to influence environment-friendly behaviour in people.
• In behavioural economics, nudges are interventions that influence people’s choices to make certain decisions without restricting the choices available to them.

The Purpose of Green Nudges

• The green nudges were a result of Chinese regulations that prohibited online food delivery platforms from including SUCs in orders unless explicitly requested.
•  In early 2020, China announced ambitious plans to phase out single-use plastics from the country, beginning with a country-wide ban on single-use straws by the end of the year.
• plastic bags would first be banned in the major cities, followed by a ban in all cities and towns. China plans to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic items in the restaurant industry by 30%,

Cristsims 

• Nudges have been criticised in the past for being manipulative: they are not always transparent and can sometimes bank on ignorance or lack of awareness in people to work. 

Recent Research

• A study conducted in collaboration with an online food delivery platform in China found that making “no disposable cutlery” the default choice for orders and rewarding customers with “green points” led to a 648% increase in the share of no-cutlery orders.
  • This step could have significant benefits for the environment. 

Do Green Nudges Work in India?

• Zomato, an online food delivery platform in India that occupies over 50% of market share in the space, also has similar nudges on its app. 
• While the company says that the option to skip cutlery was always available on its platform, it changed the default selection to “no-cutlery” in August 2021.
  • “Zomato’s no-cutlery initiative was designed to reduce not just plastic but overall material waste. 

SWAVLAMBAN-2023

Syllabus: GS3/ Defence

News

• The 2nd Edition of the Indian Navy’s Naval Innovation and Indigenisation (NIIO) Seminar – ‘Swavlamban 2023’ is scheduled to be conducted in October 2023.

About

• The first edition of the seminar was held in July 2022. It witnessed the launch of  the ‘SPRINT Challenges’ initiative.
• SPRINT is a collaborative initiative being undertaken in conjunction with the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) and stands for Supporting Pole-Vaulting in R&D through Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), NIIO and Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC).
• The ‘SPRINT Challenges’, are aimed at giving a boost to the usage of indigenous technology in the Indian Navy, and the Navy is committed to developing at least 75 technologies/ products.

Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO)

• The NIIO organizes dedicated structures for the end users to interact with academia and industry towards fostering innovation and indigenization for self-reliance in defense in keeping with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• The NIIO is a three-tiered organization.
  • Naval Technology Acceleration Council (N-TAC) will bring together the twin aspects of innovation and indigenisation and provide apex-level directives. 
  • A working group under the N-TAC will implement the projects. 
  • A Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC) has been created for induction of emerging disruptive technology in an accelerated time frame.

Facts In News

Samvatsari (Jainism)

Syllabus: GS1/Art and Culture

Context:

• The Prime Minister of India has greeted the people on the occasion of Samvatsari.

About the Samvatsari

• Samvatsari is observed with prayers, rituals, and fasting, and it is a time for Jains to reaffirm their commitment to living a life of non-violence, truth, and righteousness.
  • It is a day of reflection, atonement, and reconciliation within the Jain community
• It marks the conclusion of the Paryushan festival, one of the most important annual events in Jainism, which lasts for eight days among the Shwetambars and ten days among the Digambars.
  • Shwetambar Jains seek forgiveness for their past wrongdoings, bad karma, and any mistakes made during rituals or interactions with others, which is believed to lead to personal growth, making individuals more humble and compassionate in their interactions with others.
• Jains commonly say ‘Michami Dukkadam’ to all their loved ones and genuinely seek forgiveness from them during Samvatsari.

Here’s how it is celebrated:

• Jains begin the day with prayers and meditation, and visiting the temples to seek the blessings of their revered Tirthankaras (spiritual teachers).
  • Temples often display the image of Lord Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara and the founder of Jainism, as the focal point of veneration.
• Jains engage in a practice known as ‘Pratikramana’ or ‘Pratikraman’ which is a detailed confession of sins committed during the past year.

Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards

Context: The Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards ceremony honoured individuals above 75 years of age for their exceptional contributions to music, dance, and theatre.

• The Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards are a national honour recognizing performing artists, teachers, and scholars in the field of performing arts.
• The honour includes a cash prize of 1,00,000/- (Rupees one lakh), a Tamrapatra, and an Angavastram.

About Sangeet Natak Akademi:

The Sangeet Natak Akademi, also known as the National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama, is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was established in 1953 with the aim of promoting and preserving India’s traditional performing arts, including music, dance, and theatre.

London’s India Club

Context: London’s India Club, a historic establishment that served as a meeting place for Indians in the United Kingdom during the independence movement got permanently closed.

• The club, located in the Strand Continental Hotel, offered Indian cuisine and served as a hub for individuals associated with India in the UK. It had a rich history, with interiors that remained largely unchanged over the years.

About London’s India Club:

• Founded in 1951 by the India League, an organization initially advocating for Indian independence and later promoting Indo-British friendship post-independence, the India Club played a crucial role in the lives of the Asian diaspora communities in Britain.
• It hosted various groups and activities, including the Indian Journalist Association, Indian Workers Association, and Indian Socialist Group of Britain.
• Throughout its existence, the India Club attracted prominent visitors, including Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of independent India, Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dadabhai Naoroji, Bertrand Russell, and MF Hussain, among others. VK Krishna Menon, a diplomat and former Indian Defence Minister, was one of the secretaries of the India Club.

Kisan Rin Portal

Context: The Indian government has launched the “Kisan Rin Portal” as part of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme to revolutionize the agriculture sector.

• Additionally, the government launched the Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) portal and initiated a door-to-door KCC campaign.

About Kisan Rin Portal:

• The Kisan Rin digital platform will offer a comprehensive view of farmer data, scheme utilization progress, loan disbursement specifics, and interest subvention claims, enhancing integration with banks for more efficient agriculture credit.

About Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) portal:

• WINDS leverages advanced weather data analytics to provide stakeholders with actionable insights for informed weather-related decisions in agriculture. The portal includes a comprehensive manual for stakeholders to understand its functionalities, data interpretations, and effective utilization.