25 July 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – SC urges Centre to transfer cheetahs to another location: GS III – Environmental Conservation

Context:

• The deaths of 40% of the 20 cheetahs transferred from South Africa and Namibia to the Kuno National Park (KNP) in less than a year do not present a positive picture, the Supreme Court recently reminded the Union Government.

In relation to the cheetah:

• The fastest land animal in the world.
• Because they are gregarious animals, cheetahs are frequently observed in groups of one or more males that live and hunt together or in pairs, such as a mother and her young.
• Adult females, on the other hand, often live alone and only communicate with men during mating.
• Female bears often give birth to two to eight cubs at a time.

Project Cheetah:

• The Indian government has started an ambitious project to bring back cheetahs to India.
• On behalf of the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, and cheetah specialists from Namibia and South Africa are cooperating to carry out Project Cheetah.
• The programme, which is being carried out in accordance with the “Action Plan for Introduction in India,” is being managed by a steering committee made up of important experts.
• Project Cheetah relocated 20 radio-collared Cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in the first-ever transcontinental wild-to-wild translocation.
• After the obligatory quarantine period, all of the cheetahs were transferred to larger acclimatisation enclosures.
• 11 cheetahs are currently allowed to wander freely, while 5 animals, including a youngster born on Indian land, are kept in quarantine enclosures.
• Each cheetah that is permitted to roam freely is constantly under the observation of a skilled team of watchers.

The project’s primary objectives are as follows:

• Breeding cheetah populations must be established throughout its historic range in safe settings, and they must be managed as a metapopulation.
• To enhance the quality of life in the neighbourhood and the ecotourism opportunities it provides
• To quickly address any problems that cheetahs or other species in cheetah conservation zones may be causing in the neighbourhood by management action, compensation, and public awareness.

Source The Hindu

2 – Centre bans export of non-basmati white rice to check price rise: GS III – Agricultural Issues

Context:

• Around 10.32 million hectares, or nearly 9.8% less land, had been planted with paddy over the same time period the year before. Therefore, Central Government has banned the export of non-basmati rice.

The following justifies the centre’s prohibition on non-basmati rice exports:

• Retail prices for rice have increased consistently domestically throughout the previous year, by 11.5%, and in the most recent month, by 3%.
• The estimated amount of rice in the central pool as of July 1 was 48.65 million tonnes, or approximately 13% less than it was at the same time last year.
• The high increase in exports can be related to the geopolitical climate, El Nino beliefs, and extreme weather in other rice-producing nations.

Export:

• Non-basmati white rice makes up roughly 25 to 30 percent of the entire amount of rice exported from the country.
• India exports non-basmati white rice in the largest quantities to the United States, Thailand, Italy, Spain, and Sri Lanka.
• In FY23, India exported 6.5 million tonnes of this type, up from 5.3 million tonnes the previous year (an increase of nearly 22%).

Why is India Significant to Global Rice Trade?

• It produces more than 40% of the rice exported around the world.
• It shipped more rice in 2022 than the next four exporters combined—Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, and the US.
• Among the 17.86 million tonnes of non-basmati rice that India exported in 2022 were 10.3 million tonnes of white non-basmati rice.

Source The Hindu

3 – Delimitation Commission: GS II – Election-related Issues

Context:

• The delimitation panel has finalised the delimitation order for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Delimitation Commission of India does what?

• In accordance with the Delimitation Commission Act, the Indian government established the Delimitation Commission of India, also known as the Boundary Commission of India.
• The commission’s principal responsibility is to redraft the borders of the various Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in light of a recent census, while maintaining a constant representation from each state.
• On the other hand, a state’s SC and ST seats are altered by the census.
• The Lok Sabha and State Assembly seats are reconfigured through the delimitation process in light of a recent Census to guarantee that each seat has about the equal number of votes.
• The number of Lok Sabha and State Assembly seats remained fixed based on the 1971 Census, even though the current boundaries were established based on the 2001 Census, since the previous demarcation exercise was carried out in 1976.
• The exercise has been put on hold until the first Census conducted after 2026 according to a 2002 amendment to the Constitution.
• The campaign’s slogan is “One Vote, One Value,” and attaining geographic and political equality for all political parties is its primary objective.

Constitutional provisions:

• After every census, States are also divided into territorial constituencies in accordance with the Delimitation Act, as stated in Article 170.

Source The Hindu

4 – No prescription, no painkillers: Govt’s dengue advisory: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Context:  

• The President of All Chemist Associations of Delhi has received a letter from the Delhi government’s Department of Drugs Control urging that NSAIDs like aspirin, ibuprofen, and diclofenac not be distributed without a prescription from a qualified doctor.

Concern:

• Paracetamol is the only treatment for a fever; painkillers should be avoided.
• Pain relievers can cause kidney failure, gastritis, and a drop in blood platelet count; even if the temperature is high, they shouldn’t take any extra prescriptions, and they should visit a doctor straight once.

Dengue:

• The dengue virus, which is carried by the Aedes mosquito and produces symptoms ranging from asymptomatic or undifferentiated febrile disease to lethal hemorrhagic fever, affects up to 100 million people annually throughout the world.
• The history of travel or residence in a dengue-endemic area within two weeks after the onset of fever is a critical criterion to take into account in the diagnosis of dengue infection. Dengue is an arboviral infection carried by mosquitoes.
• A dengue virus infection can range in severity from a minor or unexplained fever illness to a potentially fatal infection.

Dengue shock syndrome:

• Its distinctive features include significant plasma leakage, severe bleeding, and severe organ involvement, including myocarditis, impaired sensorium, and elevated liver enzymes.
• An important factor in child hospital admissions and mortality is the dengue shock syndrome.
• In the absence of therapy, mortality rates can reach 20%, but with effective case management, mortality rates can be reduced to less than 1%, depending on the availability of suitable supportive care.

Source The Hindu

5 – Section 69 (A): GS II – Constitutional-related Issues

Context:

• The Centre has asked Twitter and other social media companies to take down a video in compliance with Section 69 A of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

In relation to Section 69(A):

Section 69 of the IT Act gives the government the authority to issue directives to internet intermediaries like:

• Internet service providers, or ISPs.
• telecom service providers.
• providing website hosting.
• search engines.
• online marketplaces, etc.

The Section states that content that is forbidden must pose a threat to:

• India’s sovereignty or integrity.
• the defence of India.
• nationwide security.
• positive relations with other nations.
• public harmony.

Procedure:

• All government demands are submitted to a review committee, which examines them all before issuing these directives.
• Most blocking orders issued pursuant to Section 69(A) of the IT Act are of a private nature.
• The Supreme Court and Section 69(A)

Shreya Singhal’s case:

• In a 2015 ruling, the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act of 2000, which among other things imposed fines for sending offensive messages over communication services.
• Despite the argument stated in the plea, the SC found that Section 69A of the Information Technology Rules 2009 was “constitutionally valid”.

Source The Hindu