27 August 2022

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – Curative Petition: GS II – Judiciary Related Issues

Origin:

• The Supreme Court of India first developed the idea of the curative petition in the case Rupa Ashok Hurra vs. Ashok Hurra and another case (2002), which dealt with the issue of whether a party who had been wronged was still entitled to any relief against the Supreme Court’s final ruling or order even after a review petition had been denied.

Objectives:

• Its dual goals are to prevent abuse of the legal system and injustice miscarriages.

Constitutional History:

• Article 137 of the Indian Constitution supports the idea of the curative petition. It states that the Supreme Court has the authority to review any judgement rendered (or order issued) by it with regard to legislation and rules adopted under Article 145. A petition of this nature must be submitted within 30 days of the date of the ruling or decree.

Procedure:

• After a review plea against the final conviction is rejected, a curative petition may be submitted.
• If the petitioner can show that the rules of natural justice were broken and that the court failed to hear him before making a decision, the case may be considered.
• It must be unusual rather than common.
• A curative petition must first be distributed to a Bench of the three senior-most judges plus, if available, the judges who rendered the relevant ruling. The subject shouldn’t be scheduled before the same Bench unless it requires a hearing in the opinion of the majority of the judges.
• The Bench may, at any time during its examination of the curative petition, request the services of a senior lawyer to serve as an amicus curiae (Friend of the court).
• Unless a particular request for an open court hearing is granted, judges typically decide curative petitions in the chamber.

Rejection Criteria:

• The petitioner may be subject to punishment if the Bench determines at any point that the petition is lacking merit.

Source The Indian Express

 2 – Lumpy Skin Disease: GS II – Health Related Issues

About:

• It is “an rising hazard to livestock worldwide” and is brought on by a virus known as the Capripoxvirus.
• It has genetic ancestry with the sheeppox and goatpox virus families.
• Cattle and water buffalo are its major targets for infection thanks to vectors like blood-feeding insects.
• Symptoms: On the skin or hide of the animal, there will be round, firm nodes that resemble lumps.
• profuse secretions from the nose and mouth.

Spread:

• The illness is not zoonotic, which means that humans cannot contract it and that it does not transfer from animals to humans.
• Since its 1929 discovery, LSD has only been found in Africa and a small portion of West Asia.
• North West China, Bangladesh, and India were the first places in Asia and the Pacific to record it in 2019.

Treatment:

• Since there is no cure for the illness, immunisation is the most efficient way to regulate it.
• Once an animal has recovered, it is fully protected and cannot serve as a source of infection for additional animals. Early discovery followed by a rapid and extensive vaccination campaign are essential for the control and elimination of LSD.

Source à The Hindu

3 – International Atomic Energy Agency: GS II – International Organizations

About:

• The IAEA serves as the global hub for atomic and nuclear cooperation. It belongs to the UN. It promotes the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in collaboration with its member nations and numerous partners.

IAEA Origins and History:

• The former US President Dwight Eisenhower’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly in 1953 served as the IAEA’s inspiration.
• When Atoms for Peace was formally founded in 1957, this was its first name and the address for the organisation.
• The IAEA is a UN organisation with its main offices in Vienna, Austria.
• The organization’s main goal has been and remains to be the promotion of secure, safe, and peaceful nuclear technologies.
• Currently, it consists of 171 people. Saint Lucia, which joined the IAEA in 2019, is the most recent member.
• India joined the organisation in 1957.
• The IAEA works towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals as well as world peace and security by ensuring the peaceful use of nuclear technologies (SDGs).
• Rafael Mariano Grossi is the organization’s current director general.
• In 2005, the IAEA and Mohamed ElBaradei, its previous director general, received the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Despite being an autonomous international organisation, the IAEA submits a yearly report to the UNGA.
• Regional offices for the IAEA are located in Geneva, New York, Toronto, and Tokyo. Research facilities are also located in Austria, Italy, and Monaco.

IAEA Activities:

The following is a discussion of the IAEA’s duties:

• Encouraging and aiding in the study, creation, and use of nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes.
• Establishing and managing safety measures to make sure that the IAEA’s research, development, and other activities aren’t utilised for hostile purposes.
• Applying the strict comprehensive safeguards mandated by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other international agreements in non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS) that are signatories to those agreements.

The three main focuses of the IAEA’s activity are:

• Security and safety
• Technology and science
• Protections and attestation
• One of the two locations where unreported nuclear activity may have occurred in the early 2000s has been made available to IAEA inspectors by Iran. Iran and six other countries—the United States, Germany, France, Britain, China, and Russia—signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), sometimes known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, in 2015. The agreement only permits Iran to maintain a stockpile of 202.8 kg (447 pounds). According to the IAEA assessment, Iran is continuing to build up its stockpile of enriched uranium in defiance of the agreement’s restrictions.

Governing the IAEA:

Two decision-making bodies comprise the IAEA. As follows:

• Board of Governors for the General Conference General Conference.
• The IAEA’s whole membership makes up this group.
• It holds an annual regular session to meet.
• Typically, the annual general meeting takes held in September.
• The IAEA’s 64th General Conference took place in Vienna from September 21–25, 2020.

The governors’ board:

• There are 35 people present.
• Typically, the Board convenes five times a year.
• It evaluates the organization’s programme, financial reports, and budget and provides recommendations to the IAEA General Conference.
• The Board evaluates membership applications, approves safeguards agreements, and gives final approval for the IAEA’s publication of safety standards.
• With the General Conference’s consent, it also names the Director-General of the IAEA.

Secretariat:

• The professional and general service staff of the IAEA are housed in a separate Secretariat. The Director-General is in charge of it.

Source The Indian Express

4 – Government e-Marketplace: Prelims Specific Topic

About:

• GeM is a one-stop national public procurement portal that enables online purchase of common-use goods and services needed by various departments, organisations, and PSUs in the federal and state governments (PSUs).
• It is required for all goods and services offered on GeM to be purchased by Ministries and Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).
• Additionally, it offers reverse e-auction and e-bidding technologies to help government users get the most for their money.
• GeM currently offers over 30 lakh items, and over 10 lakh crore rupees worth of transactions have already taken place on the web.
• Launch: It was introduced in 2016 with the goal of bringing efficiency and openness to the government procurement process.

Ministry In-Charge:

• Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Recent developments:

• Market Window for Bamboo (The Green Gold Collection).
• nation of origin GeM has mandated that vendors must enter the country of origin when registering any new products on the platform.
• This has been enabled on the portal so that customers can select to purchase only those goods that satisfy the requirement for a minimum of 50% local content.

Importance:

• Transparent and Economical Procurement: GeM makes it possible for government entities to quickly, efficiently, transparently, and economically buy goods and services they need to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
• GeM has been supporting the Atmanirbhar Bharat policy, which was instituted in the wake of the Covid-19 epidemic and is intended to promote independence and local Indian manufacturers.
• Entry of Small Local Vendors: The Marketplace has made it easier for small local vendors to participate in public procurement while effectively executing the government’s “Make in India” and MSME Purchase Preference Policies.
• Multiple Entities in One Place: Building on the advantages given to small businesses by State governments, the online marketplace can aggregate demand from several entities for comparable products.

Challenges:

Several Portals:

• There are numerous portals inside Central Government agencies, like as the defence procurement site and the Indian Railways e-Procurement System, which may hinder GeM’s ability to fulfil its role as the National Public Procurement Portal and offer the advantages of scale and efficiency.

Failure to Comply:

• It also has some difficulty enforcing Rule 149 of the General Financial Rules (GFR) 2017, which requires that all common-use products and services that are offered on the GeM portal must necessarily be purchased on the platform.

Steps to Take Ahead:

• GeM wants to expand and develop into a one-stop shop for buyers and sellers. It has a strong foundation and is steadily establishing an effective and dependable commercial ecology.
• It could become as valuable as the sparkling mineral crystals that are evoked by its name if it successfully overcomes the obstacles that prevent its development.

Source The Hindu