1 July 2024, The Hindu
New criminal laws in effect; amendments soon
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Prelims syllabus: Current events of national and international importance.
- Starting July 1, three new criminal laws will come into effect, reshaping the legal landscape in India by replacing the British-era criminal laws.
- This transition has sparked a mix of apprehension and preparedness among the legal community.
- On December 25, 2023, President Droupadi Murmu gave assent to “The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023”, “The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023”, and “The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023”.
'Give nod to NRI quota in govt. medical colleges"
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GS 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
- Seeking to introduce a quota for Non-Resident Indians (NRI) in government medical colleges in the State, Karnataka has urged the Centre to allow a 15 % quota by sanctioning 508 supernumerary seats in these colleges.
- The supernumerary MBBS seats sought by the State are in 22 government autonomous medical colleges under the Department of Medial Education from the academic year 2025-26.
Carbon derived from coconut husks can power supercapacitors, find researchers
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GS 3: Indian Economy - Infrastructure – Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
- The researchers of the Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, have devised a method to produce activated carbon, suitable for supercapacitor fabrication, from coconut husks, a major agricultural residue in Kerala.
- The coconut husk biowaste-derived activated carbon holds immense promise for sustainable and efficient green solutions for high-performance supercapacitors due to its availability, low cost, and eco-friendly nature.
DRDO takes up study on development of indigenous submarine
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GS 3: General awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nanotechnology, bio-technology
- As the procurement of new submarines under P-75I goes on, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has taken up a preliminary study on the design and development of an indigenous conventional submarine under Project-76.
- “DRDO got a go ahead from defence ministry to carry out a preliminary study to determine the project contours.
- It is expected to take upto a year after which a formal case will be put up to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for project sanction,” a defence source in the know said.
- This will be a continuation of the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project, to build a conventional submarine, under which the Arihant series of nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) are being built and another project for building nuclear-powered submarines (SSN) is currently underway, the source stated.
Concerns emerge over BNSS Legal community provision on police custody
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Prelims syllabus: Current events of national and international importance
- With the three new criminal laws set to be implemented across the country, legal and civil rights activists have expressed concern over certain “retrograde provisions”.
- The Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) empowers the jurisdictional magistrate to grant police custody up to 15 days in case investigation cannot be completed within 24 hours.
- However, Section 187 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which seeks to replace the CrPC, says police custody of 15 days can be authorised in whole or in parts at any time during the initial 40 or 60 days out of the 60- or 90-day period of judicial custody.
Jaishankar meets Qatar's reviews bilateral relations
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GS 2: International Relations- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting the Indian interests
- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on June 30 met Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha and reviewed bilateral relations, with a focus on political, trade, investment, energy, technology, culture and people-to-people ties.
- Mr. Jaishankar, who arrived in Doha on a day-long visit, also exchanged views on regional and global issues with Mr. Al Thani, who also holds the portfolio as Foreign Minister.
India identified 641 fauna species and 339 taxa of plants last year
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Prelims syllabus: Current events of national and international importance
- A new species of turmeric in Manipur and a new kind of bat in Karnataka are among the plant and animal species which were discovered in India in 2023, according to data released by Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Sunday.
- These are among the 641 new species added to Indian fauna in 2023, including 442 entirely new species and 199 species which have been newly recorded in the country.
- India also added 339 taxa to its plant database, including 326 species, and 13 infraspecific taxa.
- Of these, 171 taxa are new to science and 168 taxa are new distributional records from India.
- A taxa can refer to a sub-species or variety of a plant species.
Study finds gene mutation that turns familiar faces into strangers
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GS 3: General awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nanotechnology, bio-technology
- A simple joy, often taken for granted, is to unexpectedly run into a friend or a relative at a train station or market.
- Recognising a familiar face in an unfamiliar context or crowded place gives most of us unalloyed pleasure.
- We should give thanks to our MCTP2 gene for this ability. According to research published in this month’s issue of the journal Genetics, by researchers led by Ye Rao of Capital Medical University, Beijing, when this gene is mutated the ability to recognise faces is severely impaired.
Court on climate right and how India can enforce it
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Prelims syllabus: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
- Through its recent judgment in M.K. Ranjitsinh and Ors. vs Union of India & Ors., the Supreme Court of India has dropped a large rock into the relatively placid waters of India’s nascent climate change jurisprudence.
- It has read into the Constitution of India the right to ‘be free from the adverse effects of climate change’, identifying both the right to life and the right to equality as its sources.
- As a new government considers its imperatives and agenda, Ranjitsinh provides an intriguing opportunity to think through and possibly enact much more systematic governance around climate change.
