2 July 2024, The Indian EXPRESS
Chital stock dwindling in Kuno, plan to move out excess Cheetahs
Page no- 1
GS3-Conservation of wildlife
- The Project Cheetah authorities have reached an in-principle decision to shift surplus cheetahs from Kuno national park to Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary after the monsoon. At present, Kuno has 26 cheetahs, including 13 cubs and sub-adults.
- This follows a reassessment of Kuno’s cheetah carrying capacity — pegged at 21 in the Project Action Plan — necessitated by a staggering loss of over 25 per cent since 2022 of Kuno’s prime cheetah prey base: the chital population.
On FIRs & hearings of accused, BNSS sections fly in face of SC rulings
Page no- 1
GS2-Indian Constitution—Historical Underpinnings, Evolution, Features, Amendments, Significant Provisions and Basic Structure
- A 14-day timeline for the police to register an FIR in cognizable cases; the right of the accused to be heard even before a case is made out against him — at least two key changes in procedural laws in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) fly in the face of landmark Supreme Court judgements on these issues.
- The BNSS has replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973.
From Moscow next week, Modi to visit Vienna, a first by PM since Indira in 1983
Page no- 7
GS2-Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
- PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi is set to visit Russia on July 8-9, followed by Austria on July 9-10, The Indian Express has learnt.
- An official announcement is expected to be made this week.
- Modi’s visits to Moscow and Vienna will be the first set of bilateral visits in the third term of his government. Usually, the first foreign visit by the Indian PM is to the neighbouring countries.
The magic box
Page no-9
GS2-Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education
- When the Jaadui Pitara (magic box) was launched on February 20, 2023, by the Minister of Education, a few children were invited on stage to unveil it.
- Having opened the box, the children looked through the books and flashcards. As they spotted the toys lying underneath, their eyes lit up and they thronged the box like children around a birthday cake.
- They picked up their favourite toy from the box — a doll, puppet, tambourine — beaming from ear to ear and became engrossed in their world, with the stage and ceremony fading into the background.
- The toys elicited wonder, curiosity, and joy.
NHRC seeks reports from Centre, TN over Foxconn’s ‘jobs bar on married women’
Page no- 11
GS2-Statutory, Regulatory and various Quasi-judicial Bodies
- Taking into account media reports that Foxconn India, a major manufacturer of Apple products, is excluding married women from jobs at its iPhone assembly plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday issued notices to the Centre and the state government.
- “The Commission has observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, raise a serious issue of discrimination against married women causing the violation of the right to equality and equal opportunity.
- Therefore, the Commission has issued notices to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu calling for a detailed report in the matter within one week,” the NHRC said in a press release.
India, Pak share lists of civilian prisoners, fishermen in each other’s custody: MEA
Page no- 11
GS2-India and its Neighborhood- Relations
- India and Pakistan exchanged the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in each other’s custody, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Monday, adding that Pakistan has shared the names of 43 civilian prisoners and 211 fishermen in its custody who are Indian or believed-to-be-Indian.
- India has shared the names of 366 civilian prisoners and 86 fishermen in its custody who are Pakistani or are believed-to-be-Pakistani, the MEA said in a statement.
- Under the provisions of the bilateral agreement on Consular Access 2008, such lists are exchanged every year on January 1 and July 1, the statement said.
- The lists were exchanged “through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad”, it added.
Floods & Urbanisation in Delhi
Page no- 12
GS1-Urbanization, their problems and their remedies
- Unchecked and ill-thought-out urban expansion is the principal reason behind chronic urban flooding in Delhi, and the larger National Capital Region (NCR).
- Last week, a spell of heavy rain brought parts of Delhi to a standstill. Streets across the city and in the larger NCR were inundated, leading to hours-long traffic snarls in some places.
- Water-logging also led to lengthy power cuts, property damage, and loss of life, with at least 11 people dying due to structural collapses and electrocution.
How the world’s first brain implant to control epileptic seizures works
Page no- 12
GS3-Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life
- A UK-based teenager, Oran Knowlson, has become the first person in the world to be fitted with a brain implant to help bring his epileptic seizures under control.
- The deep brain stimulation (DBS) device, which sends electrical signals deep into the brain, has reduced Knowlson’s daytime seizures by 80%.
What is project Nexus that RBI has signed up for?
Page no- 13
GS2-Statutory, Regulatory and various Quasi-judicial Bodies
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has joined Project Nexus, a multilateral international initiative to enable instant cross-border retail payments by interlinking domestic Fast Payments Systems (FPSs).
- India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and FPSs of Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand will be interlinked through Nexus.
- Going ahead, the platform can be extended to more countries.
