11, March 2019 11/03/2019 – Posted in: Daily News – Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

UN Environment Assembly

 

News Flash

The fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly, the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, is set to begin in Nairobi, Kenya from 11-15 March 2019. Heads of state and ministers from 193 member-countries will deliberate on innovative solutions.

After the U.S. and the European Union, India is the third country to have comprehensively assessed the environmental impact of nitrogen on its region.

On the 4th of March 2019, UN Environment launched its latest Frontiers report, which explores five of the most significant emerging issues on the environment.

 

Theme

  • Innovative Solutions for Environmental challenges as well as sustainable consumption and production.
  • India is leading two resolutions — one on reactive nitrogen, the other on eradicating single-use plastic.

UN Environment’s latest Frontier report

Five major topics:

  • Synthetic biology, modern biotechnology that combines science and engineering to manufacture and modify genetic materials, living organisms and biological systems.
  • Ecological connectivity – the linking and bridging of fragmented habitats into a connected landscape to prevent species extinctions.
  • Permafrost peatlands – the ground in the northern hemisphere that remains permanently frozen and holds approximately half of the world’s soil organic carbon, threatened by rising temperatures in the Arctic.
  • Nitrogen pollution – the disturbance of ecosystems, human health and economies by massively altering of the global nitrogen cycle through human activity.
  • Maladaptation to climate change – the unintended increases in climaterelated damages or diminished welfare of sustainable adaptation efforts.

UN Environment Assembly

The United Nations Environment Assembly is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. It addresses the critical environmental challenges facing the world today. Understanding these challenges and preserving and rehabilitating our environment is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Environment Assembly meets biennially to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law.

Source: UN Environment (Press Release)

 

 

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)

 

News Flash

Scientists, using NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), have observed water molecules moving around the dayside of the Moon. It could help us learn about the accessibility of water that can be used by humans in future lunar missions.

Up until the last decade, scientists thought the Moon was arid, with any water existing mainly as pockets of ice in permanently shaded craters near the pole More recently, scientists have identified surface water in sparse populations of molecules bound to the lunar soil, or regolith, NASA said in a statement.

 

Future Usage

Lunar water can potentially be used by humans to make fuel or to use for radiation shielding or thermal management; if these materials do not need to be launched from Earth, that makes these future missions more affordable.

 

The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project

The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) is a far-ultraviolet (FUV) imaging spectrograph on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission.

Its main objectives are to

(i) identify and localize exposed water frost in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs),

(ii) characterize landforms and albedos in PSRs,

(iii) demonstrate the feasibility of using natural starlight and sky-glow illumination for future lunar surface mission applications,

(iv) characterize the lunar atmosphere and its variability

 

Source: The Hindu

 

 

Supreme Court’s inconsistency

 

News Flash

The Supreme Court reviewed its own 2009 order condemning six convicts to death, and acquitted them due to glitches in the prosecution case.

 

Background

In India death penalty is mentioned in 46 provisions under various laws. In Indian Constituent Assembly B. R. Ambedkar argued for abolition of the death penalty but the Constituent Assembly left the issue to the Supreme Court and Parliament. Eventually, Parliament and the judiciary could not abolish the death penalty; the 35th report of the Law Commission (1967) recommended retention of the provision.

  • The new Code of Criminal Procedure (1973) required “special reasons” to be given if death was preferred over a life sentence.
  • Under the old CrPC (1898), reasons were to be given if the death penalty was not imposed. This requirement was removed in 1955.

The 187th report of the Law Commission (2003) recommended use of a lethal injection in addition of hanging.

 

Death penalty in India

In India, death penalty is prescribed for murder, gang robbery with murder, abetting the suicide of a child or insane person, waging war against the government and abetting mutiny by a member of the armed forces. Capital punishment is also awarded under some anti-terror laws for those convicted of terrorist activities.

 

“Rarest of rare” doctrine

  • In the Bachan Singh case, 1980, the apex Court propounded the “rarest of rare” doctrine.
  • There is no statutory definition of “rarest of rare”. It relies on actualities, facts, conditions and circumstances of a specific case, severity of the crime, past history of his contribution in crime and so forth.

 

Cases where “Rarest of rare” not applied

In a number of cases such as Lok Pal Singh (1985) and Darshan Singh (1988), the death penalty was awarded without any reference to rarest of rare. In Mukund (1997) and Farooq (2002) it was referred but not applied.

 

Other related cases as example

Shankar Kishanrao Khade (2013), Gurwail Singh (2013), Mofil Khan (2015),  M N Das (2013), K P Mohammed (1984), Sher Singh (1983), Munawar Harun Shah (1983), Smt Triveniben (1988), T V Vatheeswaran (1983), Bhagwan Bux Singh (1978), Pashupati Singh (1973),  Mohinder Singh (1953), Balak Ram (1977).

 

Problem in sentencing death

The court itself observed in Santosh Kumar Bariyar (2009) that the death penalty is imposed “arbitrarily or freakishly.”

  • It depends on the bench or Judge’s perceptions hearing a particular case, on the “personal predilection of judges”.
  • Bachan Singh (1980), the matter was referred to a Constitution Bench that upheld the constitutionality of the penalty. But proposed two things to consider :

(i) Exceptional circumstances of a case in terms of both “crime” and “criminal”.

(ii) Death should be given only in “rarest of rare” cases.

In Machi Singh (1983) five parameters were pronounced to determine any case’s being “rarest of rare” such as the manner of commission of crime (brutality, motive, antisocial or abhorrent nature), magnitude of crime and personality of victim (child, woman or popular leader) etc. These categories put much emphasis on the “crime” and ignored the “criminal” and the “mitigating factors” which had been equally emphasised in Bachan Singh.

In Devender Pal Singh (2002), court also brought in the controversial concept of “collective conscience” of society being so shocked that it would expect judges to award the death penalty.

  1. The court has, however, been inconsistent about the duration when execution is considered delayed, delay of one year in Mohinder Singh (1953), and a delay of 21 months in Hardayal (1976), were considered crucial to commute death into life imprisonment. But in Balak Ram (1977), even six years’ delay since award of the death sentence by the trial court was not considered sufficient.
  2. 75% DEATH SENTENCED convicts come from marginalised sections- SC, ST, minorities and economically weak. Because of lacking better legal advice and consultation, and biased police investigation.
  3. Not capable of deterrence, not fulfilling the penal objectives.

In law commissions’s 262nd report abolition of death penalty was recommended. However in recent times the rate of execution is declining in India. The need is to built a consensus on penological justification of death penalty and courts should pronounce deliberative orders on death penalty only, if need be :

– In well determined and articulated rarest of rare cases.

– When evidences are totally conclusive.

– Equal legal options are made available to the convicts from marginalised sections.

 

Source: Indian Express

 

 

GI Tag for Marayur Jaggery

 

News Flash

The Marayoor Jaggery, the organically and traditional handmade product from Idukki district of Kerala, has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the Central Government.

 

Marayur Jaggery

  • It is high in sweetness with less saltiness.
  • It has high content of iron and less sodium.
  • The produce is free of impurities and the sugar cane fields are free of chemical pesticides and fertilisers.

 

Geographical indication (GI)

Geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g. a town, region, or country).

  • The use of a geographical indication, as a type of indication of source, may act as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities, is made according to traditional methods, or enjoys a certain reputation, due to its geographical origin.
  • Geographical Indications protection is granted through the TRIPS Agreement. India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
  • The GI tag ensures that none other than those registered as authorised users (or at least those residing inside the geographic territory) are allowed to use the popular product name.
  • Darjeeling tea became the first GI taggedproduct in India, in 2004-05, For a proudly and deeply democratic country such as India,

 

Benefits of getting GI tag :

  • Making it safe for consumption.
  • Rejuvenating the traditional way of production and ensuring a safe market in future. Possible to take legal action against fake jaggery being sold as Marayur jaggery.

 

Marayur

Marayoor is a place in the Idukki district of Kerala,42Kms north of Munnar on Munnar-Udumbalpetta road. Aside from its natural sandal forests and immnunerable locations of scenic  beauty, Marayoor is best known for its extensive sugarcane cultivation, the major crop of Marayoor and Kanthalloor. Here, more than 2500 acres of land is under sugarcane cultivation.

 

Sandalwood Forest

Marayoor, is the only place in Kerala that has natural sandalwood forests and the vast sugarcane farms, known for the best variety of solid molasses (Jaggery in Malayalam).

Source: Deccan Herald

 

  

White Label ATM

 

News Flash

In an offer to improve the practicality of white-label ATMs (WLAs), the Reserve Bank of India has permitted white-label ATM operators (WLAOs)

  • To buy wholesale cash from the RBI and currency chests.
  • Source cash from any scheduled bank.
  • Display advertisements pertaining to non-financial products/services within the WLA premises.
  • WLAOs can offer bill payment and interoperable cash deposit services, subject to technical feasibility and certification by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

 

White Label ATM

White Label ATMs are like normal ATM. However, cash deposit or cash acceptance facility is not permitted at the WLAs. At White Label ATM you will not find logo of any bank like ICICI, SBI etc.  WHite Label ATMs are operated by NBFC.

 

Who can apply

Any non-bank entity with a minimum net worth of Rs.100 crore, can apply for white label ATMs. Tata Communications Payment Solutions is the first company to get RBI’s permission to open White label ATMs.

 

Why do we need WLA

  • ATMs offer convenience to consumers. They are open even on holidays.
  • Comfort to bank, since they don’t need to keep huge staff/office. It lessens their expense of branch-operation.
  • Any customer from belonging to any bank can use it.
  • They also provide Value added services like mobile recharge, bill payments etc.

 

Types of ATM

White Label ATM ATM provided by Non Banking Financial Company.
Green Label ATM ATM provided for Agricultural Transaction.
Orange Label ATM ATM provided for share Transactions.
Yellow Label ATM ATM provided for E-commerce.
Pink Label ATM ATM for women banking.
Brown Label ATM ATM are those machines where hardware and the lease of the ATM machine is owned by a service provider but cash management and connectivity to banking networks is provided by a sponsor bank.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

 

Nanoparticles for Frozen Food

News Flash

Specialists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT), Kochi, Kerala, as a team with the University of Wisconsin, Madison, U.S., have now discovered a way utilizing gold nanoparticles that they blended to help tell whenever frozen food is still edible.

 

How it works

The nanoparticles change shading in light of changes in temperature. They become up ruby red (like the shade of red wine) at – 18° C and turn purple when the temperature rises. At room temperature, their colour is dark grey.

To integrate the nanoparticles, the analysts utilized chitosan, a characteristic biodegradable polysaccharide that was extracted from marine waste, for example, shrimp and crab shell. An solution of chitosan and gold chloride arrangement was heated for around 30 minutes at 90° C.

Significance

  • The temperature at which food products are stored is vital in ensuring their quality. For example, in retail outlets across India, power failure and repeated opening and closing of freezer storage units in which food products are stored can lead to temperature fluctuations. These in turn can affect the quality of food, especially perishable food, leading to microbial growth.
  • Temperature fluctuations can also affect vaccines and drugs that are stored in cold storage or at below room temperature.

 

Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are particles that exist on a nanometre scale (i.e., below 100 nm in at least one dimension). They can possess physical properties such as uniformity, conductance or special optical properties that make them desirable in materials science and biology.

Source: The Hindu

 

  

ATTENTION

All-first female Spacewalk

NASA will conduct the first-all female spacewalk on March 29, almost 35 years after Soviet’s Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to perform a spacewalk on July 25 1984. NASA, which is celebrating March as the Women’s History Month, has a dedicated page for information on women working in various fields such as engineering, space, mathematics, etc at the space agency.