Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015

For: Preliminary

News Flash

The State government will exert pressure on the Centre to amend the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 suitably so that those inflicting violence on children or causing abuse, physical or mental, are given more stringent punishment.

The JJ Act, 2015 provides for strengthened provisions for both children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law.

India is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which mandates that all children under the age of 18 years be treated equal.

 

Key Provisions JJ Act 2015

• Change in nomenclature from ‘juvenile’ to ‘child’ or ‘child in conflict with law’, across the Act to remove the negative connotation associated with the word “juvenile”
• Inclusion of several new definitions such as orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children.
• Petty, serious and heinous offences committed by children.
• Clarity in powers, function and responsibilities of Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and Child Welfare Committee (CWC)
• Clear timelines for inquiry by Juvenile Justice Board (JJB)
• Special provisions for heinous offences committed by children above the age of sixteen year
• Separate new chapter on Adoption to streamline adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children
• Inclusion of new offences committed against children
• Mandatory registration of Child Care Institutions.
• Under Section 15, special provisions have been made to tackle child offenders committing heinous offences in the age group of 16-18 years.

 

Provisions for JJ Board

The Juvenile Justice Board is given the option to transfer cases of heinous offences by such children to a Children’s Court (Court of Session) after conducting preliminary assessment. The provisions provide for placing children in a ‘place of safety’ both during and after the trial till they attain the age of 21 years after which an evaluation of the child shall be conducted by the Children’s Court. After the evaluation, the child is either released on probation and if the child is not reformed then the child will be sent to a jail for remaining term.

 

Provisions for Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)

To streamline adoption procedures for orphan, abandoned and surrendered children, the existing Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is given the status of a statutory body to enable it to perform its function more effectively.  Separate chapter (VIII) on Adoption provides for detailed provisions relating to adoption and punishments for not complying with the laid down procedure. Processes have been streamlined with timelines for both in-country and inter-country adoption including declaring a child legally free for adoption.

 

Provisions for Rehabilitation

Several rehabilitation and social reintegration measures have been provided for children in conflict with law and those in need of care and protection. Under the institutional care, children are provided with various services including education, health, nutrition, de-addiction, treatment of diseases, vocational training, skill development, life skill education, counselling, etc to help them assume a constructive role in the society. The variety of non-institutional options include: sponsorship and foster care including group foster care for placing children in a family environment which is other than child’s biological family, which is to be selected, qualified, approved and supervised for providing care to children.

The Act is available on the website of Ministry of Women and Child Development as follows: http://wcd.nic.in/acts/juvenile-justice-care-and-protection-children-act-2015

 

Juvenile Justice Board

In pursuance of Section-4 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 read with rule-3 of the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Model Rules, 2016, the State Government constitutes Juvenile Justice Boards in the districts time to time, for exercising the powers & to discharge duties, conferred on such Boards in relation to Children in Conflict with Law under this Act and Rule.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

 

Guidelines on Digital Health Technology

For: Preliminary; Mains: GS III

News Flash

The WHO has released new recommendations on 10 ways countries can use digital health technology, accessible via mobile phones, tablets and computers, to improve people’s health and essential services.

The guidelines demonstrate that health systems need to respond to the increased visibility and availability of information and that people must be assured that their own data is safe and that they are not being put at risk because they have accessed information on sensitive health topics.

 

WHO’s work on digital health

• In 2018, governments unanimously adopted a World Health Assembly resolution calling on WHO to develop a global strategy on digital health to support national efforts to achieve universal health coverage. That strategy is scheduled to be considered at the World Health Assembly in 2020.
• Although WHO is expanding its focus on digital health, the Organization has been working in this area for years, for example, through the development of the eHealth Strategy Toolkit in 2012, published in collaboration with International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
• To support governments in monitoring and coordination of digital investments in their country, WHO has developed the Digital Health Atlas, an online global repository where implementers can register their digital health activities.
• WHO has also established innovative partnerships with the ITU, such as the BeHe@lthy, BeMobile initiative for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases, as well as efforts for building digital health capacity through the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
• Over the years, WHO has released a number of resources to strengthen digital health research and implementation, including the mHealth Assessment and Planning for Scale (MAPS) toolkit, a handbook for Monitoring and Evaluation of Digital Health, and mechanisms to harness digital health to end TB.

 

Source: WHO

 

 

India at risk : Measles and Rubella

For: Preliminary

News Flash

World Health Organisation (WHO) warned stating that the number of measles are climbing. The preliminary global data shows that reported cases rose by 300% in the first three months of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018. In 2017, it caused close to 1,10,000 deaths.

Countries with the most reported cases include Madagascar, Ukraine, India, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Chad, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

WHO’s African region has recorded a 700% increase, the region of the Americas 60%, the European region 300%, the Eastern Mediterranean 100% and 40% increases have been observed in South-east Asia and the Western Pacific.

 

India

• In India, measles is still one of the leading causes of death in young children.
• Mass immunisation of children is required to eliminate measles and control rubella.
• About 15% of vaccinated children fail to develop immunity from the first dose.

 

Measles

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It remains an important cause of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine.

Under the Global Vaccine Action Plan, measles and rubella are targeted for elimination in five WHO Regions by 2020. WHO is the lead technical agency responsible for coordination of immunization and surveillance activities supporting all countries to achieve this goal.

 

Symptoms

Initial symptoms, which usually appear 10–12 days after infection, include high fever, a runny nose, bloodshot eyes, and tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth. Several days later, a rash develops, starting on the face and upper neck and gradually spreading downwards.

The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes brain swelling), severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, and severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia.

 

Vaccination

The measles vaccine has been in use since the 1960s. It is safe, effective and inexpensive.

Reaching all children with 2 doses of measles vaccine, either alone, or in a measles-rubella (MR), measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) combination, should be the standard for all national immunization programmes.

 

Strategies to reduce global measles deaths

Routine measles vaccination for children, combined with mass immunization campaigns in countries with low routine coverage, are key public health strategies to reduce global measles deaths.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

 

2019 World Press Freedom Index

For: Preliminary

News Flash

India has dropped two places on a global press freedom index to be ranked 140th (138^th in 2018) out of 180 countries in the annual Reporters Without Borders.

The World Press Freedom Index 2019 is topped by Norway.

 

Press Freedom Index

The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders based upon the organisation’s own assessment of the countries’ press freedom records in the previous year.

The index only deals with press freedom and does not measure the quality of journalism nor does it look at human rights violations in general.

It intends to reflect the degree of freedom that journalists, news organisations, and netizens have in each country, and the efforts made by authorities to respect this freedom.

 

Rankings

• Norway is ranked first in the 2019 Index for the third year running while Finland (up two places) has taken second place from the Netherlands (down one at 4th).
• An increase in cyber-harassment caused Sweden (third) to lose one place.
• In Africa, the rankings of Ethiopia (up 40 at 110th) and Gambia (up 30 at 92nd) have significantly improved from last year’s Index.
• At the bottom of the Index, both Vietnam (176th) and China (177th) have fallen one place and Turkmenistan (down two at 180th) is now last, replacing North Korea (up one at 179th).

 

Reporters Without Borders

The 2019 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) shows how hatred of journalists has degenerated into violence, contributing to an increase in fear.

Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), or Reporters Without Borders, is a non-profit organisation.

 

Findings

• RSF finds that hatred of journalists has degenerated into violence, contributing to an increase in fear around the world.
• In reference to India, it found an alarming rate of coordinated hate campaigns waged on social networks against journalists who dare to speak or write about subjects that annoy Hindutva.
• These murders highlighted the many dangers that Indian journalists face, especially those working for non-English-language media outlets in rural areas.

Only 24 percent of the 180 countries and territories are classified as “good” (coloured white on the Press Freedom Map) or “fairly good” (yellow), as opposed to 26 percent last year. As a result of an increasingly hostile climate that goes beyond Donald Trump’s comments, the United States (48th) has fallen three places in this year’s Index and the media climate is now classified as “problematic” (orange).

 

Source: Economics Times

 

 

Reform in the Forest Act

For: Preliminary

News Flash

The original law, the Indian Forest Act, 1927 was provisions drafted to suit the objectives of a colonial power that had extractive uses for forests in mind. A new law enacted should aim:

• To expand India’s forests.
• To ensure the well-being of traditional forest-dwellers.
• To protect biodiversity in these landscapes.
• To encourages community-led, scientifically validated conservation.

 

Why it is so important

• This is critical, for only 2.99% of India’s geographic area is classified as very dense forest; the rest of the green cover of a total of 21.54% is nearly equally divided into open and moderately dense forest, according to the State of Forest Report 2017.
• India’s forests play a key role in moderating the lives of not just the adivasis and other traditional dwellers, but everyone in the subcontinent, through their impact on the climate and monsoons.
• Environmental policy has weakened public scrutiny of decisions on diversion of forests for destructive activities such as mining and large dam construction. Impact assessment reports have mostly been reduced to a farce, and the public hearings process has been diluted.

 

Criticism of the Draft Bill

• It reinforces the idea of bureaucratic control of forests, providing immunity for actions such as use of firearms by personnel to prevent an offence.
• The hardline policing approach is reflected in the emphasis on creating infrastructure to detain and transport the accused, and to penalise entire communities through denial of access to forests for offences by individuals.

 

Way ahead

• It should aim to reduce conflicts, incentivise tribals and stop diversion for non-forest uses.
• It should recognising all suitable landscapes as forests and insulating them from commercial exploitation.
• A partnership with communities on the one hand, and scientists on the other.

 

Source: Indian Express

 

 

Asian Tea Alliance (ATA)

For: Preliminary

News Flash

ATA was launched in Guizhou, China. ATA is a union of five tea growing and consuming countries.

1. Indian Tea Association
2. China Tea Marketing Association
3. Indonesian Tea Marketing Association
4. Sri Lanka Tea Board
5. Japan Tea Association

 

Boosting Tea Trade

ATA plans to work towards enhancing tea trade, cultural exchanges, technology exchanges as well as globally promoting tea. It will also work towards enhancing global consumption of tea, while creating a sustainability agenda for the future of Asian tea.

 

Background

In December 2018, MoU signed between the Indian Tea Association and China Tea Marketing Association, to  promote green and black tea consumption in major tea markets of Europe, the U.S., Russia and West Asia, besides India and China.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

 

Molecular Biology and Antibiotics

For: Preliminary

News Flash

In our world bacteria is developing resistant to the antibiotics of different range, so it’s very important to develop new medicines to deal with this multiresistant bacteria. The new research from India shows a path in this direction.

The microbiologists have been studying the molecular biology of bacteria using the species called Escherichia coli (E. coli for short) as the model organism in the laboratory.

 

Bacterial Cells

Bacterial cells are surrounded by a protective cell wall made up of a large sac-like structure called peptidoglycan or PG. The PG that bacteria use to build their cell walls is specific to them alone, and not found anywhere else on earth.

The PG is a baglike structure which is made of sheets of two sugar molecules, NAG and NAM, linked together as long chains. These sheets are cross-linked or stapled together to form a continuous layer around the bacterial cells. Therefore, as the bacterium grows in size, this PG bag also has to expand. That means the stapler has to be opened, new material incorporated and the bag stapled again into compactness for successful bacterial growth.

Researchers and Scientists at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) at Hyderabad has been studying the basic biology behind how the bacterium builds its cell wall, how the bag opens for growth, and what molecules help in opening the bag. Her group has identified a particular class of enzymes, which are responsible for unstapling the PG bag

They further showed that if any or all of these enzymes are removed from the bacterium (using genetic engineering methods), the PG bag does not open, starving the bug to death.

In this way, we will have found a way to overcome infection and offer safety.

 

Source: Indian Express

 

 

Failure of Jet Airways and Private Domestic Airlines in India

For: Preliminary

News Flash

Banks stood firm on their decision to not release emergency funds to sustain operations until a white knight is found.

• It also raised some serious questions over why the domestic airline industry is proving to be so risky for enterprises.

 

Reasons

• Fuel costs, which account for about half of the expenses of running an airline, have been difficult to manage.
• The reckless competition is responsible for the sorry plight of the industry. Margins in the airline industry are water-thin in the best of times and the combined effect of rising fuel prices and the inability to pass them on to consumers due to competition has proved to be a deadly cocktail.

 

Way Ahead

• Airlines take stock of their collective plight and stop undercutting each other on fares.
• The Centre can help too by reviewing fuel taxes and surcharges apart from airport levies, which the airlines complain are too high

 

Source: Indian Express

 

 

Problems with the First-past-the-post system (FPTP)

For: Preliminary

News Flash

• Data shows that in the current first-past-the-post system (FPTP), Parliament is elected by only about 45 per cent of the actual voters whose representatives become Lok Sabha MPs. But what about the 55 per cent of the actual voters who do not vote for the winning candidate, and therefore, their votes are “wasted”?
• Only a much smaller fraction will have voted for the party or alliance whose MPs will actually form the government, and rule over the entire country for five years.Over the decades our “strong, decisive” governments have been formed on the basis of a shrinking voter base.
• Each candidate knows the vote count in each booth, and so local communities get identified as “for” or “against” the winning candidate. Consequences abound as the MP audits booth-wise results.

 

Proportional Representation

• Ninety-four countries around the world have abandoned or never adopted the FPTP, and have opted for a variant of the proportional representation system in which polling takes place for political parties which have pre-announced their list of lawmakers, and voters vote for their preferred party. Each party is declared to have won only as many seats as are proportional to its share in total votes polled in the election. Many variants of this system exist, with many caveats, including a combination of direct election and proportional representation.
• The proportional representation system deepens democracy for the “aam voter” since each vote is counted in electing lawmakers to the House of Representatives.
• This system forces the bigger parties to broaden their voter base, while other parties are assured a presence in the House, even with a small vote share.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

 

ATTENTION

Mueller Report

Department of Justice, United States, has released the special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

Report title – “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election”.

 

Purpose of Report

The report looks into alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 Presidential elections which saw incumbent US President Donald Trump rise to power.

 

Manjeera Wildlife sanctuary

The Manjeera barrage and the Singur reservoir going dry this summer has forced the crocodiles from the Manjeera Wildlife sanctuary to search for any place where water is logged.

A crocodile breeding centre was established at Kalabgur, on the outskirts of the district headquarters, in 1978 to increase the number of crocodiles and the area was declared Manjeera Wild Life Sanctuary to make it a safe haven for birds and crocodiles.

Manjira wildlife sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary and reservoir located in Sangareddy district of Telangana State, India. Originally a crocodile sanctuary, today more than 70 species of birds are spotted here and is home for the vulnerable species mugger crocodile.

 

 

Intermediate jet trainer

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) said it has resumed test-flying its intermediate jet trainer (IJT) in a modified version after a gap of almost three years.

HAL had halted flight tests of the IJT in 2016 after the aircraft encountered problems while undergoing critical spin tests. Meanwhile, in-house research, design and technical teams modified the aircraft, which has been produced in a limited series.

The trainer aircraft, called the HJT-36, is being developed as the second-level trainer for new pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Navy. The beginners start with a basic trainer (now the Swiss-made Pilatus) and then move on to the more complex Hawk advanced jet trainer (AJT) before they take up flying fighters or transport planes for the Forces. The IJT is aimed at easing this transition.

 

Significance 

Its a trainer aircraft and Airforce requires more of these aircrafts to train better with indigenously developed trainer aircrafts.

 

 

 

EDITORIALS

Air Pollution in The National Capital Region

The National Capital Region’s pollution levels make it to the headlines every year. The air quality index (AQI) of Delhi to the hazardous level of 450. In the remaining months, the AQI goes back to the level of 101-200 (unhealthy for sensitive groups). The economic loss for India in the last five years due to the exposure to crop burning is about 1.7% of the country’s GDP. Annually, this exposure to pollution costs Delhi, Haryana and Punjab around Rs. 2 lakh crore.

 

Odd and Even was not effective

A study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water found that the average number of vehicles plying on the roads daily increased by 10% during the odd-even period in January 2016 compared to the last week of December 2015. This increase was mainly due to a 17% increase in two-wheelers, 12% increase in three-wheelers, 22% increase in taxis and 138% rise in the number of private buses. Another study published in Current Science found that the odd-even scheme led to an increase in emissions as the median concentration of 13 out of the 16 gases measured were higher in the morning hours and afternoon hours on days when the scheme was enforced.

 

Steps needed to curb pollution

• Find alternatives to stubble burning and impose strict sanctions in case of contravention of any ban on the practice.
• Impose a blanket ban on firecrackers.
• Impose a blanket ban on all vehicles exceeding prescribed tailgate emission standards.
• Legislate stricter norms for fuels.
• open toll roads where trucks should be be excluded and high-occupancy vehicles exempted from the toll.
• Provide separate bus lanes to reduce congestion
• Create a separate fund in the Budget to specifically deal with this crisis
• Provide agricultural subsidies to farmers to disincentivise crop burning.
• Improve the drainage system.
• Incentivise the use of renewable energy.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

 

Conflict in Libya and a new norm for intervention

General Khalifa Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army, is advancing on the capital Tripoli, having taken control of the east of the country including most of the oilfields.

 

Before 1991 intervention was not preferred 

In 1965 and 1981, the UN adopted declarations on the inadmissibility of intervention in the domestic affairs of states, and until the 1990s the UN was the custodian of state sovereignty.

The Iraqi-Libyan species of intervention, professedly with UN approval but actually under western control, is a post Cold-War phenomenon.

 

The Reasons announced for such an intervention are 

• Implant liberal democratic institutions and human rights.
• Security concerns, usually thinly justified by 9/11 and lately the Islamic State.
• The spectre of failed states became a major concern
• Human rights protection.
• Nation-building in societies divided by ethnic, factional, ideological and religious lines.

 

The failure of state-building in the new protectorates

• The new elites were never very different or more liberal than those deposed.
• Organised criminality was rejuvenated by opportunities created by the absence of proper law enforcement due to outsiders not understanding the consequences of their policies.
• Interveners were more concerned with checking the power of institutions rather than building them, and to appease domestic opinion back home, concentrated on exit strategies and political markers such as holding elections.

 

Source: The Hindu