Current Affairs 5th July 2023 for UPSC Prelims Exam

Current Affairs 5th July 2023 for UPSC Prelims Exam

National Investigation Agency (NIA)

Context: Properties of two brothers from Amritsar have been confiscated by the National Investigation Agency in a Pakistan-sponsored narco-terror case.

About National Investigation Agency (NIA)

• Definition: National Investigation Agency (NIA) is the Central Counter Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency of India.
• Ministry: Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Origin: In the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack in 2008, the then Government decided to establish the NIA.
  • Accordingly, the National Investigation Agency Act was enacted in 2008 and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was born.
• Function: It is a central agency mandated to investigate all the offences affecting the:
  •  Sovereignty, security and integrity of India,
  • Friendly relations with foreign states,
  •  The offences under the statutory laws enacted to implement international treaties, agreements, conventions and resolutions of the United Nations, its agencies and other international organisations. 
  • These include terror acts and their possible links with crimes like smuggling of arms, drugs and fake Indian currency and infiltration from across the borders.
• Power: NIA has the power to search, seize, arrest and prosecute.
• NIA’s Jurisdiction: The law under which the agency operates extends to the whole of India and also applies to:
  •  Indian citizens outside the country
  • Persons in the service of the government wherever they are posted.
  • Persons on ships and aircraft registered in India wherever they may be.
  • Persons who commit a scheduled offence beyond India against the Indian citizen or affecting the interest of India.
• Process of Taking up Probe by NIA:  State governments can refer the cases pertaining to the scheduled offences registered at any police station to the Central government for NIA investigation.
  • If the Central government is of the opinion that a scheduled offence has been committed which is required to be investigated under the Act, it may, suo motu, direct the agency to take up/over the probe.
  • If the Central government finds that a scheduled offence has been committed at any place outside India to which this Act extends, it can also direct the NIA to register the case and take up investigation.
• Special Courts: The NIA Act empowers the Central Government and the state governments to designate Special Courts by notification and vest them with the powers to investigate and prosecute Scheduled Offences in accordance with the special procedures set out in the NIA Act.
  • These are presided over by a judge appointed by the Central Government on the recommendation of the Chief Justice of the High Court with jurisdiction in that region.

What are the Scheduled Offences?

• The schedule to the Act specifies a list of offences which are to be investigated and prosecuted by the NIA. The list includes:
•  The Explosive Substances Act,
• Atomic Energy Act,
• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,
• Anti-Hijacking Act,
• Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act,
• SAARC Convention (Suppression of Terrorism) Act,
•  Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Maritime Navigation and Fixed Platforms on Continental Shelf Act,
• Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act,
•  Relevant offences under the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act and the Information Technology Act.
• Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act

Current Affairs 4th July 2023 for UPSC Prelims Exam

Leptospirosis

Context: In India, thousands of people are affected by leptospirosis every year.

About Leptospirosis

• Definition: The disease is caused by a bacterium called Leptospira interrogans, or leptospira.
• Spread: Leptospirosis has been called “ili jwara” in Kannada and “eli pani” in Malayalam, both meaning “rat fever”. This usage has fed the common belief that rats are the sole cause of the disease, which is not true.
  • It is a contagious disease in animals but is occasionally transmitted to humans in certain environmental conditions.
  • The carriers of the disease can be either wild or domestic animals, including rodents, cattle, pigs, and dogs.
  • The cycle of disease transmission begins with the shedding of leptospira, usually in the urine of infected animals.
  • Infected animals can continue to excrete the bacteria into their surroundings for a few months, but sometimes up to several years.
  • Seasonal patterns such as the onset of the monsoon can also potentially facilitate the disease’s incidence and transmission.
  • Ambient air that is more humid can help the pathogenic leptospira survive longer in the environment, thus increasing the risk of disease exposure in the community.
  • The incidence of the disease is also linked to extreme weather events like floods and hurricanes, when people are exposed to contaminated water.
  • Poor waste management, a high density of stray animals, faulty drainage systems, and unhygienic sanitation facilities are major drivers of the disease in urban areas.
  •  In rural parts contaminated paddy fields, dirty livestock shelters, and poor water-quality and sanitation  are major factors in spreading the disease.

• Impact on Humans: Humans become part of the cycle when they come in direct contact with this urine or indirectly, through soil and water that contain leptospira bacteria.
• Symptoms:  In milder cases, patients could experience a sudden onset of fever, chills, and headache – or no symptoms at all.
  • But in severe cases, the disease can be characterised by the dysfunction of multiple organs, including the liver, kidneys, lungs, and the brain.
  •  In cattle and pigs, the disease can potentially cause reproductive failure, stillbirths, and weak calves or piglets.
  • Dogs experience a range of symptoms, including fever, jaundice, vomiting, diarrhoea, renal failure, and even death.
• Prevention and Cure: Preventing animals from getting infected is important to reduce the risk of leptospirosis spreading and to limit farmers’ economic losses (when the disease causes reproductive failures in pigs and cattle).
  • Leptospirosis control can benefit from a ‘One Health’ approach.
  • ‘One Health’ is an interdisciplinary approach that recognises the interconnections between the health of humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment.
    • People who frequently interact with animals or their urine should exercise particular caution, such as by wearing personal protective equipment like gloves and boots.
    • The workers in flooded fields where there’s a chance of being exposed to contaminated water should also wear personal protective equipments. They should take extra care if they have cuts or abrasions on their lower extremities.
    • There needs to be sanitary animal-keeping conditions, which is also desirable to improve the animals’ health and to prevent the spread of many diseases.
    • Given the spike in leptospirosis during the monsoons, it is best to take precautions, including washing one’s arms and legs with an antiseptic liquid after handling animal waste and after working in water.
  • The public health professionals must work closely with the animal husbandry department to familiarize people about the dangers of leptospirosis and create countermeasures that work for the health of both people and animals.

Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)

Context: The Ministry of Home Affairs had suspended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licence of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) for 180 days. Now the Income Tax Department has cancelled the tax exemption status of the CPR.

About Foreign Contribution Regulation Act

• Enactment: FCRA Act was enacted during the Emergency in 1976 amid apprehensions that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs by pumping money into the country through independent organisations.
• Aim: It aims to regulate foreign donations to individuals and associations so that they function in a manner consistent with the values of a sovereign democratic republic.
• Provision for Foreign Donation: The FCRA requires every person or NGO seeking to receive foreign donations to be:
  • Registered under the Act
  • To open a bank account for the receipt of foreign funds in the State Bank of India, Delhi.
  • To utilise those funds only for the purpose for which they have been received and as stipulated in the Act.
• Eligibility Criteria for Registration:
  • These registrations are granted to individuals or associations that have definite cultural, economic, educational, religious, and social programmes.
  • The applicant should not be fictitious or benami; and should not have been prosecuted or convicted for indulging in activities aimed at conversion through inducement or force, either directly or indirectly, from one religious faith to another.
• Validity: Once granted, FCRA registration is valid for five years. NGOs are expected to apply for renewal within six months of the date of expiry of registration.
• Cancellation of Registration: Registration can be cancelled if an inquiry finds a false statement in the application.
  • Once the registration of an NGO is cancelled, it is not eligible for re-registration for three years.
  • The MHA also has the power to suspend an NGO’s registration for 180 days pending inquiry and can freeze its funds.
  • All orders of the government can be challenged in the High Court.

National Green Tribunal (NGT)

Context: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a five-member committee to curb pollution at hospitals.

About the National Green Tribunal (NGT)

• Establishment: The National Green Tribunal has been established under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
• Aim: Established for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
• Composition of NGT: NGT comprises the Chairperson, the Judicial Members, and Expert Members.
  • They shall hold office for a term of 5 years and are not eligible for reappointment.
  • The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
  • A Selection Committee shall be formed by the central government to appoint the Judicial Members and Expert Members.
  • There are to be at least 10 and a maximum of 20 full-time Judicial members and Expert Members in the tribunal.
• Powers of NGT:   It has appellate jurisdiction to hear appeals as a Court.
  • The Tribunal is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by principles of natural justice.
  • NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of the filing of the same.
  • An order/decision/award of Tribunal is executable as a decree of a civil court.
• Head office: New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai shall be the other four places of sitting of the Tribunal.
• New Committee: NGT has constituted a five-member committee, headed by the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Health.
  • It shall form a standard operating procedure (SOP) for environmental management inside and around all government district hospitals and hospitals larger than such district hospitals, including medical colleges, within three months.
  • The committee may specify issues to be covered within the complex and outside the boundary of the healthcare facility for regulation and control of polluting activities which may be found necessary to offset adverse impact on environment.

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