Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 17 December 2022

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC 2022

Q) With reference to the acid attacks in India, consider the following statements:

1. Supreme Court of India has banned the over-the-counter-sale of acids in India.
2. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, includes right to be protected against the marketing of goods which are hazardous to life.
3. According to Home Ministry, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh accounts for more than 50 percent of acid attack cases in India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 16 December 2022

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: In 2013, the Supreme Court banned the over-the-counter sale of acid across India in the wake of rising acid attack incidents. The Supreme court also instructed the state governments to issue acid-sale licences to select retailers who were directed to keep a record of those buying acid, after checking their ID proof. Government of India must make strict Law on Acid Attack.
• Statement 2 is correct: Consumer Rights under Section 2(9) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 include the right to be protected against the marketing of goods, products or services which are hazardous to life and property.
• Under Section 18 (1) of the Act, Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is empowered to protect, promote and enforce the rights of consumers as a class, and prevent violation of consumer rights, as well as prevent unfair trade practices and ensure that no person engages himself in such practices.
• Statement 3 is correct: According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there were 150 such cases recorded in 2019, 105 in 2020 and 102 in 2021.
• West Bengal and UP consistently record the highest number of such cases generally accounting for nearly 50% of all cases in the country year on year.

Moreover, In High Conviction Rate charge-sheeting rate of acid attacks stood at 83% and the conviction rate at 54% in 2019.

• In 2020, the figures stood at 86% and 72% respectively.
• In 2021, the figures were recorded to be 89% and 20% respectively.

Q) With reference to the ‘Vacation Bench of Supreme Court of India’, consider the following statements:

1. A Vacation bench is constituted by the Chief Justice of India to hear only urgent cases.
2. Vacation benches only hear matters related to criminal cases and habeas corpus petitions.
3. The Justice Malimath Committee was constituted to recommend changes to the Supreme Court vacation policy.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct but Statement 2 is incorrect: Despite the vacations, a few judges of the court are available for hearing urgent cases. Combination of two or three of these judges is called “vacation benches”. Vacation bench is constituted by CJI to hear important cases that cannot wait, such as bail, eviction, etc. Vacation benches usually hear matters related to rent, land acquisition, compensation, academics, elections, and habeas corpus petitions. They can also hear important cases during the vacation breaks. Example:
• In 2015, during the summer break, a five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court heard the challenge to the constitutional amendment setting up the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC).
• In 2017, during summer break, a Constitution Bench held a six-day hearing in the case challenging the practice of triple talaq.
• Statement 3 is correct: The Justice Malimath Committee of 2000 suggested that the period of vacation should be reduced by 21 days, keeping in mind the long pendency of cases.
• It suggested Supreme Court function for 206 days, and High Courts for 231 days every year.

Q) With respect the recently published World Bank’s report on air pollution in South Asia, consider the following statements:

1. Top ten cities with the worst air pollution are in South Asia.
2. Solid fuel combustion for cooking and heating is one the main cause of air pollution are in South Asia
3. Nearly 50 percent of the air pollution in the largest cities of Bangladesh originated in India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation: The World Bank has published a comprehensive report on air pollution in South Asia, titled ‘Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia’.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Overview of air pollution in South Asia:
• Nine out of the world’s 10 cities with the worst air pollution are in South Asia.
• Nearly 60 percent of the South Asian population lives in areas where concentrations of PM2.5 exceed an annual mean of 35 μg/m3.
• In the densely populated Indo-Gangetic Plain, it is over 20 times the level that the WHO considers healthy (100 μg/m3 in several locations).
• Statement 2 is correct: Sources of air pollution that are less important in other parts of the world make substantial additional contributions to the pollution load in South Asia. These include solid fuel combustion for cooking and heating, small industries such as brick kilns, burning of municipal waste, fireworks, human cremation, imbalanced use of fertilizer and livestock manure in agriculture, forest fires etc.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: As per the report, air quality and pollution in all the identified airsheds in South Asia is interlinked. For example:
• When the wind direction was predominantly northwest to the southeast, 30% of the air pollution in Indian Punjab came from the Punjab Province in Pakistan.
• On average, 30% of the air pollution in the largest cities of Bangladesh (Dhaka, Chittagong, and Khulna) originated in India.

Q) With respect to the AGNI-5 Missile, consider the following statements:

1. It is a long-range surface-to-surface nuclear capable intercontinental ballistic missile.
2. It has been developed by ISRO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
3. It uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine and can strike targets at ranges of 5000 km.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

• Option (3) is correct: The flight test of the Agni-5 was successfully conducted by India, days after Chinese and Indian troops clashed at the Line of Actual Control in Tawang. The test has been carried out by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), which is a key tri-services formation that manages and administers all the strategic assets and falls under the purview of the Nuclear Command Authority of India.

About Agni-5 Missile:

• It has been developed by DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
• It is a long-range surface-to-surface nuclear capable intercontinental ballistic missile.
• It uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine and can strike targets at ranges of 5,000 to 5,500 km which puts major cities in China, including the capital Beijing, within its range.

Q) With reference to the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, consider the following statements:

1. It is located on the southern part of the Delhi Ridge.
2. This sanctuary is part of the Sariska-Delhi Wildlife Corridor.
3. There are many artificial lakes formed as a result of abandoned mining pits in the area.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

• Statement 1 and 2 are correct: The Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the southern part of the Delhi Ridge. The ridge is the northernmost stretch of the Aravalli range which begins in Gujarat and extends across Rajasthan and Haryana. The sanctuary is also part of the Sariska-Delhi Wildlife Corridor which runs from the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan to the Delhi Ridge.
• Statement 3 is correct: The sanctuary has a diverse wildlife population as it forms a buffer zone between arid region and Indo-Gangetic plains. Endangered red-headed vulture and Egyptian vulture are also found here. There are many artificial lakes formed as a result of abandoned mining pits in the area.

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