The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 13 June 2023

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis for UPSC

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 12 June 2023

• As per reports, the data breach is possible if the mobile number of a person is entered — details such as the identification number of the document submitted (Aadhaar, passport, PAN and so forth), gender, date of birth, and the centre where the vaccine was administered, are provided as reply in an instant by the messenger bot in question.
• These details could be accessed even if the Aadhaar number was entered instead of the phone number. The passport numbers of those who had updated the CoWIN portal for travel abroad were also leaked.
• After an alleged data leak of COVID vaccination beneficiaries, including several politicians, the Union Health Ministry on Monday said such reports were “without any basis and mischievous in nature”.

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• Computer Emergency Response Team – India is an organisation of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology with the objective of securing Indian cyberspace.
• It is the nodal agency which deals with cybersecurity threats like hacking and phishing.
• It collects, analyses and disseminates information on cyber incidents, and also issues alert on cybersecurity incidents.
• CERT-IN provides Incident Prevention and Response Services as well as Security Quality Management Services.
• CERT-In is empowered under Section 70B of the Information Technology Act to collect, analyse and disseminate information on cyber security incidents.

• On November 20, 1997, a Rohini RH-300 Mk-II sounding rocket rose to the skies from Svalbard, Norway, operationalising a new rocket launching range there.
• ISRO had shipped the RH-300 Mk-II to Norway after qualifying it for arctic weather conditions. Renamed Isbjorn-1, it lifted off at 11:07 p.m. IST on November 20, 1997. The rocket, unfortunately, did not achieve the predicted height, rising only up to 71 km.

• In December 2012, people around the world watched as thousands took to the streets in the Central Vista of New Delhi following the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student (Nirbhaya).
• Public protests have long served as a catalyst for social and policy change in India, allowing individuals, classes and communities to voice their grievances and advocate for their rights.
• Middle-class activism tends to prioritise the issues and concerns that directly impact them, often overlooking the needs and struggles of the disadvantaged classes and communities.
• Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment Act, 2013
• The POSH Act is a legislation enacted by the Government of India in 2013 to address the issue of sexual harassment faced by women in the workplace.

• The Act aims to create a safe and conducive work environment for women and provide protection against sexual harassment.
• The PoSH Act defines sexual harassment to include unwelcome acts such as physical contact and sexual advances, a demand or request for sexual favours, making sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography, and any other unwelcome physical, verbal, or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature.
• Background: The Supreme Court in a landmark judgment in the Vishakha and others v State of Rajasthan 1997 case gave ‘Vishakha guidelines’.
• These guidelines formed the basis for the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
• Prevention and Prohibition: The Act places a legal obligation on employers to prevent and prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace.
• Internal Complaints Committee (ICC): Employers are required to constitute an ICC at each workplace with 10 or more employees to receive and address complaints of sexual harassment.
• The Complaints Committees have the powers of civil courts for gathering evidence.

• SWAYAM
• Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM), was launched on July 9, 2017 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development to provide one integrated platform and portal for online courses.
• This covers all higher education subjects and skill sector courses.
• The objective is to ensure that every student in the country has access to the best quality higher education at the affordable cost.
• Academicians from hundreds of institutions throughout the country are involved in developing & delivering Massive open online courses (MOOCs) through SWAYAM in almost all disciplines from senior schooling to Post Graduation.
• SWAYAM Prabha
• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resources Development to provide 32 High Quality Educational Channels through DTH across the length and breadth of the country on 24X7 basis.
• It has curriculum-based course content covering diverse disciplines.
• This is primarily aimed at making quality learning resources accessible to remote areas where internet availability is still a challenge.
• The DTH channels are using the GSAT-15 satellite for programme telecasts.

• Same-sex marriage is the legal recognition of a marriage between two individuals of the same sex.
• Same-sex marriage is currently not legally recognized in India.
• Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalized homosexuality, was struck down by the Supreme Court of India in 2018, which was a landmark decision for LGBTQ+ rights in the country.
• Right to privacy: Supreme Court recognized this right to be part of the right to life and liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution in the celebrated Puttaswamy (2017) verdict.

• China increased its nuclear arsenal to 410 warheads in January 2023 from 350 in January 2022, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its annual report on Monday.
• India and Pakistan also expanded their nuclear arsenal. Both countries introduced and continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery system in 2022, the report noted. “While Pakistan remains the main focus of India’s nuclear deterrent, India appears to be placing growing emphasis on longer-range weapons, including those capable of reaching targets across China.”
• According to SIPRI estimates, India’s arsenal grew to 164 warheads in 2023 from 160 in 2022 and that of Pakistan from 165 to 170.

• More than 57,000 migrant workers have registered for the One Nation, One Anganwadi programme under which even if people relocate to another State, they can receive benefits given by the government to children under six years of age and pregnant and lactating women.
• About Poshan Abhiyaan:
• The programme seeks to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
• Since the launch of the Poshan Abhiyan in 2018, a total of 10.6 crore beneficiaries have been registered out of which 47.6 lakh were lactating mothers, 7.48 crore pregnant women and the rest children.

• As per third advance estimates for 2022-23, total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at a record 330.5 million tonnes which is higher by 14.9 million tonnes compared to 2021-22. This is the highest increase in the last five years, according to government data. The total stocks of rice and wheat held by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and State agencies as on May 1, 2023, was 555.34 lakh tonnes comprising 265.06 lakh tonnes of rice and 290.28 lakh tonnes of wheat.
• The MSP attempts to strike a balance between the interest of growers and consumers. The government’s price support policy attempts to provide a fair return to farmers while keeping in view the interest of consumers in a way that prices of food and other agricultural commodities are kept at a reasonable level.
• The MSP is fixed twice a year on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), which is a statutory body and submits separate reports recommending prices for kharif and rabi seasons.
• These were approved at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

• The bright red star Betelgeuse, called ‘Thiruvathirai’ or ‘Ardra’ in Indian astronomy, is easily spotted in the constellation Orion. By examining its pulsation — the periodic contraction and expansion of the star — researchers from Japan and Switzerland recently reported that the star is in its late carbon-burning stage.
• In massive stars like Betelgeuse, the carbon-burning stage lasts only up to a few hundreds of years, after which the star ‘dies’ and collapses into a supernova within a few months.
• Most stars, including the Sun, fuse the simplest element in the universe, hydrogen, to produce helium and some energy as a byproduct. This energy’s outward push balances gravity’s inward pull, and keeps the star from collapsing.
• Massive stars like Betelgeuse run out of hydrogen fuel in only a few crore years, after which they switch to using helium to make carbon. The energy released in the fusion of helium is less than that of hydrogen, so the star burns more helium to stay stable and not collapse.
• A supernova is the explosion of a star. It is the largest explosion that takes place in space.

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