Whatsapp 93125-11015 For Details
China on Thursday thwarted a joint India-U.S. bid to list Jaish-e-Mohammad deputy chief Rauf Asghar as a UN Security Council designated terrorist by placing a “technical hold” on the process, a move India called “politically motivated” and evidence of China’s “doublespeak” on Pakistan-based terrorism.
Rauf Asghar, the brother of JeM leader Masood Azhar, is accused of masterminding a number of terror attacks from the IC-814 hijacking in 1999, the Parliament attack in 2001, as well as a number of attacks on security forces personnel from 2014-2019, including the strikes on the Air Force base in Pathankot, army camps in Kathua, Nagrota, Sanjwan and other locations.
The National Investigation Agency’s chargesheet on the Pulwama terror bombing in 2019, in which 42 CRPF personnel died, also names Rauf Asghar and Masood Azhar.
Also known as Abdul Rauf Azhar Alvi, Asghar was arrested by the Pakistani authorities in 2019 and convicted for terror financing charges, Pakistani officials had submitted to the Financial Action Task Force some months ago. It is unclear where he is being held, however.
In response to a question from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China had “strictly followed rules and procedures of the committee”, and that the government required “more time to assess the information to sanction the individual”.
This is the second time China has blocked an India-U.S. listing proposal at the UNSC in the past two months, after China placed a similar hold on the listing of Abdur Rahman Makki, deputy chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba/ Jamaat-ud-Dawa (LeT/JuD).
China’s actions expose its doublespeak and double standards when it comes to the international community’s shared battle against terrorism, akin to a similarly angry response to the hold on Makki’s designation in June.
The sources pointed out that both Makki and Asghar had been placed on terror lists in the United States and India and called China’s actions “politically motivated” in favour of Pakistan-based terrorists, and undermine the “entire sanctity of the working methods of the UNSC sanctions committee.
Dhankhar sworn in as Vice President (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
Former West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was on Thursday sworn in as the 14th Vice-President of India.
President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to Dhankhar (71) in a brief ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Mr. Dhankhar took the oath in Hindi in the name of God.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Dhankhar's predecessor M. Venkaiah Naidu were among the dignitaries present at the ceremony.
SC against derecognising parties over freebies (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
The Supreme Court on August 11, 2022 refused to consider the question of derecognising political parties who resort to freebies.
The apex court was considering the question of reining in the practice of political parties offering "irrational freebies" to the electorate if they are voted to power, especially in states which are already drowning in debt.
It said care-free promises and distribution of freebies by political parties and actual government welfare schemes were as different as chalk and cheese.
One leads to sheer loss to the national economy while the other feeds the poor in drought-ridden areas and distributes care during COVID-19.
Senior advocates Vikas Singh, for petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay, said states have ₹15 lakh crore debt. "Public money should not be misused by political parties whose only intention is to gain and retain power," Mr. Singh said.
Senior advocate Arvind Datar, also for the petitioner side, said "giving laptops, TVs and gold chains cannot be to promote Directive Principles of State Policy".
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre, agreed with the court's proposal to form an expert body to recommend guidelines against freebies.
He said the "freebie culture" has been "elevated to an art" by some parties. Sometimes, elections are fought only on the promise of freebies. It is a dangerous situation if distribution of freebies is considered the only way to reach out to the electorate.
The top law officer even suggested that the proposed expert body should, along with representatives of national political parties, RBI, NITI Aayog, Finance Commission, etc, also have members of the industry.
He pointed out that some of these sectors, like electricity, was already "stressed" by the distribution of freebies by certain state governments.
Text and Context
What is the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022? (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 provides legal sanction to law enforcement agencies for “taking measurements of convicts and other persons for the purposes of identification and investigation of criminal matters”.
While the legislation was enacted earlier this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs notified it to come into effect from August 4, 2022. It also repeals the existing Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920.
Measurements and photographs for identification have three main purposes. First, to establish the identity of the culprit against the person being arrested, second, to identify suspected repetition of similar offences by the same person and third, to establish a previous conviction.
Even though the police has powers of arrest, mere arrest does not give them the right to search a person. The police requires legal sanction to search the person and collect evidence.
These legal sanctions are designed so as to maintain a balance between the rights of an individual and the interests of society in prosecution and prevention of offences.
The Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920 became a necessity when the recording of newer forms of evidence such as fingerprints, footprints and measurements started becoming more accurate and reliable.
The Statement of Objectives and Reasons of the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920 states that “the value of the scientific use of finger impressions and photographs as agents in the detection of crime and identification of criminals is well known”.
It further goes on to state that although lack of legal sanction has not created problems before, there were increasing instances of prisoners refusing to allow their fingerprints or photographs to be recorded.
Therefore, “to prevent such refusals in the future and to place the taking of measurements etc which is a normal incident of police work in India, as elsewhere, on a regular footing” it was considered necessary to enact the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920.
Over the years, the need to amend/update the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920 has been voiced several times. In 1980, the 87th Report of the Law Commission of India undertook a review of this legislation and recommended several amendments.
This was done in the backdrop of the State of UP vs Ram Babu Misra case, where the Supreme Court had highlighted the need for amending this law.
The first set of recommendations laid out the need to amend the Act to expand the scope of measurements to include “palm impressions”, “specimen of signature or writing” and “specimen of voice”.
The second set of recommendations raised the need of allowing measurements to be taken for proceedings other than those under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
News
Guillermo Rios is new leader of UNMOGIP (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Rear Admiral Guillermo Pablo Rios of Argentina as the Head of Mission and Chief Military Observer for the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), the office of the U.N. Secretary General has announced.
Rear Admiral Rios will follow Major General Jose Eladin Alcain of Uruguay who has nearly completed his tenure. UNMOGIP emerged from U.N. Security Council Resolution 39 of January 1948 that set up the U.N. Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP).
The Karachi Agreement of July 1949 firmed up the role of UN-level military observers and permitted supervision of the Cease Fire Line established in Jammu and Kashmir.
India officially maintains that the UNMOGIP's role was "overtaken" by the Simla Agreement of 1972 that established the Line of Control or the LoC which with "minor deviations" followed the earlier Cease Fire Line.
Pakistan however did not accept the Indian argument and continued to seek cooperation from the UNMOGIP. As a result of this divergent policies, Pakistan continues to lodge complaints with the UNMOGIP against alleged Indian ceasefire violations whereas India has not officially gone to the UNMOGIP since 1972 with complaints against Pakistan.
In view of the difference of opinion between two contesting sides – India and Pakistan – the U.N. has maintained that the UNMOGIP could be dissolved only with a decision from the U.N. Security Council. Despite the respective official positions, the military observers have at times hit the headlines.
In the summer of 2017, Pakistan alleged that Indian side had fired upon vehicles carrying UNMOGIP officials who were travelling in the Pakistani territory. The then MEA Spokesperson Gopal Baglay categorically denied that charge and the U.N. Secretary General's office had observed that there was no evidence that could prove Pakistan's allegation.
Earlier, India had asked UNMOGIP to vacate the residential property that it occupied. The Ministry of External Affairs however explained that decision as part of "rationalizing the presence of UNMOGIP".
India and Bangladesh review defence relations during meet (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The fourth India-Bangladesh annual defence dialogue was held during which the two sides reviewed ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries and expressed satisfaction that collaboration is growing despite difficulties imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The dialogue was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division (AFD) of Bangladesh Lt. Gen. Waker-Uz-Zaman.
The talks covered the existing bilateral exercises and training and agreed to increase the complexity of these exercises. Both sides reviewed the progress on various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives and expressed commitment to further elevate engagements between the armed forces. Various aspects of defence industrial and capability building cooperation came up for detailed discussions.
Both sides emphasised the need to work closely to implement the $500 million line of credit extended from India for defence items. It was wonderful event where both sides could project their interests and also could reflect the need for sustainable mutual cooperation between the age-old friends.
Mr. Kumar invited the Bangladeshi delegation for the upcoming Def-Expo 2022 and noted that both countries have great potential for cooperation in defence trade, co-development and joint production. On August 11, the second India-Bangladesh tri-services staff talks were held.
It was co-chaired from the Indian side by Deputy Assistant Chief of Integrated Staff, IDC (A), Brigadier Vivek Narang and Director General operation and plan directorate AFD from the Bangladesh side Brigadier General Husain Muhammad Rahaman.
The meeting was conducted in a friendly, warm and cordial atmosphere. The discussions focused on the ongoing and new initiatives taken under the ambit of existing bilateral defence cooperation mechanism of all three services and further strengthening the bilateral defence engagements.
Jairam Ramesh opposes provisions of Wildlife Bill (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
A week since the Lok Sabha passed the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill, Jairam Ramesh, Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Wildlife and Climate Change (Committee) has objected to provisions of the Bill.
The approved Bill allows the “transfer and transport…for a religious or any other purpose” of captured elephants—a deviation Mr. Ramesh alleged—from the Committee’s recommendation that they be allowed only for temple elephants (religious purposes).
The Standing Committee was clear that exceptions should be made only for captive elephants owned by religious institutions but you have expanded the ambit of expansion in a very open-ended and loose manner.
Animal rights groups, too, have objected to this amended provision in the Bill. “At a time when countries, citizens, and courts are increasingly making decisions against keeping intelligent animals in captivity, this amendment in law sends our country back to the Dark Ages.
The Wild Life (Protection) Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in the 2021 Winter session, was sent to the Committee for discussion and amendments.
After four months of deliberation, in April this year, the Committee submitted its report on the proposed Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill.
The thrust of the Bill is to amend the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 by increasing the species protected under the law and ensuring that Indian law is aligned to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the treaty that protects endangered plants and animals from the threats of international trade.
Mr. Ramesh also pointed out that the Committee’s recommendations for the functioning of the State Board of Wildlife were rejected and would reduce it to a “rubber stamp”.
Also, he underlined, the current version of the Bill was a “cumbersome” way to align India with CITES provisions. The Wildlife Bill is expected to be brought up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha in the next session of Parliament before it can be passed and made into law.
Youth employment declined in India, says ILO report (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
India experienced severe working-hour and employment losses in 2020 and 2021, and Indian youth employment deteriorated in 2021 compared to 2020, according to the Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022 report released by the International Labour Organisation.
The recovery in youth employment is still lagging globally, the report says confirming that COVID-19 has hurt young people more than any other age group.
It finds that the pandemic has worsened the numerous labour market challenges facing those aged between 15 and 24 years. Youngsters in this age group experienced a much higher percentage loss in employment than adults since early 2020.
The total global number of unemployed youth is estimated to reach 73 million in 2022, a slight improvement from 2021 (75 million), but still six million above the pre-pandemic level of 2019.
In India, the report said surveys conducted by the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy show that the youth employment participation rate declined by 0.9 percentage points over the first nine months of 2021 relative to its value in 2020, while it increased by 2 percentage points for adults over the same time period.
It also warns that the unemployment rate of young people in the Asia and Pacific region is projected to reach 14.9% in 2022, the same as the global average, although there are important divergences between subregions and countries. Quality education and training opportunities are required to create decent jobs, especially in green, blue and digital economies, and to set economies on the path towards greater sustainability, inclusiveness and resilience.
In India, the report added that school closures lasted 18 months and among the 24 crore school-going children, only 8% of such children in rural areas and 23% in urban areas had adequate access to online education.
Given the deeply unequal access to online resources in developing countries, children from socio-economically disadvantaged families, which are the large majority, had almost no access to education.
It said school closures not only prevented new learning, but also led to the phenomenon of “learning regression”, that is, children forgetting what they had learned earlier.
In India, 92% of children on average lost at least one foundational ability in language and 82% lost at least one foundational ability in mathematics,” the report said citing studies.
World
Dozens in China infected with Langya virus found in shrews (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Dozens of people in China have fallen ill with a new virus that is also found in shrews, a report has said, but there is so far no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
The infections were found in China's eastern Shandong and central Henan provinces, affecting 35 people, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine this month.
The virus is called Langya henipavirus or LayV, and patients reported symptoms that include fever, fatigue, cough, nausea and headaches.
Some people also developed blood cell abnormalities and impaired liver and kidney functions. Research findings suggested shrews may be a natural reservoir for the pathogen.
There was no close contact or common exposure history among the patients, which suggests that the infection in the human population may be sporadic.
But it also cautioned that its sample size "was too small to determine the status of human-to-human transmission for LayV".
Patients were mostly farmers and cases were found with help from a detection system for people with acute fever and a history of animal exposure.
Further investigation is needed to better understand illnesses associated with the virus, according to the researchers in China, Singapore and Australia who were involved in the paper.
Cases of Langya henipavirus have so far not been fatal or very serious, Linfa Wang of the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore.
Zoonoses are animal diseases that transmit to humans, and comprise a large percentage of new and existing diseases in people, according to the World Health Organization.
Some are preventable through vaccination, while others mutate into human-only strains or cause recurring outbreaks.