Daily Current Affairs : 16th February 2022

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE

Topics Covered

  1. Anti lynching Bill
  2. SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas)
  3. Canada Emergency powers
  4. Facts for Prelims

1 . Anti Lynching Bills Passed by different states


Context : Bills passed against lynching in the past four years by at least three States ruled by BJP rivals and one by the party itself have not been implemented, with the Union government taking the view that lynching is not defined as a crime under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

About the issue

  • The Union Home Ministry informed Parliament in 2019 that there was “no separate” definition for lynching under the IPC, adding that such incidents could be dealt with under Sections 300 and 302 of the IPC which pertain to murder.
  • In 2017, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) collected data on mob lynching, hate crimes and cow vigilantism, but the figures were not published and the work was discontinued as these crimes are not defined and the data were found to be unreliable.
  • In 2019, the Ministry informed the Lok Sabha that it had received the Bills passed by the legislatures of Manipur and Rajasthan that had been reserved by the Governor for consideration of the President. The President has to go with the advice given by the Council of Ministers represented by the Home Ministry.
  • In 2018, the Supreme Court asked Parliament to make lynching a separate offence. The Home Minister had informed Parliament that the government had decided to overhaul the IPC framed in 1860 and the CrPC and mob-lynching would also be examined by the committee.

Anti Lynching bill passed by states

  • On December 22, the Jharkhand Assembly passed the Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching Bill, 2021, providing for punishment ranging from three years to life imprisonment. The Bill awaits the Governor’s assent.
  • On August 5, 2019, the Rajasthan Assembly passed the Rajasthan Protection from Lynching Bill, 2019, providing for life imprisonment and a fine ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh to those convicted in cases of mob lynching leading to the victim’s death.
  • On August 30, 2019, the West Bengal Assembly passed the West Bengal (Prevention of Lynching) Bill, 2019, that proposes a jail term from three years to life imprisonment for those involved in assaulting and injuring a person and also defines terms such as “lynching” and “mob”. The government also proposed to set up the West Bengal Lynching Compensation Scheme.
  • In 2018, the Manipur Assembly passed the Manipur Protection from Mob Violence Bill, recommending life imprisonment for those involved in mob violence if it led to death.

2 . SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas)



Context : India plans to prepare digital maps of all its 6,00,000 villages and pan-India 3D maps will be prepared for 100 cities, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday at an event to mark a year of the updated geospatial policy guidelines.

About the News

  • An ongoing scheme, piloted by the Panchayati Raj Ministry, called SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2020.
  • The updated guidelines help private companies prepare a variety of maps without needing approvals from a host of Ministries and make it easier to use drones and develop applications via location mapping.
  • The “trinity of geospatial systems, drone policy and unlocked space sector will be the hallmark of India’s future economic progress The geographical information based system mapping would also be useful in forest management, disaster management, electrical utilities, land records, water distribution, and property taxation.

About SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas)

  • SVAMITVA, a Central Sector Scheme of Ministry of Panchayati Raj was nation-wide launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on National Panchayati Raj Day, 24th April 2021 after successful completion of pilot phase of scheme (2020-2021) in 9 states.
  • Scheme is a reformative step towards establishment of clear ownership of property in rural inhabited (Abadi) areas, by mapping of land parcels using drone technology and providing ‘Record of Rights’ to village household owners with issuance of legal ownership cards (Property cards/Title deeds) to the property owners.
  • The Scheme is implemented with the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Revenue Department, State Panchayati Raj Department and Survey of India. 
  • The scheme covers multifarious aspects viz. facilitating monetisation of properties and enabling bank loan; reducing property related disputes; comprehensive village level planning, would be the stepping-stone towards achieving Gram Swaraj in true sense and making rural India Atmanirbhar.

The scheme seeks to achieve the following objectives: –

  1. Creation of accurate land records for rural planning and reduce property related disputes.
  2. To bring financial stability to the citizens in rural India by enabling them to use their property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits.
  3. Determination of property tax, which would accrue to the GPs directly in States where it is devolved or else, add to the State exchequer.
  4. Creation of survey infrastructure and GIS maps that can be leveraged by any department for their use. 
  5. To support in preparation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) by making use of GIS maps

CORS Network

  • CORS network would help in benchmarking the location and provides 5 centimetre level accuracy. It supports in accurate Geo-referencing, ground truthing and demarcation of lands. This would be Creation of Public Infrastructure of 567 CORS stations, i.e. a geo-positioning infrastructure under the Scheme which can be used to replace the chain surveys practiced in several States.
  • The CORS once established could be used by any State agency / Department viz Revenue Department, Gram Panchayat (GP), Public Works Department, Rural Development Department, Agriculture, Drainage & Canal, Education, Electricity, Water, Health etc. for the survey and implementing/using GIS based applications.

Four Identified broad areas of Impact

  • Inclusive Society : Throughout the history, scholars and development specialists have linked ‘Access to Property Rights’ with ‘Improvement in socio-economic standards of vulnerable population in villages’. The SVAMITVA Scheme aims to enable the same
  • Land Governance : Land is an essential resource for any economic activity aimed at creation of material wealth in the world. Lack of clearly demarcated Abadi area has led to high number of land-conflict cases. As per reports, millions of people suffer the impact of land conflicts across India and the World. The SVAMITVA Scheme aims to address the root cause for disputes at local level
  •  Sustainable Habitats : High-resolution digital maps for better Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDP) leading to improvement across infrastructure like schools, community health centres, rivers, street light, roads etc. through efficient allocation of funds and increased accessibility
  • Economic Growth  : The key outcome is to help people monetize their property as collateral. Furthermore, a boost to India’s economic growth through streamlining of Property tax, in States where it is levied leading to increase in investments and ease of doing business`.

3 . Canada Emergencies Act


Context : Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act, to be used for the first time in the country, in a bid to end the anti-vaccine mandate protests taking place across the country and blocking parts of the capital Ottawa.

About the News

  • Canadians have been protesting for almost three weeks against a vaccination rule that required truckers to be vaccinated in order to cross the Canada-US border or be quarantined after returning. The protests have had an effect on Canada’s economy as well as its relations with the US.

What is the Emergencies Act invoked in Canada?

  • The Emergencies Act, passed in 1988, is a law that can be used in case of national emergencies to take “special temporary measures to ensure safety and security” as well as gives powers to the state to amend other acts.
  • The act defines a national emergency as a situation that is of urgent, critical and temporary nature. It further states that a national emergency is to be considered if a situation puts the lives, health or safety of Canadians at risk and “is of such proportions or nature as to exceed the capacity or authority of a province to deal with it”. It is also to be considered an emergency if it threatens the ability of the Canadian government to maintain “the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Canada”.
  • The act states that it can only be imposed if the situation cannot be dealt with through no other law in Canada.

Implementation

  • The Emergencies Act of Canada can be invoked in parts depending upon the emergencies.
  • The act covers four emergencies: public welfare emergency, public order emergency, war emergency and international emergency.
  • The part of the Emergencies Act invoked by Trudeau was public order emergency, which means “an emergency that arises from threats to the security of Canada and that is so serious as to be a national emergency”. 
  • Threats to the security under the Public Order Emergency of the Emergencies act include: activities that support or directly lead to espionage or sabotage against Canada; activities that are detrimental to the country’s interests; foreign-influenced activities within or relating to Canada that are clandestine or deceptive in nature; activities that support or are directed towards acts of serious violence towards people or property “for the purpose of achieving a political, religious or ideological objective” in Canada; and activities that lead to undermining or unlawfully overthrowing the constitutional system of the Canadian government using violence.
  • The act does not cover lawful protests.
  • The application of the Public Order Emergency expires after 30 days of its declaration unless it has already been revoked or the decision to continue it has been taken in accordance with the act. As the public order emergency comes to expiration, so do all the regulations and orders passed under it.
  • While declaring a public order emergency it is important that the government declared the reasons because of which emergency has been imposed, the special and temporary measures that the government will be taking to deal with the emergency and if the emergency extends to the whole of Canada or the parts to which it extends to.
  • The Emergencies Act, however, has to be approved by the Canadian Parliament within seven days of the government invoking it. The Parliament also has the right to revoke the act. Also, any regulations or orders passed under the act can be challenged in Canadian courts.

Key Provisions

  • The Emergencies Act gives the state the power to prohibit or regulate the assembling of citizens that is expected to breach the peace; travel of Canadians to, from or within specified areas; and use of a specific property by citizens.
  • Other measures that can be imposed by the government under the act are securing protected areas and taking control or restoring and maintaining public spaces or services.
  • The order also allows the government to impose a fine of up to five hundred dollars and imprisonment for up to six months for contravention of the orders or regulations under the act by anyone.
  • The authorities granted under the Emergencies Act will help end the illegal blockades and uphold the law. They are targeted, measured, temporary – and proportionate to the urgent circumstances facing our country. These authorities are part of a responsible & scalable approach, and are entirely consistent with the Charter.”
  • Under the Personal Order Emergency declared by Trudeau, the Canadian government will be freezing bank accounts of anyone linked to the protests without the need for any court order. Vehicle insurance of those involved in the protests can be suspended under the act.
  • The act would also be giving more powers to the police to fine and imprison protestors. The police will now be able to seize vehicles, including trucks, that have been used in the protests ,and ban any protests that are unlawful in nature

4 . Facts for Prelims


Darkathon-2022

  • The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is organising “Darkathon-2022” to find solutions to counter drug trafficking on the darknet.
  • The agency recently busted three groups of drug peddlers operating on the network that is accessed through encryption software which enables anonymity of users.
  • The prize money for the first winner is ₹2.5 lakh, the runner-up would get ₹2 lakh and the third winner ₹1.5 lakh. The consolation prizes for the fourth and fifth places are ₹25,000 each. Online registration will continue till March 31 through the website ncb.cyberchallenge.in

Organization of Islamic Cooperation

  • The OIC — formerly Organisation of the Islamic Conference — is the world’s second largest inter-governmental organisation after the UN, with a membership of 57 states.
  • The OIC’s stated objective is “to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world”.
  • OIC has reserved membership for Muslim-majority countries.
  • Russia, Thailand, and a couple of other small countries have Observer status.


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