ETEN Enlightens-Daily current capsules (Prelims Prominence) – 16th March 2018

State Specific The Criminal Law (Haryana Amendment) Bill, 2018

The Haryana Assembly unanimously passed a Bill which provides for

death penalty to those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 years or less.

After Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Haryana has become the third State

where the Assembly has approved the provision of capital punishment for

such sexual offenders

The Criminal Law (Haryana Amendment) Bill, 2018, moved by the state

on the last day of the budget session

“After Section 376-A of the Penal Code, the following Section shall be

inserted, namely 376-AA,”

Enlighten about section 376-AA

In case of rape of a girl up to 12 years of age, there will be a punishment

of death or rigorous imprisonment of not less than 14 years which may

extend to imprisonment for life

Enlighten about section 376 - DA

A provision 376-DA has also been added after section 376-D of the

penal code.

Under section--376-DA, if a girl upto 12 years of age is raped by one or

more persons constituting a group, each of those persons shall be deemed

to have committed the offence of rape and will be punished with death or

rigorous imprisonment for a term which will not be less than 20 years,

but which may extend to life along with a fine.

The punishment under Section 354 of the IPC (Assault or criminal force

against woman with intent to outrage her modesty) will not be less than

two years (earlier not less than one year) but may extend up to seven

years (earlier up to five years).

Ministry of Ayush

CCRAS has developed and commercialized two drugs

AYUSH 82 An Anti Diabetic Ayurvedic Formulation.

AYUSH SG An Anti-Rheumatoid Arthritis preparation.

Enlighten about The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences

(CCRAS)

It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga &

Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), Government of India.

Dealing with the formulation, coordination, development and promotion

of research on scientific lines in Ayurveda and Sowa-Rigpa system of

medicine.

Cabinet decisions

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Iran for cooperation in the

field of agriculture and allied sectors

In the areas of agricultural crops, agricultural extension, horticulture,

machinery, post harvest technology, plant quarantine measures, credit and

cooperation.

soil conservation and water management, integrated nutrients

management, seed technology and agricultural marketing.

Livestock improvement, dairy development, animal health and other

fields as mutually agreed upon fall within the scope of this MoU.

Cabinet apprised of an MoU signed between India and Sri Lanka for

promoting cooperation in the field of Information Technology and

Electronics

The MoU intends to promote closer co-operation in the areas of e-

Governance, m-Governance, e-Public Services Delivery, cyber security,

software technology parks, start-ups ecosystem etc.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has

been mandated to promote international cooperation in the emerging and

frontier areas of Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

under bilateral and regional framework of cooperation.

Science and Tech. Indian Neutrino Observatory (INO)

The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project has got a fresh lease

of life with the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) taking it up

as a special case and granting it environmental clearance to set up the lab

in Bodi West hills in Tamil Nadu.

While granting EC, the committee stipulated specific conditions, of which two

are key for the project to take off.

One is the consent to establish and operate to be obtained from the Tamil

Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).

The INO team has to obtain the necessary forest and National Board for

Wild Life clearances as per law.

The Mathikettan Shola National Park in Idukki district, Kerala, is situated

within five km from the project site.

Enlighten About the project

It is a multi-institutional effort aimed at building a world-class

underground laboratory with a rock cover of approx.1200 m for non-

accelerator based high energy and nuclear physics research in India.

The initial goal of INO is to study neutrinos.

This project is jointly funded by the Department of Atomic Energy

(DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Enlighten about Neutrinos -

It is the second most widely occurring particle in the universe, only

second to photons, the particle which makes up light.

They are so abundant among us that every second, there are more than

100 trillion of them passing right through each of us

The neutrinos have a tiny mass, but the ordering of the neutrino mass

states is not known and is one of the key questions that remain

unanswered till today. This is a major challenge INO will set to resolve

Neutrinos are by far the most numerous of all the particles in the universe (other

than photons of light) and so even a tiny mass for the neutrinos can enable them

to have an effect on the evolution of the Universe through their gravitational

effects.

Applications of neutrinos -

neutrinos hold the key to several important and fundamental questions on

the origin of the Universe and the energy production in stars.

It may helps in the detailed investigation of the structure of the Earth

from core on wards. This is possible with neutrinos since they are the

only particles which can probe the deep interiors of the Earth.

Report

World bank report of India’s economic growth

The World Bank forecasts India’s economic growth will accelerate to 7.3% in 2018-19, from 6.7% in the current financial year, before gathering momentum to a 7.5% pace in 2019-20.

The Central Statistics Office has projected GDP growth for the 12 months ending March 31, at 6.6%.

Despite shocks such as the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, and demonetisation, the growth path is back on trend.”

The report highlights several challenges facing the Indian economy that need prioritised attention.

These include the poor state of private sector investments which need to be enhanced through measures “that assure a favourable investment climate while reducing policy uncertainty”.

“Reviving bank credit to support growth is critically important

Implementation of the new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code is an important step towards improving credit behaviour

World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD)

15 March

an annual occasion for celebration and solidarity within the international

consumer movement.

It marks the date in 1962 President John F Kennedy first outlined the

definition of Consumer Rights.

It is an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers, for

demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and for

protesting the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them.

Theme: ‘Making digital marketplaces fairer’.

WCRD was first observed on 15 March 1983

Consumers International (CI)

founded in 1960 organises WCRD.

It is the only independent and authoritative global voice for consumers

and has over 220 member organisations in 115 countries around the

world.

Consumer protection act:

India adopted the Consumer Protection Act in 1986

Environment ASHTRACK

Mobile based Application to help Fly Ash Users & Power Plants

What’s new -

Government has reduced the GST rates on fly ash and its products to 5%.

To facilitate 100% ash utilization by all coal based thermal power plants,

Enlighten about ASHTRACK

A web portal for monitoring of fly ash generation and utilization data of

Thermal Power Plants and a mobile based application titled

“ASHTRACK” has been launched that will help to establish a link

between fly ash users and power plants executives

Minority Welfare Cyber Gram Project

Digital Literacy of Minority Communities

Chandauli in Alwar district of Rajasthan.

Implementing Ministry

The Ministry of Minority Affairs

A pilot project for minority Cyber Gram for digital literacy in a minority

dominated village Chandauli in Alwar district of Rajasthan.

The initiative covers students of Class VI to Class X belonging to

notified minority communities(Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists,

Parsis and Jains) residing in minority concentration areas indentified

under Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP).

The project is being implemented through Common Service Center

(CSC) e-governance India Ltd-a company under Department of

Electronics and Information Technology with support of States/UTs.

The funds per candidate sanctioned under the programme is Rs.1555/-

which is shared by Central Government and State.

Renewable Energy Uttar Pradesh biggest solar power plant

At Mirzapur

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and French President Shri

Emmanuel Macron inaugurated Uttar Pradesh’s biggest solar power

plant of 75 MW capacity in Mirzapur

Implementing bodies -

These solar parks are being set up by Lucknow Solar Park Development

Corporation(LSPDC) which is a joint venture of Solar Energy

Corporation of India (SECI) and Non-conventional Energy Development

Agency (NEDA) under UP Government

Set up by -

The power plant has been set up by the French firm ENGIE through a

transparent bidding process under the Solar Park Scheme of the New and

Renewable Energy Ministry.

Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for the project at the rate of Rs.74.25 lakh

per MW has been provided by the Government of India for the project.

Sources – the hindu, livemint, pib, ie