Current Affair 1:

Members in the Legislative Council should be nominated in reasonable time: Bombay HC

The court disposed of a PIL against the Governor’s inaction in nominating members to Maharashtra's Legislative Council (MLC), despite the 12 names submitted by the Council of Ministers on November 6, 2020. The bench said that eight months was more than enough time in the particular facts of the case.

A bench observed that while directions could not be given to the Governor under Article 361 of the Constitution, it hoped that things would be set right at an early date.

"This court, therefore, concludes the judgement by making a public law declaration that the obligation which the constitution vests in the Governor to either accept or return the recommendations of the Council of Ministers forming part of advice has to be discharged within a reasonable time. Eight months on facts seems to be beyond reasonable time."

It didn’t give any direction but made declaration that Governor should not take too much and COM should wait for action of Governor.

We will also see how seats are filled in Legislative Councils:

Current Affair 2:

Govt finalizing plan to monetize Rs 6 lakh crore infra-assets

 

Asset Monetization:

Asset Monetization involves creation of new sources of revenue by unlocking of value of hitherto unutilized or underutilized public assets. Many public sector assets are sub-optimally utilized and could be appropriately monetized to create greater financial leverage and value for the companies and of the equity that the government has invested in them. The objective of the asset monetization programme of the Government of India (GOI), is to unlock the value of investment made in public assets which have not yielded appropriate or potential returns so far, create hitherto unexplored sources of income for the company and its shareholders, and contribute to a more accurate estimation of public assets which would help in better financial management of government/public resources over time.

Asset Monetization can include:

1. Selling of unutilized land of GoI/PSU
2. Giving an asset (let us say Dedicated Freight Corridor) of a PSU/GoI to a Private Operator for Operation and Maintenance for a contract period (say 30 years) in return of one-time money or annual payments
3. Giving the already constructed NHAI roads to Private Parties on TOT (Toll Operate Transfer) model for a certain period in return for one time money [For details refer the book]
4. Giving the Airports to Private Operators for a certain period on PPP model in return of annual payments (example. Lucknow, Ahmedabad etc. given to Adani group)
5. Giving the Transmission Assets of PGCIL, Oil & Gas pipelines of GAIL, IOCL, HPCL to private operators in return for annual payments for certain contract period.

Disinvestment/divestment" generally means reducing the stake/ownership in a company/entity (where a company/entity can have several assets). But "Asset Monetization" basically means giving a particular (brownfield) asset of GoI/PSU to Private Parties in return of one time or annual payments.

Current Affair 3:

What the Law Says About Rahul Gandhi Sharing a Photo of His Meeting with Rape Victim's Parents?

The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) asked Twitter to remove Rahul Gandhi’s tweet, on the ground that it indirectly disclosed the child’s identity in violation of two laws meant to protect children.

Section 23(2) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act says:

 

“No reports in any media shall disclose, the identity of a child including his name, address, photograph, family details, school, neighbourhood or any other particulars which may lead to disclosure of identity of the child”.

Section 74(1) of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015

Also,

In Nipun Saxena v Union of India, Justice Deepak Gupta, as part of the bench presided by Justice Madan B. Lokur, held on December 11, 2018, after examining sub-section (1) of Section 228A of IPC applicable to all victims of rape and not just minors – that not only publication of the name of the victim was prohibited but also disclosure of any other matter which might make known the identity of such victim. Punishment for the offence includes imprisonment for up to two years, and fine.

The apex court said that the phrase “matter which might make known identity of person” did not solely mean that only the name of the victim should not be disclosed but it also means that the identity of the victim should not be discernible from any matter published in media.

Wait for further updates what court says on this matter.

Current Affair 4:

‘Karez’ system of irrigation

 

Karez system is considered as the global human heritage since it is not only a traditional water supply system of exploiting groundwater, but also it reflects the culture, socio-economy, and history of the ancient civilizations that had utilized them for thousands of years in arid and semi-arid regions of the world.

Karez are constructed as a series of well-like vertical shafts, connected by sloping tunnels, which tap into subterranean water in a manner that efficiently delivers large quantities of water to the surface by gravity, without need for pumping. The first well where the water is tapped for a karez is called the mother well, and there is a zone of roughly 1,200 feet in diameter where it is forbidden to dig new wells or otherwise threaten the quality and quantity of the groundwater. The vertical shafts along the underground channel are purely for maintenance purposes, and water is used only once it emerges from the daylight point.

 

This system of underground vertical shafts in a gently sloping tunnel that is built from an upland aquifer to ground level, is in fact present in several countries.

Some historians and archaeologists have attributed people in the southeast Arabian Peninsula as the first developers. Others, however, ascribe it to the ancient Persians.

The Qanat / Karez system, wherever it was developed, soon spread to many Persian, Arab and Turkic lands. It even came to the Indian Subcontinent during the 800-year-old Islamic Period.

Link: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/water/will-afghanistan-s-centuries-old-karez-system-of-irrigation-survive-the-taliban-78451

Current Affair 5:

GSLV-F10 launch and EOS-03 satellite

 

GSLV-F10 was ISRO’s eighth flight with indigenous cryo, 14th GSLV flight and 79th launch from Sriharikota.

What is EOS-03?

EOS-3 was the first state-of-art agile Earth Observation Satellite which would have been placed in a geo-synchronous orbit around the Earth.

It was expected to provide near real-time imaging, which could be used for quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events and any short-term events.

Since it has failed, only one thing can be aske din UPSC Prelims, what is the reason for failure?

GSLV-F10 launch took place on August 12, 2021 at 0543 Hrs IST as scheduled. Performance of first and second stages was normal. However, Cryogenic Upper Stage ignition did not happen due to technical anomaly. The mission couldn't be accomplished as intended.

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