Daily Current Affairs 11 December 2019

Current Affairs Of Today are

1) SC flags delay in appointment of judges

• Two hundred and thirteen names recommended for appointment to various High Courts are pending with the government/Supreme Court Collegium
• The names on which the Supreme Court Collegium, the High Courts and the governments had agreed upon should be appointed within six months
• The order is significant, coming at a time when inordinate delays in the appointment of High Court judges and depleting numbers in the higher judiciary threaten to affect the justice delivery mechanism
• On the Supreme Court collegium clearing the recommended, the Union Law Ministry has to put up within three weeks the recommendations to the Prime Minister who would advise the President on the appointment. However, no time limit has been prescribed for action by the Prime Minister and the President.
• The Bench directed that the list, which has to be vetted by Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, to also include other details of the 213 pending names, including the date when each recommendation was made by the High Court collegium concerned; date when the recommendation was forwarded to the collegium after consulting with the State government by the Law Ministry; the period between these two dates; the date when the collegium cleared the names; the period, etc

Falling appointments

• The Bench observed in the order that the number of judges appointed to the High Courts has steadily dipped since 2017. Judicial appointments to High Courts have nearly halved in 2019 compared to 2017 and 2018. 
• Only 65 judges have been appointed to High Courts in 2019. It was 115 in 2017 and 108 in 2018. The High Courts are functioning at nearly 50% of their sanctioned judicial strength. Of a total 1,079 judges sanctioned in the High Courts, there are 410 vacancies.

2) Google liable for defamation cases before Act change

• In a shock for online platforms like Google, the Supreme Court held that internet intermediaries cannot be protected from criminal defamation cases registered against them before October 27, 2009.
• It was only on October 27, 2009, that Parliament amended the Information Technology Act of 2000 to protect online intermediaries from liability for criminally defamatory content published in them by third parties. The amended Section 79 of the 2000 Act provided that “an intermediary shall not be liable for any third party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted by him.” The amendment gave almost blanket protection to intermediaries from legal action under Section 499/500 (criminal defamation) of the Indian Penal Code.
• The appeal was against a criminal defamation action based on a complaint filed by M/s Vishaka Industries, a manufacturer of asbestos cement sheets. Vishaka accused the co­ordinator of a Google group called ‘Ban Asbestos India’ and Google India for authoring/ hosting defamatory articles against their products in 2008. The accused were asked to appear in court in September 2009 that is before the amendment in Section 79 came into existence. 
• “We hold that Section 79 of the Act, before its substitution, did not protect an intermediary regarding the offense under Section 499/ 500 of the IPC
• The verdict noted that Google India argued it was not a publisher of third­party content. 

3) Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority (PPV&FRA) to revise guidelines on Potato

• A document which food and beverages giant PepsiCo India cited to support its charges against Gujarat potato farmers earlier this year is being revised by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority (PPV&FRA), following complaints from major farmers groups
• The Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ document had claimed that “only small and marginal farmers involved in subsistence farming” are eligible to claim rights under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001. The FAQ also said these rights are not for “commercial farmers” and are only meant for “small scale” use.
• PepsiCo has used the same argument in an ongoing case at the Authority over its registered potato variety used for Lays chips. The company has also cited the FAQ document to justify dragging more than nine farmers to court in 2018 for growing and selling its registered variety
• The company faced product boycotts and major protests across the political spectrum for slapping a ₹4.2 crore lawsuit against four farmers, and ultimately withdrew all cases after government intervention just before the Lok Sabha elections in May 2019.
• The PPV&FR Act allows a farmer to “save, use, sow, resow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety protected under this Act”. The legislation itself does not include any stipulation that only small and marginal farmers will be protected, or mention the scale of use.
• The ongoing case at the PPV&FRA revolves around PepsiCo’s FL­2027 variety of potatoes, which it grows through a collaborative farmers program, wherein the company sells seeds to 12,000 farmers and has an exclusive contract to buy back their product to make its chips.  The company introduced the variety to India in 2009 and registered it under thePPV&FR Act in 2016.

4) India proposes an extended deadline for commitments at the climate summit

• India proposed that developed countries make good commitments on providing finance to developing countries by 2023, instead of 2020.
• It is time for reflection and assessment as we near the end of the pre­2020 period.  Has the developed world delivered on its promises? Unfortunately, annexed [developed] countries have not met their Kyoto Protocol targets... I propose that we have three more years to fulfill the pre­2020 commitments till the global stocktake takes places for bridging emission gaps,” Union Environment Minister, Prakash Javadekar said in Madrid, Spain at  25th Session of the Conference of Parties under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP25)
• India is on its way to achieving voluntary targets it has set for itself to curb emissions. It has reduced the emissions intensity of GDP by 21% and is “on track” to achieve the goal of 35% emissions reduction as promised in Paris

5) Naval Phases of Indo - Russian Tri-Services Exercise INDRA 2019

• The Russian Federation Navy (RuFN) Ships Yaroslav Mudry, Viktor Konetsky, and Elyna arrived at Goa on 10 Dec 19 to participate in INDRA 2019, the second edition of the tri-services exercise between the Indian and Russian Armed Forces. The Naval component of the exercise would be conducted off Goa from 10 to 19 Dec 19.
• The aim of the exercise is to enhance interoperability and develop an understanding to effectively tackle common security challenges. INDRA initially began as a bilateral naval exercise between the Indian and Russian Federation navies in 2003. The exercise has now assumed a tri-service scope with corresponding maturity and a gradual increase in complexity and level of participation.
• Tri-Services Ex INDRA 2019 would help further strengthen mutual confidence and interoperability and also enable sharing of best practices between the Armed Forces of both countries. The exercise will be yet another milestone in strengthening security cooperation and will serve to reinforce the long-standing bond of friendship between India and Russia.

About Indo - Russian Tri-Services Exercise INDRA 2019

This year, the naval component of the exercise would be held in two phases. The harbor phase would be held at Goa from 10 to 15 Dec 19 and encompass planning conferences, professional interactions, cultural visits, sports fixtures and formal calls between Flag Officers and Senior Officers of the participating navies. The Sea Phase of the exercise would be conducted in the Arabian Sea from 16 to 19 Dec 19. The focus area for the exercise at sea would be Underway Replenishment, Air Defence Drills, Surface Firings, Visits Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) operations and other tactical procedures. Indian Navy would be represented by INS Aditya, a Fleet Support Ship, and INS Tarkash, a frontline Guided Missile Frigate. Also, Dornier and P8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft, MIG 29 K Fighter Aircraft and other integral rotary wing helicopters would participate in the exercise. The Indian Army will be fielding a Ghatak Platoon in the validation exercise on 18 Dec 19, whereas an assortment of SU 30 MKI, Jaguar, Mi 17 helicopters and an Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) aircraft will be participating from the Indian Air Force. 

6) NAVARMS-19

The fourth edition of the International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems ‘NAVARMS-19’ with the theme “Make in India - Fight Category: Opportunities and Imperatives” are scheduled at Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, Development Enclave, New Delhi on 12-13 Dec 19. The two-day event spread over five plenary sessions will provide an opportunity for an exchange of ideas, create awareness and identify emerging prospects for the Indian/International defense industry in the domain of Naval Weapon Systems. NAVARMS is the only international seminar and exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems conducted in the country to invite all the stakeholders in the life cycle management of Naval Weapons and provide a common platform to share their views and concerns.

About NAVARMS-19

The first session of ‘NAVARMS-19’ will set the stage for a two-day seminar with Indian Navy speakers bringing out ‘Opportunities for Industry in Naval Weapon Systems - 2030’ in all the three dimensions viz. surface, air & underwater. The second session on  ‘Needs and Concerns of the User and Industry’ would provide a platform to the users and the industry to bring out their respective needs and concerns with prevailing policies/issues as well as envisioned environment and seek views from all the stakeholders to bridge the gap between expectations of the user and capabilities of the industry. The third session focuses on ‘Naval Weapon Systems - Modern Trends and Technology in Upgrade & Upkeep’. The fourth session is an interactive session of Panel Discussion on ‘Govt Policy Imperatives to Encourage Indigenisation’. The last session on ‘Building of Indigenous Capability through Collaborative Approach between Industry, R&D organizations, and IN’will provide a platform for industry, DRDO and the user to highlight the capability gaps existing in the system and way ahead to bridge them using modern technology, infrastructure augmentation, increased investment in R&D, etc through collaborative approach.

7) Incentive and Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles

• As per information received from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), about 30 crore vehicles are plying on the road which is based on the internal combustion engine.
• Department of Heavy Industry is implementing a scheme namely Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India [FAME India Scheme] to promote the manufacturing and adoption of electrical vehicles (EVs).
• Under the Scheme, it is planned to support about 10 lakh e-2 Wheelers, 5 lakh e-3 Wheelers, 55000 e-4 Wheeler Passenger Cars, and 7000 e-Buses through demand incentives with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 Crore for 3 years commencing from 1st April 2019. In this Scheme, the emphasis is being given on electric vehicles, used for public transport or those registered for commercial purposes in e-3W, e-4W and e-bus segment. Privately owned registered e-2W are also covered. Under the Scheme, the demand incentive is linked to battery capacity i.e. Rs. 10,000/KWh for all categories of vehicles except e-buses where it is Rs. 20,000/KWh. SIAM is supporting the Scheme.
• Also, a budget provision of Rs. 1000 crore has been made for setting up of charging infrastructure under the Scheme and Department of Heavy Industry had issued an Expression of Interest (EoI) inviting proposals for the establishment of 1000 charging stations under this phase of the Scheme.
• Under Phase-I of the FAME-India Scheme, the Government has supported about 500 charging stations to establish electric vehicle charging stations in the country.  Out of about 500 charging stations sanctioned under Phase-I of FAME-India Scheme about 230 charging stations have been installed.  Further, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) under the Ministry of Power has deployed 65 public charging stations for EVs in the country. EESL is also deploying around 300 AC and 170 DC captive chargers across Government offices in the country.
• As per information received from EESL, the time required to charge an e-vehicle depends on the rated capacity and type of charger. DC-001 (15kW) charger takes around 70-80 minutes for complete charging (0-100%) for e-car with a battery capacity of 18kWh. The unit cost of charging per unit is Rs 9.5 plus GST for public charging stations operated at NDMC, Delhi.

8) Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana for Disabled Persons

A Central Sector Scheme namely ‘Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana’ (RVY) is being implemented by D/o Social Justice and Empowerment (M/o SJ&E) to provide to senior citizens, belonging to BPL category and suffering from age-related disabilities/ infirmities, with such physical aids and assisted living devices which can restore near normalcy in their bodily functions. 

Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under M/o SJ&E is implementing ‘Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP)’ Scheme under which aids and assistive devices are distributed to eligible Divyangjan for their physical, social, psychological and economic empowerment. Persons with disabilities fulfilling the following conditions would be eligible for assistance under ADIP Scheme:

• An Indian citizen of any age.
• Holds a 40% Disablement Certificate.
• Has monthly income from all sources not exceeding Rs. 20,000/- per month.
• In the case of dependents, the income of parents/guardians should not exceed Rs. 20,000/- per month.
• Who has not received assistance during the last 3 years for the same purpose from any source? However, for children below 12 years of age, this limit would be one year.

9) Data Bank of Farmers

• The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare have constituted a Task Force to develop a comprehensive Farmers’ Database for better planning, monitoring, strategy formulation and smooth implementation of schemes for the entire country.
• This Centralised Farmers Database shall be useful for various activities like issuing soil health cards, dissemination of crop advisories to the farmers, precision farming, smart cards for farmers to facilitate e-governance, crop insurance, settlement of compensation claims, the grant of agricultural subsidies, community/village resource centers, etc.
• At present, the Centralised Farmers Database has not been created in the country. However, under PM-KISAN 90,165,852 number of farmers have been registered in the country as on 30.11.2019, out of which 5,813,813 number of farmers are registered in Rajasthan.

10) Antibiotics in CROPS

Aureofungin, Kasugamycin, Validamycin, and Streptomycin+ Tetracycline combination are antibiotics that are registered under the Insecticide Act 1968 for use as pesticides to combat certain fungal and bacterial diseases in plants.

The use of the above pesticides is regulated under the Insecticide Act 1968 and the rules framed thereunder. While registering the pesticide, the label and leaflets are also approved which contains the details of the crop, disease/pest against which it is recommended, dose rate, directions about use, chemical composition, toxicity triangle, precautions to use and packaging specifications.

Pesticides are toxic substances but they do not pose any adverse effect on human beings, animals and the environment if they are used as per the label and leaflet approved by the Registration Committee. Pesticides are registered for use in the country by the Registration Committee only after satisfying about their efficacy and safety to human health, animal and environment.