Daily Prelims Notes 23 October 2021
- October 23, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN
Daily Prelims Notes
23 October 2021
Table Of Contents
- Turkey under FATF Grey-List
- Plastic Pollution
- Non-Fungible Token (NFT)
- RBI caps IPO funding by NBFCs at ₹1 cr per borrower
- Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2021
- RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee member Varma diverged from policy stance
- Global Oil Boils
- Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang
- Madhubani Paintings
- Net-Zero Emissions
- CBI investigating powers inside state
- Public Safety Act (PSA)
- Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2021
- Consumer Disputes Fora
- Brahmos Supersonic Cruise Missile
1. Turkey under FATF Grey-List
Subject – IR
Context – global terror finance watchdog put Turkey under the lens
Concept –
- The global terror financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), has added Turkey, along with Jordan and Mali, in its revised list of “jurisdictions under increased monitoring”.
- The FATF is an inter-governmental body that works to “set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system”.
- The FATF holds three Plenary meetings in the course of each of its 12-month rotating presidencies.
‘Increased Monitoring’
- According to the FATF, when a jurisdiction is placed under increased monitoring, “it means the country has committed to resolve swiftly the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes and is subject to extra checks”.
- Specifically, these jurisdictions are now “actively working with the FATF to address strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing”.
- This list of jurisdictions are commonly referred to as the “grey list”.
Which are the world’s grey list jurisdictions?
- There are now 23 countries in the FATF grey list, officially referred to as “jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies”. From India’s, and most of the rest of the world’s perspective, the most important country on the list is Pakistan. Myanmar is also on the list — and now, Turkey.
- In essence, in the assessment of the FATF, all these countries have failed to prevent international money laundering and terrorist financing, and are, therefore, on a global watchlist.
- Some of the other countries on the updated grey list are Philippines, Syria, Yemen, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Morocco, Jamaica, Cambodia, Burkina Faso, and South Sudan, and the tax havens of Barbados, Cayman Islands, and Panama.
- The FATF also took two countries — Botswana and Mauritius — out of the grey list. These “jurisdictions no longer subject to increased monitoring” have made “significant progress [in…] addressing the strategic AML/CFT deficiencies identified earlier by the FATF and included in their respective action plans”.
- AML/CFT refers to “Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism”.
Why is Turkey on the list?
- Turkey needs to address “serious issues of supervision” in its banking and real estate sectors, and with gold and precious stones dealers.
- Turkey needs to show it is effectively tackling complex money laundering cases and show it is pursuing terrorist financing prosecutions…and prioritising cases of UN- designated terrorist organisations such as ISIL and al Qaeda.
- The FATF statement said Turkey has made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF to strengthen the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime.
- The FATF has given eight specific tasks to Turkey, including, in broad terms:
- (i) dedicating more resources to the supervision of AML/CFT compliance by high-risk sectors and increasing on-site inspections;
- (ii) applying “dissuasive sanctions” for breaches of AML/CFT, including unregistered money transfers;
- (iii) enhancing use of financial intelligence to support money laundering investigations;
- (iv) undertaking more complex money laundering investigations and prosecutions;
- (v) fixing responsibilities and measurable performance objectives for anti-terror finance authorities;
- (vi) conducting more financial investigations in terrorism cases;
- (vii) concerning targeted financial sanctions under the UN’s anti-terror resolutions, and pursuing actions against UN-designated groups; and,
- (viii) implementing a risk-based approach to supervision of non-profit organisations to prevent their abuse for terrorist financing.
What can happen as a result of grey-listing?
- There is research that suggests grey-listing negatively impacts the relationship of the concerned countries with international funders including banks and financial institutions that take note of FATF rankings, as well as existing and potential overseas investors in those countries.
- A recent study by the International Monetary Fund reported that grey-listing cuts capital inflow by an estimated 7.6% of gross domestic product (GDP), while foreign direct investment (FDI) and portfolio flows are also hit.
Subject – Environment
Context – Plastic pollution in aquatic systems may triple by 2040: UNEP
Concept –
- The microbial community on plastic debris — the plastisphere — now covers the multiple biomes on Earth. From the deepest parts of the ocean to the most remote oceanic islands, plastics and microplastics are all-pervasive.
- A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has rung alarm bells: The amount of plastics in the oceans has been estimated to be around 75-199 million tonnes at present. Without meaningful action, emissions of plastic waste into aquatic ecosystems are projected to nearly triple by 2040.
- It could more than double by 2030, according to the assessment.
- The report talks about the extreme pressures being exerted on the planet due to plastic pollution and the need for urgent action to offset it.
- The report flagged that under a business-as-usual scenario and in the absence of necessary interventions, the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could nearly triple from 9-14 million tonnes a year in 2016 to 23-37 million tonnes a year by 2040.
- Of the seven billion tonnes of plastic waste generated so far, an estimated 10 per cent was recycled, 14 per cent incinerated and the remaining 76 per cent went into landfills, dumps and littered in the natural environment.
- The estimated annual loss in the value of plastic packaging waste during sorting and processing alone is $80-120 billion.
- Plastics labelled as biodegradable may take hundreds of years to degrade in the oceans; litter poses similar risks to individuals, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
- The main sources of marine litter and plastic pollution are land-based. Approximately 7,000 million of the estimated 9,200 million tonnes of cumulative plastic production between 1950 and 2017 became plastic waste.
- At least three-quarters of this were discarded and placed in landfills, became part of mismanaged waste streams or was dumped and abandoned in the environment, including in the sea.
- The mismanagement of waste from African and Asian watersheds may result in the release of millions of tonnes of litter and plastic waste into the world’s major terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and eventually into the oceans, according to a 2019 Nature report.
- Plastic can also alter global carbon cycling through its effect on plankton and primary production in marine, freshwater and terrestrial systems. Marine ecosystems — especially mangroves, seagrasses, corals and salt marshes — play a major role in sequestering carbon.
- The more damage we do to oceans and coastal areas, the harder it is for these ecosystems to both offset and remains resilient to climate change.
- This assessment provides the strongest scientific argument to date for the urgency to act, and for collective action to protect and restore our oceans from source to sea. A major concern is the fate of breakdown products, such as microplastics and chemical additives, many of which are known to be toxic and hazardous to both human and wildlife health as well as ecosystems.
To know about Marine Plastic Pollution, please click here.
To know about Plastic Pollution in Sundarbans, please click here.
To know about Plastic Waste Recycling Targets, please click here.
To know about Plastic waste management amendment rules 2021, please click here and here.
Subject – Economy
Context – NFTs gain traction with celebrities on board
Concept –
- Led by celebrities that include Bollywood actors, designers and cricketers, nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, are slowly gaining traction in India.
- Experts say the NFT market is still small and very niche in nature, but investor interest is definitely picking up.
- At present, the NFT market is still very nascent and there are not enough collectors, comparing it to cryptocurrencies in 2013.
- NFTs have various advantages for artists and celebrities. They provide an opportunity to monetise their online or digital content, which otherwise on social media, would have just generated likes or led to more followers.
- It provides royalty to the artist when the NFT is sold in the secondary market and also provides the authenticity of digital content.
To know about NFTs, please click here.
4. RBI caps IPO funding by NBFCs at ₹1 cr per borrower
Subject – Economy
Context – RBI caps IPO funding by NBFCs at ₹1 cr per borrower
Concept –
- The Reserve Bank of India announced a scale-based regulation of non-banking finance companies, which include a ceiling on IPO funding per borrower as well as changes in the minimum net owned fund, classification of non-performing assets, and capital requirements.
- Under the new framework, there will be a ceiling of ₹1 crore per borrower for financing subscription to an initial public offering (IPO).
- “NBFCs can fix more conservative limits,” the RBI said in the ‘Scale Based Regulation (SBR): A Revised Regulatory Framework for NBFCs’.
Layer-based structure –
- Under the new framework, the regulatory structure for NBFCs shall comprise four layers based on their size, activity, and perceived riskiness — base, middle, upper and top layer.
Note – There is a limit of ₹10lakh for banks for IPO financing.
Sensitive Exposure –
- In the new framework, the RBI has also proposed sensitive sector exposure norms for NBFCs in the middle and upper layers.
- “Exposure to the capital market (direct and indirect) and commercial real estate shall be reckoned as sensitive exposure for NBFCs. NBFCs shall fix board-approved internal limits for SSE separately for capital market and commercial real estate exposures,” the RBI said.
- A sub-limit within the commercial real estate exposure ceiling shall be fixed internally for financing land acquisition.
- Housing finance companies shall continue to follow specific regulations on sensitive sector exposure.
- Further, the regulatory minimum net owned fund (NOF) for NBFC-Investment and Credit Companies, NBFC-MFI and NBFC-Factors shall be increased to ₹10 crore by March 2027 through a prescribed glide path.
- The extant NPA classification norm also stands changed to the overdue period of more than 90 days for all categories of NBFCs. A glide path is provided to NBFCs in the base layer to adhere to the 90 days NPA norm, the RBI said.
- Considering the need for professional experience in managing the affairs of NBFCs, the RBI said at least one of the directors should have relevant experience of having worked in a bank or an NBFC.
To know about NBFCs, please click here.
5. Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules 2021
Subject – Economy
Context – Amended telegraph right of way rules notified
Concept –
- The government notified Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2021 to incorporate the provisions related to nominal one-time compensation and uniform procedure for establishment of overground telegraph line in the Indian Telegraph Right of Way Rules, 2016, and it has fixed a cap of ₹1,000 per km.
- The amount of one-time compensation for establishment of overground telegraph line will be maximum ₹1,000 per km.
- Documentation for RoW application for overground telegraph line has been made simple.
- In earlier notifications it was ₹1,000 only per km, but the State local municipalities have always objected they be charged more and demanded more for the compensation.
- And, earlier the RoW Rules had covered only underground optical fibre cable (OFC) and mobile towers.
- The notification said there will also be no fee other than administrative fee and restoration charges for establishing, maintaining, working, repairing, transferring or shifting the underground and over ground telegraph infrastructure
- The notification added that e-governance and financial inclusion will be strengthened, doing business will be easy, information and communication needs of citizens and enterprises will be fulfilled, and ultimately the dream of India’s transition to a digitally empowered economy and society will be translated into a reality.
6. RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee member Varma diverged from policy stance
Subject – Economy
Context – RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee member Varma diverged from policy stance, called for tightening
Concept –
- While the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) retained the accommodative stance and kept the main policy rates unchanged in the review earlier this month, Jayanth R Varma, a member of the MPC, has strongly argued for tightening the policy stating that inflation and growth risks are “well beyond the control” of the MPC.
- “Since August, I have become increasingly concerned about two other risks that have become salient globally in recent weeks. The first is that the ongoing transition to green energy worldwide poses a significant risk of creating a series of energy price shocks similar to that in the 1970s. This means that the upside risks to long term inflation and to inflation expectations are now more aggravated,” Varma said proposing a hike in reverse repo rate.
- “I am not in favour of the decision to keep the reverse repo rate at 3.35 per cent, and vote against the accommodative stance,” Varma said.
To know about MPC and accommodative stance, please click here.
Subject – Economy
Context – As the global recovery gains strength, the price of crude is nearing its highest level since2018.
Concept –
- As the global recovery gains strength, the price of crude oil is nearing its highest level since 2018.
- The surge in prices has led to record high prices of petrol and diesel in India and the Petroleum Ministry has repeatedly stated that it is speaking to key oil exporting countries to increase the supply of crude and lowering the official selling price for Asia.
Why are fuel prices rising?
- The price of Brent Crude breached the $85 per barrel mark earlier this week reaching its highest level since 2018 on the back of a sharp increase in global demand as the world economy recovers from the pandemic.
- The price of Brent crude has nearly doubled compared to the price of $42.5 per barrel a year ago.
- Key oil producing countries have kept crude oil supplies on a gradually increasing production schedule despite a sharp increase in global crude oil prices.
- In its latest round of meetings, the OPEC+ group of oil producing countries reaffirmed that they would increase total crude oil supply by only 400,000 barrels per day in November despite a sharp increase in prices.
- The output of the top oil-producing countries – Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE and Kuwait — would still be about 14 per cent lower than reference levels of production post the increase in November.
- OPEC+ had agreed to sharp cuts in supply in 2020 in response to Covid-19 global travel restrictions in 2020 but the cartel has been slow to boost production as demand has recovered. India and other oil importing nations have called on OPEC+ to boost oil supply faster, arguing that elevated crude oil prices could undermine the recovery of the global economy.
- Low crude oil supply from the US has also played a key role in keeping crude oil prices elevated.
- Crude oil producers that had cut production when crude oil prices were low may be waiting to see if high crude oil prices sustain before restarting production.
Does India’s pitch with oil exporters to lower prices really make a difference?
- The government says it has been reaching out to key oil producing countries, asking them to boost production of crude oil. Petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that the key reason for high international crude oil prices is that “the supply of crude was being kept below demand” and that this “is designed as a recipe for high prices.”
- India has long pushed for Middle eastern countries to remove the “Asian premium” that Asian countries have to pay for crude oil as key oil producers set higher prices for India than for the US and European countries.
- Despite a 40 cent per barrel cut in the official selling price of light crude to Asia, Saudi Arabia is still charging a $1.30 premium on the benchmark price for light crude sold to India compared to a $2.4 discount on the benchmark price for European customers.
- Experts have noted that countries like India do not have much bargaining power in the current market scenario where supply is lower than demand and that India’s bargaining power may be reduced further if we try to further diversify crude oil procurement. Also, the level of output and pricing benchmarks are decided by cartels such as OPEC.
- In March, then petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan had said that India would source crude from whichever country gives India the best price and business terms. India had moved to lower crude oil procurement from Middle Eastern countries in favour of procurement from Latin American and African nations after Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations did not raise their crude oil production schedule despite rising crude oil prices.
Asia Premium –
- Asian Premium is extra charge being collected by OPEC countries from Asian countries when selling oil in comparison to western countries.
- But under Asian Premium pricing mechanism, OPEC countries gives discriminatory treatment to Asian countries (though being largest importer of OPEC produced oil) by charging them higher than western countries.
- The discriminatory Asian Premium is mainly used by OPEC countries to subsidised western buyers at cost of Asian buyers.
8. Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang
Subject – IR
Context – 43 countries call on China at UN to respect Uighur rights
Concept –
- The Uighurs are a predominantly Muslim minority Turkic ethnic group, whose origins can be traced to Central and East Asia.
- The Uighurs speak their own language, similar to Turkish, and see themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations.
- The Uighurs are considered to be one of the 55 officially recognized ethnic minority communities in China.
- However, China recognises the community only as a regional minority and rejects that they are an indigenous group.
- Currently, the largest population of the Uighur ethnic community lives in Xinjiang region of China.
- A significant population of Uighurs also lives in the neighbouring Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
- Xinjiang is technically an autonomous region within China — its largest region, rich in minerals, and sharing borders with eight countries, including India, Pakistan, Russia and Afghanistan.
Where is Xinjiang?
- Xinjiang lies in the north-west of China and is the country’s largest region.
- Like Tibet, it is autonomous, meaning – in theory – it has some powers of self-governance.
- But in practice, both regions are subjected to major restrictions by the central government.
- Xinjiang is a mostly desert region and produces about a fifth of the world’s cotton.
- In December 2020, research seen by the BBC showed that up to half a million people were being forced to pick cotton in Xinjiang. There is evidence that new factories have been built within the grounds of the re-education camps.
- The region is also rich in oil and natural gas and because of its proximity to Central Asia and Europe is seen by Beijing as an important trade link.
- In the early 20th Century, the Uyghurs briefly declared independence for the region but it was brought under the complete control of China’s new Communist government in 1949.
Subject – Art and Culture
Context – An NIFT graduate helps women in Bihar put their traditional painting skills to use in an innovative manner
Concept –
- Madhubani means ‘forest of honey’.
- Origin: Madhubani painting has its origins in Mithila region of Bihar.
- The painting is one of the oldest and most famous Indian art forms which is also practised in Nepal.
- Traces of Madhubani art can also be noticed in the Ramayana, the Indian epic.
- It is also known as Mithila or Madhubani art.
- Characteristics: These paintings are popular because of their tribal motifs and use of bright earthy colours.
- Traditionally the women of the village drew these paintings on the walls of their dwelling, as a demonstration of their feelings, hopes, and ideas.
- Today men are also involved to meet the demand.
- Style: It includes geometrical patterns, floral, animal and bird motifs.
- Colours: The colours used in paintings comprise natural extracts from plants and other natural sources. E.g.: Black colour is obtained by mixing soot with cow dung; blue from indigo; white from rice powder; orange from palasha flowers, etc.
- The colours are applied flat with no shading and no empty space is left.
- These are usually dark and bright with pigments like lampblack (obtained from coal) and ochre (earthy yellow pigment).
- These paintings are not made with modern brushes but rather with twigs, matchsticks, and fingers.
- But now artists use brushes, nib-pens and synthetic colours as well to paint.
- Themes: It is based on the mythological characters which depict the life of Hindu deities like Krishna, Rama, Lakshmi, Shiva, Durga, and Saraswati.
- The designs widely painted are of Tulasi plant, court scenes, wedding scenes, social happenings etc.
- Also, heavenly bodies like the Sun and the Moon often form the centrepiece of paintings.
- Eminent Artists: Karpuri Devi, Mahalaxmi and Dulari.
- These paintings are popular because of their tribal motifs and use of bright earthy colours.
Subject – Environment
Context – India weighs ‘net zero’ target ahead of CoP
Concept –
- India has not entirely ruled out the possibility of agreeing to a “net zero” climate target, though it will not budge on demanding that developed nations make good their commitments, such as providing an annual $100 billion to developing countries for mitigating the impacts of climate change, facilitating technology transfer and putting in place a tangible market-based mechanism to activate the moribund carbon credit markets, senior officials said.
- Ahead of the 26th meeting of the United Nations Conference of Parties (CoP) that begins in Glasgow on November 1, the focus on making the meet a success is to have all nations commit to “net zero”, or a year by when a country’s fossil fuel emissions will peak and at some point be neutralised by taking out excess carbon from the atmosphere.
- All countries doing this by 2050, scientists say, will mean a chance of restricting the average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, provided emissions fall to around 45% of the 2010 levels by 2030.
- A study by the think tank Council for Energy Environment and Water projects said that for India to achieve the net zero target even by 2070, usage of coal, especially for power generation, will need to peak by 2040 and drop by 99% between 2040 and 2060.
- The consumption of crude oil across sectors will need to peak by 2050 and fall substantially by 90% between 2050 and 2070.
To know more about net-zero, please click here.
11. CBI investigating powers inside state
Subject – Polity
Context – Bengal can’t bar CBI from probing crimes: Centre
Concept –
To know about CBI, please click here.
To know about CBI and Consent of States, please click here.
Subject – Security and Defence
Context – Nearly 700 detained in J&K ahead of Shah’s visit under PSA
Concept –
- Under the PSA, unique to Jammu and Kashmir, an individual can be detained for a maximum of two years, without trial, if his or her act is prejudicial to the security of the state or the maintenance of public order.
- The Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978 is a preventive detention law, under which a person is taken into custody to prevent him or her from acting in any manner that is prejudicial to “the security of the state or the maintenance of the public order”. It is very similar to the National Security Act that is used by other state governments for preventive detention.
- By definition, preventive detention is meant to be preventive, not punitive. This broad definition is the most common ground used by a law-enforcement agency when it slaps the PSA on an individual. It comes into force by an administrative order passed either by Divisional Commissioner or the District Magistrate, and not by an detention order by police based on specific allegations or for specific violation of laws.
Why is it considered draconian?
- The PSA allows for detention of a person without a formal charge and without trial. It can be slapped on a person already in police custody; on someone immediately after being granted bail by a court; or even on a person acquitted by the court. Detention can be up to two years.
- Unlike in police custody, a person who is detained under the PSA need not be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours of the detention. The detained person does not have the right to move a bail application before a criminal court, and cannot engage any lawyer to represent him or her before the detaining authority.
- The only way this administrative preventive detention order can be challenged is through a habeas corpus petition filed by relatives of the detained person. The High Court and the Supreme Court have the jurisdiction to hear such petitions and pass a final order seeking quashing of the PSA. However, if the order is quashed, there in no bar on the government passing another detention order under the PSA and detaining the person again.
- The District Magistrate who has passed the detention order has protection under the Act, which states that the order is considered “done in good faith”. Therefore, there can no be prosecution or any legal proceeding against the official who has passed the order. Also, after an amendment last year by the Governor, persons detained under the PSA in Jammu & Kashmir can now be detained in jails outside the state.
What happens once the PSA is slapped?
- Generally, when a person is detained under the PSA, the DM communicates to the person within five days, in writing, the reason for the detention. In exceptional circumstances, the DM can take 10 days to communicate these grounds. This communication is important because it is on the basis of it that the detained person gets an opportunity of making a representation against the order. However, the DM also has the discretion not to disclose all the facts on the basis of which the detention is ordered, if he or she thinks that these facts are against “public interest”.
- The DM has to place the detention order within four weeks before an advisory board, consisting of three members including a chairperson who is a former judge of the High Court. The DM also has to place the representation made by the detained person. The detained person too can make a representation before this advisory board.
- Within the sixth week from the date of detention, the board submits its report to the government, which will determine if the detention is in public interest. This report is binding on the government.
What constitutional safeguards are guaranteed to a person so detained?
- Article 22(a) of the Constitution states that no person who is arrested shall be detained in custody without being informed, as soon as may be, of the grounds for such arrest, nor shall he be denied the right to consult, and to be defended by, a legal practitioner of his choice. Article 22(b) states that every person arrested and detained shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within a period of 24 hours (excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court) and no such person shall be detained beyond this period without the authority of a magistrate.
- However, Article 22(3)(b) allows for preventive detention and restriction on personal liberty for reasons of state security and public order. The Supreme Court has held that in order to prevent “misuse of this potentially dangerous power, the law of preventive detention has to be strictly construed and meticulous compliance with the procedural safeguards… is mandatory and vital”. Therefore, the DM has to show that the detention order follows the procedure established by law; any violation of these procedural safeguards is to be termed violation of constitutional rights.
- Over the years, the Supreme Court has held that while detaining a person under the PSA, the DM is under a legal obligation to analyse all the circumstances and material before depriving that person of his or her personal liberty. It has also held that when a person already under police custody is slapped with the PSA, the DM has to record “compelling reasons” for detaining that person. While the DM can detain a person multiple times under the PSA, he or she has to produce fresh facts while passing the subsequent detention order. And all the material on the basis of which the detention order has been passed, the Supreme Court has held, should be provided to the detained person for making an effective representation; and the grounds of detention has to explained and communicated to the person in the language understood by the detained person. If these are not followed by the DM, it can be made the grounds, before the High Court, for quashing of a detention order.
13. Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2021
Subject – Environment
Context – Proposed Wildlife Act amendments surprise environmentalists
Concept –
- The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2021, among other things, proposes reducing the number of schedules and establishing a Standing Committee of State Board for Wildlife.
- “The Standing Committee shall consist of the Vice-Chairperson, the Member-Secretary, and not more than ten members, to be nominated by the Vice-Chairperson, from amongst the members of the State Board for Wildlife,” the draft says.
- There is also the insertion of a new section 42A about surrender of wild animals and products.
- Any article or animal surrendered under this Section shall become property of the State Government and the provisions of Section 39 shall be applicable to it.
To know about Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, please click here.
Subject – Governance
Context – SC flags vacancies in consumer disputes fora
Concept –
To know about Consumer protection act, please click here.
To know about Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), please click here.
15. Brahmos Supersonic Cruise Missile
Subject – Defence and Security
Context – Rocket systems, BrahMos add offensive punch along LAC
Concept –
To know about Brahmos, please click here.
Smerch
- Smerch, procured from Russia, is the longest range conventional rocket system in the Army’s inventory with a maximum range of 90 km.
- A battery of four launchers can fire a salvo of 48 rockets in 40 seconds, neutralising an area of 1200m X 1200m.
Pinaka
- Pinaka, indigenously designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, has a range of 38 km.
- A battery of six launchers of Pinaka can fire a salvo of 72 rockets in 44 seconds, thereby neutralising an area of 1000m X 800m