Daily Prelims Notes 23 August 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

23 August 2023

Table Of Contents

1. RBI hesitant to give NBFC licences to fintechs with common PE investors
2. India: a young country with an ageing workforce
3. 5 things you didn’t know about Chandrayaan, other Moon missions
4. On protecting the biodiversity of the northeast
5. Causing floods is a terrorist offense in proposed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill to replace Indian Penal Code
6. New Exoplanet Discovery Challenges Established Astronomical Theories
7. Section 8 (4) of the Representation of the People Act 1951
8. India Club in London
9. Madras Day: How Madras was founded and why it became Chennai
10. Bharat NCAP: India’s Indigenous Car Crash Testing Programme
11. Japan’s Release of Fukushima Water into the Ocean

1. RBI hesitant to give NBFC licences to fintechs with common PE investors

Subject: Economy

Section: Monetary policy

Key Points:

• With non-banking finance company licenses issued to fintech majors such as Cred and Jupiter, multiple fintechs have pursued the banking regulator for a NBFC license.
• RBI is reluctant to consider their applications. The reason apparently is because of an overlap in captable or capital structures of these fintechs.

• Some of the fintecs have certain venture capital investors who have also invested in a some fintechs which has already received NBFC licenses in the last 1 – 2 years.
• RBI generally is not in favour of a business house holding multiple non-bank licences. The same logic has been applied with venture capital and private equity (PE) investors.
• Why Fintecs are applying for NBFC licence?
  • After the digital lending guidelines issued last year and the FLDG or first loss default guarantee norms the fintechs have been faced with difficulty in getting bank finance.
  • Therefore they needed to choose between operating as a technology provider versus a lender subjected to regulatory directions.
• At this juncture RBI does not want the space to get unduly crowded and hence is not giving too many licences.

2. India: a young country with an ageing workforce

Subject: Economy

Section: National Income

Key Points:

• India may continue to experience the rather counterintuitive phenomenon of being a youthful country with an ageing workforce.
• Analysis of India’s workforce, sourced from CMIE’s Economic Outlook data, shows that while India may be the country with the most youthful population, its workforce is rapidly ageing. In other words, the young are increasingly getting driven out of the job market.
• An ageing workforce basically means that if one looks at all the employed people in India, the share of young people is going down while the share of those closer to 60 years of age is going up.
• The table 1 below shows the changing composition of workforce by age group and table 2 shows Employment Rate (ER) change, over the last 7 years:

• Some concepts:
  • The labor force is the sum of the employed and unemployed workers of a country. Only those unemployed workers are included who are actively searching for a job.
  • Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): LFPR is defined as the percentage of persons in the labour force (i.e. working or seeking or available for work) in the population. It is an estimate of an economy’s active workforce.
  • Worker Population Ratio (WPR): WPR is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the population.
  • Unemployment Rate (UR): UR is defined as the percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in the labour force
  • The Employment Rate (ER) for any population or age group tells us what proportion of that age group or population is employed. So, if there are 100 people in the ages 15 to 29 and only 10 are employed then the ER would be 10%.
  • The unemployment rate is the number of people unemployed divided by the working population or people working under labour force. Unemployment rate = (Unemployed Workers / Total labour force) × 100.
• Some interesting observations from the analysis:
  • Employment rate has fallen for all age cohorts.
  • The greatest fall in the employment rate has been for the 15 to 30 age group.
  • Only the age group of 55-59 years saw an increase in employment rate from 50 to 54%.
  • If one considers cohorts of 5 years, then the age group of 25 to 29 years, it shows a rising employment rate over the past 7 years from 50 to 54%. But this is because of a sharp fall in the total population of this cohort, from 10 crore to 7.5 crore. It is for this very reason that despite a better ER, this cohort is not able to pull up the numbers for the youth (15 to 29 years) category.
  • The official surveys (non CMIE) also show that there is evidence to suggest that in India’s unemployment is highest for the youth, and often rises with educational attainment.

3. 5 things you didn’t know about Chandrayaan, other Moon missions

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Chandrayaan-1:

• Chandrayaan-1, India’s first mission to the Moon in 2008, was just an Orbiter.
• When the spacecraft was being assembled, President A P J Abdul Kalam visited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) office and suggested that the spacecraft carry an instrument that could be made to fall on the Moon’s surface.
• This Moon Impact Probe hit the lunar surface, and became the first Indian object on the Moon.

Chandrayaan-2 lander was to come from Russia:

• Earlier India was supposed to collaborate with Russia for Chandrayaan-2.
• India  was to provide rocket and Orbiter, and Russia was supposed to provide Lander and Rover.
• Due to technical challenges, Russia has to withdraw from the collaboration.
• ISRO went in for indigenous development of the lander and rover.
• Chandrayaan-2 could fly only in 2019.

India’s next Moon mission is not called Chandrayaan:

• India has not yet announced follow-up missions to Chandrayaan-3.
• While there would obviously be a Chandrayaan-4, 5, 6 or more, India will send another Moon mission in collaboration with Japan.
• It is called LUPEX. The mission is likely to be launched in the 2024-25 timeframe.

Europe withdrew from Russia’s Luna-25 due to Ukraine war:

• The European Space Agency was supposed to provide a navigation camera and an optical navigation system to the Luna 25.
• ESA will also have to help Russia in development of Luna 26 and Luna 27,  by providing Robotics equipment.
• The science and technology objectives that Europe planned to fulfill through these missions will now be fulfilled through collaboration with NASA.

Japan, Israel landing bids were by private companies

• Over the last decade, five countries have attempted to land on the Moon — China, Israel, India, Japan, and Russia.
• Only China has succeeded so far.
• The Moon missions from Israel and Japan, Beresheet and Hakuto-R respectively, were sent by private companies.
• Till date, these remain the only attempts by private space agencies to land on the Moon.
• Later this month, Japan’s space agency JAXA is readying to send its first Moon landing mission called SLIM, or Smart Lander for Investigating Moon.

For further details of Chandrayaan-3: https://optimizeias.com/isro-releases-images-of-the-far-side-area-of-the-moon/

4. On protecting the biodiversity of the northeast

Subject :Environment

Section: Biodiversity

Context:

• In the recent case of Re: Cleanliness of Umiam Lake versus State of Meghalaya (2023), the division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice W. Diengdoh, in its order, stated that “In the absence of any other employment opportunities and in the name of promoting tourism, the natural beauty of the State should not be destroyed”.

Details:

• The Meghalaya High Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the cleanliness of the Umiam Lake.
• The court in its observation of the Meghalaya Waterbodies (Preservation and Conservation) Guidelines, 2023, said that they did not deal with the “most serious aspect of buildings and construction mushrooming around waterbodies”.

The biodiverse northeast India:

• The Garo-Khasi-Jaintia hills and the Brahmaputra valley are some of the most important biodiversity hotspots.
• An environmental assessment of the North East Rural Livelihood Project undertaken by the Ministry of Development of the North-eastern Region lays out that “Northeast India lies within an ecologically fragile, biologically rich region, highly prone to climatic changes, located in trans boundary river basins. Both flora and fauna of the areas are under threat due to deforestation, mining, quarrying, shifting cultivation.”
• The following figures highlighted the significance of biodiversity of the region and qualified it to be a biodiversity “Hotspot”.

1. There are 51 Forest types in the region which are broadly divided into six categories.
2. Out of 9 important vegetation types in India 6 are found in the NE region.
3. The floral species contributed a lot to the richness of highest diversity in the NE states. Floral species belong to about 200 plant families out of 315 recorded from NE India.
4. 10% of the flowering plants in the country are endangered. Of the 1500 endangered floral species,800 is reported from Northeast.(Indian Red Data Book, published by the Botanical Survey of India.)
5. The Faunal diversity is relatively better documented than its Floral counterpart for the NE region.
6. High biological diversity is related to the Forest cover of the region. In each state of NE India, 60% of geographical area is under forest covers.

• The major threats to rich biodiversity of the region are as follows:

1. Deforestation and Degradation
2. Shifting agriculture (Jhum cultivation)
3. Over exploitation of forests for firewood
4. Encroachment in forest land
5. Poaching as well as illegal extraction of forest products.
6. Commercial plantation
7. Urbanization
8. Forest fire
9. Introduction of Exotic plants

• Disturbance in migration routes (Human-wild life conflict)
• Uncoordinated Infrastructure development (Viz.ill-managed road construction, Big Dams, Mining etc.)
• In migration etc.

Environmental laws:

• Offenses related to or against the environment are considered as a ‘public nuisance’ under the Sections 268 to 290 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860.
• The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution grants autonomy to District Councils.
  • It also limits the authority of the State over matters pertaining to the jurisdiction of the District Councils, including the use of land.
• PIL encourages environmental litigation under article 32 and 226 of Indian constitution.
• National Green Tribunal Act 2010

Negative List of NEIDS:

• The ‘Negative List’ in the North East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS), 2017 is a step in the right direction.
• If an entity is not complying with environment standards; not having applicable environmental clearances; does not have consent from the concerned pollution boards, it will not be eligible for any incentive under the NEIDS and will be put on the ‘negative list’.
• The ‘Act Fast for Northeast’ policy should not only include “trade and commerce” but also the preservation of “environment and ecology” in the region.

About Umiam lake:

• Umiam Lake (locally known as Dam sait) is a reservoir in the hills 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Shillong in the state of Meghalaya, India.
• It was created by damming the Umiam River in the early 1960s. The principal catchment area of the lake and dam is spread over 225 square km.
• Apart from storing water for electricity generation, the lake also provides numerous ecosystem services at micro, meso and macro levels. Downstream irrigation, fisheries, and drinking water cater to local anthropogenic needs.

5. Causing floods is a terrorist offense in proposed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill to replace Indian Penal Code

Subject :Polity

Section: legislation in news

Context:

• The Bill that seeks to replace the British-era Indian Penal Code defines terrorism as a separate offence for the first time as part of a general law. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 is a special law focused on terrorist activities.
• Introduced on the last day of Monsoon session and referred to the Parliamentary committee on Home Affairs for further examination.

Key provision of the bill:

• Section 111 (6) (a) of the Bill says that a “terrorist” refers to any person who “develops, manufactures, possesses, acquires, transports, supplies or uses weapons, explosives, or releases nuclear, radiological or other dangerous substance, or cause fire, floods or explosions.”
• Section 111 proposes a minimum five-year imprisonment and the death sentence as maximum punishment for a terrorist offence.
• It will have to follow the procedure of arrests and custody as prescribed by the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Bill, 2023 that will replace the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
• The proposed bill for the first time defines mob lynching as a crime specifying that the mob has to be a “group of five or more persons.”

Criticism:

• All safeguards have been bypassed in the new law. Now any police officer can register an FIR against anyone saying the person is a terrorist.
• These kinds of offences are not general offences, otherwise they would have been incorporated in the general law earlier.
• Under the MCOCA and the UAPA, there is a provision that before filing of FIR there has to be an approval by a senior police officer.
• Secondly, the investigation can only be carried out by an officer of a particular rank and there is a bar on the court to take cognisance of the case without government sanctions.
• Such safeguards are missing in the proposed law.

Criminal case for causing flood: Case of Assam:

• In 2022, Silchar in Assam was affected by a massive flood claiming more than 120 lives.
• The state government declared the flood to be a man-made disaster as the embankment along the Barak river was breached by some people.
• A criminal case was registered and four Muslim residents were arrested.
• This led to a barrage of social media posts accusing the members of the community of waging “flood jihad”.

Genesis of IPC and CrPC:

• Indian Penal Code (IPC) is the official criminal code of India drafted in 1860 in the wake of the first law commission established in 1834 under the Charter Act of 1833.
• Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) provides procedures for administering criminal law in India. It was enacted in 1973 and became effective on 1 April 1974.

What is IPC?

• The IPC replaced Mohammedan Criminal Law, which had a very close relationship with Islam. Thus, the IPC laid the foundation of secularism.
• It was widely appreciated as a state-of-the-art code and was, indeed, the first codification of criminal law in the British Empire.

How significant is it?

• Today, it is the longest serving criminal code in the common-law world.
• Paying a compliment to Macaulay’s masterpiece, James Stephen had remarked that “The Indian Penal Code is to the English criminal law what a manufactured article ready for use is to the materials out of which it is made. It is to the French Penal Code and, I may add, to the North German Code of 1871, what a finished picture is to a sketch.”
• Today, most of the commonwealth follows the IPC and legislators would find it difficult to improve it in terms of precision, comprehensibility, comprehensiveness and accessibility.

Why does it need a review?

• IPC, 1860 requires a thorough revision to meet the needs of the 21st century. In 1860, the IPC was certainly ahead of the times but has been unable to keep pace since then.

1. Macaulay had himself favoured regular revision of the code whenever gaps or ambiguities were found or experienced.
2. Even though the IPC has been haphazardly amended more than 75 times, no comprehensive revision has been undertaken in spite of the 42nd report of the law commission in 1971 recommending it — the amendment bills of 1971 and 1978 lapsed due to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
3. Most amendments have been ad hoc and reactive, in response to immediate circumstances like the 2013 amendment after the Delhi gangrape case.

6. New Exoplanet Discovery Challenges Established Astronomical Theories

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Context:

• An international team of researchers has discovered an unusual Jupiter-sized planet TOI-4860 b orbiting a low-mass star called TOI-4860, located in the Corvus constellation, challenging conventional planet formation theories.

Characteristics of the ‘warm Jupiter’:

• Exoplanet name: TOI-486o b  or ‘Warm Jupiter’
• Orbiting around: A cold low mass star  known as  TOI-4860
• Orbiting period around its star: 1.52 days
• Constellation: Corvus constellation
• Because its host is a cold low mass star, the planet itself can be referred to as a ‘Warm Jupiter’.
• This is a subclass of planet that holds particular interest for astronomers looking to build on their initial observations and learn more about how these kinds of planets are formed.

Why is it unusual?

• Under the canonical planet formation model, the less mass a star has, the less massive the disc of material is around that star. Since planets are created from that disc, high-mass planets like Jupiter, were widely expected not to form.
• The newly discovered gas giant, named TOI-4860 b, is an unusual planet for two reasons:

1. Stars of such low mass are not expected to host planets like Jupiter, and
2. The planet appears to be particularly enriched by heavy elements.

Tools and Method used in the discovery:

• The planet was initially identified using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite as a drop of brightness while transiting in front of its host star, but that data alone was insufficient to confirm that it was a planet.
• The team used the SPECULOOS South Observatory, located in the Atacama Desert in Chile, to measure the planetary signal in several wavelengths and validated the planetary nature.
• The Subaru Telescope in Hawaii is used to measure the mass of the planet.
• Presence of heavy metals is found on the exoplanet, which might have helped in the formation of that exoplanet.

7. Section 8 (4) of the Representation of the People Act 1951

Subject :Polity

Section: Elections

Context: The recent disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, based on his conviction and imprisonment in a defamation case and Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Section 8(4) of the Representation of People Act 1951.

What are the Disqualification and Legal Framework:

• Instant Disqualification and Lily Thomas Case: The disqualification of Rahul Gandhi based on his conviction in a defamation case raised questions about the legal basis of instant disqualification for sitting legislators. The Supreme Court’s judgment in Lily Thomas vs Union of India (2013) invalidated Section 8(4) of the Representation of People Act 1951, removing the three-month appeal window before disqualification took effect.
• Section 8(3) and Disqualification: With the removal of Section 8(4), only Section 8(3) remains, which stipulates that a person convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for at least two years shall be disqualified from the date of conviction. The wording does not explicitly indicate an immediate disqualification upon the court’s pronouncement of guilt.
• Disqualification Authority and Presidential Role: The authority to declare a sitting legislator disqualified might lie with the President of India under Article 103. While the Supreme Court rejected this proposition in Lily Thomas, the Consumer Education & Research … vs Union Of India & Ors (2009) held that the President’s declaration is necessary for disqualification.

What are the Legal Implications and Challenges:

• Staying of Sentence and Conviction:
  • An essential question emerges regarding the necessity of staying either the sentence or the conviction itself to lift disqualification.
  • Different High Courts have presented conflicting viewpoints on this matter, intensifying the intricacy of interpreting disqualification norms.
• Quantum of Sentence and Disqualification:
  • The pivotal determinant for disqualification lies in the prison term of two years or more.
  • A recent instance involving Rahul Gandhi underscored this correlation, underscoring that the activation of disqualification hinges on the duration of the sentence, not solely the conviction itself.
• Impact on Career and Immediate Attention:
  • The prompt imposition of disqualification can wield substantial repercussions on legislators’ professional trajectories.
  • This concern becomes particularly pronounced considering the gradual pace of appeals and legal procedures.
  • Urgent attention is imperative to address this matter, ensuring the stability of lawmakers’ careers and averting sudden and disruptive disqualifications.

What is the Representation of the People Act (RPA),1951

• Some Key Provisions of RPA,1951 are:
  • It regulates the actual conduct of elections and by-elections.
  • It provides administrative machinery for conducting elections.
  • It deals with the registration of political parties.
  • It specifies the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of the Houses.
  • It provides provisions to curb corrupt practices and other offences.
  • It lays down the procedure for settling doubts and disputes arising out of elections.
• The Representation of People’s Act contains 13 parts (2 parts added as amendments). Each part is divided into different sections.

What are the legal provisions regarding the disqualification of MPs/MLAs:

• Disqualification of a lawmaker is prescribed in three situations.
• First is through the Articles 102(1) and 191(1) for disqualification of a member of Parliament and a member of the Legislative Assembly respectively.The grounds here include holding an office of profit, being of unsound mind or insolvent or not having valid citizenship.
• The second prescription of disqualification is in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.This provides for the disqualification of the members on grounds of defection.
• The third prescription is under The Representation of The People Act (RPA), 1951.This law provides for disqualification for conviction in criminal cases.

What are some provisions of RPA,1951 that deal with disqualification:

• There are several provisions that deal with disqualification under the RPA.
• Section 8 of the RPA deals with disqualification for conviction of certain offences.
• Section 8(1A) of the act includes specific offences such as promoting enmity between two groups, bribery, and undue influence or personation at an election.
• Section 8(2A) lists offences that deal with hoarding or profiteering, adulteration of food or drugs and for conviction and sentence of at least six months for an offence under any provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act.
• Section 8(3A) disqualifies a convicted person who has been sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years.He is disqualified from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.
• Section 9: Disqualification for dismissal for corruption or disloyalty.
• Section 9(A): Disqualification for Government contracts, etc.
• Section 10: Disqualification for office under Government company.
• Section 10(A). Disqualification for failure to lodge account of election expenses.
• Section 11: Removal or reduction of period of disqualification.
• Section 11(A): Disqualification arising out of conviction and corrupt practices.
• Section 11(B): Removal of disqualification

8. India Club in London

Subject :History

Section: Modern History

Context: Historic India Club in London with roots in independence movement announces closure:

More about the news:

• The India Club, which was founded on The Strand in 1951, will shut its doors on September 17 and could now be turned into a luxury hotel.
• The club was set up by the India League, a British-based organization set up in 1928 to campaign for India’s independence,
• Founding members of the club included Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister , Krishna Menon and Countess Mountbatten of Burma, the wife of the country’s last viceroy.

Who was V. K. Krishna Menon:

• Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon (3 May 1896 – 6 October 1974) was an Indian academic, politician, and non-career diplomat.
• He wrote the first draft of the Preamble to the Constitution of India,initiated the idea of the Constituent Assembly of India and was the architect, and the person who coined the name, of the Non-Aligned Movement
• He was chairman of the Indian delegation at the United Nations General Assembly from 1953 to 1962, at sessions of the United Nations Trusteeship Council from 1953 to 1956, and to the Eighteen Nation Committee on Disarmament.
•  He was a member of the Indian National Congress and also at one time a member of the British Labour Party.

9. Madras Day: How Madras was founded and why it became Chennai

Subject :History

Section: Modern History

Introduction to Madras Day

• Madras Day is celebrated on August 22 to commemorate the founding of Madras (now Chennai).
• The city’s inception dates back to 1639 when the East India Company (EIC) purchased Madrasapatnam from local kings.
• After India gained independence in 1947, the state and city were initially referred to as Madras.
• The state was officially renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969, and Madras was officially changed to Chennai in 1996.

Why the British came to Madras

• Early 17th century: British East India Company arrives in India with the primary objective of establishing a trade foothold.
• 1612: The company’s victory over the Portuguese at Swally Hole (near Surat) secures trading privileges.
• Under the guidance of Thomas Roe, the Company obtains an accord from Emperor Jahangir.
• Accord grants permission for trading and setting up factories in India in return for providing naval protection.

Establishment of Trading Posts

• EIC sets up trading posts known as “Forts” at key sites to enhance trade and engage with local rulers.
• Noteworthy trading posts were established in Surat on the western coast and Masulipatnam on the eastern coast.

Search for a Fresh Settlement

• Tensions with local rulers and Dutch presence in Pulicat drive Francis Day’s proposal for a fresh settlement.
• Resulting in the discovery of Madrasapatnam, which later forms the basis for the development of modern-day Chennai.

The Purchase of Madrasapatnam

Naming Speculations

• “Madras” name’s origin has multiple theories, including association with fisherman Madresan and influence from local religious establishments (Madrassa and  ‘Madre de Deus’ (French for Mother of God) church).
• The suffix “patnam” or “pattinam,” signifying “town on the sea coast“, is a frequently used element in coastal place names.

Historical Background of Madrasapatnam

• Madrasapatnam held historical importance under Pallavas, Cholas, and Vijayanagara dynasties.
• Damarla Venkatapathy Nayak, a chieftain under Venkata III, ceded land to the English in 1639 for Fort St. George’s founding.

Evolution of the Settlement

• The settlement around Fort St. George flourished, leading to the naming of the area as Chennapatanam in tribute to Chennappa Nayak.
• The modern name “Chennai” is thought to have evolved from “Chennapatanam,” reflecting this historical connection.
• Over time, the city expanded, encompassing segregated Black and White towns, and experienced the formation of a mayor and Corporation during Governor Elihi Yale’s leadership.

How Madras became Tamil Nadu and then Chennai

• After gaining independence, the Madras province continued as Madras State.
• In 1956, Congress leader K P Sankaralinganar initiated a protest to rename the state Tamil Nadu.
• Following Sankaralinganar’s demise, the movement was taken up by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party.
• In 1961, Communist leader Bhupesh Gupta proposed renaming Madras State to Tamil Nadu in Parliament.
• CN Annadurai, a notable DMK leader and later Chief Minister, endorsed the proposal.
• In 1967, after DMK came to power in the state, a resolution was passed in the State Assembly, leading to constitutional changes and eventual renaming in 1969

Chennai: Shedding Colonial Influences

• Renaming Madras to Chennai aligned with the wider movement of Indian cities discarding colonial-era names to affirm cultural identity.
• This trend paralleled renaming instances in other cities like Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in 1996 and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in 2001.

Books:

1. “The Story of Madras” by Glyn Barlow
2. “History of the City of Madras” by CS Srinivasachari

10. Bharat NCAP: India’s Indigenous Car Crash Testing Programme

Subject : Schemes

Introduction

• Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP): India’s own car crash testing program.
• Modeled after the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) of the Towards Zero Foundation, a U.K.-registered charity.
• Aims to test and rate the safety of car models in crashes.
• Cheaper testing compared to abroad; cost under Bharat NCAP: Rs 60 lakh vs. Rs 2.5 crore.

Program Details and Scope

• Applicable to passenger vehicles with up to eight seats, excluding the driver’s seat.
• Maximum gross vehicle weight: 3,500 kg.
• Based on the forthcoming Automotive Industry Standard 197, which outlines testing protocols.
• Manufacturers have offered 30 models for testing, names undisclosed.
• Participation is voluntary, except for certain cases like base variants of popular models (minimum sales of 30,000 units) or Ministry-recommended models for testing based on market feedback or for public safety.

Rating Criteria

• Vehicles are assigned a star rating from one to five stars.
• Evaluation based on three parameters:
  • Adult occupant protection
  • Child occupant protection
  • Safety assist technologies in the car

Testing Procedures

• Testing includes three types of evaluations:
  • Frontal offset test: Vehicle driven at 64 kmph with 40% overlap into a deformable barrier.
  • Side impact test: Collision at 50 kmph.
  • Pole-side impact test: The car crashed into a rigid pole sideways at 29 kmph.

Process of Obtaining Star Ratings

• The manufacturer nominates a vehicle model for testing.
• Bharat NCAP representatives visit the manufacturing facility or dealer outlet.
• The base variant is selected through random sampling and sent to a testing center in coordination with the Central Institute of Road Transport.
• Test results are compiled and approved by the Bharat NCAP Standing Committee.
• Ratings are published on the Bharat NCAP website, a certificate issued by CIRT.

11. Japan’s Release of Fukushima Water into the Ocean

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Nuclear technology

Context

• Japan’s announcement to begin releasing treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.
• Scheduled commencement on August 24, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s approval.

Plan Background and Criticisms

• Plan approved by the Japanese government two years ago to aid in decommissioning the Fukushima plant, operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco).
• Notable criticism from China and local fishing groups due to potential safety and reputational issues.

Initial Release Breakdown

• Phased release strategy: water to be released in smaller quantities with heightened scrutiny.
• Initial discharge totaling about 7,800 cubic meters over a period of approximately 17 days.

Safety Validation

• Tritium concentration in released water (190 becquerels per liter) is below the World Health Organisation’s permissible limit for drinking water (10,000 becquerels per liter).
• IAEA’s approval of the plan is based on its compliance with international standards and minimal environmental impact.

Concerns of Neighboring Countries

• A formal complaint was lodged by China, emphasizing marine environment, food safety, and public health protection measures.
• Implementation of import controls by Hong Kong and Macau targeting Japanese seafood from specific regions.
• Comprehensive ban encompassing live, frozen, refrigerated, and dried seafood, along with sea salt and seaweed.
• South Korea acknowledged the scientific elements of the plan but refrained from unconditional support.

Fukushima nuclear disaster:

• March 11, 2011: A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
• Cooling systems failed due to the tsunami, causing reactors to overheat.
• Hydrogen explosions resulted from chemical reactions between overheated fuel rods and water.
• Escalating reactor damage led to the release of radioactive isotopes like iodine-131 and cesium-137.
• Evacuations were ordered, and a 20-kilometer exclusion zone was established to limit radiation exposure.

Tritium:

• Radioactive hydrogen isotope, 2 neutrons + 1 proton.
• Emits low-energy beta particles in decay.
• Uses: nuclear weapons boosting, fusion research, glow-in-the-dark devices.
• Weak external risk, ingestion/inhalation concerns for internal exposure.
• Naturally occurring, regulated due to potential impact.

Notable nuclear power plant disasters: