Current Affairs 28 September 2020 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 28 September 2020 focuses on Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

1. Invasive Lantana Bushes
2. Prostitution not a criminal offence HC
3. Climate Change And Wildfires
4. Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices
5. Armenia Azerbaijan Clash and India
6. Sandalwood Spike Disease Threatens Sandalwood
7. Harappan Civilization Centenary Of Discovery

Invasive Lantana Bushes

Why in News ?

A special drive to uproot the invasive lantana bushes in the famous Sajjangarh wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district has helped in ecological restoration of grasslands and saved biodiversity.

• Lantana bushes, which had taken over almost 50% of the sanctuary.

About Mission

• Lantana camara, a thicket forming shrub, has covered vast tracts of land in the sanctuary, stopping the natural light and nutrition for flora and fauna.
• The month and a half long campaign was accompanied by the plantation of native species on the cleared patches of land.
• How this affect the Flora and Fauna ?
  • The toxic substance in its foliage and ripe berries affected the animals, while its expansion stopped the natural growth of grass and other shrubs.
  • With the herbivores not getting sufficient forage, the prey base for carnivorous animals was declining, leading to ecological disturbances in the food chain.
• Drive involved collective efforts of voluntary physical work by the forest officials, police personnel, wildlife lovers, representatives of voluntary groups and local villagers.

About Lantana

• Lantana camara is a species of flowering plant within the verbena family native to the American tropics.
• The plant species out-compete native species that leading to a reduction in biodiversity and can greatly reduce the productivity of farmland.
• Survive in a wide range of climatic conditions, including drought, different soil types, heat, humidity and salt.
• Lantana was first introduced in 1807 had spread to wildlife reserves, river banks and the Project Tiger areas where it had obliterated native grass and reduced biodiversity.
• In some regions, the plant has made inroads into pastures and shrunk the cattle grazing areas, affecting the livelihood of villagers.
• Natural grass has started growing in the Sajjangarh sanctuary and the spotted deer and other herbivores can be seen foraging on the vegetation.

Sajjangarh wildlife sanctuary

Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Udaipur District of Rajasthan in the southern Aravalli Hills. The area was made a wildlife sanctuary in 1987.

Source : The Hindu

Topic

Prelims : About Lantana

GS III : Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Prostitution not a criminal offence HC

Why in News ?

Observing that Prostitution not a criminal offence under the law, and that an adult woman had the right to choose her vocation, the Bombay High Court has ordered immediate release of three women sex workers detained at a state corrective institution in Mumbai.

What is the reason for release ?

• Prostitution had not been considered a criminal offence under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.
• Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 does not empower the Magistrate to hold the custody of the victims beyond the period of three weeks without there being any final order to that effect after following due process of law.
• Punishable offence under the Act is sexual exploitation or abuse of a person for commercial purpose and to earn the bread thereby.
• Where a person is carrying on prostitution in a public place or when a person is found soliciting or seducing another person as defined under the Act.
  • Where was nothing on record to show that the petitioners were seducing any person for the purpose of prostitution or that they were running a brothel.

Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956

• Prostitution Definition :  means the sexual exploitation or abuse of persons for commercial purpose, and the expression prostitute shall be construed accordingly
• Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956 (ITPA) not in relation to other purposes of trafficking such as domestic work, child labour, organ harvesting, etc.
• What falls under the act?
  • Running a brothel for earning
  • Corrective institution for victims who are in need of correction, may be detained under this Act
  • Protective home mentioned in the act
  • Child or Women is trafficked for sexual purpose. 
• Punishment for living on the earnings of prostitution
  • Prostitution becomes an offence when there is commercial exploitation of a person. If a woman or child is sexually exploited and any person gains out of the same
  • Any person over the age of eighteen years who knowingly lives, wholly or in part, on the earnings of the prostitution of any other person shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine
  • Soliciting or seducing for the purpose of prostitution is punishable with six months in jail and a fine of Rs 500
  • Child has detained for the purpose of sexual intercourse and hence shall be punishable to seven year in prison up to life imprisonment.

Voluntary sex work is not illegal and only running the brothel is unlawful ie Prostitution not a criminal offence if voluntary. 

Analysis of Issues related to Prostitution

Sex workers in India

• Three million women are engaged in commercial sex activity (CSA) in India, a 50% rise from 1997.
• Over 60% of those trafficked into sex work are adolescent girls in the age group of 12-16 years.
• More than 35% girls in India enter CSA before 18 years of age.
• India has three lakh brothels in 1,100 identified red-light areas, housing nearly five million children. 

What is the difference between Trafficking and Prostitution ?

Trafficking is the process of recruiting, contracting, procuring or hiring a person for commercial exploitation of a person. Trafficking could also be a means for other types of violations such as for developing pornographic material, for promoting sex tourism, for sexual exploitation through various means. 

Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956 (ITPA) is only meant for Trafficking not for Prostitution. Displacement of a person from one community to another, Exploitation of the trafficked person of any means also falls under trafficking. 

Supreme Court panel 2011

The panel, formed in July 2011 after the Budhadev Karmaskar vs State of West Bengal case.

• Supreme Court panel formed to look into the status of sex workers in the country has recommended that sex work be given legal recognition in India.
• Police must not interfere or take criminal action against adult sex workers participating with consent.
• State authorities should issue ration cards to sex workers, that sex workers should be given voter identification cards, and that the children of sex workers should be given admission in government schools.
• Rehabilitation be made a right for those who seek it
  • Recommended that a scheme should be made to protect, rehabilitate, provide livelihood alternatives, and prevent re-trafficking of sex workers.
  • The scheme should allow for monetary provisions of up to Rs50,000.
• The panel has also called for recommendations to amend the existing Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act.
  • Section 7 of the Act be amended to include the clause that sex work will not be illegal if conducted near a public place like a temple, hospital, educational institution, etc., in cases where these public places have come into existence subsequent to the prostitution has started.
  • Section 4 not penalising those living on the earnings of a sex worker

Besides Pam Rajput Committee report, submitted to the women and child ministry recommended for the decriminalisation of sex work.

Government Initiatives against exploitation

• The Immoral Traffic Act (Prevention) or PITA, 1986 stated that prostitutes can be arrested for soliciting sexual services.
• Central Government is implementing Ujjawala a comprehensive Scheme for prevention of trafficking and
  rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.
• National Scheme for Rehabilitation of Sex workers : The scheme is first of its kind and provides rehabilitation to sex workers as well as victims of commercial sexual exploitation. 
• The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018, creates a law for investigation of all types of trafficking, and rescue, protection and rehabilitation of trafficked victims. 

Source : Yojana, The Hindu  

Topic

GS II : Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections

Climate Change And Wildfires

Why in News ?

Scientists note that human-induced climate change promotes the conditions on which wildfires depend, enhancing their likelihood and challenging suppression efforts. Scientist established the link between Climate Change And Wildfires.

What are the findings ?

• The finding focuses on the ongoing wildfires in the western US and the bushfires that affected in southeastern Australia in 2019-2020.
• Climate change increases the frequency and severity of fire weather around the world.
• Increasingly warm and dry conditions that have resulted from climate change, which has led to more extreme fires and more extreme fire seasons.
• Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was published in 2013 identified few factors that could influence the way wildfires play out.
  • These include global increase in average temperatures
  • Global increases in the frequency
  • Intensity and extent of heatwaves
  • Regional increases in the frequency, duration and intensity of droughts

Need for the study of Wildfire

Wildfires are typical in both California and parts of Australia in the summer months,

• The intensity and scale of wildfires that these areas have seen in recent years has raised some concerns among scientists about the linkages between human-induced climate change and fire risk.

Wildfire Prone Regions

• Somewhere between 75 million and 820 million hectares of land burn each year.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that widespread management practices aimed at reducing flammable materials in forests.
• Wildfires burn some 3–8 percent of total terrestrial net primary productivity annually releasing on average 1.7–4.1 gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere.
• Western US, Southern Europe, Southern Canada, Southern Australia, North Asia are mostly prone to wildfire. 
  • Significant increases in fire activity in high-risk areas such as southern Canada, western US and southern Europe.

India and Wildfire Issues

• Forest Survey of India (FSI) 2019 : 21.40% of forest cover in India is prone to fires, with forests in the north-eastern region and central India being the most vulnerable.
  • Fire prone area percentage 
    • Extremely fire prone areas account for 3.89% of total forest cover
    • Very highly fire prone areas account for 6.01%
    • Highly fire prone areas for 11.50%
  • Mizoram, a small State, recorded the highest number of fire alerts (2,795).
  • Central Indian States also recorded a high number of forest fire alerts, with Madhya Pradesh accounting for 2,723 alerts.
  • Major reasons for forest fires in the north-east is slash-and-burn cultivation.
• FSI report states that uncontrolled forest fires can lead to significant loss of cover

Way Forward

As population is increasing the changes of climate increases the risk of wildfire. Increased risk management will need to be taken into consideration to the landscape, type of fuels, and the prevailing climate conditions. We can adopt options like building resilient communities, Get incentives right, Break out of the firefighting trap and identifying risk factors by region. 

Source : Indian Express

Topic

GS III : Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices

Why in News ?

Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Health Care (ADEH) disappointment over the recent reply by the Minister of Chemicals and fertilizers in the Parliament that there is no decision yet from the part of the government to make Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) mandatory.

Aim of the code : Pharma companies offer allowances and extra benefits in order to procure businesses. The code aims to stop such unethical practices. 

Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP)

• Voluntary code issued by the Department Of Pharmaceuticals relating to marketing practices for Indian Pharmaceutical Companies and as well medical devices industry.
• The order will cover doctors, chemists, hospitals, and states.
• Also UCPMP Code is applicable on Pharmaceutical Companies, Medical Representatives, Agents of Pharmaceutical Companies such as Distributors, Wholesalers, Retailers, and Pharmaceutical Manufacturer’s Associations. 
• It aims at pharmaceutical companies not to indulge in unethical practices and stop giving freebies to the doctors with a purpose to procure business.
• What are the restrictions under UCPMP ?
  • UCPMP Code prohibits extending travel facility inside the country or outside, including rail, air, ship, cruise tickets, paid vacations, etc., to HealthCare Professionals and their family members for vacation or for attending conference, seminars, workshops, CME programme etc. as a delegate.
  • UCPMP Code’s regulations regarding Hospitality and Cash or Monetary Grant are same as the MCI Regulations.
  • UCPMP Code also provides that free samples of drugs shall not be supplied to any person who is not qualified to prescribe such product.
    • Free samples can only be supplied to persons qualified to prescribe such product and provides limitations on the distribution of free samples.
• Proposal against alleged Company
  • Suspend or expel the company from the Association
  • Reprimand the company and publish details of that reprimand
  • Require the company to issue a corrective statement in the media (covering all media)
  • Ask the company to recover items from the concerned persons, given in violation of the UCPMP Code, 2014.

Current status of UCPMP

• UCPMP was made voluntary for six months from 1st January 2015 AND reviewed after six months.
  • ADEH has been demanding from time to time that the UCPMP be made mandatory to bring fairness in marketing of the drugs.
• Global experience also shows that voluntary code does not work.
• Voluntary code which was introduced in 2015 has not yielded desired results and the government would make it mandatory.

Source : The Hindu

Topic

GS II : Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Armenia Azerbaijan Clash and India

Why in News ?

Clashes erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the volatile Nagorno-Karabakh region, reigniting concern about instability in the South Caucasus, a corridor for pipelines transporting oil and gas to world markets. Armenia Azerbaijan Clash and India historical relations.

What is the issue ?

• Both sides, which fought a war in the 1990s, reported fatalities.
• Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region that is inside Azerbaijan but is run by ethnic Armenians, declared martial law and mobilised their male populations.
  • A decades-old conflict between majority Christian Armenia and mainly Muslim Azerbaijan
• Armenia said Azerbaijan had carried out an air and artillery attack on Nagorno-Karabakh.
• Azerbaijan responded to Armenian shelling and that it had seized control of up to seven villages, but Nagorno-Karabakh denied this.

India Azerbaijan Relations

• India and Azerbaijan have close friendly relations and growing bilateral cooperation.
• Historical Evidence
  • Indian merchants heading towards Europe through the Great Silk Route used to visit Azerbaijan.
  • Medieval monument with Devanagri and Gurmukhi wall inscriptions is a symbol of the age-old relationship.
• India recognised Azerbaijan in December 1991.
• Agreements on visa exemption regime for diplomatic, official and service passport holders, Bilateral Investment Treaty, Double Taxation avoidance, and for cooperation in the areas of ICT, Health, Culture, and Tourism are still under progressive  discussions.
• The bilateral trade has increased substantially from around US$ 50 million in 2005 to around US$ 497 million in 2016.
• ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) of India acquired shares worth US$ 1 billion in development project
  of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (2.72%) oil field and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipe line (2.36%) from US
  Company Hess in March 2013.
• The Indian community in Azerbaijan comprises of about 1700 persons, including professionals
  employed and business men.

India Armenia Relations

• India recognized the independent Republic of Armenia on December 26, 1991.
• Historical Evidence
  • Thomas Cana is said to be the first Armenian to have landed on the Malabar Coast in 780 AD.
  • In the 16th century, Armenian communities emerged in Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Agra, where the first Armenian Church was consecrated in 1562.
• Armenia supported India’s candidature at the UNESCO, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and
  UN Board of Auditors, International Telecommunication Union Council,
  • Also the inclusion of Yoga in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO and ICJ.
• India supported Armenia’s claim for declaring its national bread Lavash as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2015.
• India’s exports to Armenia were USD 19.8 million in 2017 and imports in the same period were USD 2.8 million.
• Provided computer labs to 72 schools in Tavush region in 2011-12 worth US$ 0.5 mn and Project benefits over 14,000 students in the region.
• Indian community in Armenia is small and consists largely of over 800 students pursuing medical education.

Source : The Hindu

Topic

GS II : Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora

Sandalwood Spike Disease Threatens Sandalwood

Why in News ?

India’s sandalwood trees, the country’s pride particularly of Karnataka are facing a serious threat with the return of the destructive Sandalwood Spike Disease (SSD).

Sandalwood Spike Disease (SSD)

• The disease was first reported from Coorg distinct of Karnataka State in 1903 by Barban.
• Two types of symptoms are produced
  • The common symptom called the ‘rosette spike’ is characterised by severe reduction in leaf size and reduction of internodes.
  • Symptom called ‘pendulous spike’ is due to continuous apical growth of individual shoots without proper thickening and results in drooping of shoots.
• The disease is transmitted through root contacts and insect vectors.
  • The disease can also be transmitted through Vinca rosea and vice versa through dodder.
  • The most common insect Vectors are Moonia alhimaculata and Nephotettix virescence.

Sandalwood Spike Disease in India

• The infection has resurfaced in the aromatic tree’s natural habitats in Karnataka and Kerala.
• With between 1 and 5% of sandalwood trees lost every year due to the disease.
  • Scientists warn that it could wipe out the entire natural population if measures are not taken to prevent its spread.
  • Also, they fear that any delay in arresting the trend may result in the disease spreading to cultivated sandalwood trees.
• 98,734 trees were extracted during 1917-1925 in Salem also due to SSD.
• Observes that presently it is very difficult to identify the symptoms of SSD.
  • It can be noticed only when the tree gets completely affected.
• Impact
  • Price of Indian sandalwood and its oil has risen significantly since 1995 at a rate of 20% annually mainly due to depletion in production.

Effort to combat the killer disease

• The IWST will join hands with the Pune-based National Centre for Cell Sciences for a three-year study, initiated by the Union Ministry of Ayush with a financial allocation of Rs. 50 lakh.
• The study will try to identity the vectors that transmit SSD.
  • Also identify alternative plant hosts, their ecological and epidemiological mapping besides examining optimisation of non-chemical methods of pest-management.

About Sandalwood

• Sandalwood being classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1998.
• Natural populations of sandalwood are available in Marayoor in Kerala and some patches of reserve forests and adjoining areas in Karnataka.
• India has been the traditional leader of sandalwood oil production for perfumery and pharmaceuticals.
• As early as 1792, Tippu Sultan had declared it a Royal Tree of Mysuru.

Source : The Hindu

Topic

GS III : Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Harappan Civilization Centenary Of Discovery

Why in News ?

To mark the centenary of the discovery of the Harappan civilization at Mohenjo-daro, the India Study Centre Trust in collaboration with the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Maharashtra, will be organising a 10-day online lecture series from October 5.

• The discovery at Mohenjo-daro is one of the most important and characteristic findings in the world.

About Harappan Civilisation

• The archaeological findings excavated for the last eight decades reveal the gradual development of the Harappan culture.
• There are four important stages or phases of evolution and they arenamed as

1. Pre-Harappan
2. Early-Harappan
3. Mature-Harappan
4. Late Harappan

• The most important are Kot Diji in Sind, Kalibangan in Rajasthan, Rupar in the Punjab, Banawali in Haryana, Lothal, Surkotada and Dholavira, all the three in Gujarat.
  • Mohenjodara is the largest of all the Indus cities with spread over an area of 200 hectares.

• Date of the Harappan Culture
  • Sir John Marshall estimated the duration of the occupation of Mohenjodaro between 3250 and 2750 B.C.
• Town Planning
  • Harappan culture was distinguished by its system of townplanning on the lines of the grid system.
  • The most important public place a part of town planning of Mohenjodaro is the Great Bath measuring 39 feet length, 23 feet breadth and 8 feet depth.
• Economic life
  • There was a great progress in all spheres of economic activity such as agriculture, industry and crafts and trade.
  • Wheat and barley were the main crops grown besides sesame, mustard and cotton.
  • Surplus grain is stored in granaries.
  • Animals like sheep, goats and buffalo were domesticated.
  • Artisans include goldsmiths, brick makers, stone cutters, weavers, boat-builders and terracotta manufacturers.
• Social Life
  • The dress of both men and women consisted of two pieces of cloth, one upper garment and the other lower garment.
  • Beads were worn by men and women.
  • Jewelleries such as bangles, bracelets, fillets, girdles, anklets, ear-rings and fingerrings were worn by women.
  • Fishing was a regular occupation while hunting and bull fighting were other pastimes.
• Arts And Culture
  • The figure of a dancing girl from Mohenjodaro made of bronze is remarkable for its workmanship.
  • Two stone statues from Harappa, one representing the back view of a man and the other of a dancer are also specimens of their sculpture.
  • The pottery from Harappa is another specimen of the fine arts of the Indus people.
  • The script was mostly written from right to left.
  • The chief male deity was Pasupati, (proto-Siva) represented in seals as sitting in a yogic posture with three faces and two horns.

Reason for the decline

Various theories have been postulated. Natural calamities like recurring floods, drying up of rivers, decreasing fertility of the soil due to excessive exploitation and occasional earthquakes might have caused the decline of the Harappan cities.

Source : The Hindu

Topic

GS I : Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times

Current Affairs 28 September 2020 : Our major Sources for the Current Affairs are The Hindu, Indian Express, PIB, Down To Earth etc. For more queries and mentor-ship please contact us.