Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Supreme Court verdict on UAPA is fraught with risk
• Golden fist: On the victory for Indian women boxers

GS Paper 3

• Is Every Bank Too Big to Fail?
• Let satellites terminate patchy internet coverage
• Principles underlying tax architecture need wider debate
• This helicopter programme cannot go into a tailspin
• Sterilisation is the best way to address stray dog problem
• Centre has been lifting AFSPA in the Northeast incrementally. This must continue
• Waste Is Winning – Cities’ effluent management is way behind target and a health hazard. Eco-friendly, inexpensive solutions exist

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Punjab and Haryana High Court seeks ChatGPT’s response in a bail plea case
• Parliamentary panel calls for notification of e-commerce policy to address sector’s ‘strategy vacuum’
• New species of Moray eel discovered off Cuddalore coast named after Tamil Nadu
• Without action plans, India’s poorest will continue to bear brunt of heatwaves: study
• Cheetah Sasha dies due to kidney ailment in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park
• Explained | How do you screen for autism and assess its severity?
• Overstayed foreigners: At annual police meet, more detention centres and use of biometrics suggested

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Supreme Court verdict on UAPA is fraught with risk

News– Recently, the Supreme Court in Arup Bhuyan vs The State Of Assam Home Department held that mere membership of a banned association is sufficient to constitute an offence under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

What are issues concerning the judgement?

The judgement is fraught with the risk. Agencies can act lawlessly while claiming to fight terrorism and preserve the State’s security.

Unless there is a specific intent to enhance the abilities of an unlawful organisation, convicting a person as a member is a violation of the rule of law. The verdict also suffers from substantive contradictions in its reasoning.

The Court has set aside the reading down of both Section 10(a)(i), UAPA. It has struck down its previous rulings in Arup Bhuyan vs State of Assam, and State of Kerala vs Raneef.

The Raneef judgement provided a narrow interpretation of Section 10(a)(i) of UAPA. Section 10(a)(i) punishes membership of unlawful organisations with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years.

In Arup Bhuyan (2011) the Supreme Court ruled that mere membership of a banned organisation will not incriminate a person. It can be done if a person resorts to violence or incites people to violence or does an act intended to create disorder.

Banned organisations are not known to keep a registry with their members’ names, addresses, phone numbers, and email IDs. In most cases, membership must be inferred.

Jyoti Babasaheb Chorge vs State of Maharashtra (2012) demonstrates how innocent young men and women can get incriminated as members of unlawful organisations merely by association.

15 people, all young tribal women and men, were charged as members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) for possessing Maoist propaganda literature. There was no accusation against them of being involved in any terrorist act or act of violence.

What are the challenges faced by states in case of laws against terrorism?

The definitions of terrorist and unlawful organisations in UAPA are vague. The Act merely states that they are organisations involved in “unlawful activities” and notified as such.

States worldwide are facing troubles in defining terrorism and terrorist groups with some precision. Their purpose is to protect against the inappropriate labelling of people as terrorists, and to curtail the abuse of counterterrorism powers.

Mislabelling dilutes efforts to combat actual terrorism. It undermines democratic values and institutions and increases the security threat.

Golden fist: On the victory for Indian women boxers

News: Indian women boxers collected four gold medals in the recent Delhi World championships. This is a significant milestone ahead of Hangzhou Asian Games, a qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

What are some significant achievements of Indian women boxers in the recent Delhi World championship?

Nitu Ghanghas, Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain and Saweety Boora have won the gold medals and India topped the medal sheet.

Note: In 2006 also India collected four gold medals as M.C. Mary Kom, Sarita Devi, K.C. Lekha and R.L. Jenny won.

Nikhat Zareen became the second Indian after Mary to win more than one World title.

How International Boxing Association (IBA) is helping women boxers?

The IBA tried to ensure transparency and fairness. It took action against below-par match officials and athletes who seemingly enjoyed an unfair advantage. It offered a lucrative prize purse, including $100,000 to each winner, and financial support to boxers as an incentive to boost participation.

What will be the way forward?

The IBA is in conflict with the International Olympic Committee due to its exclusion from the Olympics over various issues. This has to be rectified.

The event demonstrated the competitiveness and appeal of women’s boxing. The successful conduct of the event has encouraged the IBA to look at India as a potential market for boxing destinations. The Boxing Federation of India’s also need to conduct more elite events to inspire the boxing community further.

GS Paper 3

Is Every Bank Too Big to Fail?

News: Bank runs in the US have caused global economic shocks and it increases the burden on the government for its rescue. This has been caused by the easy money policy adopted by the US.

What is easy money policy of the US?

In the last few decades, the easy money policy of the US, made the US market five times larger than the world economy.

The market in the US was so deeply interconnected that the failure of even a midsize bank had global impacts.

This easy money era was shaped with low interests and the state’s responsibilities to rescue banks and other economic institutions from crisis.

Even in the present bank runs, the easy money era is being followed. For instance, central banks are tightening monetary policy due to the inflation and the government is opting to rescue those which failed.

This rescue mechanism has turned US from a minimalist state towards maximalist.

How has America grown from a minimalist state to maximalist?

Before the Civil War: America in the pre-1929-era was a minimalist state. In those times, economic rescues adopted by the government were rare and were also not controversial.

America in had limited government intervention and no central bank. Trust in those times was kept at personal level not at institutional level.

During the American Industrial Revolution: Even during the industrial revolution, the government restrained in intervening into rescuing the economic institutions. This resulted in strong productivity and higher per capita income growth.

During the 1960s-70s: By this time also, people were against government rescue of the economic institutions.

During the 1980s: Free market ideology spread worldwide during this period. It also saw the rise of rescue cultures. Continental Illinois became the first US bank to fail. 

FDIC extended unlimited protection to Continental depositors of the bank just as it recently did for SVB depositors.

During the 1990s: The first preventive rescue came in the late 1990s. The Fed organised support for Long Term Capital Management in order to avoid the threat of a systemic financial crisis.

Post-1990s: The US government in 2008 and 2010 attempted a larger rescue. It rescued big Wall Street banks in 2008.

And in 2020, the government took preemptive measures to rescue everyone including individuals and companies of all sizes, including those lacking solid collateral.

The Fed and Treasury combined spent trillions of dollars in loans and bailouts to thousands of companies across finance and other industries at home and abroad.

What are the implications of adopting maximalism?

Maximalism has led to a massive misallocation of capital and a surge in the number of zombie firms.

In the US, total factor productivity growth fell from 2% between 1870 and the early 1970s to 0.5% after 2008. This maximalist culture, instead of re-energizing the economy, is destabilizing the global financial system.

Hence, the government intervention eases the pain of crises but over time lowers productivity, economic growth and living standards.

Let satellites terminate patchy internet coverage

News: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has recently placed 36 OneWeb satellites in orbit.

What does this signify for India?

The satellites were placed in orbit using LVM-3 as a satellite launch vehicle. This has proved the reliability of the launch vehicle.

Further, the mission has also earned the reputation for the Indian space agency globally, because of the lower cost it offered for the mission.

About OneWeb Satellites

Read Here: ISRO puts 36 OneWeb satellites in orbit

OneWeb plans on launching services in India this July or August. It could extend the internet to parts of the country that either remain deprived of access or suffer poor connectivity.

India must utilize this opportunity and make the internet accessible in the remotest area.

What steps have been taken by India to promote digital connectivity?

The Digital India Program is one of the steps towards promoting digitization.

The government is also coming up with a spectrum policy. However, concerns such as allocation or auction of airwaves, revenue generation, etc., still remain with the policy.

Whatever be the case, India would need transparency in its policy and not let delays arise from indecision. Because it would be unfortunate if other factors held India back from expanding the internet while technology is present.

What is the way ahead?

Even though India has earned a reputation worldwide for launching OneWeb satellites, the concerns of internet shutdowns in India still remain. For example, last year, India had more internet shutdowns than any other country.

Therefore, India must achieve the promise of full access reliability in order to fulfil its digital dreams. This means that internet connectivity should not be cut unless there is an extreme national emergency.

Principles underlying tax architecture need wider debate

News– Recently, the Finance Bill 2023 was passed by voice vote in the Lok Sabha last week with 64 amendments.

What is the contentious decision related to amendments?

There was a decision to scrap the tax benefit for debt mutual funds. From April 1, investors in debt mutual funds cannot avail the benefit of indexation for calculation of long-term capital gains.

These investments will now be taxed at income tax rates applicable to an individual’s tax slab.

What is the meaning of indexation for calculation of long-term capital gains?

Indexation means adjusting the cost of funds by taking inflation into consideration. It is offered to debt fund investors if the investment is redeemed after 36 months.

In the case of debt funds, long-term capital gains were taxed at 20% with indexation benefits. This benefit brought down an investor’s tax liability.

What will be the impact of the decision to scrap the tax benefit for debt mutual funds?

There are concerns that the withdrawal of the benefit will affect investors. They will reassess their allocations to debt mutual funds. This may impact flows into these funds.

Debt mutual funds channel funds into the bond market. This move may be detrimental to the growth and development of the bond market in India.

According to a report by Crisil, 70% of the investment in debt funds flows from institutional investors. Individual investors accounted for 27%. This will possibly affect flows to the corporate bond market and thus demand for corporate debt is likely to be impacted.

The difference between bank deposits and debt funds needs to be considered. Bank deposits are insured up to Rs 5 lakh. Debt mutual funds do carry risk depending on the risk profile of the bonds they hold.

What is the way forward for taxation structure in India?

Capital gains architecture in India needs to be reexamined and reconfigured. There are different rates of taxation for different asset classes. Rationalisation of tax rate and the holding period is desirable.

The principles underlying the tax architecture in India need to be widely discussed and debated.

This helicopter programme cannot go into a tailspin

News- Recently, Dhruv helicopter in the Indian Navy’s newly acquired fleet of ALH Mk­III MRs experienced a sudden loss of power and rapid loss of height near Mumbai.

In another incident on March 26, an Indian Coast Guard ALH Mk­III MR (CG­855) on a test flight, crashed at Cochin International Airport soon after takeoff from the Coast Guard base at the airport.

What is the major cause behind the helicopter accidents?

Majority of accidents related to the ALH fleet have been caused by critical failure or breakage in the flight control chain. Therefore, certification of ALH requires a level of reliability of these systems.

Yet, there have been at least four or five reported cases of a sudden loss of control on the ALH due to breakages in flight control rods. The Mumbai incident indicates that not enough has been done to fix serious flaws.

Why is there a need for quick action to remove the faults causing helicopter accidents?

The focus on safety is a necessity. The fleet cannot remain grounded for long as these helicopters are a lifeline to defence personnel in many remote defence posts. These will now have to be serviced by an ageing Chetak/Cheetah fleet.

Flaws in design, production, quality control or certification may also impact the civil and export potential of the ALH.

There is much more at stake than reputation such as the safety and longevity of all subsequent derivatives like the Light Utility Helicopter. More than 300 of these machines form the backbone of the vertical lift service in the Indian military. There has to be a quick action.

Sterilisation is the best way to address stray dog problem

News– The article explains the challenges associated with mass killing and confinement of stray dogs.

What are statistics related to the number of deaths caused by Rabies in India?

According to the 2021 edition of National Health Profile, there were 105 cases of human death from rabies in India in 2019. The 2018 edition put the figure at 97 in 2017.

According to the relevant preceding annual National Health Profiles, there were 86 human deaths from rabies in 2016, 113 in 2015, 125 in 2014 and 132 in 2013.

What are arguments against the confining stray dogs in facilities or killing them?

Not in accordance with the Animal Birth Control(ABC) programme– Under the ABC programme, street dogs are picked up from an area, sterilised and vaccinated against rabies, and returned to the same area.

They keep unsterilised and unvaccinated dogs out. The authorities can concentrate on sterilising and vaccinating new areas until all stray dogs in a city or district are covered.

Killing all dogs in an area would enable unsterilised, unvaccinated dogs to come in. The authorities will have to return again and again to the same area to kill the new arrivals.

Until the promulgation of the ABC Rules, the number of stray dogs continued to increase in India despite relentless mass killings.

Huge investment– India will have to invest thousands of crores of rupees to set up necessary infrastructure and deploy lakhs of people to catch dogs, operate them and take care of them. Housing and feeding stray dogs permanently in “facilities” will require a continuous flow of funds. A huge amount of money will be required for buying injection syringes and lethal drugs for killing, and the safe disposal of bodies.

No evidence in support of killings– Humane euthanasia does not help. As per the WHO’s Expert Committee on Rabies, there is no evidence that the removal of dogs has a significant impact on dog population densities and the spread of rabies.

Authorities confronted by problems caused by these stray dogs have turned to mass destruction in the hope of finding a quick solution. But, it does not resolve the stray dogs problem.

What are other benefits associated with the ABC programme?

The ABC programme reduces cases of dog bites. Sterilised bitches do not go into heat. Fights among dogs over bitches don’t happen. This fight raises their aggression levels.

The rise in aggression levels when they are guarding their puppies against threats will be reduced. Many get bitten while teasing, hitting, or trying to take away puppies.

Centre has been lifting AFSPA in the Northeast incrementally. This must continue

News: The Centre has lifted the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 from more police station limits in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. This is the second time in a year that the Centre has reduced areas under AFSPA in the Northeast. This highlights the reduction of insurgencies from North East.

What are the areas under AFSPA at present?

About Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA

About AFSPA in North East

The prevalence of insurgencies is felt in almost all states in the Northeast. For example, the Naga rebellion since the 1940s, the Mizo uprising since the 1960s, radical Left groups in Manipur in the 1970s, and the ULFA in Assam in the 1980s. This necessitated the imposition of the AFSPA. The Army was sent in because the civil administration had failed to control the situation.

How does the government reduce insurgencies from North East?

a) Since the ceasefire with Nagas in 1997, successive governments have pushed for talks with the rebels, b) Assam has negotiated with its rebels — Ulfa, Bodo and Dimasa groups — despite stray incidents, c) The Mizo rebels, who signed a peace accord in 1986 when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister, joined electoral politics in Mizoram and won office, and d) The Tripura government has successfully negotiated the insurgency and got the AFSPA removed in 2015.

What should be done to utilise the reduction in insurgencies from North East?

Recently, the Manipur government had withdrawn the ongoing ceasefire pact with two Kuki militant groups. They were among the 25 Kuki-Chin-Mizo militant groups with which the state had signed a “Suspension of Operations” agreement.

A stable Northeast is extremely important, especially when Myanmar is in crisis. So, the government has to maintain a balance between regional and ethnic identity assertion and nationalism.

Waste Is Winning – Cities’ effluent management is way behind target and a health hazard. Eco-friendly, inexpensive solutions exist

News: Recently, nodal pollution body, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has found all 18 drains of Delhi that empty treated wastewater into the Yamuna fall short of chemical standards mandated before any drain reaches the river. It also found that around 22% of Delhi’s untreated waste ends up in Yamuna.

About India’s Wastewater generation and sewage treatment capacity

As per a Niti Aayog report, “of 72,368 million litres of urban wastewater that India generates daily, only 28% is treated.” That means 72% of wastewater is untreated and “maybe disposed of in rivers/lakes/groundwater”.

At least three laws, over 10 government policies and missions are functioning since 1985 to tackle India’s wastewater, polluted and dead rivers problems. But still, India is not completely addressed the issue.

What are the contributing factors to poor sewage treatment in India?

Wastewater, and sewage treatment in India is abysmal. This is because a) India lacks the legal and political will, b) Fewer funds are allocated for sewage treatment, c) Limited availability of land in urban areas for sewage treatment plants. Further, residents are also in fear of an economic hit as the odour and aesthetics lower land prices in their area, d) The regulations are not strict and there is an absence of an oversight framework, e) Lack of civic awareness about the problem, f) Due to urbanisation, the influx of migrants into cities has increased manifold and resultant population growth in urban areas and g) Illegal dumping, poorly managed drainage systems, multiple leakages, and conventional technology in existing treatment plants are other issues.

All this led to the widening of the gap between sewage treatment capacities and sewage generated.

What should be done to improve sewage treatment in India?

1) Some Chinese cities addressed sewage treatment by building plants underground. This can be done in India as well, 2) India needs to prioritise waste management before it starts constructing wetlands and urban water bodies, c) India should utilise the decentralised wastewater plants as they are an inexpensive and ecologically sustainable way to address the problem.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Punjab and Haryana High Court seeks ChatGPT’s response in a bail plea case

Source: The post is based on the article “Punjab and Haryana High Court seeks ChatGPT’s response in a bail plea case” published in The Hindu on 28th March 2023.

What is the News?

Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought a response from ChatGPT to assess worldwide views on bail when the assault was done with “cruelty”.

What was the case about?

The case was related to an alleged murder of a person in 2020 in which the petitioner (with a criminal past) is one of the accused, arrested by the police. The accused had approached the court for bail.

The court while dismissing the bail plea observed causing death itself is cruel but if the cruelty causes death and when the physical assault is done with an element of cruelty, the parameters of bail also change.

Why was ChatGPT used in this case?

The court used ChatGPT to further assess the worldwide view on bail when the assault was done with cruelty.

However, the court clarified that any reference to ChatGPT was not an expression of opinion on the merits of the case, and it was only intended to present a broader worldview on the bail jurisprudence.

What was the question put forth to ChatGPT?

The question put forth to ChatGPT was — What is the jurisprudence on bail when the assailants assaulted with cruelty?

To this ChatGPT responded: “The jurisprudence on bail for cases where the assailants have assaulted with cruelty will depend on the specific circumstances of the case and the laws and regulations of the jurisdiction where the case is being tried. 

However, in general, if the assailants have been charged with a violent crime that involves cruelty, such as murder, aggravated assault, or torture, they may be considered a danger to the community and a flight risk. 

In such cases, the judge may be less inclined to grant bail or may set the bail amount very high to ensure that the defendant appears in court and does not pose a risk to public safety“.

Parliamentary panel calls for notification of e-commerce policy to address sector’s ‘strategy vacuum’

Source: The post is based on the article “Parliamentary panel calls for notification of e-commerce policy to address sector’s ‘strategy vacuum” published in The Hindu on 27th March 2023.

What is the News?

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce has released a report titled ‘Promotion and Regulation of E-Commerce in India’.

What are the key highlights from the report?

The absence of a dedicated e-commerce policy has resulted in a ‘strategy vacuum’ for the sector and ‘ineffective regulation’. Hence, there is a need to finalize the draft National E-Commerce Policy at the earliest.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade(DPIIT) should develop appropriate mechanisms for the enforcement of rules related to Intellectual Property Rights in the e-commerce space.

The online sale of medicines has not been regulated despite objections and concerns raised by stakeholders. Hence, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare should notify E-Pharmacy Rules and formulate comprehensive guidelines with regard to e-pharmacy/e-health platforms.

Frame suitable social security schemes related to insurance, working conditions, disability and other benefits by the government.

Prepare a Skill development strategy – by gauging the various requirements in the e-commerce value chains.

Appropriate labour laws relating to working hours, and holidays. minimum pay etc for gig and platform workers should be framed and e-commerce must be mandated to extend these benefits.

New species of Moray eel discovered off Cuddalore coast named after Tamil Nadu

Source: The post is based on the article “New species of Moray eel discovered off Cuddalore coast named after Tamil Nadu” published in The Hindu on 27th March 2023.

What is the News?

Researchers have discovered a new species of Moray eel off the Cuddalore coast (Tamil Nadu).It has been named as Gymnothorax tamilnaduensis.

What is Gymnothorax tamilnaduensis?

Gymnothorax tamilnaduensis is a new species of Moray eel.

This is the first-ever record of this genus, Gymnothorax, collected through an exploration survey conducted along the coastal waters of Cuddalore.

About 28 species of Gymnothorax have been documented in Indian waters so far. This discovery increases the total number of species of Gymnothorax to 29.

What are Moray eels?

Moray eels, or Muraenidae are a family of eels found worldwide

Moray Eels are found in all tropical and subtropical seas, they live in shallow water among reefs and rocks.

Moray eels can be found in both freshwater habitats and saltwater habitats.

They are known for two types of jaws: one is regular (oral) jaws with big teeth and the second jaw is called the pharyngeal jaw (which drags prey inside the eels stomach).

Without action plans, India’s poorest will continue to bear brunt of heatwaves: study

Source: The post is based on the article “Without action plans, India’s poorest will continue to bear the brunt of heatwaves: study” published in The Hindu on 28th March 2023.

What is the News?

Centre for Policy Research(CPR) has released a report titled ‘How is India Adapting to Heatwaves?’.

What is the purpose of the report?

Extreme heat poses an unprecedented challenge to health and productivity in India. Heatwaves (prolonged periods of extreme heat) have increased in frequency in recent decades due to climate change.

Landmark heatwaves (1998, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2022) have each led to large death tolls (according to government estimates) and extensive economic damage by reducing labour productivity and affecting water availability, agriculture, and energy systems. 

Governments across India at the state, district, and municipal levels have responded to this by creating heat action plans (HAPs).

Note: Heat Action Plans (HAPs) are guidance documents prepared by state, district, and city governments to help prepare for, respond to, and recover and learn from heat waves. 

The report aims to analyze these 37 Heat Action Plans (HAPs) at the city (9), district (13) and state (15) levels across 18 states.

What are the key findings of the report on HAPs?

HAPs not built for local context and have an oversimplified view: Only 10 out of the 37 HAPs reviewed seem to establish locally-defined temperature thresholds though it is unclear whether they take local risk multipliers (such as humidity, hot nights, duration of continuous heat among others) into account to declare a heat wave.

HAPs are poor at identifying and targeting vulnerable groups: More than half of the plans fail to address the risks faced by sections of people who are more vulnerable to heat stress due to their gender, poverty and other causes.

Underfunding of HAPs: 70% of the HAPs lack the financial mechanisms to implement the proposed projects.

Weak legal foundations: Most of the HAPs had no legal sources of their authority, indicating a lack of bureaucratic incentive to comply with the instructions in the action plans.

HAPs are insufficiently transparent:  There is no national repository of HAPs and very few HAPs are listed online. Further, it is unclear whether these HAPs are being updated periodically and whether this is based on evaluation data.

What are the recommendations given by the report?

HAPs should identify sources of financing, either from new funds or by combining actions with existing national and State policies. Further, HAPs should also set up rigorous independent evaluations as a basis for constant improvement.

The National Disaster Management Authority should create a repository of HAPs that is publicly accessible.

HAPs must set up rigorous independent evaluations as a basis for constant improvement.

Implementation-oriented HAPs so that India’s poorest will no longer continue to suffer from extre

Cheetah Sasha dies due to kidney ailment in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park

Source: The post is based on the article “Cheetah Sasha dies due to kidney ailment in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park” published in The Hindu on 28th March 2023.

What is the News?

Sasha, one of the eight Namibian cheetahs translocated to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh has died due to kidney infection.

What is Sasha?

Sasha is a female cheetah. It was one of the eight cheetahs brought to India from Namibia in 2022.

It was brought to India as part of the Cheetah reintroduction project.

It was released into Kuno National Park by the Prime Minister in  September 2022.

However, later it was diagnosed with a kidney infection and has now died.

All other cheetahs have been doing well and hunting prey.

What is Cheetah Reintroduction Project?

Click Here to read

What is Kuno National Park?

Click Here to read

Explained | How do you screen for autism and assess its severity?

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained | How do you screen for autism and assess its severity?” published in The Hindu on 28th March 2023.

What is the News?

This article talks about Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD).

What is Autism?

Autism – also referred to as autism spectrum disorder constitutes a diverse group of conditions related to the development of the brain.

Symptoms: The disorder is characterized by some degree of difficulty with social interaction and communication. 

– Other characteristics are atypical patterns of activities and behaviors, such as difficulty with the transition from one activity to another, a focus on details and unusual reactions to sensations.

Onset of Autism: ASD begins before the age of 3 years and can last throughout a person’s life, although symptoms may improve over time. Some children show ASD symptoms within the first 12 months of life.

Causes: Autism spectrum disorder has no single known cause. Given the complexity of the disorder and the fact that symptoms and severity vary, there are probably many causes. Both genetics and environment may play a role.

– Genetics. Several different genes appear to be involved in autism spectrum disorder. For some children, autism spectrum disorder can be associated with a genetic disorder, such as Rett syndrome or fragile X syndrome. For other children, genetic changes (mutations) may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder. 

– Environmental factors: Researchers are currently exploring whether factors such as viral infections, medications or complications during pregnancy, or air pollutants play a role in triggering autism spectrum disorder.

Cases: It is estimated that worldwide about one in 100 children have autism.

Treatment: There is no cure for autism spectrum disorder. But early diagnosis and intervention are critical to improving outcomes for children with Autism and their families.

Overstayed foreigners: At annual police meet, more detention centres and use of biometrics suggested

Source: The post is based on the article “At annual police meet, more detention centres and use of biometrics suggested” published in The Hindu on 28th March 2023.

What is the News?

On the first day of the 57th Director-Generals of Police and Inspectors-General of Police Conference, a session was dedicated to the concerted strategy to identify and deport overstaying foreigners in India.

What is the data on the number of foreigners who overstayed in India?

As per the immigration database, the number of foreigners who overstayed in the years 2019, 2020 and 2021 stood at 54,576, 40,239 and 25,143 respectively.

Challenges in tracking overstayed foreigners:

Misuse of tourist visa: Tourist visas that allow a stay of up to 180 days in India do not require reporting with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). 

– The only way such foreigners can be tracked is through C-Forms that are required to be recorded by hotels and lodges while providing accommodation.

– However, this regulation is ineffective as many rented accommodations or homestays do not comply with the requirement.

What are the suggestions given at the conference to deal with overstayed foreigners?

Creation of a greater number of detention centres and use of biometrics to identify and deport foreigners who overstay.

Providing a unique number to foreigners arriving in India that needs to be quoted for availing any kind of services such as mobile phone connection, accommodation, and travel among others.

Fixing accountability of service providers hotels, educational institutes and hospitals for not reporting the presence of foreigners. 

Fast-track trial of court cases and use of plea bargaining in petty cases for early deportation. 

Take up the issue of non-cooperation by certain countries that cause delays in deportation.

What are the other issues deliberated at the conference?

Government policy on refugees: There is a need for clarity on the government’s policy when it comes to the Rohingya, or refugees recognised by the United Nations, as India is not a signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol.

The unfenced border at Nepal and Myanmar: The free movement regime gives rise to security issues and other than smuggling of various items along the Nepal border.

– Along the Myanmar border, a free movement regime operates for residents residing in a 16 km belt in both countries. The refugee influx particularly into Mizoram after the coup in Myanmar two years ago is a cause of concern.