{"id":54604,"date":"2020-02-14T21:00:51","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T15:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=54604"},"modified":"2020-02-27T09:39:15","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T04:09:15","slug":"auto-draft-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/auto-draft-18\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 February 14th, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/conservation-plan-for-konark-temple-soon-says-culture-minister\/article30811262.ece\"><strong>Conservation\nplan for Konark temple soon, says Culture Minister<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Union Culture Minister has said that a plan to restore the Konark Sun\ntemple in Odisha would be drawn up soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nKonark Sun Temple:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Konark Sun Temple is located in\nEast Odisha near the sacred city of Puri, Odisha.<\/li><li>It was built in the 13th century\nby King Narasimhadeva I (AD 1238-1264) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty.The temple\nis dedicated to the Hindu God Surya.<\/li><li>The temple was given the status of\na World Heritage Site in 1984 by UNESCO.<\/li><li>It is a classic example of the\nOdisha style of Architecture or Kalinga Architecture.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Major\nCharacteristics of the Temple:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The temple has been built from\nKhondalite rocks.The temple complex has the appearance of a 100-foot high solar\nchariot, with 24 wheels and pulled by six horses all carved from stone. <\/li><li>The temple is carefully oriented\ntowards the east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes the principal\nentrance. <\/li><li>The temple was also known as Black\nPagoda due to its tower which appeared as black and was also used as a\nnavigational landmark by sailors to Odisha.<\/li><li>Thousands of Hindu pilgrims gather\nhere every year for the Chandrabhaga Mela.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/business\/ustr-takes-india-off-developing-country-list\/article30813126.ece\"><strong>USTR takes\nIndia off developing country list<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The office of the United States Trade Representative(USTR) has taken\noff India from the list of developing countries that are eligible to claim\nbenefits for preferential treatment with respect to Countervailing duties(CVDs)\ninvestigations<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Background:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In 1998,the US had come up with\nlists of countries classified as per their level of development to harmonise it\nwith the World Trade Organization\u2019s (WTO) Subsidies and Countervailing Measures\n(SCM) Agreement. <\/li><li>Under this SCM agreement,\ncountries that had not yet reached the status of a developed country were\nentitled to special treatment for purposes of countervailing measures. <\/li><li>This meant that imports from these\ncountries included were subject to different thresholds for determining if\ncountervailing subsidies are de minimis(too trivial or minor to merit consideration)\nand whether import volumes are negligible.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nthe issue:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>USTR has now eliminated\npreferential treatment for India along with other countries such as Brazil,\nIndonesia, Hong Kong, South Africa, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Argentina.<\/li><li>This would make it easier for the\nUS to impose countervailing duties(CVDs) on goods from India and certain other\ncountries.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why was\nIndia removed?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>According to USTR,India\u2019s share in\nglobal trade was 2.1 % for exports and 2.6% for imports in 2017.<\/li><li>India was also a G20 member which\naccounts for large shares of global economic output and trade.<\/li><li>Further, being a part of G20 India\ncan be classified as a developed country despite having a per capita GNI below\n$12,375.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nCountervailing duty(CVD):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Countervailing duty(CVD) is an\nimport tax imposed on certain goods in order to prevent dumping or counter\nexport subsidies.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/delhi-hc-dismisses-plea-seeking-voting-rights-for-prisoners\/article30798790.ece\"><strong>Delhi HC\nDismisses Plea Seeking Voting Rights for Prisoners<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The Delhi high court has dismissed a PIL seeking voting rights for\nprisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nthe petition:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The petition had challenged the\nconstitutionality of Section 62(5) of the Representation of People Act which\ndeprives prisoners of their right to vote.<\/li><li>Section 62(5) says that no person\nshall vote at any election if he is confined in a prison whether under a\nsentence of imprisonment or transportation or otherwise, or is in the lawful\ncustody of the police.<\/li><li>However,this restriction does not\napply to a person subjected to any kind of preventive detention.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\nhas the court said?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The right to vote was neither a\nfundamental right nor a common law right and was only provided by a statute. <\/li><li>The right to vote provided under\nthe act was subject to restrictions imposed by the law, which does not allow\nprisoners to cast votes from jails.<\/li><li>The court also referred to a 1997\njudgment of the apex court which had upheld Section 62(5) of the Representation\nof People Act.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why\nshould prisoners be given the right to vote?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The distinction needs to be made\nbetween those charged with heinous crimes like murder with that of minor\noffences including theft. <\/li><li>All prisoners including\nunder-trials and those in custody should not be denied the right to vote as\ntheir crimes have not been proven.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Voting\nrights of prisoners all over the world:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In most countries around the\nworld, the restrictions on prisoners right to vote is restricted to convicts\nwhile those undergoing trial and detainees are eligible. <\/li><li>There are some countries like\nAustralia and Germany, the voting rights are based on the type of offence or\nthe length of sentence of the prisoner.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livemint.com\/politics\/news\/sc-asks-parties-to-upload-candidates-criminal-record-on-social-media-11581572027257.html\"><strong>Publish details\nof tainted candidates:SC to parties<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Supreme Court has ordered Political Parties to publish criminal history\nof Lok Sabha, Assembly candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\npetition:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The petition claimed the Election\ncommission had failed to take any steps to ensure the implementation of a 2018\nSC judgment which had made it mandatory for political parties to declare and\npublish all criminal cases pending against their candidate<\/li><li>In 2004, 24% of members of\nParliament(MPs) had criminal cases pending against them.In 2009, that went up\nto 30%, in 2014 to 34% and in 2019 as many as 43% of MPs had criminal cases\npending against them.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nthe Supreme Court verdict:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The political parties should\nupload details of candidates with criminal background on their official\nwebsite.<\/li><li>The details of the candidates with\ncriminal background should be published in one local newspaper and one national\nnewspaper and on social media pages of the political party.<\/li><li>The website of the party should\nalso give reasons on why the candidates are being fielded for election.<\/li><li>Ability of a candidate to win\nelections should not be the reason furnished for fielding the candidate.<\/li><li>Political parties should furnish a\ncompliance report with the Election Commission about compliance with the\ncourt\u2019s directions.<\/li><li>Contempt proceedings can be\ninitiated against a political party for failing to file compliance reports.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Other\nJudgements of Supreme Court:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Union of India (UOI) vs. Association for Democratic Reforms,2002: <\/strong>The Supreme Court made it mandatory for candidates to submit an\naffidavit with full disclosure of criminal cases, if any and details of their\nassets and income.<\/li><li><strong>Lily Thomas v. Union of India,2013<\/strong>:The court\nruled that any MP, MLA or MLC who is convicted of a crime and given a minimum\nof two year imprisonment loses membership of the House with immediate effect.<\/li><li><strong>People\u2019s Union For Civil Liberties v. Union Of India<\/strong>,<strong>2013<\/strong>:The Supreme Court had\nruled that a None of the Above (NOTA) option to be provided in EVMs.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/ninth-schedule-of-the-constitution-explained-6265890\/\"><strong>Explained:Ninth\nSchedule<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently,a Lok Sabha member has said that reservation should be put\nunder the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nNinth Schedule:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Ninth Schedule contains a list\nof central and state laws which cannot be challenged in courts.Currently,284\nsuch laws are shielded from judicial review.<\/li><li>The Schedule was added to the\nConstitution by the First Amendment in 1951 along with Article 31-B with a view\nto provide a protective umbrella to land reforms laws to save them from being\nchallenged in courts on the ground of violation of fundamental rights.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nArticle 31B:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Article 31B says that no\nlegislation or provision of any law in the Ninth Schedule shall be deemed to be\nvoid by the court of law for being inconsistent with or takes away or abridges\nany of the Fundamental Rights.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Supreme\nCourt on Ninth Schedule:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In<\/strong> <strong>IR Coelho versus State of Tamil\nNadu, <\/strong>various laws placed in the Ninth Schedule were challenged in the\nSupreme court on the grounds that it violates fundamental rights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The SC upheld the validity of\nArticle 31-B and Parliament\u2019s power to place a particular law in the Ninth\nSchedule.<\/li><li>But it said laws placed in the\nNinth Schedule are open to judicial scrutiny and that such laws do not enjoy a\nblanket protection.<\/li><li>It laid down a dual test to\nexamine the validity of a law placed in the Ninth Schedule.Whether it violates\nany fundamental right and if yes whether the violation also damages or destroys\nthe basic structure.If the answer to both the questions is in the affirmative,\nthen only a law placed in the Ninth Schedule can be declared unconstitutional.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Basic\nStructure of the Constitution:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In the Keshwanand Bharati case,a\n13-judge constitution bench of the SC propounded the basic structure doctrine\nin 1973. <\/li><li>While upholding Parliament\u2019s power\nto amend the Constitution under Article 368, the SC said it was a limited power\nsubject to judicial review.<\/li><li>The court also said that by using\nthe power to amend the Constitution, Parliament cannot alter its basic or\nessential features like federal structure, separation of power between the\nthree organs of the states, judicial review, secularism among others.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theprint.in\/india\/amit-shah-to-inaugurate-indias-first-bimstec-conference-on-drug-trafficking\/363779\/\"><strong>BIMSTEC\nconference on drug trafficking<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>India is hosting the first-ever BIMSTEC nations conference on combating\ndrug trafficking in New Delhi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nthe conference:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The conference has been organised\nby the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).<\/li><li><strong>Aim:<\/strong>To provide an opportunity to all the\nmember nations to deliberate on the increased threats posed by drug trafficking\nand the collective steps that were required to negate such threats.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nNarcotics Control Bureau(NCB):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>NCB was constituted by the\nGovernment of India in 1986 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic\nSubstances Act,1985.<\/li><li>It is the apex coordinating agency\nunder the Ministry of Home Affairs.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About<\/strong> <strong>Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic\nSubstances Act,1985:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The National Policy on Narcotic\nDrugs and Psychotropic Substances is based on the Directive Principles\ncontained in Article 47 of the Indian Constitution,<\/li><li>Article 47 directs the State to\nendeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption except for medicinal\npurposes of intoxicating drugs injurious to health.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nBIMSTEC:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Bay of Bengal Initiative for\nMulti-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international\norganization founded in 1997.It is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh.<\/li><li>It comprises seven Member states\nnamely Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindubusinessline.com\/economy\/vivad-se-vishwas-bill-changes-cleared-by-cabinet-to-include-drt-cases\/article30802334.ece\"><strong>Debts Recovery\nTribunals(DRT)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently,the Union Cabinet has given its nod for amendment of the Direct\nTax Vivad se Vishwas Bill, 2020 so that its scope can be widened to cover\nlitigation pending in various debt recovery tribunals(DRTs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nDebt Recovery Tribunals(DRT):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Debt Recovery Tribunals have been\nestablished following the passing of the Recovery of Debts due to Banks and\nFinancial Institutions Act (RDDBFI),1993.<\/li><li>The primary goal and function of\nDRT is the recovery of loaned money from borrowers which is owed to banks and\nfinancial institutions from customers.<\/li><li>This Tribunal is also the second\ncourt of appeal in respect of cases filed under The Securitisation and&nbsp; Reconstruction of Financial Assets and\nEnforcement of Security Interest(SARFAESI) Act,2002.<\/li><li>The petitions against orders\npassed through DRTs comes before the Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal(DRAT).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Composition:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A DRT is presided over by a\npresiding officer who is appointed by the central govt. and who shall be\nqualified to be a District Judge; with tenure of 5 years or the age of 62\nwhichever is earlier.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jurisdiction:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>An application for recovery of\ndebt can be made to the DRTs for all debts valued at more than 20 lakhs.For\nlesser amounts,the banks and financial institutions can approach Civil Courts.<\/li><li>No court in the country other than\nthe Supreme Court(SC) and the High Court(HC) and that too only under articles\n226 and 227 of the Constitution have jurisdiction against a judgment of DRAT.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/newsite\/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=199296\"><strong>Apiary on\nWheels<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Union minister of Micro,Small &amp; Medium Enterprises has flagged off\nthe Apiary on Wheels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nApiary on Wheels:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Apiary on Wheels is a unique\nconcept designed by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).<\/li><li>It aims to address the challenges\nfaced by the beekeepers by easy upkeep and migration of Bee Boxes having live\nBee colonies.<\/li><li>This initiative was launched as a\npart of the National Honey Mission.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nNational Honey mission:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Honey Mission was launched in\n2017 by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).<\/li><li><strong>Aim:<\/strong>To Provide sustainable employment and\nincome to rural and urban unemployed youth by conserving the honeybee habitat\nand tapping untapped natural resources.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nKVIC:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Khadi and Village Industries\nCommission(KVIC) is a statutory body established under the Khadi and Village\nIndustries Commission Act, 1956.<\/li><li>It functions under the Ministry of\nMicro, Small and Medium Enterprises.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Conservation plan for Konark temple soon, says Culture Minister News:Union Culture Minister has said that a plan to restore the Konark Sun temple in Odisha would be drawn up soon. Facts: About Konark Sun Temple: Konark Sun Temple is located in East Odisha near the sacred city of Puri, Odisha. It was built in the&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/auto-draft-18\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 February 14th, 2020<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":48116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-brief","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/9-PM-Brief.png?fit=1000%2C500&ssl=1","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704944907},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}