{"id":83172,"date":"2021-02-16T21:00:06","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T15:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=83172"},"modified":"2021-02-17T11:01:43","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T05:31:43","slug":"9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-february-16-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-february-16-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief \u2013 February 16, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Good evening dear reader<\/p>\n<p>Here is our 9pm current affairs brief for you today<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\r\n<p><strong>About 9 PM Brief<\/strong>- With the <span style=\"color: #000000;\">9 PM Daily Current affairs for UPSC brief we intend<\/span> to simplify the newspaper reading experience. In 9PM briefs, we provide our reader with a summary of all the important articles and editorials from three important newspapers namely The Hindu, Indian Express, and Livemint. This will provide you with analysis, broad coverage, and factual information from a Mains examination point of view.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>About Factly<\/strong>- The Factly initiative covers all the daily news articles regarding Preliminary examination. This will be provided at the end of the 9 PM Brief.<\/p>\r\n<p>Dear Aspirants,<\/p>\r\n<p>We know for a fact that learning without evaluation is a wasted effort. Therefore, we request you to please go through both our initiatives i.e 9PM Briefs and Factly, then evaluate yourself through the 10PM Current Affairs Quiz.<\/p>\r\n<p>We plan to integrate all our free daily initiatives to comprehensively support your success journey.<br \/><strong>Happy Learning!<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-brief\/\">Read Previous 9 PM Brief<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-tid=\"messageBodyContent\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/daily-current-affairs-summaries\/\">Article wise list of 9 PM Brief<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>List of\u00a0 9 PM Current Affairs Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#Note1\">Climate activist arrested in \u2018Toolkit Conspiracy\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Note2\">Vaccination of manual scavengers must be prioritised<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Note3\">Government&#8217;s Notice to Twitter: Why Twitter&#8217;s actions are justified?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Note4\">Why prices of Petrol and Diesel are rising?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Note5\">Deregulation of Geospatial Data: Prospects<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Note6\">Causes of accidents in firework industry<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a id=\"Note1\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/climate-activist-arrested-in-toolkit-conspiracy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Climate activist arrested in \u2018Toolkit Conspiracy\u2019<b><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:40,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Source:<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=G5389H2AM.1&amp;imageview=0\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">The hindu<\/span><\/b><\/a><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">,\u00a0<\/span><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/opinion\/editorials\/disha-ravi-arrest-farmers-protest-toolkit-greta-thunberg-7190236\/\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Indian Express<\/span><\/b><\/a><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Syllabus:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">GS 2<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0&#8211; Indian Constitution\u2014historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Synopsis<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">: A 22-year-old climate activist got arrested for misusing a toolkit. Such instances\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">raise<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0a question of alleged misuse of power by the government officials.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Read More<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Toolkit conspiracy case and its imapct on India- Explained Pointwise &#8211; ForumIAS Blog<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Background<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Delhi Police has already registered multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) post the 26th January farmer protest in Delhi.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">They have now arrested Disha Ravi, a climate activist from\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Bengaluru<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0for editing a toolkit published on 3rd February by climate activist Greta Thunberg. It was used by social media users to protest against the farm laws.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">What is a tool\u00a0<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">kit<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">It is simply a document containing a set of directives for social media campaigners.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">It includes the hashtags to be used, persons to be targeted, duration of campaign and other things for a systematic and\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">synchronized<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0online campaign.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/toolkit-conspiracy-case-and-its-imapct-on-india-explained-pointwise\/\">Read more about tool kit conspiracy case<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Reason for Arrest<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The allegation is that the toolkit was made by Pro &#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Khalistani<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0separatists<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">.\u00a0Thus,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0editing\u00a0it amounted to\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">sedition and incitement to riots<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The government believes that activist is part of a\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">global conspiracy<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0to incite violence in the country<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0by secessionists based in Punjab.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Issues with Arrest<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">First<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">, the Delhi Police\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">didn\u2019t&#8217; seek permission from the state Police. By\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">that, it<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">disobeyed\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">interstate<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0arrest guidelines formulated by the Delhi High Court. Further the accused was not allowed to be properly represented by a counsel.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Second<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">, the toolkit doesn&#8217;t contain any directions which led to direct incitement of violence<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">. It was\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">a necessary condition for sedition.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Third<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">, it undermines democratic power when people are arrested due to excessive suspicion and not on merits<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">T<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">hereby undermining due process.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Fourth<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">, such arrest shows non judicious use of police power which will diminish India&#8217;s Global image.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Way Forward<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The focus should be on addressing the tolerance gap in governance and not on using more repressive strategies.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The masses shouldn\u2019t feel that their rights are<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0not<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> respected by the government and free speech should not be curbed by illegitimate means.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">In the case of Ravi, an impartial investigation to establish her crime should be done.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a id=\"Note2\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/vaccination-of-manual-scavengers-must-be-prioritised\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vaccination of manual scavengers must be prioritised<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/opinion\/columns\/manual-scavengers-covid-vaccination-frontline-sanitation-workers-7188686\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">click here<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Syllabus:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> GS-1<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Synopsis: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0The government is focussing on the vaccination of frontline sanitation workers. However, the most vulnerable among them, Manual Scavengers, did not get the attention they deserve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>India is far behind in terms of understanding sanitation workers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and their different categories. Manual scavengers belong to the lowest strata of unprotected sanitation workers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people in India believe that manual scavenging is already eliminated since it is legally banned. However, <\/span><b>the ground reality is very different.<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Sanitation workers can be categorized into f<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">aecal sludge handlers, s<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ewage treatment plant sanitation workers, t<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">oilet sanitation workers, public transportation site sanitation workers (railway, roads), s<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ewer and drain sanitation workers, s<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">anitation-waste intersection workers, e<\/span>tc.<\/li>\n<li>Manual Scavengers are workers discarding human excreta manually, in any form.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The risk involved in septic cleaning is the highest. One sanitation worker dies every five days. Waste recovery sanitation workers perform the work of manual scavenging as they come in regular contact with unprotected bio-medical waste, animal faeces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Why sanitation workers should be included in priority population for vaccines?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vaccination of sanitation workers should be prioritized due to following reasons:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>First, several laws banning this practice are not working properly on the ground.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Sewer deaths continue to happen. Caste and economics have a role to play in the deprivation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Second, the absence of a policy for the protection of the sanitation workers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> resulted in the loss of many lives during the initial days of the pandemic. These cases are not even mentioned in the records of the National Commission of the Safai Karmachari (NCSK).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Safai KarmacharI Andolan (SKA) has had far better data.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Third, there is no social security, no accountability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the actual expenses of the rehabilitation schemes. Even no definite provision for healthcare or pension is being provided. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Fourth,<\/strong> the representation of sanitation workers is not involved during creation of policies for them.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Fifth, sanitation workers are prone to long-term diseases. In many cases, t<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hey don\u2019t even live till the age of retirement. Their children suffer from malnutrition, TB, and cholera because of their habitation around the waste generated by the cities.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Lastly, the sanitation workers worked full time<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to ensure safety for the people during the pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Way forward<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government must urgently prioritize vaccination for manual scavengers without giving the argument that they have already developed \u201cherd immunity\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a id=\"Note3\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/governments-notice-to-twitter-why-twitters-actions-are-justified\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Government&#8217;s Notice to Twitter: Why Twitter&#8217;s actions are justified?<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=GN189D6LC.1&amp;imageview=0\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">click here<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Syllabus: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GS 2 : Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Synopsis:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Twitter has acted with reason after defying the Indian government\u2019s legal orders. It didn\u2019t implement the order fully and this action is desirable despite the criticism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Twitter did not act in accordance with the Indian government\u2019s orders under Section 69A<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the IT Act. It was required to block hundreds of accounts under the order.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, Twitter has said that the list had <\/span><b>accounts of journalists, activists, and politicians.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Twitter believes that blocking these accounts would not be fair to Indian law and the platform\u2019s contract objectives.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This defiance has not gone down well with the government. Independent verifications revealed <\/span><b>that many accounts did not post messages suggesting a genocide plan but supported farmers&#8217; protest.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What were the criticisms against Twitter?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Twitter witnessed criticism on multiple grounds such as:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>First,<\/b> <b>Twitter\u2019s refusal shows a lack of respect for Indian law<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> because it is bound by legal orders of the government under the Act.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Second, Twitter is a private company, and it cannot decide what is proportionate or lawful<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Twitter can challenge the order in a court, but cannot choose to comply partially.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Third<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Twitter\u2019s decision indicates that it is denying parity to India with the U.S. The platform blocked Donald Trump\u2019s account but refusing to block users in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Fourth, its defiance indicates the increasing power<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and liberty of Big Tech. It requires a clear and plain zero-tolerance response.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Why Twitter&#8217;s actions are justified?<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tension between the government and social media platforms <\/span><b>is healthy and constructive. It keeps a balance, <\/b>which was not possible if both were on the same side.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following government&#8217;s orders blindly will seriously impact <strong>twitter\u2019s audience\u2019s fundamental rights<\/strong>. Twitter also has a responsibility to ensure people\u2019s right to free and informed speech.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Big Techs has often sided with the government hurting its users\u2019 rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. For instance, the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook India failed to act on provocative posts of a member of the ruling party. It is good that Big techs are thinking about users.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Twitter didn&#8217;t ban Trump&#8217;s account all of a sudden despite the repeated promotion of lies. His account was spreading misinformation during the Capitol Hill riot.\u00a0 Before suspending his account, Twitter tried to flag his content and limit its reach. A permanent ban was the last step. <\/span><b>Demanding a direct ban is against this process of twitter.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The current incident is among the rare instances that <\/span><b>Twitter has given equivalence to its Indian audience with that of its U.S.\u2019s.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Twitter chose to take an independent view of the matter and not blindly complied with the wishes of the government.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Way forward<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The attempt to extend similar safeguards to Indian users as the US users enjoy is a welcome step. That would also be consistent with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights endorsed by the UNHRC.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a id=\"Note4\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/why-prices-of-petrol-and-diesel-are-rising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Why prices of Petrol and Diesel are rising?<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/why-are-petrol-diesel-rising-crude-oil-inflation-modi-govt-7190312\/\">The Indian Express<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Syllabus: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GS 3: Issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Synopsis: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retail prices of petrol and diesel have reached record highs in India. One major reason is a heavy tax on Petrol and diesel in India.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The price of petrol is touching Rs 89 per litre in Delhi and diesel reaching Rs 86.30 per litre in Mumbai. The government states that the reason behind this rise in price is an increase in global crude prices by more than 50 per cent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While retail prices of both fuels in other countries are just reaching pre-pandemic levels, Indian consumers are paying a lot more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why are consumers in India paying more for petrol and diesel?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retail petrol and diesel prices are linked to global crude oil prices in theory. That means if crude prices fall, retails prices should come down too, and vice versa. However, this does not happen in reality especially in India.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>First,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when global prices go up, the consumer has to pay the increase in price. But when the prices decrease, <\/span><b>the government introduces fresh taxes to ensure that it collects extra revenues.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>For instance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">government hiked the central excise duty on petrol and diesel at the beginning of 2020 to boost <\/span><b>revenues.<\/b> The government did this to boost <strong>economic<\/strong><b> activity government<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span>This resulted in <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the revenue gain to the government.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, state and central taxes amount to around 180 per cent of the base price of petrol and 141 per cent of the base price of diesel in Delhi.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Second,<\/b> <b>crude oil prices collapsed during the pandemic. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But as economies have reduced travel restrictions, global demand has improved, and prices have been recovering.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Third,<\/b> <b>the controlled production of crude amid rising demand<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has been another key factor in boosting oil prices.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Fourth, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) are free to set prices for petrol and diesel based on international prices on paper. Increase in central levies has meant that <\/span><b>the consumer hasn\u2019t benefited from low international prices <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and has ended up bearing the cost of rising crude oil prices.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/why-oil-prices-are-so-high-in-india-how-and-why-should-india-achieve-end-of-oil-age\/\">Read How India should end oil age?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Conclusion\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts suggest that the impact of rising fuel inflation has been balanced by declining food inflation. However, the consumers with greater expenditure on travel are bearing the higher prices even though the overall inflation reduced down to 4.06 per cent in January.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a id=\"Note5\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/deregulation-of-geospatial-data-prospects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Deregulation of Geospatial Data: Prospects<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-why-india-is-opening-up-the-geo-spatial-sector-7190149\/\">Indian Express<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Gs3: Science and Technology-<\/strong> Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life. Indigenization of Technology and Developing New Technology<\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis: <\/strong>Recently, the Ministry of Science and Technology deregulated the geo-spatial data and map-making in India.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is geospatial data?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Geospatial data is the data about objects, events, or phenomena that are located on the surface of the earth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/dst-announce-liberalization-of-geospatial-data-and-mapping-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read More about Geospatial data and Geospatial policy<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the present policy on geospatial data?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Till recently, the government had a near-monopoly regarding the collection, storage, use, sale, dissemination of geo-spatial data and mapping. This was because of concerns over internal as well as external security threats.<\/li>\n<li>Only government-run agencies such as the <strong>Survey of India,<\/strong> <strong>Defence and Home Ministries <\/strong>were allowed to use geospatial data.<\/li>\n<li>Whereas, the private companies needed approval from different departments of the government as well as the defence and Home Ministries. Then only, they were able to collect, create or disseminate geospatial data.<\/li>\n<li>The lack of private participation led to the underdevelopment of the <strong>Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The Kargil war highlighted the dependence on foreign data and the need for indigenous sources of data.\u00a0Only, after the <strong>Kargil war,<\/strong> the government heavily invested in Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Why has the government deregulated geospatial data?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The government has deregulated the geo-spatial data to achieve the following objectives:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>First,<\/strong> it will help in the timely completion of the project without delay. Over-regulation in the use of geo-spatial data has led to <strong>red-tapism. <\/strong>It delayed the start of projects for both private and government agencies.\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>The Deregulation now allows the Indian companies to <strong>self-attest<\/strong> by confirming the government guidelines. This eliminates the need for monitoring by a government agency, thereby improving <strong>ease of doing business<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second,<\/strong> it will help to improve the status of <strong>data deficiency<\/strong> in the country. Lack of appropriate data impedes planning for infrastructure, development and businesses.\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Also, Mapping of a country as large and diverse as India with high accuracy will take decades if it is done only by government agencies.<\/li>\n<li>Hence, incentivizing the Indian companies in the geospatial sector and increasing investment from private players in the sector will establish India as a data sufficient country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Third,<\/strong> the application of geospatial data has become widespread. It is no more confined to security purpose alone.\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>An increasing number of sectors such as agriculture, environment protection, power, water, transportation, communication, health (tracking of diseases, patients, hospitals etc.) currently rely on this data.<\/li>\n<li>Geospatial data is now crucial for the government in planning for infrastructure development, social development, natural calamities etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fourth,<\/strong> it is also in line with the global consensus for <strong>open access<\/strong> to geospatial data. Many countries have made their geo-spatial data freely available. The new guidelines will ensure open access, except for sensitive defence or security-related data.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>What impact is this expected to have?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>First,<\/strong> deregulation will ensure more This will result in more accurate data available to both the government and private agencies for planning.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second,<\/strong> it will promote the setting up of new <strong>Startups<\/strong> and businesses especially in the sector of e-commerce or geospatial based apps. This will increase employment in these sectors.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Third<\/strong>, it also promotes the building of <strong>indigenous apps.<\/strong> For example, an Indian version of Google Maps.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fourth,<\/strong> with data collection companies working with the Indian government on various sectoral projects it is also likely to increase in <strong>public-private partnerships.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Fifth,<\/strong> it will also boost the economy by attracting investments in the geospatial sector by companies and by an increase in export of data to foreign companies and countries.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a id=\"Note6\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/causes-of-accidents-in-firework-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Causes of accidents in firework industry<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=G5389H2AO.1&amp;imageview=0\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Hindu<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Syllabus: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GS 3 : Growth, development and employment<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Synopsis: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Labour reforms and technological advances within the fireworks industry is the need of the hour to minimise the causes of accidents in the firework industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thousands of workers in Tamil Nadu\u2019s famed fireworks&#8217; industry are working in unsafe conditions. It resulted in a series of accidents. Such as<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20 workers died and 28 injured in the latest accident at a fireworks unit in Virudhunagar.\u00a0 These incidents take place <\/span><b>due to gross violation of norms governing the industry <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and human error in handling explosive substances.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">25 lives were lost in an accident in three fireworks factories in Virudhunagar (9), Cuddalore (9), and Madurai (7) in the past 11 months.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>After such accidents, only short-term action is taken. It<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0includes <\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Registration and identification of cases, <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arrest the person responsible for an accident<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Symbolic inspections, <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Issuance of warnings and safety advisories<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What are the causes of such accidents?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>First,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> t<\/span>here is a large-scale <b>illegal sub-leasing of workers <\/b>for licenced firework units.<\/li>\n<li><b>Second,<\/b> <b>there is a violation of the limit on workers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to be deployed. This leads to crowding in each shed.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Third, <\/b>there is a<b> piece-rate system in payment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (payment to workers is provided based on the number of firecrackers produced by workers). People are tempted to produce more units per day. For example, a tired worker hurriedly emptied semi-finished crackers, which caused the recent accident.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Fourth, <\/b>there is also a\u00a0<b>lack of trained workers. <\/b>This <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">encouraged the industry to hire new workers with limited skills leading to accidents.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Fifth, <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Unlicensed units have expanded. <\/strong>They mostly escape the inspection until an accident occurs.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>The way forward<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Supervision of the chemicals<\/strong> to be mixed or stored is a key task to avoid casualty.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There should be<strong> periodic inspections<\/strong> at factories and <strong>strict penal action<\/strong> against violators. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Central and State governments must <strong>provide the needed manpower<\/strong> for enforcement agencies as the industry has grown manifold.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <strong>continuous political push for labor reforms<\/strong> and <strong>technological innovations<\/strong> within the industry is also essential.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"oZHScrZmrj\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/factly-news-articles-for-upsc-prelims-feb-16-2021\/\">Factly :-News Articles For UPSC Prelims | Feb 16, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Factly :-News Articles For UPSC Prelims | Feb 16, 2021&#8221; &#8212; Free UPSC IAS Preparation For Aspirants\" src=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/factly-news-articles-for-upsc-prelims-feb-16-2021\/embed\/#?secret=ImmS3qQnJg#?secret=oZHScrZmrj\" data-secret=\"oZHScrZmrj\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Good evening dear reader Here is our 9pm current affairs brief for you today Read Previous 9 PM Brief Article wise list of 9 PM Brief List of\u00a0 9 PM Current Affairs Articles Climate activist arrested in \u2018Toolkit Conspiracy\u2019 Vaccination of manual scavengers must be prioritised Government&#8217;s Notice to Twitter: Why Twitter&#8217;s actions are justified?&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-february-16-2021\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief \u2013 February 16, 2021<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":80068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-brief","category-public","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/9-PM-Brief-1-e1615452440806.png?fit=600%2C335&ssl=1","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704941696},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83172","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=83172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83172\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}