Current Affairs Compendium - February 2024 PDF

9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 CURRENT AFFAIRS COMPENDIUM – FEBRUARY 2024 Visit us at: 12minutestoclat.com Subscribe to us on: Yo...

9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 CURRENT AFFAIRS COMPENDIUM – FEBRUARY 2024 Visit us at: 12minutestoclat.com Subscribe to us on: YouTube Follow us on: Telegram, Instagram E-mail: [email protected] 12minutestoclat.com  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 12minutestoclat.com  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 12minutestoclat.com  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 INDEX OF TOPICS 1. Conferral of Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur to Shashi Tharoor.......................................................................................... 1 2. Law Commission’s report on the Law of Defamation............................................................................................................ 4 3. Delimitation Exercise.......................................................................................................................................................... 9 4. Corruption Perception Index 2023......................................................................................................................................13 5. World Wetlands Day 2024.................................................................................................................................................18 6. Electoral Bonds.................................................................................................................................................................22 7. Union Budget 2024...........................................................................................................................................................25 8. India’s first privately built spy satellite................................................................................................................................31 9. EXERCISE-MILAN 2024.....................................................................................................................................................33 10. Hydrogen- fuelled ferry..................................................................................................................................................35 11. World Cancer Day 2024..................................................................................................................................................38 12. Supreme Court’s interim order on the Forest Act..............................................................................................................41 13. Lok Sabha’s anti- cheating bill.........................................................................................................................................45 14. Gaganyaan Mission........................................................................................................................................................49 15. The Demise of Fali S. Nariman........................................................................................................................................55 16. Financial Devolution in India...........................................................................................................................................60 17. World Radio Day 2024...................................................................................................................................................64 18. Amendment of India- Mauritius DTAA.............................................................................................................................66 12minutestoclat.com  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 19. Supreme Court on Patanjali’s misleading advertisements..................................................................................................72 20. Ecocide.........................................................................................................................................................................75 21. International Big Cat Alliance..........................................................................................................................................78 22. Assam’s Muslim Marriage Law.........................................................................................................................................82 23. India’s historic gold at Badminton Asia Team Championships............................................................................................85 24. International Mother Language Day 2024........................................................................................................................87 25. New Lokpal Chief...........................................................................................................................................................89 26. Sudarshan Setu.............................................................................................................................................................94 27. Gemini’s violation of India’s IT Rules...............................................................................................................................96 28. Internet shutdowns in India...........................................................................................................................................99 29. New Surrogacy Rules................................................................................................................................................... 103 30. TomTom Traffic Index 2023......................................................................................................................................... 108 31. Exercise Dharma Guardian 2024................................................................................................................................... 111 32. Jnanpith Awards.......................................................................................................................................................... 113 33. INSAT- 3DS................................................................................................................................................................. 116 34. Report Card on the Performance of Information Commissions (ICs) in India, 2022-23...................................................... 120 35. National Science Day 2024........................................................................................................................................... 125 12minutestoclat.com  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 1. Conferral of Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur to Shashi Tharoor Recently: Shashi Tharoor, a prolific author and a diplomat-turned-politician, was conferred France’s highest civilian honour “Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur”, or Knight of the Legion of Honour, at a ceremony in New Delhi. The Congress MP was conferred the prestigious award at the French Embassy by French Senate President Gerard Larcher. The French government had announced the award for Tharoor, a former Union minister, in August 2022 but was conferred on him on 20th February, 2024. “The highest French civilian award came in recognition of Dr Tharoor’s tireless efforts to deepen Indo-French ties, commitment to international peace and cooperation, and as a long-standing friend of France,” a statement issued by the French Embassy said. In 2010, Tharoor received a similar honour, from the Spanish government. 12minutestoclat.com 1  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 What is Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur? The Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the National Order of the French Legion of Honour), instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic. It is awarded for outstanding contribution to the recipient’s field of expertise, regardless of their nationality. The prestigious order bears the motto “Honneur et Patrie” (Honour and Fatherland) and has its seat at the Palais de la Légion d’honneur in Paris, adjacent to the Musée d’Orsay. The Legion has five classes, listed in descending rank: Grand Cross (limited to 80 members) Grand Officer (200) Commander (1,000) Officer (4,000) Knight, or Chevalier (unlimited) This system ensures that the membership is inclusive and egalitarian. It allows both men and women, French citizens and foreigners, civilians, and military personnel to be admitted. To be considered for admission into the Legion of Honour, an individual must demonstrate: 20 years of exceptional civil achievement in peacetime, or, Extraordinary bravery and service during times of war. The order also has provisions for posthumous conferral to honour those who have made significant contributions even after their passing. The first Indian to be awarded with the Legion of Honour was Maharaja Pratap Singh of Idar in 1918. The list of the recipients includes: JRD Tata (1983), Satyajit Ray (1987), Pandit Ravi Shankar (2000), Zubin Mehta (2001), E Sreedharan (2005), Amitabh Bachchan (2007), Lata Mangeshkar (2007), 12minutestoclat.com 2  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Shah Rukh Khan (2014), Manish Arora (2016) Kamal Haasan (2016), Ratan Tata (2016), Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (2016), Azim Premji (2018) N. Chandrasekaran (2023) Kiran Nadar (2023 Who is Shashi Tharoor? Shashi Tharoor is an Indian former international civil servant, diplomat, bureaucrat, politician, a noted writer and public intellectual who has been serving as Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2009. A Sahitya Akademi Award winner, Tharoor has authored many works of fiction and non-fiction since 1981. Popular for his command over the English language, Tharoor was the most followed Indian on Twitter before being overtaken by Narendra Modi. Early Life and Career: Born in London, UK, and raised in India, Tharoor worked across the world, graduating from St. Stephen's College, Delhi in 1975. He culminated his studies in 1978 with a doctorate in International Relations and Affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. At the age of 22, he was the youngest person at the time to receive such an honour from the Fletcher School. Tharoor was a career official at the United Nations, rising to the rank of Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information in 2001. He announced his retirement after finishing second in the 2006 selection for U.N. Secretary-General to Ban Ki-moon. During the Congress-led UPA government, Tharoor served as Minister of State for External Affairs. In 2009, Tharoor began his political career by joining the Indian National Congress and successfully represented the party from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. 12minutestoclat.com 3  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 He is the present Chairman of the Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers. Founder-Chairman of All India Professionals Congress, he formerly served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and on Informational Technology. He has about two dozen titles to his credit and was awarded by World Economic Forum as "Global Leader of Tomorrow". He won a Sahitya Akademi Award for his book, An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India in 2019. In 2012, he received Commander of the Order of Charles III by King of Spain. In 1991, He also received Commonwealth Writers' Prize for the Best Book of the Year in the Eurasian Region, for The Great Indian Novel. 2. Law Commission’s report on the Law of Defamation Source- https://www.rksassociate.com/defamation/ Recently: The 22nd Law Commission of India led by Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi has recommended that the offence of criminal defamation should be retained in the new criminal laws. 12minutestoclat.com 4  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The 285th Law Commission Report on criminal defamation and its impact on the freedom of speech and expression, was published in response to a letter from the ministry of law and justice in August 2017. What is Defamation? Defamation is the act of communicating false statements about a person that injure the reputation of that person when observed through the eyes of ordinary man. Any false and unprivileged statement published or spoken deliberately, intentionally, knowingly with the intention to damage someone's reputation is defamation. Defamation can be in two forms: Libel, which is present in some permanent form such as in writing, printed or a picture. Slander, present in an unwritten form such as spoken words, gestures or representation made with hands. Defamation can be both Civil or Criminal in nature. The basic essential under criminal law to evoke a suit of defamation are: Knowledge or reason to believe that something is defamatory, that is, Mens Rea, Publication of the defamatory act to a third person, It should be clear enough to point out the person to whom the defamation is intended to be made Lowers the reputation of the person in the mind of the right-thinking people of the society. Intention is basic essential under the Criminal Defamation Law but not under the Civil Defamation Law. There are certain basic defenses that can be taken against a charge of defamation: The statement published was true, Fair comments made with public interest based on true incidents, Certain persons are vested with the privilege to make statements even if they are defamatory. Defamation Law in India: The history of defamation can be traced back to Kautilya's Arthashastra where the author has defined the penalties for individuals of different classes of society for committing defamation in Chapter XVIII of Book III. 12minutestoclat.com 5  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The law on defamation in India was first drafted by Lord Macaulay in the year 1837 and was eventually codified in Act no. 45 of 1860 and was very similar to the law of defamation of English law. Article 19 of the Constitution grants various freedoms to its citizens. However, Article 19(2) has imposed reasonable exemption to freedom of speech and expression granted under Article 19(1) (a). Contempt of court, defamation and incitement are some of the reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2). In Indian laws, Chapter XXI (section 499 – 502) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) deals with criminal defamation. Section 199 of the Criminal Procedure code (CrPC) is concerned with the prosecution of defamation. Section 356 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 deals with Criminal Defamation. In civil law, defamation is punishable under the Law of Torts by imposing punishment in the form of damages to be awarded to the claimant. Under the Criminal law, Defamation is a bailable, non-cognizable offence and compoundable offence. Section 500 of IPC prescribed the punishment of a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, or fine, or both, for the offence of Defamation. Under Section 356 of BNS, Section 499 and Section 500 have been consolidated and the punishment of community service has been added for the offence. Important Judgements: Rohini Singh v. State of Gujarat (2018)- It was held by the Gujarat High Court that the offence of defamation may not be committed if someone only types defamatory material without publishing it or disseminating it to others. Mrs. Pat Sharpe v. Dwijendra Nath Bose (1963)- The Calcutta High Court held that author of the article (and not the source of the information) becomes liable if the recipient of defamatory material from an anonymous source creates and publishes an article based on that information. Subramanian Swamy v. Union of India- The apex court upheld the validity of Article 499 and 500 of the constitution and observed that the reputation of an individual is a basic element under Article 21. Chintaman Rao Vs. The State of Madhya Pradesh: The Supreme Court explained the meaning of “reasonable restrictions” imposed in Article 19 (2). It implies intelligent care and deliberation and that is required in the interests of the public. 12minutestoclat.com 6  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Sukdeo Vithal Pansare v. Prabhakar Sukdeo Pansare (1974)- The Bombay High Court held that publication is the act of making a defamatory remark and transmitting it to a person other than the target of the statement. Highlights of the Law Commission’s report: The Law Commission chose to undertake this extensive study on the law of defamation following the Supreme Court’s decision in the Subramaniam Swamy vs. Union of India (2016) case. In this case, the court upheld the constitutionality of defamation as a criminal offence and held that it was a reasonable restriction to the freedom of speech and expression. The report traces the history of the law of defamation, how it is defined and the essential characteristics for it to be proven as an offence The report also explains how “the right to reputation” is a part of the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. It states that the right to freedom of speech must be balanced with protecting the right to reputation through the application of criminal defamation laws. It stated that Criminal defamation acts as a deterrent against false and malicious statements, preventing damage to one's reputation that civil remedies might not adequately address The panel has also recommended that speech ought to be considered illegal only when it is meant to do substantial harm and when such harm materialises. The report appreciated the inclusion of community service as an alternative punishment against the offence of Defamation under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Law Commission of India: It is an executive body constituted by the Government of India from time to time. It acts as an advisory body to Ministry of law and justice. 12minutestoclat.com 7  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The first Law Commission was established during the British Raj era in 1834 by the Charter Act of 1833 and was chaired by Lord Macaulay. The first Law Commission of independent India was established in 1955 for a three-year term. The Law Commission conducts legal research and assesses current Indian laws, with the aim of suggesting reforms and crafting new legislation, either upon referral by the Central Government or independently. The Law Commission is generally Composed of: One chairman One permanent member One member secretary Six part-time members Justice (former) Rituraj Awasthi is the Chairman of the current and 22nd Law Commission of India. Reeta Vasishta is the member secretary of the 22nd Law Commission Other members - Retired High Court judge Justice K T Sankaran, Professor Anand Paliwal, Professor D P Verma, Professor Raka Arya and M Karunanithi The current law commission was constituted in February, 2020, for a period of three years. Its extended term will end on 31st August, 2024. The tenure of the 21st Law Commission, which was headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice BS Chauhan, came to an end on August 31 2018. Other Reports by 22nd law commission – Report no 278 - Urgent Need to Amend Rule 14(4) of Order VII of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 Report no. 279 - usage of the law of sedition Report no. 280 - The law on adverse possession Report no. 281 – compensation for damage due to installation of towers and transmission lines under the Indian telegraph act. 1885 and the electricity act 2003 Important Reports of the Law Commission of India: Electoral Disqualifications (244th Report), 2014- 20th Law Commission’s report that dealt with Disqualification of the candidates having a criminal background Repercussions of filing false affidavits. 12minutestoclat.com 8  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Electoral Reforms (255th Report), 2015- 20th Law Commission’s report that suggested methods that must be introduced in ‘Electoral Reforms’ to make it more effective. Wrongful Prosecution (277th Report), 2018: 21st Law Commission’s report that gave an outline of the reliefs against wrongful prosecution available in the existing laws and tells how they are inadequate. It makes some recommendations regarding the enactment of some specific laws that would only deal with such types of cases. Review of the Indian Evidence Act (185th Report), 2003- The Sixteenth Law Commission, in 2003, submitted a report related to the review of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. Though, Law Commission had earlier also submitted a report in relation to the Indian Evidence Act,1872 which wasn’t considered. The Law Commission was asked to re-examine the 69th Report and other reports. Trial by Media (200th Report), 2006: The 17th Law Commission recommended a legislative limitation on the media to report anything which could be detrimental to the accused’s rights in any criminal case. Death Penalty (262nd Report): The Twentieth Law Commission of India presented the 262nd Report on the death penalty where the commission recommends to abolish the death penalty. Human DNA Profiling (271st Report): The Twenty-first Law C ommission prepared the 271st Report on Human DNA Profiling – A Draft Bill for the Use and Regulation of DNA Based Technology. 3. Delimitation Exercise 12minutestoclat.com 9  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Source- The Hindu Recently: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin presented a resolution in the state assembly 14 February, urging the union government to halt the delimitation exercise scheduled for 2026. Stalin emphasised the need to maintain the current ratio of Parliament and Assembly constituencies, fixed based on the 1971 Census, to prevent penalising states like Tamil Nadu for implementing population control measures effectively over the past five decades. He presented another resolution urging the union government to discard the 'One Nation, One Election', on the same day. Stalin pointed out that in 1971, Tamil Nadu and Bihar had similar populations. But over the past five decades, Bihar's population has surged to over one-and-a-half times that of Tamil Nadu. What is Delimitation? Delimitation literally means the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body. The main objective of delimitation is to provide equal representation to equal segments of a population. It is ideally carried out every few years after a Census by an independent Delimitation Commission formed under the provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act. Under Article 82, Parliament is to enact a Delimitation Act after every Census. 12minutestoclat.com 10  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Once the Act is in force, the Union government sets up the Delimitation Commission. What is a Delimitation Commission? The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India. Composition: A retired Supreme Court judge, the Chief Election Commissioner of India and respective State Election Commissioners. The Delimitation Commission is to work without any executive influence. It is a quasi- judicial body and its orders are final and cannot be questioned before any court as it would hold up an election indefinitely. The copies of its orders are laid before the House of the People and the State Legislative Assembly concerned, but no modifications are permissible therein by them. The first Delimitation Commission Act was enacted in 1952. The In the history number of seatsofinthe theIndian republic, Lok Sabha basedDelimitation Commissions on the 1951, 1961 and have been 1971 set upwas Census fourfixed at 494, 522 and 543, when times — 1952,was the population 1963, 36.1,1973 43.9 and 2002crore and 54.8 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and respectively. There 2002. was no delimitation after the 1981, 1991 and 2001 Censuses. The last delimitation exercise that changed the state wise composition of Lok Sabha was completed in 1976 on the basis of the 1971 census. This was done in order to encourage population control measures so that States with higher population growth do not end up having higher number of seats. The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, froze the delimitation exercise till 2000. The 84th Amendment Act, 2001, again froze the constituency boundaries until the first census after 2026, or at least till 2031. Hence, the population based on which the number of seats is allocated refers to the population as per the 1971 Census. This number will be re-adjusted based on the first Census after 2026. The boundaries of territorial constituencies were readjusted (without changing the number of seats) and seats for SC and ST were determined as per the 2001 Census. 12minutestoclat.com 11  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 This will again be carried out after 2026. In a normal course of events, the delimitation process would have happened based on the Census of 2031 as it would have been the first Census after 2026. However, with the 2021 Census now being postponed and the year 2026 nearing, there have been talks about the impending delimitation exercise. What is the issue? The number of seats were frozen based on the 1971 Census in order to encourage population control measures. Because of uneven population explosion in the last 5 decades, states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan had a greater increase than States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. There are two options that are being discussed in the public domain with respect to the revised delimitation exercise based on the projected population of various States as of 2026. The first is to continue with the existing 543 seats and their redistribution amongst various States. The second is to increase the number of seats to 848 with proportionate increase among various States. In both these scenarios, the southern States, the smaller states in the north like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as well as the northeastern States are bound to be at a disadvantage when compared to the northern States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. This goes against the philosophy of freezing seats as per the 1971 Census with the States that have been better at controlling the population losing out on their political significance. International Practices: United States (US): The number of seats in the House of Representatives (the equivalent of our Lok Sabha) has been capped at 435 since 1913. 12minutestoclat.com 12  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The population of the country has increased almost four times from 9.4 crore in 1911 to an estimated 33.4 crore in 2023. The seats among the States are redistributed after every Census through the ‘method of equal proportion’. This does not result in any significant gain or loss for any of the States. European Union (EU): The EU parliament consists 720 members and the number of seats is divided between 27 member countries based on the principle of ‘degressive proportionality’. Under this principle, the ratio of population to the number of seats shall increase as the population increases. 4. Corruption Perception Index 2023 12minutestoclat.com 13  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Recently: Transparency International released the released the 2023 edition of the Corruption Perception Index in Berlin. The report shows that most countries have made little to no progress in tackling public sector corruption. The CPI global average remains unchanged at 43 for the twelfth year in a row, with more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50. The main reason for the increase in corruption has been recorded to be a decline in the functioning of justice systems. Countries with the lowest scores in the Rule of Law Index are also scoring very low on the CPI, highlighting a clear connection between access to justice and corruption. What is Corruption Perception Index? 12minutestoclat.com 14  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The Corruption Perception Index, incepted in 1995 by Transparency International, is a leading global indicator of public sector corruption. The index scores 180 countries and territories around the world based on perceptions of public sector corruption. It uses data from 13 external sources, including the World Bank, World Economic Forum, private risk and consulting companies, think tanks and others. The CPI ranks countries on a scale of corruption with a score of 0 corresponding to the greatest corruption and 100 to the least corrupt. The process for calculating the CPI is regularly reviewed to make sure it is as robust and coherent as possible, most recently by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in 2017. Global Rankings in the 2023 edition of the Index: Denmark (90) tops the index for the sixth consecutive year, with Finland and New Zealand following closely with scores of 87 and 85, respectively. Due to well-functioning justice systems, these countries are also among the top scorers in the Rule of Law Index. Somalia (11), Venezuela (13), Syria (13), South Sudan (13) and Yemen (16) take the bottom spots in the index. They are all affected by protracted crises, mostly armed conflicts. Since 2018, 12 countries significantly declined on their CPI scores. This includes: Middle-Income Countries - El Salvador (31), Honduras (23), Liberia (25), Myanmar (20), Nicaragua (17), Sri Lanka (34) and Venezuela (13). Upper-Middle and High-Income economies - Argentina (37), Austria (71), Poland (54), Turkey (34) and the United Kingdom (71). Eight countries improved on the CPI since 2018: Ireland (77), South Korea (63), Armenia (47), Vietnam (41), the Maldives (39), Moldova (42), Angola (33) and Uzbekistan (33). While Western Europe and the European Union remains the top-scoring region, its regional average score dropped to 65 this year. Despite improvement in some countries, Sub-Saharan Africa maintains the lowest average at 33, with democracy and the rule of law under pressure. 12minutestoclat.com 15  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The rest of the world remains stagnant with all other regions having averages under 50. Eastern Europe and Central Asia grapples with the dysfunctional rule of law, rising authoritarianism and systemic corruption. The Middle East and North Africa shows little improvement, reflecting ongoing struggles with political corruption and conflict, and Asia Pacific shows long-term stagnation, although some countries historically at the top are backsliding. Pakistan ranked 133 and Sri Lanka ranked 115 out of 180 countries, both grappling with their respective debt burdens and political instability. Bangladesh and China ranked 149 and 76 respectively. India’s Ranking: Touching upon India’s status on corruption, the report ranked India 93 out of 180 countries as its overall score remained largely “unchanged”. India’s overall score is 39 in 2023 while in 2022, it was 40 with India ranked in 2022 at 85. 12minutestoclat.com 16  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Transparency International: Transparency International is a global movement working in over 100 countries to end the injustice of corruption. It is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization that was founded in 1993 by former World Bank employees. Its purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil societal anti-corruption measures and to prevent criminal activities arising from corruption. It is headquartered in Berlin, Germany and its most notable publications include the Global Corruption Barometer and the Corruption Perceptions Index. François Valérian is the Chair of Transparency International. Daniel Eriksson is the CEO of Transparency International. 12minutestoclat.com 17  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 5. World Wetlands Day 2024 Recently: The 2024 edition of the World Wetlands Day was observed on February 2nd. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in collaboration with Madhya Pradesh, organised a national event at Sirpur Lake, Indore to celebrate WWD 2024. The theme of WWD-2024 is ‘Wetlands and Human Wellbeing’ which underscores the critical role wetlands play in enhancing our lives. It was celebrated for the first time in 1977. On 30 August 2021 the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 75/317 that established 2 February as World Wetlands Day. Ramsar convention: Wetlands are areas where water either covers the soil or is present near the soil surface throughout the year or for varying durations, including the growing season. 12minutestoclat.com 18  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands defines wetlands as: “areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters”. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, also known as the Convention on Wetlands, is an intergovernmental treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. A Ramsar Site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance. These wetlands are protected under strict guidelines of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states, from all the world’s geographic regions, have acceded to become “Contracting Parties”. The Contracting Parties meet every three years at a Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP) to discuss policy issues. They report on the activities of the previous three years through National Reports. The next Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP15) will be held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe in July 2025. The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance and is maintained under Ramsar sited. It includes sites where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of human interference. The Montreux Record was established by Recommendation 4.8 of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (1990). Today, the Ramsar List is the world’s largest network of protected areas. There are over 2,400 Ramsar Sites on the territories of 172 Convention Contracting Parties across the world, covering more than 2.5 million square kilometres. The world’s first Site was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia, designated in 1974. The largest Sites are Rio Negro in Brazil (120,000 square kilometres), and Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in Congo. The countries with the most Sites are the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico with 142. 12minutestoclat.com 19  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Bolivia has the largest area with 148,000 square km under the Convention protection; Canada, Chad, Congo and the Russian Federation have also each designated over 100,000 square km. India: India is a party to the Convention since 1982. On the eve of WWD 2024, India has increased its tally of Ramsar sites to 80 by designating five more wetlands as Ramsar sites. With the addition of these, the total area covered under Ramsar sites is now 1.33 million ha which is an increase of 5,523.87 ha from existing area of 1.327 million ha. Globally, wetlands cover 6.4 per cent of the geographical area of the world. In India, according to the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment compiled by ISRO, wetlands are spread over 1,52,600 sq km which is 4.63 per cent of the total geographical area of the country. Of the 1,52,600 sq km, inland-natural wetlands account for 43.4% and coastal-natural wetlands 24.3%. India has 19 types of wetlands. In state-wise distribution, Gujarat is at the top with 34,700 sq km (17.56% of total geographical area), or 22.7% of total wetlands areas of the country thanks to a long coastline. Tamil Nadu continues to have maximum number of Ramsar Sites (16 sites) followed by Uttar Pradesh (10 sites). The newest five sites are – Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve – Karnataka – human made wetland Aghanashini Estuary – Karnataka - natural wetland Magadi Kere Conservation Reserve – Karnataka – human made wetland Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary - Tamil Nadu – natural wetland Longwood Shola Reserve Forest - Tamil Nadu - natural wetland India’s Initiatives: The National Wetland Conservation Program (NWCP) launched in 1985 provides financial and technical assistance to states and UTs for the preservation and management of wetlands. 12minutestoclat.com 20  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) was approved by Government of India as 100% centrally sponsored scheme. To enhance synergy and prevent overlap, the two schemes were consolidated into a centrally sponsored scheme called the 'National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems' (NPCA) in February 2013. The MoEF&CC has notified Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. These rules serve as a regulatory framework for the conservation and management of wetlands across the country. The aim is to conserve, manage, and maintain the ecological character of the wetlands without restricting their wise use. The Government of India also launched the Amrit Sarovar Mission in 2022. Under the Mission, 75 water bodies will be developed and rejuvenated in each district of the country as a part of the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. In total, the Mission aims at creating 50,000 water bodies of a size of about an Acre or more. The Amrit Dharohar initiative, part of the 2023-24 budget announcement, was launched by MoEF&CC in June 2023. The initiative aims to promote Ramsar Sites' unique conservation values in the country, creating employment opportunities and supporting local livelihoods. Implemented over three years, this initiative involves collaboration with Central Government ministries, State Wetland Authorities, and a network of institutions and individuals. 12minutestoclat.com 21  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 6. Electoral Bonds Recently: A Supreme Court five-judge Constitution bench declared Electoral Bonds scheme unconstitutional and ordered its annulment while hearing the case of Association for Democratic Reforms & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors. The bench comprised Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. What are Electoral Bonds? Electoral bonds were launched by PM Narendra Modi's government in 2018 to make political funding more transparent. Electoral bonds (EBs) are “bearer” instruments, like currency notes. It offers interest-free, bearer instruments for anonymous donations to political parties in India. Clause 7(4) of the scheme completely exempts information on the purchasers of electoral bonds. These bonds were exempted from tax and could be exchanged for cash. These bonds are available in denominations of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh, and Rs 1 crore without any maximum limits. 12minutestoclat.com 22  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 So far, electoral bonds worth 160bn rupees ($1.9bn; £1.5bn) have been sold in 29 tranches. It is authorised and issued by – State Bank of India and it’s 29 specified branches. A donor with a KYC-compliant account can purchase the bonds and it can be bought individually or jointly. Political parties can choose to redeem these bonds within 15 days of receipt to finance their electoral expenses. The electoral bonds are available for purchase for 10 days in the beginning of every quarter. The first 10 days of January, April, July and October has been specified by the government for purchase of electoral bond. An additional period of 30 days shall be specified by the government in the year of Lok Sabha elections. Eligibility criteria for registration: Any party that is registered under section 29A of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 can register for the Electoral Bonds provided that: It has secured at least 1% of the votes polled in the most recent General elections or Assembly elections. The party will be allotted a verified account by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Amendments: The amendments were made through The Finance Act, 2016, and The Finance Act, 2017, before the EBS was introduced in January 2018. Earlier no foreign company was allowed to donate to political parties but now they are and they can do it anonymously. The amendment lifted Section 182 of the Companies Act had mandated that a firm could donate a maximum of 7.5% of its average three year net profit as political donations. The original Section 29C of the RPA Act required political parties to publicly disclose contributions in excess of ₹ 20000, received even through cheques and electronic clearing system. The amendment had allowed a complete exemption for political parties to publish contributions received through electoral bonds. The amended Section 13A of the Income Tax Act freed parties from the obligation of keeping a detailed record of contributions received through electoral bonds. 12minutestoclat.com 23  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Why was the scheme faced a legal challenge? According to a Right to Information (RTI) response, electoral bonds worth Rs.11,699.84 crore were sold from March 2018 - December 2022. Petitions was submitted by various parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), as well as NGOs Common Cause and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). These petitions contest the electoral bond system, characterizing it as an obscure and unregulated funding mechanism. Earlier in 2021, the Supreme Court had refused to stay the release of electoral bonds ahead of the assembly elections in certain States. The Judgement: In a unanimous judgment SC held that scheme violate the voters’ right to information about political funding under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. Article 19 (1)(a) in the Constitution of India guarantees all citizens the “right to freedom of speech and expression”. It also struck down the preceding amendments made to the Representation of People Act, Companies Act, and the Income Tax Act. The apex court ordered the State of Bank of India, to stop issuance of electoral bonds herewith. The bank was directed to submit details of bonds purchased from April 12, 2019 till date to the Election Commission of India (ECI). On April 12, 2019 the top court had ordered the ECI to submit, in a sealed cover, the records of bonds purchased till then. The “details” would include date of purchase of each bond, the name of the buyer and the denomination of the bond. The bank would furnish the information to the ECI by March 6, 2024. 12minutestoclat.com 24  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The poll body, in turn, has to publish the entire information given by the State Bank of India on its website by March 13, 2024. Electoral bonds, with a validity period of 15 days and yet to be encashed, would be returned by political parties or purchasers to the bank, which must refund the amount to the purchasers’ accounts. The scheme and the amendments authorised “unrestrained influence of corporates in the electoral process”. The Chief Justice held that the right to privacy of political affiliation does not extend to those contributions, which may be made to influence policies. It only extends to contributions made as a genuine form of political support. 7. Union Budget 2024 Recently: The finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman set a record by presenting the sixth Budget in a row - five annual Budgets and one interim. The recently announced budget is the interim budget of 2024 and the full-fledged budget will be presented by the new government that comes to power after the elections. 12minutestoclat.com 25  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The speech lasted for exactly 58 minutes, the shortest by Sitharaman’s record. Highlights: Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047 has been one of the focus areas of interim Budget 2024. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government is focusing on four major groups - poor, women, youth and the farmers. The government claims to have helped 25 crore people to get freedom from poverty in last 10 years. Defence outlay to be increased by 11.1% to Rs 11,11,111 crore, which will be 3.4% of GDP. Meanwhile, the fiscal deficit for 2024-25 is estimated at 5.1 per cent of GDP against 5.8 per cent in the current financial year. The target is to reduce the fiscal deficit to below 4.5% of the GDP in 2025-26 No significant changes have been made in taxation under the new regime. No hike in standard deduction has been made under the new regime. No changes were announced in the tax slabs in both old and new regime. Schemes and benefits: Pradhanmantri Surydaya Yojana - Rooftop solarisation to give 1 crore households 300 units of free electricity per month, says Nirmala Sitharaman. A corpus of ₹ 1 lakh crore will be established with 50-year interest free loan to provide long term financing with long tenure with no or less interest rates. A new technology will be launched to strengthen deep tech for defence purposes Tax benefits for startups, investments made by sovereign wealth, pension funds to be extended to March 2025. 40,000 normal rail bogies will be converted to Vande Bharat standards Government aims for 2 crore more houses in five years Under PM Awas Yojana. PM Mudra Yojana has sanctioned 43 crore loans amounting to Rs. 22.5 lakh crore for entrepreneurial aspirations of your youth. The Ayushmann Bharat scheme will be extended to all ASHA and Anganwadi workers, Union Finance Minister has announced. 12minutestoclat.com 26  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Finance Minister said the government will encourage vaccinations for girls aged 9-14 against cervical cancer. What is a Union Budget? The Union Budget is more technically called the Annual Financial Statement. The Union Budget of India, as defined in Article 112 of the Constitution of India, is the annual budget of the Republic of India. It is presented each year on the last working day of February by the Finance Minister of India in Parliament. The budget is a comprehensive document that outlines the government’s economic and fiscal policies for the next fiscal year. The fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31. The budget-making process begins in August–September, over six months before the date of presentation. It is prepared by the finance minister with the help of advisors and bureaucrats. Before preparation, the finance minister invites input from business leaders and experts. In the process, various accounting and financial institutions also provide their thoughts and proposals. The government has a yearly custom of holding a halwa ceremony a few days before the Budget is presented. The event marks the beginning of Budget document printing. As part of the celebration, a massive "kadhai" (big frying pot) is used to make "halwa,” by finance minister which is then fed to the whole finance ministry workers. The last stage of the budget-making process is the presentation of the budget to Parliament. The finance minister gives the presentation on the first day of the Budget session. During the presentation, the minister summarises the important aspects of the text and explains the logic behind the suggestions. Following the presentation, the Budget is presented to both chambers of the Parliament for debate. The Centre seeks both Houses’ approval to withdraw the necessary funds from the Consolidated Fund of India; this statement has to be passed by both Houses. The Budget is sent to the President for approval once it has been approved by both chambers. History of budget in India: 12minutestoclat.com 27  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The Budget was first introduced in India on April 7, 1860, when Scottish economist James Wilson from the East India Company presented it to the British Crown. Independent India's first budget was presented on November 26, 1947 by the then Finance Minister RK Shanmukham Chetty. From 1947 to 1955, the Union Budget was published only in English. But in 1955–56, the government broke away with the British Raj-era tradition and started publishing it in Hindi also. The credit for this goes to the country's third Finance Minister CD Deshmukh. Until 1999, the Union Budget was presented at 5 pm on the last working day of February as per British-era practice. Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha in 1999 changed the budget presentation timing to 11 am. Arun Jaitley started presenting the Union Budget on February 1 in 2017, departing from the colonial-era tradition of using the last working day of that month. At 18,650 words, Manmohan Singh delivered the longest Budget speech in terms of words in 1991 under the Narasimha Rao government. 800 words which became the shortest budget was all that the then finance minister Hirubhai Mulljibhai Patel delivered in 1977. Covid-19 pandemic turned the Budget for 2021-22 paperless - a first in Independent India. Sitharaman holds the record for delivering the longest speech when she spoke for 2 hours and 42 minutes while presenting the Union Budget 2020-21 on February 1, 2020. With two pages still remaining, she had to cut short her speech as she felt unwell. Former Prime Minister Moraraji Desai earlier held the record of presenting the most number of budgets in the history of the country – 10 budgets. In 2019, Sitharaman became the second woman to have presented the budget after Indira Gandhi in 1970-71. In that year, Sitharaman abandoned the traditional budget briefcase and, instead, opted for a traditional 'bahi-khata‘ adorned with the National Emblem. Till 2017, the railway budget and Union Budget were presented separately. Of course, the largest interim budget speech was made by Finance Minister R.K. Shanmukham Chetty, who, in November 1947, almost touched the 10,000-word level. 12minutestoclat.com 28  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The shortest Interim Budget was by Finance Minister H.M. Patel in his 798-word speech in March 1977. The last interim budget was presented by Piyush Goyal in February 2019. Constitutional provisions related to budget: Article 114 of the Constitution mandates the government to present a separate account of the receipts and expenditure of the Consolidated Fund of India. This fund encompasses the revenues of the central government, certain other funds, and all money received by the government through loans. Article 266 of the Constitution directs the government to credit all revenues, including taxes and other income, into the Consolidated Fund of India. This must be done unless there are specific provisions by law indicating otherwise. Article 266(2) of the Constitution requires the government to withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund of India only after it has been authorized by a law passed by the parliament. Article 270 of the Constitution requires the government to present a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of each state government, which is called State Budget. Article 272 of the Constitution requires the government to transfer certain specified taxes and duties to the states and union territories. Interim Budget: In an election year, the incumbent Government cannot present a full Budget as there may be a change in the executive after the polls. Hence, the need for an interim budget. Since there is no constitutional provision for an interim budget, the Centre can opt to secure approval from the Lower House for the funds needed during the transition period (April - July). This is done through the votes on account provision until the new government presents a full Budget. Article 116 of the Constitution allows the Lower House to make any grant in advance for the estimated expenditure for part of any financial year by voting and passing such a legislation, i.e. vote on account. The Lok Sabha is empowered to authorise withdrawal of required funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for such expenditure. 12minutestoclat.com 29  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 A simple vote on account includes presenting the Centre’s fund requirements for salaries, ongoing projects and other expenditure for the transitional period. It is then passed via the Lok Sabha sans debate. It cannot make any changes to tax rates. It is also valid only for two months and can be extended up to four months. However, it has been the trend for outgoing governments to present an interim budget instead of a simple vote on account. In an interim budget, the Finance Minister will present the current state of the Indian economy, its fiscal status including India’s revised estimated growth in the next year. She will also detail the government’s planned and non-planned expenditure and receipts. Like the Union budget, the interim budget too is debated in the Lok Sabha befo Interim budget is valid for the entire year though it is merely a transition arrangement The Interim Budget mainly focuses on a breakdown of the government's expected income and expenses until the formation of the new government. On the other hand, a comprehensive Budget covers all aspects of government financesre passage. Iconic Budgets: The Black Budget The 1973-74 Budget presented by Yashwantrao B Chavan in the Indira Gandhi government was called the Black Budget as the fiscal deficit during that year was Rs 550 crore. It was a time when India was going through acute financial distress. Carrot & Stick Budget The Union budget presented by VP Singh to the Congress government on February 28, 1986, was the first step towards dismantling licence raj in India. It was called the 'Carrot and Stick' budget as it offered both rewards and punishment. It introduced MODVAT (Modified Value Added Tax) credit for lowering the cascading effect of tax. Dream Budget P Chidambaram in the 1997-98 budget used the Laffer Curve principle to lower tax rates to increase collections. 12minutestoclat.com 30  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 He slashed the maximum marginal income tax rate for individuals from 40 per cent to 30 per cent and that for domestic companies to 35 per cent Referred to as the 'Dream Budget', it also slashed customs duty to 40 per cent and simplified excise duty structure 8. India’s first privately built spy satellite Representative Image Recently: The first spy satellite in India to be made by a local private player is set to be launched in a SpaceX rocket by April. The satellite will be used by the armed forces to get discreet information. Earlier, the armed forces had to acquire the required exact coordinates and timings from foreign vendors. But now, this satellite will allow them to be monitored by India and also provide it with full ground control. The satellite is ready and had been sent to Florida for an expected launch by April. About: 12minutestoclat.com 31  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The satellite has been built by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL). It boasts an impressive 0.5-meter spatial resolution in its imagery, making it capable of capturing fine details from space. A state-of-the-art ground control centre is also being established in Bengaluru which will direct the satellite’s path and process its imagery. The centre is being built in partnership with Satellogic, a Latin-American company. The imagery sent by the TASL satellite will also be allowed to be shared with friendly nations. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also has satellites that can help share the imagery but their application, given the vast coverage required, is only limited. India currently uses US companies to get the necessary spy data. The need has increased after the skirmishes with China at the Line of Actual Control. Spy Satellites: These are basically used for reconnaissance and military surveillance. They orbit the earth and take images and record radio signals predominantly used for military and geo-political purposes. These satellites send data to the earth and this is interpreted by critical analysts in a secured manner. This all started in 1955 where the United States built reconnaissance satellites to have a watch over a particular area. RISAT and RISAT 2B Radar are India’s spy satellites. RISAT: RISAT- 2 was India’s first dedicated ‘spy’ or reconnaissance satellite that the country had launched soon after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. It re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere and splashed in the Indian Ocean near Jakarta on October 30. Risat-2 played a key role in several anti-infiltration and anti-terrorist operations for 13.5 years and performed its duty much beyond its expected life span. Images from satellite helped security and intelligence agencies plan surgical strike in 2016 on terror launchpads in POK and Balakot aerial strike in February 2019. 12minutestoclat.com 32  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The launch of Risat-2 was accelerated following the 26/11 terror attacks in 2008 due to the delay in the indigenously- developed C-band for Risat-1 satellite. That is why Risat-2 was launched in 2009 three years ahead of Risat-1 launch in 2012. It was also used to track hostile ships on the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea that were deemed a security threat. It was used to locate the wreckage of the helicopter crash that claimed the life of the then Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on September 2, 2009. 9. EXERCISE-MILAN 2024 Recently: The 12th edition of the multinational naval exercise MILAN-2024, concluded in Visakhapatnam on February 26th. Around 50 countries participated in this edition of the exercise. Navies from the US, Japan, Australia, France, Bangladesh, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, among others, became a part of the exercise. This edition of MILAN witnessed participation of 35 units including ships, submarines and aircraft. 13 ships and one aircraft from Friendly Foreign Countries participated in the sea phase. 12minutestoclat.com 33  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 From Indian Navy, nearly 20 ships including aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya and nearly 50 aircraft including MiG29K, LCA, Tejas and P8I participated in the exercise. This was the first time that two naval aircraft carriers took part in the exercise together. What is MILAN? MILAN is a biennial multilateral naval exercise incepted by Indian Navy in 1995 at Andaman and Nicobar Command. Since its inception, the event has been held biennially except for 2001, 2005, 2016 and 2020. While the 2001 and 2016 editions were not held due to International Fleet Reviews, the 2005 edition was rescheduled to 2006 due to the 2004 Tsunami. 2020 edition of MILAN was postponed to 2022 due to COVID-19. It started with the participation of only four countries, viz Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand, in the 1995 edition. Originally conceived in consonance with India’s ‘Look East Policy’, MILAN expanded in ensuing years with the GOI’s ‘Act East policy’ and Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative. Participation increased from six regional countries to 18 countries in 2014 which included IOR littorals. How was the Exercise Conducted? The Exercise was conducted in two phases- The Harbour Phase and the Sea Phase. Harbour Phase: This phase of the exercise was conducted from February 19th to February 23rd. It included the Milan Opening Ceremony, International City Parade, International Maritime Seminar, MILAN Tech Expo, MILAN Village, Subject Matter Expert Exchange and Table Top Exercise. Sea Phase: This phase of the exercise was conducted from 24th to 27th February. It included advanced Air Defence, Anti-Submarine and Anti-Surface Warfare drills. 12minutestoclat.com 34  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Gunnery shoots on aerial and surface targets, manoeuvres and underway replenishment were also conducted. The closing Ceremony served as a platform for comprehensive debriefing sessions on the operational aspects of the Sea Phase. 10. Hydrogen- fuelled ferry Recently: Prime Minister Modi flagged off India’s first indigenously built hydrogen fuel cell ferry boat in virtual mode at Kochi Harbor in Kerala. The vessel, manufactured by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), will be deployed for service at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and trial runs in Kochi. The vessel was launched under the ‘Harit Nauka’(green boat) initiative of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways 12minutestoclat.com 35  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 About the vessel: The ferry named ‘Suchetha’, is built at a cost of Rs 18 crore. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways met 75 per cent of the project cost. The vessel will be handed over to the Inland Waterways Authority of India by the CSL after rigorous trials. The pilot vessel is a 24-metre catamaran which can carry 50 passengers with fully air-conditioned passenger space. The accommodation area has been constructed with high-quality fiberglass reinforced plastic, similar to metro train coaches. The hydrogen fuel cell-powered vessel has zero emission, zero noise and is energy-efficient, which makes it more environment-friendly. Hydrogen fuel cell vessels do not use conventional batteries as the primary storage house of electrical energy. The vessels run on hydrogen fuel, which is stored in cylinders. This boat has five hydrogen cylinders that can carry 40kg of hydrogen and support eight hours of operations and the vessel is also fitted with a 3-kW solar panel. Since there are no moving parts, the ferry requires less maintenance than combustion vessels. This vessel uses a 50-kW PEM (proton-exchange membrane) fuel cell, with Lithium-Ion Phosphate batteries. The advantage is that the cells can quickly change their output depending upon the power demand. PEM fuel cells are popular in automotive applications because they operate at a lower temperature, and are lighter and more compact. How was it developed? A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for this was inked between the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in 2022. The vessel has been built completely by the CSL, which also developed the vessel automation system and power management system. India has now indigenously developed hydrogen fuel cells and their related systems. 12minutestoclat.com 36  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The hydrogen fuel cell system was developed by KPIT Technologies, Pune. It was in collaboration with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Labs under the Union Ministry of Science and Technology. While hydrogen fuel cell technology has been under development for maritime applications, only a few countries globally have done demonstration projects. Other projects: The vessel was flagged off as part of a major program organized in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu which marked the laying of the foundation stone for a ₹17,300-crore project in Thoothukudi. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Outer Harbor Container Terminal at V.O.Chidambaranar Port. He dedicated tourist facilities in 75 lighthouses across 10 States/UTs. He also dedicated to the nation, rail projects for doubling of Vanchi Maniyachchi - Nagercoil rail line including the Vanchi Maniyachchi - Tirunelveli section and Melappalayam - Aralvaymoli section. The Prime Minister dedicated four road projects in Tamil Nadu, developed at a total cost of about Rs 4,586 Crore. The PM inaugurated various other projects aimed at making the V.O. Chidambaranar Port, the first Green Hydrogen Hub Port of the country. Harit Nauka initiative: It is an initiative of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways that envisages a green transition of inland vessels. In January 2024, the shipping ministry unveiled the Harit Nauka guidelines for inland vessels. As per the guidelines, all states have to make efforts to use green fuels for 50 per cent of inland waterways-based passenger fleets in the next one decade, and 100 per cent by 2045. This is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as per the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. 12minutestoclat.com 37  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 11. World Cancer Day 2024 Source- https://festifit.com/world-cancer-day-messages-wishes-and-quotes Recently: The 2024 edition of the World Cancer Day was observed on February 4th. The day aims to promote awareness about cancer. It also helps to strengthen actions that strive to improve cancer care, detection, preventive measures and treatment. What is Cancer? It is basically the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs. This process is called metastasis. There are two main categories of cancer- 12minutestoclat.com 38  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 Hematologic (blood) cancers are cancers of the blood cells, including leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Solid tumor cancers are cancers of any of the other body organs or tissues. The most common solid tumors are breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers. Causes: Physical factors – Ionizing radiation, such as X-rays and gamma rays Chemical factors – Such as tobacco and smoke Biological factors – Viral oncogenes, proto-oncogenes and cellular oncogenes Cancer Stage- When a cancer is found, tests are done to see how big the cancer is and whether it has spread from where it started. This is called the cancer’s stage. A lower stage (such as a stage 1 or 2) means that the cancer has not spread very much. A higher stage (such as a stage 3 or 4) means it has spread more. Stage 4 is the highest stage. Treatment- Commonly, three types of treatment are available for cancer. Surgery – Surgically removing localized cancerous mass (Effective for benign tumours). Radiation therapy – In this therapy, radiation is used to kill the cancer cells. Chemotherapy – Chemotherapeutic drugs are used to kill cancer cells. Theme for 2024: The theme for World Cancer Day 2024 is 'Close the care gap: Everyone deserves access to cancer care.' It is a part of a 3-year long campaign from 2022 to 2024. The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) focuses on a single agenda under this campaign. According to UICC, the agenda for 2024 is 'Together, we challenge those in power.' The official colours of World Cancer Day are blue and orange. History: 12minutestoclat.com 39  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 World Cancer Day was established by the Paris Charter adopted at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millenium in Paris on 4th February 2000. This Charter aimed at the promotion of research for curing as well as preventing cancer, improving services provided to patients, raising awareness among the general public, and mobilising the global community against cancer. In its article 10, the Charter established that 4th February would therefore be World Cancer Day, so that the Charter of Paris would remain in the hearts and minds of people around the world. 12minutestoclat.com 40  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 12. Supreme Court’s interim order on the Forest Act Recently: The Supreme Court has directed governments to follow the “broad and all-encompassing” definition of forest as laid down in its 1996 judgment in the T N Godavarman case until a consolidated record of all kinds of forests across the country is prepared. A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud passed the order on February 19 on petitions that challenged the 2023 amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The challenges were made on the ground that the modifications had “substantially diluted” the definition of forest, and had reduced the ambit of the Act. The court has also asked the government to make public, by April, a consolidated record of land deemed as forest by States and Union Territories. 12minutestoclat.com 41  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The applicability of the 1980 act: Initially, the provisions of the Act were being applied to the notified forest land only. Non-revenue forest areas and non-forestry use in the revenue forest areas was allowed through government's permissions. After 1996 Supreme Court judgement in T.N. Godavarman vs. Union of India and others, the Act was applied to recorded forest areas, including those already used for non-forestry purposes. The SC clarified that the Act will apply not only on notified forest land — forest lands recorded in government records — but also in the areas resembling forests as per dictionary meaning. The Supreme Court had also asked States to undertake an exercise to identify and notify their own deemed forests. 12minutestoclat.com 42  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 After the order, the Act was made applicable to revenue forest land or in lands which were recorded as forest in government records and to areas which resembled forests as per their dictionary meaning. Reasoning applied for expansion of ambit of the act: Under sub-sections ii, iii, and iv of Section 2 (“Restriction on the dereservation of forests or use of forest land for non- forest purpose”) of the FCA, the ambit of the law is not limited to only “reserved forest” — it bars the unauthorised non-forest use of any forest land. In the FCA, the term “reserved forest” is used only in the limited context of dereservation. Section 2(i) says that no reserve forest “shall cease to be reserved” without prior approval from the Centre. Clearly, a clause on dereservation can only apply to what is reserved. This principle was reiterated by the Supreme Court in July 2022 in Narinder Singh & Ors vs Divesh Bhutani & Ors where it held that the clause (i) specifically refers to a reserved forest and it is obvious that clauses (ii), (iii) & (iv) apply to any other forest. Therefore, forest as understood by its dictionary meaning is covered by Section 2” of the FC Act itself. Section 3 of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, requires the Centre to divert forest land “notwithstanding anything contained in the FC Act” for certain facilities managed by the government. Therefore, it can be said that the expansion of the purview of the Forest Conservation Act would not interfere with the welfare agenda of the government. Why was the amendment needed? In the 28 years that have passed since the judgment, States — brd on surveys and reports by expert committees — have interpreted ‘forests’ differently. Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, for instance, define a forest as a tract that spans a minimum of 10 hectares, is covered with naturally growing timber, fuel wood and yielding trees and, has a density of 200 trees or more per hectare. Goa defines a forest as a patch of land having at least 75% covered with forest species. Many such lands that were already put to non-forestry use with the required approval of the competent authority, conformed to a State’s criteria of a ‘deemed forest’. 12minutestoclat.com 43  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 This caused confusion about the Act's applicability to plantations on private and government non-forest lands. This brings us to the need for the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act 2023, as per the government, to clarify the Act's applicability to different types of lands. Provisions of the 2023 amendment: The act redefines what a ‘forest’ is in Indian law. It provides that only those lands that were notified as ‘forest’ under the Indian Forest Act 1927, any other relevant law or were recorded as ‘forests’ in government records will be acknowledged as ‘forests’ under the Act as well. The 1980 act had a wide scope and it applies to “any forest land”. Exemptions- Certain categories of lands are exempted from the purview of the Act which includes the following: Strategic projects concerning national security located within 100 km of distance from the International Borders, Line of Actual Control, Line of Control. 0.10 ha of forest land proposed to provide connectivity to habitation and establishments located on the side of roads and railways. Up to 10 ha of land proposed for security related infrastructure. Up to 5 ha of forest land in Left Wing Extremism Affected Districts for public utility projects. Surveys and investigation in the forest areas are not considered as a non-forestry activity in view of the fact that such activities are temporary in nature and involve no perceptible change in the land use. The Section 6 of the acy empowers the Central Government to issue directions for the proper implementation of the Act. The recent challenge? The challenge (Ashok Kumar Sharma, IFS (Retd) & Ors v. Union of India & Ors) was filed by a group of retired Indian Forest Service officers and NGOs such as Vanashakti and Goa Foundation. 12minutestoclat.com 44  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The petitions echoed some of the concerns raised by the dissenting members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that had examined the amendments. The major apprehension was the potential exclusion of 28% of India’s forests that lie outside Recorded Forest Areas from the purview of the FC Act. The petitioners argued that due to the pending finalisation of the consolidated record of forests land parcels that would have been considered forests under the 1996 judgment could now be used for non-forest purposes without requiring any clearance under the FCA. At this, the SC explicitly asked its 1996 definition to be followed until the consolidated record of forests was finalised. 13. Lok Sabha’s anti- cheating bill Source- PIB Recently: The Lok Sabha witnessed the introduction of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, aimed at combating malpractices in competitive exams. 12minutestoclat.com 45  9518719794 12 Minutes to CLAT Current Affairs Compendium – February 2024 The Bill was introduced in the house by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh. There have been a very large number of cases of question paper leaks in recruitment exams across the country in recent years. An investigation by The Indian Express found at least 48 instances of paper leaks in 16 states over the last five years, in which the process of hiring for government jobs was disrupted. The leaks touched the lives of at least 1.51 crore applicants for about 1.2 lakh posts. Aim of the bill: According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, The objective of the Bill is to bring greater transparency, fairness and credibility to the public examination systems To reassure the youth that their sincere and genuine efforts will be fairly rewarded and their future is safe. The Bill is aimed at effectively and legally deterring persons, organised groups or institutions that indulge in various unfair means and adversely impact the public examination systems for monetary or wrongful gains. Provisions of the bill: Unfair Means: Section 3 of the Bill lists at least 15 actions that amount to using unfair means in public examinations.