UPSC NEWS DIARY FOR TODAY (29 August, 2022) | DAY LONG CURRENT AFFAIRS DIGEST FOR UPSC

”UPSC News Diary For Today” is every day published in the evening between 6-7 PM and contains all current affairs articles from the day on a single platform. ”UPSC News Diary For Today” covers various topics from UPSC Syllabus and is very helpful and time managing for UPSC Aspirants. The framing of this daily current affairs compilation article is easy to read and understandable also.

In the ”UPSC News Diary For Today” article, we focus on both UPSC Preliminary and Mains exam-oriented current affairs & prepare a gist of daily important news articles from leading National Newspapers, PIB, and other various official sources.

Data protection Bill

Data protection Bill: Why in news?

Govt is likely to introduce Data Protection Bill in the Budget Session of Parliament.

Data protection Bill: Key Points

• The draft of the revised Data Protection Bill will be released for consultation soon.
• The government is planning that the country’s data protection framework should be in tune with modern times and not look like an attempt to ‘create a paper system for a digital world’.
• The government, earlier this month, withdrew The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, in the Lok Sabha, saying that it will come up with a fresh Bill that fits into the comprehensive legal framework with reference to the suggestions made by the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Bill.
• The principles of data protection and privacy are now well established all over the world and the government is more or less already practising those principles ever since the Supreme Court gave the judgment.
• The focus now is to make sure that the implementation of the law and principles is in tune with modern times.

NASA moon rocket

NASA moon rocket: Why in news?

US space agency Nasa is set to launch its giant Moon rocket Artemis

NASA moon rocket: Key Points

1. The vehicle has a two-hour window for lift-off, starting at 08:33 local time (12:33 GMT; 13:33 BST)
2. The rocket, known as the Space Launch System (SLS), will send an the unmanned capsule Orion around the back of the Moon
3. Nasa hopes that by 2025 it will be able to send astronauts back to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years
4. It eventually wants to put the first woman on the moon – but for this mission, the cargo is non-human and includes Shaun the Sheep and Snoopy toys
5. The SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever to blast off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida
6. The flight aims to test the capsule’s heatshield as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere before landing in the Pacific Ocean off California

Anubis

Anubis: Why in news?

The global cybersecurity company Kaspersky recently warned of more cybersecurity attacks against Android and iOS devices, with the notorious Anubis Trojan now targeting smartphones using its banking Trojan with ransomware functionalities.

Anubis: Key Points

• One mobile banking trojan, called Anubis, has been targeting Android users since 2017.
• This malware attempts to steal banking information and can lead to victims’ experiencing financial loss, privacy issues and other serious problems.
• Anubis has been observed being proliferated via deceptive/scam websites, which incorporate the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic in some manner.
• One of the scam sites used to promote Anubis is presented as an official web page, or one approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• This is implied by the genuine WHO emblem/logo emblazoned on the bottom of the page, however, this malicious website is in no way connected to WHO and is using the logo in obvious violation of publishing policy.
• Roaming Mantis is another prolific malware targeting mobile banking users.

The Kerala Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2022

The Kerala Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2022: Why in news?

The CPM-led Kerala government’s decision to limit the powers of the anti-corruption watchdog is raising serious questions.

The Kerala Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2022: What is the controversy?

• The Kerala Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2022 envisaged empowering the Chief Minister as the competent authority, instead of the Governor, accepting or rejecting an adverse declaration by the anti-corruption Ombudsman (under Section 14 (5) of the Kerala Lok Ayukta, Act, 1999.) against Cabinet Ministers.
• The Bill violated the fundamental right to equality before the law. At a stroke, it has placed the political executive above judicial scrutiny.
• By proposing to bestow appellate authority on the Chief Minister, the government had violated the principle of natural justice that “no one should be a judge in their own cause (Nemo judex in causa sua).

The Kerala Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2022: What was the original Lokayukta Act?

• The central Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 was notified on January 1, 2014. The law was a result of demands of several decades for stronger anti-corruption laws.
• The Act provides for establishing a Lokpal headed by a Chairperson, who is or has been a Chief Justice of India, or is or has been a judge of the Supreme Court, or an eminent person who fulfils eligibility criteria as specified. Of its other members, not exceeding eight, 50% are to be judicial members, provided that not less than 50% belong to the SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities, or are women.
• The Lokpal and Lokayukta are to deal with complaints against public servants, a definition that includes the Lokpal chairperson and members.
• The Lokpal was appointed in March 2019 and it started functioning since March 2020 when its rules were framed. The Lokpal is at present headed by former Supreme Court Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose.

The Kerala Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2022: Lokayuktas in the State

• Lokayuktas are the state equivalents of the central Lokpal.
• Section 63 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 states: “Every state shall establish a body to be known as the Lokayukta for the State, if not so established, constituted or appointed, by a law made by the State Legislature, to deal with complaints relating to corruption against certain public functionaries, within a period of one year from the date of commencement of this Act.”
• Originally, the central legislation was envisaged to make a Lokayukta in each state mandatory. However, regional parties which was in opposition then, argued that this would be against the spirit of federalism. The law then created a mere framework, leaving it to the states to decide the specifics.

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)- Relevance for UPSC Exam

• GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to- Health; Education.

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in News

• Several states, including Gujarat and Rajasthan, have been battling the outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) which is a viral infection of cattle.

Spread of the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in Recent Past

• Since 2019, outbreaks of the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) have been reported in 20 states of India.
• Since the first LSD case was reported on April 23 this year in Kutch, the Lumpy Skin Disease has spread to 26 of Gujarat’s 33 districts and has claimed more than 4,000 cattle heads.
• In Rajasthan, around 27,000 cattle heads have reportedly succumbed to the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) Prevalence Across the World

• According to the FAO report, LSD was long restricted to sub-Saharan Africa.
• However, over the past decade, it spread to the Middle East and Turkey.
• From 2015 onward, it has impacted the Balkan (southeast Europe) countries, Caucus (eastern Europe) and Russia.
• Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) entered India, Bangladesh and China in July 2019.

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)

• About: Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is caused by the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), which is a virus of the capripoxvirus genus in the poxviridae family.
  • Sheeppox virus and goatpox virus are the other members of the genus capripoxvirus.
• Affected Animals: The lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) mainly affects cattle — cow and its progeny, and the Asian water buffaloes.
• Periodic Occurrence: According to a 2021 report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, LSD outbreaks occur in epidemics several years apart.
  • As per the report, the existence of a specific reservoir for the virus is not known, nor is it known as to how and where the virus survives between epidemics.

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)- How does it Spread?

• The lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) spreads through blood-sucking vectors like ticks and mites like houseflies, mosquitoes, etc.
• The lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) also spreads through contaminated water, fodder and feed.
• Mosquito and housefly infestations remain at their peak during the monsoon, and veterinary scientists and government officers blame a very wet July for the rapid spread of the infection in Gujarat this year.
• Scientists have been advising isolation of infected animals from the healthy ones in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus.

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) Symptoms

• LSDV attacks the circulatory system of an animal and causes vasculitis or inflammation of blood vessels and lesions in various organs like liver, lungs, spleen, lymph nodes etc.
  • In turn, it causes epidermis, making the outer surface of the skin to get separated from dermis – the inner layer of the skin.
  • This, in turn, leads to formation of lumps or nodules on an animal’s body.
• Fever, increased mucus secretion, loss of appetite etc are among other symptoms.

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) Vaccination & Treatment- Government Response

• Vaccination: LSD being a viral disease, there is no specific cure once an animal contracts the virus and therefore vaccination is the most effective tool.
  • Goat Pox Vaccine: The state government has been ring-vaccinating healthy cattle heads in the five-km radius of an outbreak by administering them goat pox vaccine.
  • As of August 23, the government had vaccinated 47.53 lakh cattle heads and around 87,000 cattle heads have already recovered from LSD.
• Treatment: As there is no specific treatment for Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), Veterinarians are also administering drugs to alleviate symptoms of LSD in cattle.
  • The government has facilitated setting up isolation centres for feral cattle in urban areas while prohibiting cattle fairs and exhibitions and transportation of cattle in the affected areas.

PolioVirus: Polio found in London, New York and Jerusalem

Right to Privacy

Right to Privacy- Relevance for UPSC Exam

General Studies II- Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.

In News

• Judgment in the Puttaswamy case five years ago by Supreme court asserted that Indians have a constitutionally protected fundamental right to privacy.

Right to Privacy can be defined as

• A right to be let alone.
• The right of a person to be free from any unwarranted publicity.
• The right to live without any unwarranted interference by the public in matters with which the public is not necessarily concerned.

What is Data?

• Data is a collection of discrete values that convey information, describing quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted.

Difference between Data Protection and Data Privacy

• Data protection refers to policies and procedures seeking to minimize intrusion into the privacy of an individual caused by collection and usage of their personal data while data privacy refers to controlling access to the data.
• Organizations must determine who has access to data as a privacy breach can lead to data security concerns.
• Data security refers specifically to measures taken to protect the integrity of the data itself against manipulation and malware and provides protection from internal and external threats.

Why we need data protection?

• Increasing internet use: India currently has over 750 million Internet users, with the number only expected to increase in the future.
• Data breaches: At the same time, India has among the highest data breaches in the world. Without a data protection law in place, the data of millions of Indians continues to be at risk of being exploited, sold, and misused without their consent.
• Individual privacy: Data monetization may happen at cost of individual privacy. The most sought-after datasets are those that contain sensitive personal data of individuals, ex. medical history, financial data.

Data protection in India

• Data privacy breaches which result in the loss and theft of personal, sensitive data have not reduced in terms of measurable frequency or their impact.
• The right to privacy was recognized as a fundamental right, included under the right to life and liberty by the Supreme Court of India in 2017.
• Without a law in place to regulate data collection and to act as an oversight mechanism, valid concerns about privacy and other rights violations continue to arise.
• Technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Big Data are costly to implement.
• It is important to put appropriate safeguards in place in order to ensure the integrity of the repository/database, so that it does not leak out the information and is not privatized or monetized.
• As the data collected may be used in the court of law during the course of a criminal trial, the reliability and the admissibility of the data along with standards and procedures followed would be taken into consideration. Hence, the authenticity of the data is crucial.

Need of the hour

• There urgent need for robust data protection law as digitization relies on gathering personal data which involves the risk of theft of sensitive data that can be dangerous for an individual as well as for a country.

Stockholm World Water Week 2022

Stockholm World Water Week 2022- Relevance for UPSC Exam

• GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges
  • Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Stockholm World Water Week 2022 in News

• Recently, National Mission for Clean Ganga organized a virtual session on the first day of the Stockholm World Water Week 2022 (August 24-September 01).
• Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga gave a keynote speech on ‘Arth Ganga: Model for Economic River-People Connect for Sustainable River Rejuvenation using Economic Bridge’.

Stockholm World Water Week 2022

• About: The World Water Week is an annual event organized by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) to address the global water issues and related concerns of international development.
  • World Water Week is the leading conference on global water issues, held every year since 1991.
• Participation: The Stockholm World Water Week attracts a diverse mix of participants from many professional backgrounds and every corner of the world.
• Stockholm World Water Week 2022 Theme: theme of the Stockholm World Water Week 2022 is “Seeing the Unseen: The Value of Water”.
• Key Objectives:
  • High-quality content, and inclusive, solution-driven collaboration at its core.
  • Changing the way people engage with and value water through awareness-raising, education, and transformative action.
  • Integrating and interacting with actors beyond the water community.
  • Mirroring SIWI’s core values of integrity, passion, inclusiveness, and quality.

What is Arth Ganga Model?

• Background: PM Modi first introduced the concept during the first National Ganga Council meeting in Kanpur in 2019.
  • He urged for a shift from Namami Gange, the Union Government’s flagship project to clean the Ganga, to the model of Arth Ganga.
  • The latter focuses on the sustainable development of the Ganga and its surrounding areas, by focusing on economic activities related to the river.
• About: At its core, the Arth Ganga model seeks to use economics to bridge people with the river.
  • Arth Ganga model strives to contribute at least 3% of the GDP from the Ganga Basin itself.
• Significance: The Arth Ganga project’s interventions are in accordance with India’s commitments towards the UN sustainable development goals.

Key Features of Arth Ganga Model

Under Arth Ganga, the government is working on the following six verticals.

• Zero Budget Natural Farming that includes chemical-free farming for 10 kms on either side of the river, generating “more income, per drop”, ‘Gobar Dhan’ for farmers.
• Monetization and Reuse of Sludge &Wastewater that envisages reuse of treated water for irrigation; industrial purposes and revenue generation for ULBs.
• Livelihood Opportunities Generation such as ‘Ghat Mein Haat’, promotion of local products, Ayurveda, medicinal plants, capacity building of volunteers like Ganga Praharis.
• Public Participation to ensure increased synergies between stakeholders.
• Cultural Heritage &Tourism that looks to introduce boat tourism through community jettis, promotion of yoga, adventure tourism etc. and Ganga Artis.
• Institutional Building by enhancing the local capacities for better decentralized water governance.

Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2022 | Water Convention 2022

Green Finance

Green Finance- Relevance for UPSC Exam

General Studies III- Environment related issues.

Context

Inclusion of climate change and green finance in policy is crucial for a strong economy.

What is Green Finance?

• Green finance is a phenomenon that combines the world of finance and business with environment friendly behavior.
• It may be led by financial incentives, a desire to preserve the planet, or a combination of both.
• In addition to demonstrating proactive, environment friendly behavior, such as promoting of any business or activity that could be damaging to the environment now or for future generations.

Green Finance Instruments

• A “green super fund” could be established to jumpstart green investments by pooling together international and domestic capital.
• Sovereign green bond (SGB): The sovereign green bond is a novel idea. It will be a part of the government’s borrowing programme. The gross borrowing programme of the government is pegged at Rs 14.95 lakh crore. The SGB (sovereign green bond) raised will be part of the aggregate borrowing programme and has to be used for projects which are ESG (environment, social and governance) compliant.

Network for Greening the Financial System

• The Network for Greening the Financial System is a network of 114 central banks and financial supervisors that aims to accelerate the scaling up of green finance and develop recommendations for central banks’ role for climate change.
• The NGFS was created in 2017 and its secretariat is hosted by the Banque de France.
• The Network’s purpose is to help strengthening the global response required to meet the goals of the Paris agreement and to enhance the role of the financial system to manage risks and to mobilize capital for green and low carbon investments in the broader context of environmentally sustainable development.

Significance

• Reaching net-zero emissions and other climate-related and environmental goals will require significant investments to enable decarbonization and innovation across all sectors of the economy. Greening the financial system is key to making these investments happen.
• Green finance initiatives also aim to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), shifting the focus from creating value for shareholders (economic) to creating value for stakeholders (economic, environmental, and social).
• As we begin to recover from the pandemic, green finance presents a huge opportunity to build back with a greener future, creating new businesses and jobs.
• Supports strong and green growth in all sectors of economy.

Issues with Green Finance

• The return on green finance is long term, low in monetary value & many times intangible, so that the ability of the financial system to mobilize private green finance, especially in developed countries is difficult.
• Developing countries like India have challenges of development & poverty alleviation, so allocation of resources towards meeting fundamental needs & promoting the green projects which require heavy investment is a challenge.
• In many countries, green finance & much of the green projects are limited to the investment in renewable energy
• India requires greening of coal technology which is mostly limited to private players in developed countries and is subjected to IPR.
• Green bonds are perceived as new and attach higher risk and their tenure is also shorter. There is a need to reduce risks to makes them investment grade.

Way Ahead

Our future depends on how we resolve our environmental challenges.

Further, we are the world’s third-largest carbon emitter and will play a crucial role in getting the planet to a low-carbon trajectory. Simply put, we must urgently transform our economy to get to the green frontier.

The Editorial Analysis: Sops for Votes

Sops for Votes- Relevance for UPSC Exam

• GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges
  • Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Sops for Votes in News

• The Supreme Court has stayed its earlier judgement on providing freebies to people by various political parties and referred the issue to a three-judge Bench.
• Earlier, the Supreme Court considered the formation of an expert body to examine the issues relating to political parties promising free goods to voters in their election manifestoes.

Supreme Court Judgement on Freebies in Election Manifesto

• In recent judgement, SC referred for deeper consideration is the correctness of an earlier judgment in S. Subramaniam Balaji vs Tamil Nadu (2013), which ruled that making promises in a manifesto would not amount to a corrupt practice.
• The proceedings before a Bench, headed by the now retired Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, last week, offered crucial perspectives on the political economy of welfarism, socialism and pre-election promises of ‘freebies’.
• Over the few hearings, the Bench moved from vague references to ‘freebies’ to making rational distinctions between welfare schemes and socio-economic concessions on the one hand, and poll-time announcements of material goods and items as incentives to vote.

Government Stand on Political Freebies in the Election Manifesto

• Those who have approached the Court against irrational promises found support from the Union government.
• Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi making public comments disapproving of the ‘freebie’ culture, the Government’s stand is no surprise.
• However, the Government was reluctant to examine the issue through discussions among political parties and favoured a judicially appointed panel.
  • But, such a panel may not achieve much.

Opposition Parties on Freebies in Election Manifesto

• Most parties oppose any fetters on their right to appeal to voters through means of their choice and, if elected, use their mandate to distribute finances and resources as they deem fit, subject to law and legislative approval.
• To alleviate their Grievances, the Bench has included in its reference, questions on the scope of judicial intervention in the matter and whether any enforceable order can be passed.

SC observations on Freebies and DPSPs

• The two-judge Bench judgment in 2013 had examined the issue in the backdrop of the DMK coming to power in 2006 on a promise to distribute television sets to the poor and implementing it.
• It ruled that the Directive Principles of State Policy allow such schemes and that spending of public funds on them could not be questioned if it was based on appropriations passed by the legislature.
• It also concluded that poll promises by a party could not be termed a ‘corrupt practice’.
• That Bench had also rejected the argument that giving benefits to everyone, that is, the poor and the well-off, would violate the equality norm in Article 14.
  • When it came to state largesse, it said, the rule against treating unequals as equals would not be applicable.

The Editorial Analysis- Sop or Welfare Debate

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