Daily current affairs for UPSC & state PSC exams 15 January 2019

1.Devadasi custom

Recently, studies done on the Devadasi practice by the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai reveal that more than thirty-six years after the Karnataka Devadasis (Prohibition of Dedication) Act of 1982 was passed, the State government is yet to issue the rules for administering the law.
Highlights of the studies

In the studies, it is found that special children, with physical or mental disabilities, are more vulnerable to be dedicated as devadasis about 19%.
The girls from socio-economically marginalized communities continued to be victims of the custom and thereafter were forced into the commercial sex racket.
Law in IPC: The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, and Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act of 2015 have not made any reference to it as a form of sexual exploitation of children.
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Devadasi System

Devadasi system is a banned religious practice in some parts of India whereby parents marry a daughter to a deity or a temple.
The marriage usually occurs before the girl reaches puberty.
The Union Home Ministry in December 2015 had asked all states to take strong action against those involved in the heinous practice which is against the dignity of women.
Topic- GS Paper 2 – Women Empowerment

Source- The Hindu

2.Citizenship Bill: Chakma and Hajong communities in a spot

The contentious* Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 has put the spotlight on Bengali Hindus in Assam.
The Citizenship Bill would serve as a legal basis for legitimizing the claims of Chakma and Hajong refugees as the indigenous people of Assam State.
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The Chakmas and Hajongs are ethnic people who lived in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, most of which are located in Bangladesh.
Chakmas are predominantly Buddhists, while Hajongs are Hindus.
They are found in northeast India, West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
The Chakmas and Hajongs living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts fled erstwhile East Pakistan in 1964-65 since they lost their land to the development of the Kaptai Dam on the Karnaphuli River.
Topic- GS Paper 2 – Governance

Source- The Hindu

3.Chennai Traffic Police introduces robot "ROADEO" for traffic management

The Chennai Traffic Police introduced robot "ROADEO" which will help police in traffic management and assist pedestrians in Chennai roads.
The robot will make the pedestrians, especially children, feel safe while crossing the roads.
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It will also ease the work of traffic police, as these robots can be integrated with the traffic signals, as well as can be operated manually, through a Bluetooth app.
The robot has two hands to interact with the people and show traffic signs.
It has highly expressive eyes to create a feel of a neighborhood helper and also a display to show important messages.
Topic- GS Paper 3 – Science and Technology

Source- The Hindu

4.Commerce Ministry launched “Womaniya on GeM”

This initiative will enable women entrepreneurs and women self-help groups [WSHGs] to sell handicrafts and handloom, accessories, etc directly to various Government ministries, departments, and institutions.
The initiative aligns with Government’s initiatives for MSMEs, especially to reserve 3 percent in government procurement from women entrepreneurs.

This initiative will also address goals and objectives under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
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Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

GeM is an Online Market platform to facilitate the procurement of goods and services by various Ministries and agencies of the Government.
It has been envisaged as National Procurement Portal of India which aims to enhance transparency, efficiency, and speed in public procurement of goods and services and eliminate corruption.
It functions under Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D), Ministry of Commerce and Industries.
It is completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-marketplace that enables procurement of common use goods and services with a minimal human interface
Topic- GS Paper 2 – Women Empowerment

Source- The Hindu

5.Section 126 of the RP Act, 1951

A Committee constituted under to review and suggest modifications and changes in the provisions of Section 126 and other sections of the RP Act 1951 and provisions of Model Code of Conduct have submitted its report.
it was headed by the senior deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha.
The Committee had the following scope of work:

Internet service providers and social media companies should take down content violating the 48-hour ban on campaigning prior to polling, instantly and latest within 3 hours of EC issuing such a direction.
Examine the type, category or growth of communication technology or media platform in the country and difficulties in regulating these media platforms during the multiphase election when prohibitory period of 48 hours is in force.
Impact of new media platforms and social media during the prohibitory period of 48 hours before the close of poll and its implication in view of the provisions of section 126.
Examine the present provisions of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) related to the above issues and suggest modification in this regard.
Way forward:

The recommendations made by the Committee, when implemented, will help in minimizing the possible interference of activities which aim at indirectly influencing voters during the valuable silence period of 48 hours provided to them.
The recommendations of the Committee will be considered by the Commission in detail for follow up action.
Topic- GS Paper 2 – Governance

Source-PIB

6. Trishna Gas Project

The National Wildlife Board has given its approval for the Trishna Gas project of ONGC which falls in the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in the Gomati district of Tripura.
Trishna gas project ONGC has discovered 10-12 gas bearing wells in the Trishna Wildlife sanctuary.
The gas extracted from these wells would be supplied to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCO) owned 100 MW gas-based thermal power project at Monarchak in Sonamura subdivision of Sipahijala district of Tripura.
National Wildlife Board

It is a statutory organization constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
It is an apex body to review all wildlife-related matters and approves projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.
National Wildlife Board consists of :
It is chaired by the Prime Minister
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the vice-chairman of the Board
Other members include 15 non-government members, 19 ex-officio members, 10 government officials such as secretaries.
Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary

It is a Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura, India.
The vegetations in the sanctuary fall under four broad categories of tropical semi-evergreen forest, the east Himalayan lower Bhanar sal, Moist mixed deciduous forest, and the Savanah woodland.
Topic- GS Paper 3 – Environment

Source- Indian Express

7. ‘Ama Ghare LED’ scheme

Odisha government has launched the ‘Ama Ghare LED’ scheme.
Under this scheme, about 95 lakh families in the State will each get four LED bulbs free of cost.
Under the scheme, 9-watt LED bulbs will be distributed to the beneficiaries registered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the State Food Security Scheme (SFSC).
Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (OPTCL) will implement the scheme and the bulbs will be distributed through camps and PDS outlets across the State.
The beneficiaries will have to produce biometric authentication to get the benefits of the scheme.
Topic- GS Paper 2 – Governance

Source- Indian express

8. First extinction of 2019: Hawaiian tree snail

Recently in a report, it has found that the last known Achatinella apexfulva has now been listed in the first extinction species of 2019.
Related Information

Achatinella apexfulva

It is an extinct species of colorful, tropical, arboreal pulmonate land snail in the family Achatinellidae once present on Oahu, Hawaii.
This species was endemic to forests of the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian archipelago, United States, but is now extinct in the wild.
In April 2011, it was reported that the species had been reduced to a single, captive individual.
A major cause of its population decline in the wild was predation by the rosy wolf snail.
Note: In January 2019, it was reported that the last member of the species, a 14-year-old snail named George, had died.

Topic- GS Paper 3 – Environment

Source- Down to Earth

9. Sino-Indian Digital Collaboration Plaza

The Sino-Indian Digital Collaboration Plaza (SIDCOP), an initiative to bring Indian IT companies and Chinese enterprises closer to each other on a single AI enabled platform was launched in 2019.
This is a partnership by National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) with Municipal Governments of Guiyang and Dalian.
Related Information

Sino-Indian Digital Collaboration Plaza (SIDCOP)

The initiative aims to bring Indian IT companies and Chinese enterprises closer to each other on a single AI enabled platform.
This platform will be managed by a joint venture comprising of one Indian and Chinese company.
The initiative aims to encash the expertise of Indian IT enterprises in business transformation and operational optimization by using IT tools in complex business environments.
NASSCOM

It is a not-for-profit industry association and is the apex body for the Indian IT-BPM industry.
It aims to make sure that service quality and enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights have been properly implemented in the Indian software and BPM industry.
Topic- GS Paper 2 – Governance

Source- The Hindu

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