Current Affairs August 08, 2023: QUAD, Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023, The Jan Vishwas (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Superconductor

{GS2 – IR – Regional Groupings – 2023/08/08} Quad: Malabar Exercise

• Context (TH): Navies of the member states of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) — India, the US, Japan, and Australia — will be participating in the 31^st edition of the Malabar Exercise.

• Exercise Malabar is an annual multilateral naval exercise involving the United States, Australia, Japan and India as permanent partners.
• Over the years, the exercise has been conducted in the Philippine Sea, off the coast of Japan, the Persian Gulf, in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.

Evolution

• It began as a bilateral naval exercise between India and the U.S. in 1992 along the Malabar Coast.
• In 2007, Japan, Australia and Singapore also participated in exercise.
• From 2007 to 2015 Japan took part in the exercises intermittently.
• It was expanded into a trilateral format with the inclusion of Japan in 2015 and quadrilateral with the inclusion of Australia in 2020.

Significance

• It acts as a counterweight to the Chinese military/political influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
• It has increased the cohesion between the naval powers of the four countries of the Quad.
• It will strengthen India’s relations with QUAD countries.

{GS2 – MoST – 2023/08/08} Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill

• Context (TH I TP): Lok Sabha passed the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill to set up a national agency to fund research across universities.

• The Bill repeals the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) established by Parliament in 2008 for funding Research and development and subsumes it into the NRF.
• The Department of Science and Technology will be the administrative arm of NRF, governed by a Governing Board, Presided by the Prime minister.
• NRF’s functioning will be governed by Executive Council chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser.

Key Features of the Bill

• NRF will be set up with a budget of about ₹50,000 crore for a period of five years.
• The government will contribute ₹10,000 crore over five years and close to ₹36,000 crore is expected to come from the private sector (as investments into research).

{GS2 – Polity – IC – Parliament – 2023/08/08} Rule 267 Vs Rule 176 of the RS

• Context (IE): The opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament was disrupted after the government and the Opposition differed on the format of the discussion on the Manipur situation.

What are Rule 176 and Rule 267 of Rajya Sabha?

• Rule 176 (Short Duration Discussion): not exceeding 2.5 hours for discussion of urgent importance.
• Rule 267 (Suspension of Rules): suspension of all listed businesses for discussing urgent matters.
• Rule 176 does not require the consent of the Chairman, while Rule 267 does.
• Rule 176 is a less disruptive way while Rule 267 is a more disruptive way to do this, but it allows for a more in-depth discussion of the matter at hand.

Use

• Rule 176 is for matters that are time-sensitive, like Manipur situation or natural disasters.
• Rule 267 is for matters of national importance, like essential commodity or National security.

Controversy

• The Opposition has complained that their notices under Rule 267 are not being taken up.
• In the winter session, Speaker rejected eight such notices within two days, on matters such as the border issue with China and rising prices of essential commodities.
• The last time was in November 2016, when RS invoked Rule 267 to discuss demonetisation.

{GS2 – Polity – STs – 2023/08/08} Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023

• Context (IE): The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was introduced in Lok Sabha.

• It amends the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order, 1989.
• The 2023 Bill includes four communities to the list of STs in Jammu and Kashmir.

1. Gadda Brahmin
2. Koli
3. Paddari Tribe
4. Pahari Ethnic Group
   • STs get 10% reservation in government jobs, admission to educational institutions and in Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in J&K.

Communities Included by 2023 Bill

Pahari Ethnic Group

• The Paharis are an ethnic group who are Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs.
• They also include people displaced from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

Paddari Tribe

• Paddari tribe live in the remote hilly Paddar area.
• They comprise Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims.

Gadda Brahmins

• Gadda Brahmins are a branch of the Gaddis (who are already in the ST list of J&K).

Kolis

• Kolis are a sub-caste of Sippis (who are already in the ST list of J&K).

{GS3 – IE – EoDB – 2023/08/08} The Jan Vishwas (Amendment) Bill, 2023

• Context (PIB | IE): Lok Sabha passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023.

• The bill seeks to promote ease of business by decriminalising minor offences by amending 183 provisions in 42 acts governing the environment, agriculture, media, industry, trade, etc.

The Need for Such a Bill

• Currently, there are 1,536 laws which translate into 70,000 compliances that govern ease of doing business (EoDB). These excessive compliances have proved onerous for businesses, especially MSMEs.
• There are 26,134 compliances with imprisonment clauses. Due to the potential legal consequences, this could deter businesses from taking risks or exploring innovative ideas.

Provisions for Decriminalisation in the Bill

• Decriminalization is proposed to be achieved by tweaking the imprisonment, fines and penalty provisions so that the degree and nature of punishment are commensurate with the severity of the offence.
  • Both Imprisonment and/or Fine are proposed to be removed in some provisions.
  • Imprisonment is proposed to be removed and fine retained in a few provisions.
  • Imprisonment and Fine are proposed to be converted to Penalties in some provisions.
  • Compounding of offences is proposed to be introduced in a few provisions.
  • Certain provisions affecting citizens and some government employees will be decriminalised.

• The bill removes all offences and penalties under the Indian Post Office Act, 1898.
• It proposes a periodic revision of fines and penalties for various offences in the specified acts and an increase of 10% of the minimum amount every three years.
• It proposes changes in grievance redressal mechanisms and the appointment of Adjudicating Officer(s) for determining penalties. This will reduce pressure on the justice system.
• The adjudicating officer(s) can inquire into violations of the respective acts and even summon individuals for evidence.

Key Laws Covered in the Draft Legislation

Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

• The Bill proposes to replace imprisonment for lapses with heavier penalties.
• For instance, operating an industrial area in an air pollution control area will be liable to a penalty of up to Rs 15 lakh. The offence currently attracts a jail term of up to six years and a penalty.

Information Technology Act, 2000

• The Bill aims to remove Section 66A, which deals with punishment for sending offensive messages or false information through communication services.
• For breaches of confidentiality and privacy, the proposed penalty is Rs 5 lakh, in contrast to the existing punishment of up to two years imprisonment, a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, or both.

Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

• The Bill suggests a penalty of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 15 lakh for inadvertent compliance breaches.
• This replaces the existing penalty of imprisonment for five years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.

Copyright Act, 1957

• The Bill omits the penalty for making false statements to deceive or influence an authority or officer.
• The existing punishment for this offence is imprisonment for up to one year, a fine, or both.

Railways Act, 1989

• The Bill removes the punishment clause for beggars caught begging or selling goods without a permit in a railway carriage or at a railway station.

Agricultural Produce (Grading & Marking) Act, 1937

• The Bill proposes to replace the provision of a jail term for unauthorised marking and sale of an article with a grade designation mark with a penalty of Rs. 5 lahks.

Trade Marks Act, 1999

• Falsely representing a trademark as registered currently carries a punishment of imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both. The Bill suggests a penalty ranging from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 1 lakh.

Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

• The Bill proposes imprisonment for three months and a fine of up to Rs. 3 lahks for selling unsafe food, replacing the current punishment of a jail term not exceeding six months and a fine of up to 1 lakh.

High Denomination Bank Notes (Demonetization) Act, 1978

• The parliamentary committee recommends repealing the Act due to its irrelevance.

Issues

• Irrelevant Provisions: Many offences proposed to be removed in the bill have nothing to do with its objective of decriminalising to promote EoDB.
• Quasi-Decriminalization Approach: The Bill’s monetary fines or penalties are not enough for full decriminalisation, and instead, it takes a quasi-decriminalization approach.
• Reduced Deterrence Effect: Removing imprisonment provisions may reduce the deterrence effect of environmental legislation, especially for large corporations that may profit from offences.
• Expertise: The Adjudicating Officers may lack the technical competence to decide all penalties under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, etc.

{GS3 – S&T – Tech – 2023/08/08} Superconductors at Room Temperature

• Context (TH | TH | TH | IE | TH): South Korean researchers have discovered that a material called LK-99 (copper-substituted lead apatite) is a superconductor at room temperature and pressure.

Superconductor

• Superconductors are materials that offer zero or near-zero resistance to electric current.
• Superconductivity was first discovered in 1911 by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes.

Significance of Superconductors

• Elimination of resistance removes transmission losses in power cables.
• This also helps in the development of super-efficient electrical appliances.
• They are used in medical imaging (MRI – uses strong magnetic fields), magnetic levitation, and quantum computing.

Materials Used as Superconductors

• The first material discovered to show superconductivity was mercury.
• Other materials commonly used as superconductors are lead, aluminum, tin, and niobium.

How is Superconductivity Achieved by Materials?

• The temperature below which a material becomes superconductor is called critical temperature.
• Above this temperature, the material behaves like a normal conductor with resistance.

• As of now, superconductivity can be achieved only at very low temperatures, less than –250°C, very close to absolute zero (-273°C). Mercury becomes a superconductor at close to -270°C.
• In some cases, materials can exhibit superconductivity at slightly higher temperatures, but under increased pressure conditions.
• Even the ‘high-temperature’ superconductors show superconductivity well below – 50°C.

What is Room Temperature Superconductor?

• Room temperature superconductor achieves superconductivity at room temperature (between 20 and 25°C) and under normal pressure conditions.
• However, room-temperature superconductivity does not necessarily mean ‘at room temperature’.
• It can also mean when it is easy to create conditions necessary to achieve superconductivity.
• These superconductors fall under the category of unconventional superconductors.

Significance of Room Temperature Superconductor

• Though many materials show superconductivity, they operate in extreme conditions which are not easily replicable. So, the discovery of room temperature superconductor will revolutionise the technological world.

Maglev trains

• Maglev (magnetic levitation) trains use superconducting magnets to achieve levitation.
• Superconducting magnets are electromagnets cooled to extreme temperatures during use. They dramatically increase the power of the magnetic field.
• In maglev trains, superconducting magnets suspend a train car above a concrete guideway.
• Like ordinary magnets, these magnets repel one another when matching poles face each other.
• The magnets employed (superconducting) and they can generate magnetic fields up to 10 times stronger than ordinary electromagnets, enough to suspend (levitate) and propel a train.

• Maglev trains are least noisy as there is no physical contact between the track and the train. Also, there are no moving parts except for the train.