DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
23 APRIL 2022
| S. No. | Topic Name | Prelims/Mains |
| 1. | ABOUT INTEGRATED COMMAND AND CONTROL CENTRES | Prelims & Mains |
| 2. | NOISE POLLUTION | Prelims & Mains |
| 3. | ABOUT EXTRADITION | Prelims & Mains |
| 4. | MAHARANI JINDAR KAUR | Prelims Specific Topic |
| 5. | ABOUT VAGSHEER | Prelims Specific Topic |
1 – ABOUT INTEGRATED COMMAND AND CONTROL CENTRES:
GS III
Internal Security
Context:
- According to the government, 80 of the 100 planned Integrated Command and Control Centers have been created, with the remaining 80 expected to be finished by August 15.
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What are ICCCs, exactly?
- The establishment of ICCCs in each city is an important milestone in the Smart Cities Mission (SCM).
- They’re designed to let authorities monitor the status of various infrastructures in real time.
- They aim to regulate and monitor, among other things, water and energy supply, sanitation, traffic flow, integrated building management, city connectivity, and Internet infrastructure.
- These centres will now track a number of additional parameters and will be linked to the CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems) network run by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
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Significance:
- The ICCC in a smart city acts as a “nerve centre” for operational management. It analyses a sophisticated and huge pool of data sets at an aggregated level. For example, for integrated traffic management monitoring, it is currently the go-to source.
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Smart Cities’ Purpose:
- The Smart Cities Mission was launched by the Indian government in 2015.
- The cities have five years to complete the mission’s responsibilities, with the first batch of Smart Cities expected to be finished in 2021.
- The purpose is to integrate city operations, improve residents’ quality of life, and make better use of scarce resources.
- The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs runs a one-of-a-kind initiative.
- It’s a government-sponsored scheme.
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The following are the four pillars of a smart city:
- Infrastructure that facilitates social interaction
- The physical infrastructure is referred to as infrastructure.
- Institutional Infrastructure (including Governance).
- Infrastructure is important to the economy.
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The following progress has been made under this strategy as of June 2021:
- Out of the total expected projects under this mission, 5,924 projects have been tendered, 5,236 work orders have been issued, and 2,665 projects are fully operational.
- There have been 212 public-private partnership projects launched or completed, totaling Rs 24,964 crore.
- There are now 70 smart cities in the world. ICCCs (Integrated Command and Control Centres) have been operationalized across the country.
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Upcoming challenges:
- Energy-efficient and environmentally friendly structures still have a long way to go.
- Self-sufficiency for city dwellers.
- The percentage of individuals who utilise public transit is declining, and it must be increased to meet the demands of urbanisation.
- The amount of pollution in the air and traffic on the roads increases as the population grows.
2 – NOISE POLLUTION:
GS III
Environmental Conservation related issues
- Context:
- When Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray raised the issue of loudspeakers in mosques, he threatened to play the Hanuman Chalisa out loud if they were not removed by May 3.
- The Maharashtra government may rely on the rules of The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 to settle the dispute.
- What is noise pollution, according to Indian law:
- Noise is defined as any disagreeable sound, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. Noise is defined as any unwelcome sound that irritates, irritates, or hurts the human ear.
- What is the greatest noise level that can be tolerated:
- The permissible levels of noise in various locations during the day and night have been established by rules. Daytime begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m., while nighttime begins at 10 p.m. and ends at 6 a.m.
- During the day, the noise limit in business zones is 65 decibels, and at night, it is 55 decibels. In residential areas, the noise levels are 55 dB during the day and 45 dB at night.
- In industrial regions, the ceiling is set at 75dB during the day and 70dB at night, respectively, whereas in quiet zones, the ceiling is set at 50dB and 40dB.
- The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules of 2000 are a collection of regulations governing noise pollution regulation and control.
- Section 2 (a) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 classifies noise as a “air contaminant.” According to reports, a “air pollutant” is any solid, liquid, or gaseous chemical that is or tends to be harmful to humans, other living beings, plants, property, or the environment when present in the atmosphere in concentrations that are or tend to be harmful to humans, other living beings, plants, property, or the environment.
- The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, contains the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, which regulate and control noise pollution and its causes.
- The Act, among other things, imposes a set ambient tolerable noise level and limits the use of loudspeakers, sound-emitting construction equipment, horns, and cracker cracking.
- What are the rules and requirements for loudspeakers?
- Noise pollution offences, such as the use of loudspeakers or public addresses, can result in a Rs 10,000 fine, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
- When a loudspeaker, public address system, or other noise source is used, the noise level at the public place’s perimeter must not exceed 10 decibels (A) above the area’s ambient noise restrictions, or 75 decibels (A), whichever is lower.
- According to the guidelines, a loudspeaker or public address system may only be used with explicit permission from the appropriate authority.
- Exemption: During any cultural or religious festive occasion that lasts less than 15 days in a calendar year, the state government may provide an exemption for a limited time.
- What is the impact of noise pollution on one’s health:
- While noise pollution is less well-known than air and water pollution, it is known to be harmful to people’s health.
- According to the World Health Organization, over 1.1 billion young people (aged 12–35 years) are at risk of hearing loss as a result of noise exposure (WHO).
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that there is sufficient evidence that nighttime noise exposure causes self-reported sleep disturbance and that noise-induced sleep disturbance is a health concern.
- There is evidence that interrupted sleep causes weariness, accidents, and lower performance, according to the WHO, albeit the evidence is limited.
- Physical disorders caused by increased noise include temporary hearing loss, headaches, and a rise in blood pressure.
3 – ABOUT EXTRADITION:
GS II
International Relations
Context:
- The Supreme Court demanded a response from the Centre on February 2, 2022, in response to a petition filed by Abu Salem, who is serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, contending that his sentence under the India-Portugal extradition pact cannot exceed 25 years.
- The Union’s Home Secretary has reminded the Supreme Court that the Union’s administration is bound by a commitment made to Portugal in 2002.
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Background:
- L K Advani, then-Deputy Prime Minister, told the Portuguese government in December 2002 that the maximum sentence for gangster Abu Salem would not exceed 25 years.
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Extradition is defined as follows:
- According to the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, “extradition is the surrender by one state to another of persons whom it is intended to deal with for crimes of which they have been accused or convicted and are justifiable in the courts of the other state.”
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When will one be able to begin it:
- An extradition request may be made in the case of under-investigation, under-trial, and convicted criminals.
- In circumstances when a law enforcement agency is investigating, it must take great care to ensure that it has prima facie evidence to support the claim in a foreign state’s court of law.
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What is the legal basis for extradition in India:
- India’s legal basis for extradition is established under the Extradition Act of 1962. It standardised the procedures for extraditing convicts from India to other countries. The Indian Extradition Act of 1962 was significantly altered by Act 66 of 1993.
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Who is the central authority for extradition in India:
- The Ministry of External Affairs’ Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) Division is the Central/Nodal Authority that administers the Extradition Act and processes incoming and outgoing Extradition Requests.
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An alleged criminal may not be extradited to the requesting state in the following circumstances:
- If there is no treaty in force, states are not obligated to extradite immigrants or nationals.
- Extradition is usually limited to crimes listed in the treaty that may differ in reference to one State against another, as the treaty stipulates.
- Military and Political Offenses – Extradition may be forbidden primarily for military and political offences. Terrorist activities and violent crimes are not included in the definition of political crimes for the purposes of extradition treaties.
- Lack of Dual Criminality – Dual criminality occurs when the act that causes the offence is criminal in both India and the other country.
- If the procedural criteria of the Extradition Act of 1962 are not met, extradition may be denied.
4 – MAHARANI JINDAR KAUR:
Prelims Specific Topic
- She was the youngest wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
- She was also the mother of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the empire’s final king, who was raised by the British.
- She fought valiantly against the British invasion of the Punjab, but she was forced to surrender.
5 – ABOUT VAGSHEER:
Prelims Specific Topic
- Vagsheer, the sixth submarine in the Indian Navy’s P75 programme, was just launched.
- It is the last of the Scorpene class submarines developed under the P75 programme.
- P75 saw the commissioning of the INS Kalvari, INS Khanderi, INS Karanj, and INS Vela. Vagir is conducting trials at sea.
- Vagsheer is named after the sand fish, a deep-sea predator found in the Indian Ocean. The Russian-built Vagsheer, the Indian Navy’s first submarine, was commissioned on December 26, 1974, and retired on April 30, 1997.
UPSC Civil Services Daily Current Affairs 23rd April 2022
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