31 October Current Affairs
| CONTENTS 1) Anti superstition laws. 2) FATF 3) Blue flag certification 4) Ganges river Dolphin 5) Mains value addition 6) Prelims , Places , term |
GS-I / II- Society / legislations
Anti-Superstition laws in India
Context – The brutal murders of two women as part of “ritualistic human sacrifices” in Kerala.
- As per the 2021 report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), six deaths were linked to human sacrifices, while witchcraft was the motive for 68 killings. The maximum number of witchcraft cases were reported from Chhattisgarh (20), followed by Madhya Pradesh (18)
- No central law
- Bihar was the first State The Prevention of Witch (Daain) Practices Act – 1999
- Jharkhand in 2001 — the Prevention of Witch (Daain) Practices Act.
- The Chhattisgarh Tonahi (witch) Pratadna Nivaran Act in 2005.
- the Odisha Prevention of Witch-Hunting Bill was passed by in 2013.
- In Maharashtra, the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013
- Rajasthan enacted the Rajasthan Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act in 2015
- The Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act, 2015,
- The Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Act, 2017
GS-II -International organisations
FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE- FATF
Context – Recently, FATF has removed Pakistan from the list of countries under “increased monitoring” (Grey List).
India’s other neighbour on the grey list, Myanmar, was moved to the “black list” due to actions by the military leadership after the 2021 coup
FATF
- money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. It also aims to counter the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Members
- European Commission, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Greylisting and Blacklisting Countries:
- The FATF Plenary (decision-making body of the FATF) meets tri-annually – in February, June and October, to take stock of “Mutual Evaluation Reports” (MERs) of the countries it reviews.
- If a country appears to have major deficiencies in its AML/CFT regime (Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism), it is put on a list of “jurisdictions under increased monitoring” – “grey list” and if it fails to address FATF concerns, it is put on a “high-risk jurisdictions” list – “black list”.
- The Black List includes Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs) that support terror funding and money laundering activities. As of now, Iran, North Korea and Myanmar are the three black listed countries.
- The enlisted countries -difficult for them to procure loans from the IMF, World Bank etc.
- IMF, World Bank etc.
Pakistan
- The FATF lauded “Pakistan’s significant progress” saying that the country had completed two action plans comprising a 34-point tasklist in the period since 2018.
- Pakistan has been removed from the list after four years.
GS-III-Environment
BLUE FLAG BEACHES
Context – The two new beaches have been awarded the eco-label blue flag certification are Minicoy Thundi beach and Kadmat beach, both in Lakshadweep..
What is Blue flag
- It is a certification that is given to coastal locations around the world as a badge of environmental honour.
- The Blue Flag programme is run by the Copenhagen, Denmark-headquartered Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), a nonprofit which, through its work, contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
- The Blue Flag programme started in 1987, initially in Europe. Certification is awarded annually.
- India now has 12 ‘blue’ beaches
| BEACH | DISTRICT | STATE | |
| 1 | Shivrajpur | Devbhumi Dwarka district | Gujarat |
| 2 | Ghogla | Diu | |
| 3 | Kasarkod | Uttara kannada | Karnataka |
| 4 | Padubidri | Udupi | Karnataka |
| 5 | Kappad | Kozhikode | Kerala |
| 6 | Eden | Puducherry | |
| 7 | Kovalam | Chennai | Tamilnadu |
| 8 | Rushikonda | Visakhapatnam | Andhrapradesh |
| 9 | Golden beach | Puri | Odisha |
| 10 | Radhanagar swarajdeep | A&N |
GANGES RIVER DOLPHIN
Context – Dolphins return to ganga river in UP – made possible with Namami ganga programme.
ABOUT
Significance
Threats
- ewer fish for people and more dolphins dying as a result of accidentally being caught in fishing nets, also known as bycatch.
- Industrial, agricultural, and human pollution is another serious cause of habitat degradation.
- Construction of dams and other irrigation-related projects make them susceptible to inbreeding and more vulnerable to other threats because they cannot move to new areas.
Conservation Status
Steps Taken
- 2020 in lines of project Tiger
- Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuary has been established in Bihar.
- The Conservation Action Plan for the Ganges River Dolphin 2010-2020, which “identified threats to Gangetic Dolphins and impact of river traffic, irrigation canals and depletion of prey-base on Dolphins populations”.
- The National Mission for Clean Ganga celebrates 5th October as National Ganga River Dolphin Day.
- Project Dolphin: 2020 in lines of project Tiger
- Dolphin Sanctuary: Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuary has been established in Bihar.
- Conservation Plan: The Conservation Action Plan for the Ganges River Dolphin 2010-2020, which “identified threats to Gangetic Dolphins and impact of river traffic, irrigation canals and depletion of prey-base on Dolphins populations”.
- National Ganga River Dolphin Day: The National Mission for Clean Ganga celebrates 5th October as National Ganga River Dolphin Day.
- They are also one among the 21 species identified under the centrally sponsored scheme, “Development of Wildlife Habitat”
PRELIMS
- United Nations Security Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee adopts Delhi Declaration on ‘Countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes’
- Election Commission to host two-day international conference from Oct 31 in New Delhi; theme: ‘Role, Framework & Capacity of Election Management Bodies
- West Bengal govt’s Lakshmir Bhandar scheme bags SKOCH Award in women and child development category
- India’s Ministry of Defence is world’s biggest employer with 2.92 million people: Statista Infographic.
- Rails – Asarwa -Udaipur and Lunidhar-Jetalsar special trains in Rajasthan.
- The inauguration of a MIYA museum showcasing the culture of Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam was sealed on October 25 .The Bengal-origin Muslim community began promoting ‘Miya’ culture as a counter-campaign against the exercise to update the National Register of Citizens in Assam.
- Bru or Reang is a community indigenous to Northeast India, living mostly in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. In Tripura, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
Places in news
Machchhu river
- At least 90 were killed after more than 350 people fell into the Machchhu river when a newly renovated colonial-era suspension bridge (JHULTO PUL )collapsed in Morbi town of Gujarat.
- Origin of Machchu river – Mandav hills
- Mouth of the river – Rann of Kutch
RATLE HYDROPROJECT
- Run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station currently under construction on the Chenab River, in Jammu & Kashmir. It also includes gravity dam
- Hit by a landslip -October 30,2022
Term in news
- 27 foreigners deported in Assam in a month for ‘proselytisation on tourist visas’ – PROSELYTISATION – to try to persuade someone to change his or her religious beliefs, political party, etc., to your own
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