UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 16th December 2022 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-II

Kerala is using sports to tackle drug menace, for which its Excise department has created clubs near college campuses and hostels in Kerala.

• Apart from making students motivated to participate in sports, awareness classes are conducted and information on substance abuse is shared.

What is the Status of Drug Menace in India?

• The menace of drug addiction has spread fast among the youth of India.
• India is sandwiched between two largest Opium producing regions of the world that is the Golden triangle on one side and the Golden crescent on other.
  • The golden triangle area comprises Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.
  • The golden crescent area includes Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
• India is one of the world's single largest opiate markets in terms of users and would likely be vulnerable to increased supply.
  • This is because of the intensification of trafficking in opiates originating in Afghanistan may be taking place eastwards, in addition to southwards and westwards along the traditional Balkan route.
• According to World Drug Report 2022, India has the fourth largest quantity of opium seized in 2020 at 5.2 tons and the third-highest amount of morphine was also seized in the same year at 0.7 tons.
• According to the World Drug Report 2021, prescription drugs and their ingredients or 'precursors' are being increasingly diverted for recreational use in India--the largest manufacturer of generic drugs in the world.
• India is also linked to shipment of drugs sold on the 19 major darknet markets analysed over 2011-2020.

What are the Initiatives to Cope with Drug Menace?

• Indian:
  • Narco-Coordination Centre: The Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) was constituted in November, 2016 and the scheme of “Financial Assistance to States for Narcotics Control” was revived.
  • Seizure Information Management System (SIMS): SIMS is a e-portal created by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to create a complete online database of drug offences and offenders.
  • National Drug Abuse Survey: The government is also conducting a National Drug Abuse Survey to measure trends of drug abuse in India through the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment with the help of National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS.
  • Project Sunrise: It was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2016, to tackle the rising HIV prevalence in north-eastern states in India, especially among people injecting drugs.
  • NDPS Act: It prohibits a person from producing, possessing, selling, purchasing, transporting, storing, and/or consuming any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.
    • The NDPS Act has since been amended thrice – in 1988, 2001 and 2014.
    • The Act extends to the whole of India and it applies also to all Indian citizens outside India and to all persons on ships and aircraft registered in India.
  • Nasha Mukt Bharat: Government has also announced the launch of the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’, or Drug-Free India Campaign which focuses on community outreach programs.
  • International Treaties and Conventions to Combat Drug Menace:
    • India is signatory of the following international treaties and conventions to combat the menace of Drug Abuse:
    • United Nations (UN) Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961)
    • UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971).
    • UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1988)
    • UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) 2000.

Way Forward

• While steps must be taken to stop supply by tamping down on cross-border trafficking, imposing harsher penalties under the NDPS Act, or improving drug enforcement, India must also address the problem on the demand side.
• Addiction should not be seen as a character flaw, but as an ailment that any other person could be struggling with. Therefore, the stigma associated with drug taking needs to be reduced. Society needs to understand that drug-addicts are victims and not criminals.
• Certain crop drugs which have more than 50% alcohol and opioids need to be contained. Strict action is required from police officers and the excise and narcotics department to curb the problem of drug menace in the country.
• Education curriculum should include chapters on drug addiction, its impact and also on de-addiction. Proper Counselling is another alternative.

Source: The Hindu

Context

The 5th edition of Youth Co:Lab was launched on December 15th 2022.

Context

Observing that courts should not show leniency towards corrupt public servants, the Supreme Court ruled that direct evidence of demand and acceptance of bribe is not necessary to prove guilt under the Prevention of Corruption Act and a person can be convicted on the basis of circumstantial evidence.

About Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988:

• The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (henceforth referred to as PCA) came into force on 9th September, 1988.
• It was aimed at making anti-corruption laws more effective by widening their coverage and by strengthening the provisions to make the overall statute more effective.

Salient Features of the Act:

• It incorporates the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1952, and Sec. 161 to 165-A of the Indian Penal Code with certain tweaks in the original provisions.
• It has enlarged the scope of the definition such as Public Duty and Public Servant.
• It has shifted the burden of proof from the prosecution as mentioned in the CrPC to the accused who is charged with the offense.
• The provisions of the Act clearly state that the investigation is to be made by an officer, not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.
• The Act covers corrupt acts as bribe, misappropriation, obtaining a pecuniary advantage, possessing assets disproportionate to income and the like.

Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018:

• As the PCA saw limited success, an amendment was enacted and brought into force on 26 July 2018.
• The Amendment Act attempted to bring the PCA in line with United Nations Convention against Corruption 2005, which was ratified by India in 2011.
• Highlights of the Amendment Act –
  • Definition of ‘Undue Advantage’ –
    • The Amendment Act has defined ‘undue advantage’ to mean any gratification other than legal remuneration that a public servant is permitted to receive.
  • Persons liable for offering a bribe to public servants –
    • Previously, the PCA did not contain a separate provision for a person who gives or promises to give an undue advantage.
    • However, the Amendment Act makes giving an undue advantage by a person to a public servant, a specific punishable offence.
  • Offering of bribes by commercial organisations –
    • It provides that if a commercial organisation commits any of the offences listed out in the PCA with the intention to obtain or retain business or obtain or retain an advantage in the conduct of its business, then such commercial organisation shall be punishable.
  • Prior sanction for investigation and prosecution –
    • The PCA required prior sanction of the appropriate government for prosecution of serving public officials.
    • The Amendment Act extends this protection of requirement of prior approval to investigation prior to prosecution.
  • Attachment of Property –
    • The Amendment Act has provided for application of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 and Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance 1944 for attachment and administration of property procured by means of an offence under the PCA.
  • Enhancement of Punishment –
    • Punishment has been increased from a minimum imprisonment term of 6 (six) months to 3 (three) years, and from a maximum of 5 (five) years to 7 (seven) years.

News Summary:

• In 2019, a reference was made by a Division Bench to a larger Bench upon observing that insistence of direct proof or primary evidence for proving the demand may not be in consonance with the view taken many judgements.
  • There were instances wherein despite the absence of primary evidence of the complainant, the Supreme Court had sustained the conviction of the accused by relying on other evidence.
• The 5-judge Bench of the Supreme Court had reserved the judgement on November 23.
• In an important ruling, the Supreme Court held that direct evidence of demand or acceptance of bribe is not necessary to convict a public servant under the Act and that such fact can be proved through circumstantial evidence.
• Referring the earlier verdicts of the Supreme Court, the bench said corruption among public servants has become a gigantic problem and no facet of public activity has been left unaffected by it.

Supreme Court’s Judgement:

• Even if the direct evidence of the complainant is not available, owing to death or other reasons, there can be conviction of the public servant under the PCA, if the demand for illegal gratification is proved through circumstantial evidence.
• The Bench held that a court can convict a corrupt official for demanding and accepting bribe even in a case in which witnesses, including the complainant, turn hostile and backtrack from their earlier statements that bribe was demanded.
• The Bench said the court can rely on statement of other witnesses to prove guilt.

Source: The Indian Express

Context

The 16^th Edition of Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise “Surya Kiran” between India and Nepal is being conducted at Saljhandi, Nepal. 

What is Surya Kiran?

• It is a military exercise conducted annually between India and Nepal.
• The objective of this exercise is to:
  • Establish military relations in inaccessible mountainous areas by the soldiers of both countries,
  • Provide humanitarian assistance under disaster management,
  • Get training in anti-terrorist operations,
  • Build interoperability and sharing expertise between the two countries.
• The 15^th edition of Surya Kiran took place at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, India.

Source: PIB

GS-III

Agni-5 Ballistic Missile

Context

Recently, India successfully carried out the night trials of the Agni-5 nuclear-capable ballistic missile.

What are the Features of the Missile?

• Agni-5 is an ingeniously built advanced surface-to-surface ballistic missile developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
• It is a fire-and-forget missile, which cannot be stopped without an interceptor missile.
• The missile has the capability of hitting targets beyond the range of 5000 km and is crucial for India's self-defense systems.

What are Agni Missiles?

• About:
  • The Agni missile class is the backbone of India's nuclear launch capability, as are Prithvi short-range ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and fighter aircraft.
  • Agni-1 to 5 missiles are designed & developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Other Ranges of Agni Missiles:
  • Agni I: Range of 700-800 km.
  • Agni II: Range more than 2000 km.
  • Agni III: Range of more than 2,500 Km
  • Agni IV: Range is more than 3,500 km and can fire from a road mobile launcher.
  • Agni-V: The longest of the Agni series, an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of over 5,000 km.

What is the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme?

• IGMDP was the brainchild of renowned scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
• It was intended to attain self-sufficiency in the field of missile technology.
• After keeping in mind, the requirements of various types of missiles by the defense forces, the program recognized the need to develop five missile systems.
• The IGMDP formally got the approval of the Indian government in 1983.
• It brought together the country’s scientific community, academic institutions, R&D laboratories, industries and the three defence services in giving shape to the strategic, indigenous missile systems.
• The missiles developed under IGMDP are:
  • Short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile – Prithvi
  • Intermediate-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile – Agni
  • Short-range low-level surface-to-air missile – Trishul
  • Medium-range surface-to-air missile – Akash
  • Third generation anti-tank missile – Nag

Source: The Hindu

Context

China has recently set up a ropeway near the Torsa Nala near Doklam and is strengthening roads and other infrastructure along the entire eastern sector. 

Context

The Nation is celebrating Vijay Diwas on December 16 to commemorate India's victory over Pakistan in 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war.