GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

In a Judgement by the Delhi High Court, it remarked that the intention of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was to protect children below the age of 18 from sexual exploitation and not to criminalize consensual relationships between young adults.

• The POCSO Act, 2012 was enacted to safeguard the children’s interests. The POCSO Act, 2012 tends to protect the child from sexual offenses.
• The act is gender-neutral and recognizes both girls and a boy as a victim of sexual violence.
• This law defines a child as any person below the age of 18 years.
• Forms of sexual offense: It defines different forms of sexual offenses including
  • penetrative and non-penetrative assault
  • sexual harassment
  • pornography

What is the issue?

• Since the consent of a “child” is immaterial, consensual sexual intercourse with or among adolescents is treated on par with rape.
• With the enactment of POCSO, a number of young couples in consensual and non-exploitative relationships have found themselves embroiled in the criminal justice system.
• It also impacts the delivery of justice as these cases constitute a large burden on our courts, and divert attention from investigation and prosecution of actual cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
• There is thus a compelling need for law reform to revise the age of consent and prevent the criminalization of older adolescents engaging in factually consensual and non-exploitative

What is the purpose of the Minimum age of sexual consent?

• The minimum age of sexual consent is the age from which someone is deemed capable of consenting to sexual activity.
• The objective of the minimum age of sexual consent is to protect adolescents from sexual abuse and the consequences of early sexual activity on their rights and development.
• There is a possibility that young adolescents may be lured into sexual activity by older adults making those from disadvantaged settings.
• The underage sexual activity presents a number of risks in relation to sexual and reproductive health, including unwanted or early pregnancy and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases.
• Early pregnancy and motherhood in many cases are, in turn, primary determinants of school dropout for adolescent girls.

What are the options available to victims in such matters?

• The only relief available to the couple is to urge the High Court to quash the case by using its inherent power under Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code, “to prevent abuse of the process of any Court or otherwise to secure the ends of justice.

Capability to give “free consent”:

• It has been found in most cases in the age group of (16-18 years) that girls turn hostile because the sexual act was not against their will and they were not allured or induced into indulging in the act.
• It has also been observed that due to a change in the sociocultural environment in recent decades, teenagers are sensible enough to understand the implications of their conduct.

Provisions of the laws relevant to the situation:

• Our laws do not consider any action by a child under the age of 7 an offense.
• Even if the child is between the ages of 7 and 12, but has not attained sufficient maturity to judge the nature and consequences of his conduct, his act would not be considered an offense.
• After that, it is implied that a child above 12 years of age develops a sufficient understanding of the implications of an offense.

Changing scenario:

• With the changing sociocultural scenario, the assumption of attaining maturity may also be applied in cases of granting “free consent”.
• One has to note here, that the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act defines a child as a person under the age of 14, and, therefore, those above 14 can legally be employed in otherwise prohibited occupations and processes.

Global Scenario:

• Many countries have 16 years or below that as the age of consent.
• Most of the American states, Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, China, and Russia fall into this category.
• Therefore, the rights of the child (up to 18 years of age) might be protected in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but the age of consent can safely be reduced from 18 to 16.

• There is a need to define consensual sex as a separate category of crime under a more liberal provision.
• Taking out such cases from the purview of the penal law will also help the police divert its attention toward more serious and complex cases.
• According to the National Crime Records Bureau about half of the POSCO Act cases fall in the category of the 16-18 years age group. Removing cases of consensual sex under this category can help us get a better picture of sexual assault cases.
• There is thus a compelling need for law reform to revise the age of consent and prevent the criminalization of older adolescents engaging in factually consensual and non-exploitative acts.

According to the Indian Navy, more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels have been monitored in the Indian Ocean in the year 2022, which further highlights the illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) activities to continuerising beyond India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

What is an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)?

• The EEZ is an area that is adjacent to and beyond the territorial sea. It can extend to a maximum of 200 nautical miles from the baseline.
  • The baseline is normally measured as the low-water line along the coast as indicated on large-scale charts officially approved by the coastal state.
• The EEZ does not include the territorial sea and also does not include the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.
• Activities allowed in EEZ are –
  • creation and use of artificial islands
  • Installations and structures
  • Marine scientific research
  • protection and preservation of the marine environment
    

Threats to India’s maritime sector

About India Maritime Strategy:

• India's territory with a huge coastline is vulnerable to the threats emerging from the maritime domain.
• Maritime terrorism (Mumbai attack of 26/11)
• China is rising, emerging as a serious challenger.

Why maritime security is important for India?

• Water for trade: India’s major imports and exports are carried out through maritime water, thus enhancing the importance of securing coastlines is imperative for economic growth.
• Maritime threats: India’s huge coastline, around 7000km, increases the vulnerability to maritime threats as testified by the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
• Blue economy: One of the major economic activities of the coastal states of India, comprising around 4% of the Indian economy, with immense future potential.
• Strategic Factor: Increasing Chinese influence and assertiveness in the Indian Ocean Region provides a potential threat to India’s regional interest.
• Ocean resource security and management of resources.

What are the persistent issues in Maritime Security?

• Piracy: One of the major persistent threats in maritime security is pirate attacks on ships and vessels.
• Terrorism: International waters provide a safe ground for terrorist organizations to execute their plan of action.
• Illegal migration: International waters serve as a safe gateway to enter into another country’s territory. A higher degree of illegal migration takes place through maritime water.
• Transnational Organised crimes: Maritime waters are also used for organized transnational crimes, impacting the global economy and security of the state like trafficking of drugs and narcotic substances, firearms, and humans.
• Environmental Concern: Rising pollution and climate change have threatened marine and aquatic lives along with creating a severe influence over natural calamities like floods and cyclones.

Mechanisms available for combating maritime security:

• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)provides a framework regarding the rights and responsibilities of the nations over international waters.
• SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) Doctrine: Indian initiative, aims to deepen the economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbors, along with enhancing their security capabilities.
• Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI)
• QUAD initiative to ensure a safe, secure, and free Indo-Pacific region

What are the major challenges ahead of India’s maritime security?

• No proper legislative structure
• Transnational Interest
• Nonobedience over international laws and arbitration process
• Lack of Universal International laws over international waters
• Geopolitical dominance over a security interest

What should be done?

• Five points agenda on maritime security by UNSC:
  • Free maritime trade without barriers to establishing legitimate trade; 
  • Settlement of maritime disputes should be peaceful and on the basis of international law only; 
  • Responsible maritime connectivity should be encouraged; 
  • Need to collectively combat maritime threats posed by non-state actors and natural calamities; 
  • Preserve the maritime environment and maritime resources.
• Diplomatic channels: Diplomatic channels should be fostered for better collaboration with the maritime neighbor states.
• Coastal development plans should be executed
• Involvement of state police in securing maritime borders.
• Vehicle monitoring system for the fishing vessels
• Satellite monitoring of weather forecast and disaster resilient preparedness

In its first visit to a Climatic event at COP 27 in Egypt, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief spoke regarding the importance of Nuclear Technologies for the world to shift towards clean energy.

• He also mentioned India's potential for new nuclear technologies.

Background: (Baby steps towards Nuclear Building Nation)

• India's nuclear energy self-sufficiency extends from uranium discovery and mining to fuel fabrication, heavy water output, reactor development and construction, reprocessing, and waste disposal.
• The Atomic Energy Establishment was established at Trombay, Mumbai in 1957 and was renamed as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) 10 years later.
• Plans for building the first Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) were finalized in 1964, and this prototype – Rajasthan 1, was built as a collaborative venture between Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) and NPCIL.
• The Indian Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) is the main policy body in the country for Nuclear energy exploration and research.
• The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is in charge of designing, building, commissioning, and operating thermal nuclear power plants. Its financing approach is 70% equity & 30% debt.
• However, it intends to enlist other public and private organizations in future nuclear power growth, particularly the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), which is mostly government-owned.

India's Nuclear Energy Development Strategy:

• Currently, nuclear power generates 25% of worldwide clean energy.
• India's nuclear power program is mostly indigenous.
• The Indian government is determined to increase nuclear power generation as part of its huge infrastructure-building agenda.
• The government has set high goals for expanding nuclear capacity.
• Because India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty because of its weapons program, it was typically prohibited from trading in nuclear plants and materials for 34 years, restricting civil nuclear energy expansion until 2009.
• Due to past trade restrictions and an abundance of indigenous uranium, India has devised an innovative nuclear fuel cycle to utilize its thorium resources.
• Since 2010, a fundamental contradiction between India's civil liability law and international agreements has limited foreign technology provisions.

Benefits:

• Minimize carbon emission: Nuclear power remains an important part of India’s strategy to minimize carbon emissions in the long run.
• Meeting targets: This is essential to fulfill the Paris climate agreement as well as maintain high rates of economic growth.
• Meeting long-term demands: From a long-term perspective, India needs nuclear power. This is because we are short of oil, gas, and even coal. More than 70 percent of petroleum products, 40 percent of gas, and 20 percent of Coal consumption is based on imports.
• Diversification of energy options to attain energy security.

Challenges:

• Higher cost: Comparative costs of nuclear production are high as solar energy costs are decreasing, this difference is increasing further.
• Disposal: The disposal of radioactive material and the danger of nuclear accidents makes it further prohibitive.
• The threat of weapons: Beyond the risks associated with radioactive wastes, the threat of nuclear weapons looms large.

A sedentary lifestyle and wrong eating behavior have made people more vulnerable to diseases like type-2 diabetes. But slight modification in lifestyle can reverse it.

Diabetes:

• Diabetes is a Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar, or glucose), or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin, it produces.
• Type 2 diabetes is age-related; it often develops at the age of 45 and beyond.
• Type 1 diabetes is largely genetic in nature, while Type 2 depends on the lifestyle of the individual.

Its Types:

• Type I diabetes: Also known as juvenile diabetes, this type occurs when the body fails to produce insulin. People with type I diabetes are insulin-dependent, which means they must take artificial insulin daily to stay alive.
• Type 2 diabetes: It affects the way the body uses While the body still makes insulin, unlike in type I, the cells in the body do not respond to it as effectively as they once did.
  • This is the most common type of diabetes and it has strong links with obesity.
    

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes are similar to those of type 1 diabetes and include:

• • Excessive thirst and dry mouth
  • Frequent urination
  • Lack of energy, tiredness
  • Slow healing wounds
  • Recurrent infections in the skin
  • Blurred vision
  • Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
• Gestational diabetes: This type occurs in women during pregnancy when the body can become less sensitive to insulin. Gestational diabetes does not occur in all women and usually resolves after giving birth.
• Prediabetes: It occurs when your blood sugar is higher than normal, but it’s not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can be reversed without medication

• Use of less oil in cooking
• Eliminate trans-fats like vanaspati and avoid reheating oils
• Blending at least two edible oils with rice bran oil.
• encourage locally-grown healthy fruits and vegetables
• promote local millets, herbs, and nuts
• Egg white, fish, and chicken are excellent sources of non-veg protein
• Red meats should be avoided
• Mindful eating
• Breaking sitting posture every 30 minutes.
• Classical Surya namaskar and meditation
• Staying away from tobacco and alcohol

Use of Technology:

• Artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things can be used to create digital body digital twins of patients with the help of teams of professional coaches and doctors.
• The input sensors provide information on glucose, weight, body composition, food, activity, sleep habits as well as heart health and blood pressure creating a health signature of a person.
• These AI-generated signatures allow professionals to provide precise advice that enables the patient to handle the disease better and enables the elimination of medication in most cases.

Diabetes Burden in India:

• An ICMR-funded study has estimated that there are about 77 million diabetic patients across India today.
• According to Tata 1mg labs, about one-third of people tested for HbA1c were found to have diabetes.
• Diabetes is a growing challenge in India with an estimated 7% diabetic population in the age group of 20 and 70 years.

Government initiatives:

• India’s National non-communicable disease (NCD) Target is to prevent the rise in obesity and diabetes prevalence.
• National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancers, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) in 2010, to provide support for diagnosis and cost-effective treatment at various levels of health care.

World Diabetes Day:

• It is observed on 14^th November every year.
• The 2022 campaign will focus on access to diabetes education.
• Access to diabetes education is the theme of this year's World Diabetes Day.

A new satellite-based Methane Alert and Response system will now help governments detect methane emissions and tackle them.

Methane Alert and Response System (MARS):

• It is launched at the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
• MARS is a part of global efforts to slow climate change by tackling global warming gas.
• It will use state-of-the-art satellite data to identify significant emission events, notify relevant stakeholders, and support and track mitigation progress.
• MARS will integrate data from the rapidly expanding system of methane-detecting satellites to include lower-emitting area sources and more frequent detection.
• Data on coal, waste, livestock, and rice will be added gradually to MARS to support the Global Methane Pledge
  • India has not signed up for the Global Methane Pledge.

Components of the Methane Alert and Response System

• MARS will use data from global mapping satellites to identify very large methane plumes and methane hot spots and data from high-resolution satellites to then attribute the emissions to a specific source.
• UNEP(United Nations Environment Programme) will then notify governments and companies about the emissions, either directly or through partners, so that the responsible entity can take appropriate action.
• If requested, MARS partners will provide technical or advisory services such as help in assessing mitigation opportunities.
• UNEP will continue to monitor the event location and make the data and analysis available to the public between 45 and 75 days after the detection

About Methane:

• Methane is a rapidly accelerating part of the climate problem.
• It is the primary component of natural gas, and it warms the planet more than 80 times as quickly as a comparable volume of atmospheric CO2 over a comparable amount of time.

Sources of Methane:

• Biological Sources: There are biological sources of methane - it is made from some organic compounds by methane-generating microbes known as methanogens.
  • Methanogens are found in various natural environments where little or no oxygen is present.
  • Such environments include wetlands, landfills that are not well-vented, and submerged paddy fields.
• Agriculture: Agriculture is the predominant source of global methane emissions. Livestock emissions – from manure and gastroenteric releases – account for roughly 32% of human-caused methane emissions. Cows also belch out methane.
• Paddy rice cultivation – in which flooded fields prevent oxygen from penetrating the soil, creating ideal conditions for methane-emitting bacteria – accounts for another 8% of human-linked emissions.
• Emissions from Fuel and Industries: Fugitive emissions of methane from gas, coal, and oil sites are contributing to the climate crisis, but the extent of leakage of this potent greenhouse gas has been difficult to determine.
  • Methane leakage occurs at every stage of the supply chain from extraction and transport to use in homes and industries.
  • Much of the methane being released is due to “ultra-emitters”, which spew out copious amounts of the gas.

Steps were taken to Curb Methane Emissions:

• COP 26 Pledges: At COP26 in Glasgow, over 100 countries signed an agreement to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030.
• The US President has announced the Global Methane Pledge, which is a US-EU-led effort to cut methane emissions by a third by the end of this decade.
• MethaneSAT: Controlling methane emissions will require further scrutiny of its sources. To this end, satellites that will track methane leakage such as MethaneSAThave been planned to launch.
• The International Energy Forum (IEF) launched the IEF Methane Initiative in June 2021 to develop a methane emissions measurement methodology.

India's methane emissions and mitigation initiative

• Global Methane Initiative (GMI) website, India ranks fourth, and its methane emissions are nearly one-third that of China.

India’s Initiative:

• Central Salt & Marine Chemical Research Institute (CSMCRI) in collaboration with the country’s three leading institutes developed a seaweed-based animal feed additive formulation that aims to reduce methane emissions from cattle and also boost the immunity of cattle and poultry.
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed an anti-methanogenic feed supplement ‘HaritDhara’ (HD), which can cut down cattle methane emissions by 17-20% and can also result in higher milk production.
• Updated Nationally Determined Contribution: India now stands committed to reducing the Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030, from the 2005 level.
• Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources (Gobar-Dhan)
• New National Biogas and Organic
• National Livestock Mission

As the part of 40th East Asia summit and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held in Cambodia started on November 12, India has highlighted its stance on Global issues and its agenda for the upcoming G20 summit.

Highlights of the Summit:

• Location: Cambodian capital (Phnom Penh).
• The three-day summit also included the East Asia Summit.
• Major Participants other than ASEAN countries included S. President Joe Biden, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and others.
• India’s external affairs Minister Mr. S jaishankar took part in the summit.
• Major issues:: The following issues were discussed:
  • Crisis in Myanmar
  • Russia-Ukraine War and disrupted global supply chains
  • Global Consensus and coordination
  • For World's common interest to cooperate to solve differences peacefully
  • The comments come as regional tensions remain high between the United States and China over Taiwan and Beijing's growing regional aspirations

What was India’s stance at the Summit?

• Marking its Relations with ASEAN Countries: This year marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations and is being celebrated as the ‘ASEAN-India Friendship Year’.

• India G20 presidency and Agenda: India is also going to uptake the next G20 presidency in 2022-23. This has made it important for India to take steps for global support toward its agendas to fulfill.
  • The ASEAN summit was one of the stances towards it as per India.
  • The US has also mentioned its support for India’s presidency.
• Peaceful settlements between Russia and Ukraine: Being not given any clear statement for India’s support to the party in the war between both countries, India has mentioned that it is ready to go with any negotiation that remains in peace and non-weaponized.
• Against Terrorism: India with its INTERPOL meeting recently again cleared its No-tolerance policy for Terrorism. It is one of the important points of discussion with developed countries in G20.

Points remained Unaddressed in the Summit:

There exist a few points that remained undiscussed at the summit which are important for India as follows:

• Maritime security and Conflict between China’s intervention in overpowering the sea routes and Economic activities in the Indian Ocean.
• Terrorism and increasing Communal hate.
• Russia and US note on Nuclear Technologies uses in war.