Newspaper Notes | 15 August 2023 | UPSC CSE

(Important Topics Notes - Shashank Sajwan)

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1. Retail inflation surges from 4.87% to 7.44%

• Retail inflation re-surged in July to hit 7.44% from 4.87% in June.

• Consumers faced a sharp 11.5% spike in food prices.
• This is the highest pace of retail inflation since April 2022 and the first time
since September 2022 that price rise has been over 7%.
• Vegetable prices soared 37.3% mainly due to tomato.

2. After Moon, ISRO gearing up to launch mission to study sun

• The Indian Space Research Organisation is gearing up for another launch

named Aditya-L1.
• It will be the first space based Indian Observatory to study the sun.
• The spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 of
the Sun-Earth system which is about 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth.
• A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point enjoys the major
advantage of having a continuous view of the sun without any eclipses.
• The spacecraft will carry seven payloads to observe the photosphere,
chromosphere and the outermost layers of the sun using electromagnetic
and particle and magnetic field detectors.
• Four payloads will directly view the sun and the other three are to carry out
in situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange Point 1.

Static takeaway: Lagrange points are the locations in space where the
combined gravitational pull of two large masses roughly balances each
other.

3. The centre must revisit the PM-USHA and take on board dissenting states

• The Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) has mandated

states and union territories to implement the national education policy 2020
and adopt contentious academic criteria in order to avail the funds under PM
USHA.
• Only 22 states and Union territories have joined the scheme which requires
a memorandum of understanding to be signed between the state and the
Department of higher education. The MoU Includes commitment from states
on adopting guidelines for national credit framework and choice base credit
system for four years undergraduate programme.

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 • Without agreeing to these conditions, states cannot avail of a share in the
funds, an outlay of rupees 12,926 crore between 2023-24 and 2025-26.
• 40% of funding has to be borne by the respective state governments.
• Fourteen states and Union Territories including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu
have refused to join the scheme.

Static takeaway: In the light of the National Education Policy, RUSA

(Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan) Scheme has been launched as
Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM- USHA) in June
2023. RUSA was launched in October 2013, aiming at providing
strategic funding to higher education institutions throughout the
country.

4. The new bills to overhaul criminal laws

• The centre introduced three new bills in the Lok Sabha that proposed a
complete overhaul of the country’s criminal system by replacing IPC by the
Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, CrPC by Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and
Indian Evidence Act by Bhartiya Sakshya Sanhita.
• The parliamentary standing committee in its 111th and 128th reports had
highlighted the need for reform in criminal laws.
• Dr Ranbir Singh committee was created to recommend reforms in the
criminal laws of the country.
• Part seven of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita has section 150 that criminalises act
endangering sovereignty unity and integrity of India. This has replaced the
sedition offence under section 124A of the IPC.
• The punishment of all types of gang rape will now include 20 years of
imprisonment or life imprisonment. The punishment for the rape of a minor
will include imposition of the death penalty.
• Capital punishment has been introduced for the first time for the offence of
mob lynching.
• The bill also criminalises sexual intercourse under the false pretext of
marriage or by deceitful means.

Static takeaway: The codification of criminal laws in India was done

during British rule, which more or less remains the same even in the
21st century. Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay is said to be the chief
architect of codifications of criminal laws in India.

5. India, China holds 19th round of Corps Commander talks

• India and China held in the 19th round of corps commander level talks at
Chushul as part of the ongoing efforts for overall disengagement and de-
escalation to resolve the standoff in eastern Ladakh.

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• Since the corps commander level talks began in 2020 the two sides have
undertaken disengagement from five friction points – Galwan, the north and
south banks of Panging Tso, and patrol points 15 and 17A in the Gogra Hot
Springs area.
• The last few rounds of talks have stalled over disengagement from the
Depsang Plains and Demchok.

Static takeaway: The Chushul sub-sector lies south of Pangong Tso in

eastern Ladakh. It is one among the five Border Personnel Meeting
points between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army of
China. Bum La and Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh, Daulat Beg Oldi,
and Nathu La in Sikkim are the other meeting points.

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