Prelim Bits 10-02-2023 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

Expunction

Portions of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s speech delivered in Lok Sabha have been expunged from the records of Parliament by the orders of the Speaker.

• Expunction is the removal of certain words, sentences, or portions of a speech from the records of Parliament by the orders of the Speaker.
• Expunction is fairly routine procedure in the Parliament, and is carried out in accordance with laid down rules.
• Provision - Under Article 105(2) of the Constitution no Member of Parliament shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said in Parliament or any committee thereof.
• However, the MPs cannot use ‘defamatory or indecent or undignified or unparliamentary’ words inside the House.
• The speech of MPs is subject to
  1. The discipline of the Rules of Parliament,
  2. “good sense” of its Members, and
  3. The control of proceedings by the Speaker.
• Rule 380 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha provides for ‘Expunction’.

• Deciding Authority - The Presiding Officer of the House (Speaker in Lok Sabha under Rule 380) has the discretion to expunge the word or usage.
• The presiding officer decides on which parts of the proceedings are to be expunged.
• Unparliamentary Expressions - The words or expressions that would likely be considered rude or offensive in most cultures and found ‘unparliamentary’ by Presiding officers over the years.
• ‘Unparliamentary Expressions’ is a bulky volume of book published by the Lok Sabha secretariat containing unparliamentary expressions.
• It also contains content that would appear to be fairly harmless and innocuous.
• Basis - The context in which a word or sentence is used is key to making the decision on whether to expunge.
• Expunged portions of the proceedings cease to exist in the records of Parliament.
• They can no longer be reported by media houses, even though they may have been heard during the live telecast of the proceedings.
• New age challenge - Proliferation of social media hinders the watertight implementation of expunction orders.

References

1. IE - What does 'Expunction' mean and when does this happen?

QR code-based CVM

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will start a pilot project to launch QR code based Coin Vending Machines.

• The Reserve Bank of India will launch a pilot project on QR Code based Coin Vending Machine (QCVM) in 12 cities.
• The QR-code based Coin Vending Machines (CVM) will enhance ease of access to coins.
• Customers can withdraw coins in required quantity and denominations in QCVMs.
• The QCVM will dispense coins against debit to the customer’s account.
• These vending machines will dispense coins using UPI instead of physical tendering of banknotes.
• Based on the learnings from the pilot, guidelines will be issued to banks to promote distribution of coins using these machines.

References

1. Business line - RBI to launch pilot QR-code based CVM
2. Live Mint - QR code-based coin vending machine: How it will work?

Northern Ireland Protocol

The United Kingdom Supreme Court ruled that the Northern Ireland Protocol is lawful.

• Northern Ireland (part of the UK) shared a land border with the Republic of Ireland (an EU member).
• EU and UK have different product standards, checks are necessary for goods to move from Northern Ireland to Ireland.
• The Northern Ireland Protocol is a post-BREXIT agreement that created a trade border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
• The protocol was an integral part of the 2019 BREXIT agreement signed between the UK and the EU.
• Under the protocol,
  1. Northern Ireland remains in the EU single market, and
  2. Trade-and-customs inspections of goods coming from Great Britain take place at Northern Ireland ports along the Irish Sea.

• UK plan - The UK government has proposed the creation of a ‘green lane’ and a ‘red lane’ for checking.
  1. The ‘green lane’ would have fewer checks and customs controls only for goods going to Northern Ireland.
  2. The ‘red lane’ would have a more stringent checks and for goods going on to the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the EU.

• In January 2023, both EU and UK signing a deal on sharing data regarding trade between them.
• The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was a political deal designed to bring an end to the 30 years ‘Troubles’ in the Northern Ireland.

References

1. IE - UK SC upholds legality of the Northern Ireland Protocol
2. BBC - What is Northern Ireland Protocol

QUAD Cyber Challenge

QUAD launched a public campaign 'Quad Cyber Challenge' to improve cyber security across their nations.

• Quad Cyber Challenge is a public campaign launched by the QUAD nations.
• The initiative shows the continuous efforts of Quad nations to bolster cyber security awareness and action.
• The effort also fosters a more secure and resilient cyber ecosystem to benefit economies and users.
• Aim - To encourage internet users across the Indo-Pacific and beyond to adopt safe and responsible cyber habits.
• The Quad Cyber Challenge provides resources, including basic cybersecurity information and training for all users.
• Need - Internet-users worldwide are targets of cybercrime and other malicious cyber threats.
• Several cyber-attacks can be guarded against by simple preventative measures.
• Preventive Measures - Small steps by internet users and providers significantly improve cyber security.
• The steps include -
  1. Routinely installing security updates
  2. Enhanced identity checks through multi-factor authentication
  3. Using stronger and regularly changing passphrases
  4. Knowing how to identify common online scams, like phishing
• Coordinator India - The office of the National Cyber Coordinator with the National Security Council Secretariat.

References

1. The Hindu - Quad nations launch 'Quad Cyber Challenge'
2. Economic Times - Quad partners launch Cyber Challenge
3. Hindustan Times - 'Quad cyber challenge' to improve cyber security

SSLV-D2

ISRO launched its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, in its first launch of 2023.

• The second developmental flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2) is a demonstration of designed Payload capability of SSLV in LEO.
• The SSLV D2 rocket injected 3 satellites into an intended 450-km circular orbit.
  • ISRO’s earth observation satellite EOS-07 and
  • 2 co-passenger satellites developed by start-ups — Janus-1 and AzaadiSat2

Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)

• SSLV is ISRO’s 6^th and smallest launch vehicle.
• SSLV is capable of launching mini, micro or nano satellites in the 10-500 kg segment into the 500 km planar orbit.
• Orbit - It caters to the launch of satellites to Low Earth Orbits (LEO) on a ‘launch-on-demand’ basis.
• Fuel - It has 3 solid propulsion stages and a liquid-fuel-based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) to place satellites in orbit.
• Advantages of SSLV - SSLV can cater to the ISRO’s small-satellite-launch market.
  1. Low-cost access to Space.
  2. Low turn-around time.
  3. Flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites.
  4. Demands minimal launch infrastructure.
  5. The rocket can be assembled by a small team in only a few days.

ISRO’s workhorse PSLV takes 6 months and around 600 people for assembling.

SSLV-D1 - SSLV’s first development flight that took place in August 2022, failed to place the satellites in precise orbit.

References

1. IE - Explained: ISRO’s SSLV-D2 launch
2. The Hindu - ISRO launches SSLV's second developmental flight
3. IE - ISRO’s SSLV’s second developmental flight with 3 satellites