UPSC Daily Current Affairs – Prelims [8th February 2023]

Existing limit to fix OBC non-creamy layer enough

Source: The Hindu

In News

• The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment states that the existing income limit for determining the non-creamy layer among OBCs “is sufficient” and there is no proposal to revise it.

Background:

• Existing income limit for OBC reservation:
  • Parents’ annual income of ₹8 lakh or more excludes OBCs from reservation benefits, putting them in the creamy layer category.
• Demands for revision:
  • Backward Class associations and the NCBC have recommended raising the limit to at least ₹10 lakh.
  • Union government has asked the NCBC to evaluate the need for revision every three years.
• Previous revisions:
  • First revision in 2004 (raised to ₹2.5 lakh in 2004, ₹4.5 lakh in 2008, ₹6 lakh in 2013, and ₹8 lakhs in 2017).
• Task force report:
  • Internal government task force concluded in 2019 that the limit should be raised to ₹12 lakhs.

Creamy Layer: A threshold for determining eligibility for OBC reservation benefits.

Genesis of the Concept:

• Mandal Commission Report (2nd Backward Classes Commission):
  • The government provided 27% reservation for OBCs in central government jobs in 1990, which was challenged in the Supreme Court.
• Indira Sawhney Case (1992):
  • A nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court upheld reservations for OBCs but ruled that the creamy layer must be excluded and decided by the central government.

Remission

Source – Hindustan Times

In News

Background

• The Supreme Court recently dismissed a plea by the Uttar Pradesh government regarding the decision on remission pleas of convicts serving a life term.

Previous Directive

• Previously, the Supreme Court had directed the state government to make a decision on 2,248 cases of remission within three months.

Supreme Court’s Observation

• In its observation, the Supreme Court emphasized that even a constitutional authority cannot claim to be above the law. The law obligates every authority equally and the Constitution ensures that there is no vacuum at the level of constitutional functionaries.

Three Months Deadline for Cases of Remission

• The Supreme Court upheld the three months deadline for the state government to make a decision on cases of remission.

Remission

• Remission refers to the early release of a convicted prisoner before the completion of their sentence. The concept of remission was first introduced through the Prisons Act of 1894.

Constitutional Provisions for Remission:

• Article 72 of the Constitution of India grants the President of India the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites, or remissions of punishment.
• Article 161 of the Constitution of India empowers the Governor of a state to grant remission.
• The Prisons Act states that only state governments can make rules for granting remission.

Examples of Remission:

• A prisoner serving a 10-year sentence may be granted remission after serving 5 years.
• In case of good behavior and participation in rehabilitation programs, a prisoner may be eligible for remission.

South India’s First Industrial Corridor Project

Source – PIB

In News

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, recently laid the foundation stone for South India’s first Industrial Corridor Project. This project is set to be implemented in Tumakuru and will be a part of the Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC).

Key Highlights of the CBIC Project:

• The CBIC project aims to develop industrial townships at three key nodes, namely:
  • Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh
  • Tumakuru in Karnataka
  • Ponneri in Tamil Nadu

Benefits of the CBIC Project:

• The CBIC project will act as a catalyst for economic development in South India and help to create job opportunities in the region.
• It will also help to improve the infrastructure and transport connectivity between Chennai, Bengaluru, and the surrounding areas.

About Tumakuru Industrial Township 

It has been planned with a holistic and integrated approach in line with the principles of PM-GatiShakti to address the issue of last-mile multi-modal connectivity to the economic zone.

National Industrial Corridor Development Programme

The National Industrial Corridor Programme (NICP) is a flagship infrastructure initiative of the Government of India, launched in 2007. The objective of the programme is to enhance India’s competitiveness in manufacturing by creating world-class infrastructure and reducing logistics costs.

Implementation:

• The NICP aims to develop 32 greenfield industrial smart cities across 11 industrial corridors in India. These cities will be equipped with state-of-the-art, plug-and-play infrastructure to attract businesses and entrepreneurs.
• The NICP operates under the mantra of “Reform, Perform, and Transform” to drive the development of these industrial cities.
• Progress So Far:
  • Four smart industrial cities have already been completed under the NICP, namely:
    • Dholera in Gujarat
    • Shendra Bidkin in Maharashtra
    • Vikram Udyogpuri in Madhya Pradesh
    • Integrated Industrial Township at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh
• Nodal Agency:
  • The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce is the nodal agency responsible for the implementation of the NICP.

Spy Balloons

Source – The Hindu

In News

Recently, the US shot down a Chinese-made spy balloon in American airspace. This event brings to light the issue of high-altitude spy balloons and their use in military missions.

What are Spy Balloons?

• Spy balloons are high-altitude surveillance devices that operate at an altitude of 80,000 to 120,000 feet, well above the cruising altitude of commercial aircraft.
• These balloons are used to gather intelligence and carry out other military missions.
• During the Cold War, the US military used high-altitude balloons (Project Genetrix and Project Mogul) to spy on the Soviet Union.

Advantages:

• Spy balloons are more economically viable than satellites.
• Due to their proximity to Earth’s surface, they can take high-resolution images of the target.

Disadvantages:

• However, one of the drawbacks of these balloons is that they cannot be directly steered but can only be roughly guided.

12 New Moons Discovered Around Jupiter

Source – The Hindu

In News

Astronomers have made an exciting discovery with the recent identification of 12 new moons orbiting Jupiter, bringing the planet’s total number of moons to a staggering 92, a new record.

• Jupiter and Saturn, two giant planets in our solar system, are known for their large number of small moons, believed to be the remains of once-larger moons that collided with each other, comets or asteroids. The same can be said for Uranus and Neptune, although spotting moons around these distant planets is even more challenging.
• Moons in Our Solar System:
  • Uranus: 27 confirmed moons
  • Neptune: 14 confirmed moons
  • Mars: 2 confirmed moons
  • Earth: 1 moon
  • Venus and Mercury: no confirmed moons

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