DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

09 March 2022

1 – ABOUT THE CHIEF INFORMATION COMMISSION: 

GS II

Topic – Statutory & Non-Statutory Bodies

• The Central Information Commission:
• The Central Government established the Right to Information Commission in 2005 under the requirements of the Right to Information Act (2005).
• Members:
• There is a Chief Information Commissioner and a maximum of ten Information Commissioners on the Commission.
• They are selected by the President after a committee consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the leader of the single largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha, and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister makes its recommendation.
• Tenure:
• The Chief Information Commissioner and each Information Commissioner must serve for the duration of the Central Government’s mandate or until they reach the age of 65, whichever comes first.
• Reappointment is not an option for them.
• CIC’s Power and Functions:
• It is the Commission’s responsibility to receive and investigate any complaint regarding information requested under RTI, 2005.
• If there are reasonable grounds, the Commission might order an investigation into any matter (suo-moto power).
• The Commission has the same authorities as a civil court in terms of summoning witnesses, requesting documents, and so on when conducting its investigation.
• Source – The Hindu

2 – WHAT IS THE COMMISSION FOR AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT:

GS III

Topic – Environmental Conservation related issues

• About:
• The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) is an organisation dedicated to improving air quality.
• In October 2020, the Commission was established by ordinance for the first time.
• To make space for the Commission, the former Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, or EPCA, was dissolved.
• The Commission will function as a statutory body.
• The Commission will take the place of bodies like the Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan pollution control boards.
• Composition:
• Chairperson: A government official with the level of Secretary or Chief Secretary will preside over the meeting.
• The chairperson will serve for three years or until he or she reaches the age of 70.
• It will include representatives from a variety of ministries as well as stakeholder states.
• Experts from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and civil society will participate.
• Functions and powers:
• It will have the authority to issue directives to these state governments on air pollution issues.
• It will hear as many complaints as it thinks necessary in order to safeguard and improve the air quality in the NCR and surrounding areas.
• It will also establish air pollution control guidelines.
• It will also be responsible for detecting violators, monitoring companies and industries, as well as any other polluting unit in the region, and having the authority to shut them down.
• It will also have the authority to overturn instructions issued by regional state administrations that may violate pollution standards.
• Other important elements of the bill include:
• The act of stubble burning has been decriminalised, and the section that might lead to jail time has been removed.
• It proposed that anyone who are discovered to be participating in stubble burning, including farmers, pay an environmental restitution cost.

• Source – The Hindu

3 – ABOUT THE MODEL CODE OF CONDUCT:

GS II

Topic – Electoral related issues

• What exactly is MCC:
• The Election Commission of India has published recommendations for political parties and candidates to follow during elections, primarily in regards to speeches, polling day, polling booths, election manifestos, processions, and general behaviour.
• This is in accordance with Article 324 of the Constitution, which requires the EC to hold free and fair elections to the National Assembly and State Legislatures.
• The goal is to ensure that elections are free and fair.
• When does it go into effect:
• So far, the Model Code of Conduct has taken effect as soon as the commission announces the election schedule.
• The Code will stay in effect until the election is completed.
• Status:
• It is in the interest of free and fair elections that such a code be required.
• The code, on the other hand, is not based on any specific legislation.
• It merely has a persuasion impact. It contains what are known as “electoral morality rules.”
• However, the lack of legal support does not prohibit the Commission from enforcing it.
• Evolution:
• The Commission first published the code in 1971 (5th Election) and has since updated it several times.
• This set of guidelines was developed with the agreement of political parties who agreed to abide by the values enshrined in the code, as well as to respect and adhere to it in form and spirit.
• What is it made up of:
• The Model Code of Conduct lays out how political parties, contesting candidates, and the party(s) in power should conduct themselves during the election process, including general electioneering conduct, holding meetings and processions, poll day activities, and the functioning of the party in power, among other things.
• Enforcement:
• The EC has created a number of measures to detect code violations, including joint task forces of enforcement agencies and flying squads.
• The most recent development is the launch of the cVIGIL smartphone app, which allows audio-visual proof of malpractices to be reported.
• Source – The Hindu

4 – HOW HYDROGEN SULPHIDE GAS CAN BE USED TO CURE HIV DISEASE:

Prelims Specific Topic

• The Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) and its partners have discovered that hydrogen sulphide (H2S) gas plays a critical function in inhibiting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
• H2S levels were discovered to have a direct effect on the virus’s ability to multiply in HIV-infected human immune cells. The discovery lays the possibility for the development of a more comprehensive HIV antiviral therapy.
• Researchers from IISc’s Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology (MCB) and the Centre for Infectious Disease Research (CIDR), as well as collaborators from the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, were part of the team. The findings were published in the eLife journal.
• Current state-of-the-art combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is not a cure for HIV, according to an IISc. statement. It can only make the virus dormant in order to suppress it.

• Source – The Hindu