Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 16 November 2022

::NATIONAL::

Forced religious conversion

• The Supreme Court said that if such forced religiousconversionis not stopped it will pose a danger to the security of the country as well as citizens’ fundamental right to freedom of conscience as far as religion is concerned.

About:

• Terming forced religious conversion a "very serious" issue, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to step in and make sincere efforts to check the practice. 
• It also warned a "very difficult situation" will emerge if forced religious conversions are not stopped.
• The top court observed there may be freedom of religion but there cannot be freedom of religion by forced conversion.
• "The issue with respect to the alleged conversion of religion, if it is found to be correct and true, is a very serious issue which may ultimately affect the security of the nation as well as the freedom of religion and conscience of the citizens.
• "Therefore, it is better that the Union government may make their stand clear and file counter on what steps can be taken by Union and/or others to curb such forced conversion maybe by force, allurement or fraudulent means," the bench said in its order.

Background:

• To date, there has been no central legislation restricting or regulating religious conversions.
• Several states like Odisha, Madhya Pradesh etc have enacted legislation to restrict religiousconversions by force, fraud, or inducements.
• In Rev. Stainislaus vs State Of Madhya Pradesh & Others, 1977, SC had upheld the constitutionalvalidity of anti-conversion legislation of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.
• It held that right to propagate does not include the right to convert.

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National Press Day

• The day is observed on 16th November every year to commemorate a free and responsible press.

About:

• It was on this day that the Press Council of India started functioning as a moral watchdog to ensure that the press maintains high standards and is not fettered by any influence or threats.
• Since the year 1997, the Council has commemorated the day in a significant way through seminars with relevant themes.

Press Council of India:

• The Press Council of India was first set up in the year 1966 by the Parliament on the recommendations of the First Press Commission.
• Status: It is a statutory body functioning under the Press Council Act, 1978.
• Objective: Preserving the freedom of the press and of maintaining and improving the standards of press in India.
• Function: It is a quasi-judicial authority. It adjudicates the complaints against and by the press for violation of ethics and for violation of the freedom of the press respectively.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

State of the Climate in Asia 2021 report

• World Meteorological Organizationrecently published theState of the Climate in Asia 2021 report.It is second in the series of the report.

About:

• The State of the Climate in Asia 2021 report highlighted how climate change impacts are wreaking an ever-increasing human, financial and environmental toll, worsening food insecurity and poverty and holding back sustainable development.
• The report also painted a worrying scenario for future water stress. 
• High Mountain Asia, including the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, contains the largest volume of ice outside of the polar region, with approximately an area of 100,000 km2 of glacier coverage. 
• The rate of glacier retreat is accelerating and many glaciers suffered from intense mass losses as the result of exceptionally warm and dry conditions in 2021.
• These so-called water towers of the world are vital for freshwater supplies for the most densely populated part of the planet and so glacier retreat has major implications for future generations.

East Asia Summit

1. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed the East Asia Summit on the last day of his visit to Cambodia, as the three-day Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit concluded.

About East Asia Summit:

• Established in 2005, 16 participating countries comprised this grouping, with their first meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 
• These members were the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea. ASEAN’s 10 member countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 
• The United States and the Russian Federation joined at the 6th East Asia Summit in 2011.

Key objectives:

• Simply, the EAS is an ASEAN initiative and refers to the annual Meeting of Heads of States/Governments of these countries, where they are able to discuss common concerns and interests.
• Its creation was based on the idea of enhancing cooperation among East Asian countries and those in the neighbouring regions. 
• Six priority areas of cooperation were identified – environment and energy, education, finance, global health issues and pandemic diseases, natural disaster management, and ASEAN Connectivity.
• In the past, the issues of claims over the South China Sea, the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea, terrorism, the actions of North Korea and the conflict situation in Myanmar have been discussed by the countries.

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::Economy::

Sebi forms detailed regulatory framework for online bond platform providers

• Sebi came out with a detailed regulatory framework for online bond platform (OBP) providers in a bid to streamline their operations.

About:

• SEBI has defined OBP as any electronic system, other than a recognised stockexchange on which the debt securities which are listed or proposed to be listed,are offered and transacted.E.g., BondsIndia, GoldenPi etc.
• Under new rules, OBPs must obtain a registration certificate as a stock brokerfrom SEBI, ensure data governance etc.

Need for rules

• OBPs were not regulated by SEBI and most of them are being operated byfintech companies.
• OBPs provide an avenue for non-institutional investors to access the bondmarket, thus a need to ensure transparency remain.

::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::

DRR Dhan 60

• Scientists at Indian Institute of Rice Research have developed paddy varieties that require at least30 per cent lower phosphorous.

About DRR Dhan 60:

• It is first rice variety in country with low phosphorous tolerance for any crop.
• DRR Dhan 66, DRR Dhan 65, and WGL-1487 are the other varieties which offer same benefits.
• Phosphorous is a key macronutrient responsible for energy storage and transfer within cells.
• It helps speeding up root development, facilitates greater Nitrogen uptake and results inhigher grain protein yields.

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