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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 28 November 2020

::NATIONAL::

Prime Minister raised the pitch for “One Nation, One Election” and a single voter list for all polls in order to prevent the impact of the model code of conduct on development works every few months due to frequent elections.

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Prime Minister also asked the presiding officers attending the meet to apply their mind to simplify the language of statute books and allow for an easier process to weed out redundant laws.
He said, “One Nation, One Election' isn’t just an issue of deliberation but also a need of the country. Elections are held at different places every few months and it hampers the developmental work. Therefore, it’s a must to have a deep study and deliberation on ‘One Nation, One Election’.”
On one voter list, he observed, “only one voter list should be used for Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and other elections. Why are we wasting time and money?”
Emphasising need for coordination between all three wings of the state -- Legislature, Executive and Judiciary, he stated that everything, from their role to their decorum, was described in the Constitution itself.

Autonomous District Council (ADC)s are institutions of local governance created under sixth schedule with executive, legislative and judicialpowers.
Sixth Schedule consists of provisions for administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura andMizoram.
There are 10 areas- three in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram each and one in Tripura that are registered asautonomous districts.
Each autonomous district and regional council consists of not more than 30 members, of which four arenominated by the governor and the rest via elections.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued the ‘Helmet for riders of Two Wheelers Motor Vehicles (Quality Control) Order, 2020.
Protective Helmets for Two-Wheeler Riders have been included under compulsory BIS certification and the publication of the Quality Control Order.

Key recommendations:

As per the directions of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety for considering lighter helmets in India suiting the country's climatic conditions and that for ensuring compliance amongst citizen to wear the helmets, a Committee wasformulated.
The Committee had experts from different fields, including expert doctors from AIIMS and also from BIS.
The Committee in March 2018 after detailed analysis in itsreport recommended lighter helmetsin the Country, and Ministry accepted the report.

Quality control order:

QCO would mean that only BIS certified two-wheeler helmets would be manufactured and sold in the Country for two wheelers.
This would help in avoiding sale of low-qualitytwo-wheeler helmets in the Country which would in turn help in protecting citizens involved in two-wheeler accidents from fatal injuries.

Income-tax e-filing portal has completed its integration with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India(ICAI) portal for validation of UDIN generated from the ICAI portal.
It will help in weeding out fake or incorrect tax audit reports not duly authenticated with the ICAI.
UDIN is 18 digits system generated unique number for every document certified/ attested by practising CAs.
Its purpose is to curb fake certifications by non-CAs (chartered accountants) misrepresenting themselves asCA.

The report, which was released last week and is widely being referred to as the‘Brereton War Crimes Report’, alleges that a group of 19 soldiers within the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) elite Special Air Services and commandosregiment had killed and brutalised at least 39 Afghan civilians, including children.

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The damning report was released after a four-year inquiry led by Army ReserveMajor General Paul Brereton following whistle-blower and local media reports ofalleged killings of unarmed Afghani civilians. Over four years, investigators lookedinto at least 57 incidents of misconduct and questioned over 400 witnesses underoath.
The inquiry found that, “credible evidence” of the “murder” of 39 prisoners, farmers and other civilians by19 special forces soldiers between 2005 and 2016.
The report described the soldier’sactions as a “disgraceful and a profound betrayal” of the ADF.
The final report was delivered on 6 November 2020. The redacted version was released publicly on 19 November 2020.

Key findings:

The report found evidence of 39 murders of civilians and prisoners by (or at the instruction of) members of the Australian special forces, which were subsequently covered up by ADF personnel.
The report stated 25 ADF personnel were involved in the killings, including those who were "accessories" to the incident.
The unlawful killings discussed by the report began in 2009, with most occurring in 2012 and 2013.

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Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling (BEOSP) is also recognised as brain fingerprinting.
It is a neuro psychological method of interrogation in which the accused’s participation in the crime is investigated by studying their brain’s response.
The BEOSP test is executed via a process known as electroencephalogram, conducted to study the electrical behaviour of the human brain.
Under this test, the consent of the accused is first taken and they are then made to wear caps with dozens of electrodes attached to them.
The accused are then shown visuals or played audio clips related to the crime to check if there is any triggering of neurons in their brains which then generate brainwaves. The test results are then studied to determine the participation of the accused in a crime.

One of the focuses of the new Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, currently being drafted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), will be to increase the participation of women in science.

WhatisAthenaSWAN?

The Athena SWAN Charter is an evaluationandaccreditationprogrammeintheUKenhancinggenderequityinscience,technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM).
Participatingresearchorganisations and academic institutions arerequired to analyse data on gender equityand develop action plans for improvement.
Theprogrammerecognisessucheffortswithbronze, silver or gold accreditation.
Institutions that sign up commit to addressing unequal gender representation;tackling the gender pay gap; removing theobstaclesfacedbywomenincareerdevelopmentandprogression;discriminatory treatmentoften experiencedbytranspeople;genderbalance ofcommitteesandzerotoleranceforbullyingandsexualharassment.

The Indian and Australian cricketers will wear black armbands and observe a minute's silence ahead of the first ODI on Friday in honour of Dean Jones, who died during the IPL in September.
The former Australia batsman, who had represented his country in 52 Tests and 164 ODIs, was in Mumbai as part of IPL official broadcaster's commentary panel when he died on September 24 following a cardiac arrest.
To honour his life, Cricket Australia has decided to pay two significant tributes during the India series.