Current Affairs 14 February 2022

CONTENTS

1. SC examines allegations of rampant misuse of PMLA
2. Sri Ramanujacharya
3. Uniform civil code
4. Modernisation of Police Forces Scheme
5. Why Australia has listed koalas as endangered species

SC Examines Allegations of Rampant Misuse of PMLA

Context:

The Supreme Court is looking into allegations of metamorphosis of an anti-money laundering law, brought to sniff out drug money, into a potent weapon to raid rivals and deny rights.

• A three-judge Bench is holding back-to-back hearings on petitions filed by people from all walks of life and across the country complaining of the alleged subversion of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the government and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Relevance:

GS-III: Internal Security Challenges (Money Laundering),

GS II: Governance

Dimensions of the Article:

1. Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002
2. Enforcement Directorate
3. Functions of Enforcement Directorate

Click Here To Read More: SC Examines Allegations of Rampant Misuse of PMLA

Sri Ramanujacharya

Context:

President has expressed confidence that Srirama Nagaram, the venue of the Statue of Equality — the 216-ft pancha loha statue of poet saint Sri Ramanujacharya — would become a renowned spiritual destination for people from across the country and abroad.

Relevance:

GS I- Art and Culture, History

Dimensions of the article:

1. About Statue of Equality
2. About Sri Ramanuja
3. About Bhakti movement

Click Here To Read More: Sri Ramanujacharya

Uniform Civil Code

Context

The Uttarakhand CM has promised a uniform civil code for the state if BJP is voted back to power. 

Relevance:

 GS II- Polity

Dimensions of the Article:

1. What is Uniform Civil Code (UCC)?
2. Positive aspects of Uniform Civil Code include
3. Challenges in Implementing Uniform Civil Code Include
4. Does India not already have a UCC for civil matters?
5. How does the idea of UCC relate to the Fundamental Right to religion?

Click Here To Read More: Uniform Civil Code

Modernisation of Police Forces Scheme

Context:

The Government under the leadership of Prime Minister has approved continuation of umbrella scheme of Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF) for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26.

• This scheme comprises all relevant sub-schemes that contribute to modernization and improvement with a total Central financial outlay of Rs.26,275 crore.

Relevance:

GS II- Polity and Governance

Dimensions of the Article:

1. About Modernisation of Police Forces scheme
2. Salient Features of the scheme

Click Here To Read MOre: Modernisation of Police Forces Scheme

Why Australia Has Listed Koalas As Endangered Species

Context:

Once found in abundance, Australia’s much-loved koalas have now been officially classified as ‘endangered’ after widespread bushfires, drought and land clearing destroyed much of their eucalyptus-rich habitat.

• Australia’s environment minister announced that the government was upgrading the conservation status of the marsupials from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’ in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, based on the recommendation of the threatened species scientific committee.

Relevance:

GS III- Environment

Dimensions of the Article:

1. Australia’s Koala population
2. Why did the Australian government finally declare Koalas endangered?

Australia’s Koala population

• According to fossil records, Koala species have inhabited parts of Australia for at least 25 million years, a WWF report states.
  •  But today, only one species remains — the Phascolarctos cinereus.
• They are found in the wild in the southeast and eastern sides of Australia — in coastal Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.
• Since Europeans first settled in the region, the Koala population has faced widespread habitat loss, particularly due to agriculture and the construction of urban settlements.
• They survive on a strict diet of up to a kilogram of eucalyptus leaves every day.
• Due to the low nutritional value of these leaves, koalas tend to sleep for extended periods, often up to 18 hours a day, to conserve energy.

Why did the Australian government finally declare Koalas endangered?

• Australia’s Koala population has been on the road to extinction for over two decades now.
• During the catastrophic 2019 bushfires in Australia, now known as the ‘Black Summer’, an estimated 60,000 koalas were impacted, with vast swathes of their habitat being blackened and rendered unliveable.
• More than 12 million acres of land were destroyed across New South Wales alone.
• Another major threat is the spread of chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease known to cause blindness and cysts in the koalas reproductive tract.
• In 2020, a parliamentary inquiry in NSW found that Koalas would be extinct in the state by 2050 unless the government took urgent action.
• Late last month, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the government will be spending a record $35 million over the next four years towards the conservation and recovery of the koala population.

-Source: Indian Express