Current Affairs Quiz 27 February 2024

About Article 142:
• The court used its power under Article 142 of the Constitution to do “complete justice” and protect the sanctity of electoral democracy.
• Article 142 of the Constitution: Enforcement of decrees and orders of Supreme Court and orders as to discovery, etc
• Article 142 of the Indian Constitution allows the Court to pass any necessary decree or order to do “complete justice” in any cause or matter pending before it.
• It empowers the Supreme Court with a unique and vast power known as “suo moto jurisdiction.”
Key Features
• Discretionary Power: The Court has the sole discretion to invoke Article 142, based on its understanding of “complete justice” in a particular case.
• Wide Scope: It applies to any case, irrespective of the subject matter or legal provisions involved.
• Binding Order: Any decree or order passed under Article 142 is enforceable throughout India.

Article 129 of the Indian Constitution empowers the Supreme Court to be a court of record.

Status of Working Women in India:
• As per the Union Budget 2022, the overall workforce participation rate in India is 20.3%, of which 18.2% is in Urban India.
o Women’s employability stands at 51.44% for 2022, compared to 41.25% in 2021.
• Periodic Labour Force Survey Report 2022-23: It shows that the Female Labour Force Participation Rate in the country has improved significantly by 4.2% points to 37.0% in 2023, as per the ‘usual status’ concept of measuring labour force participation.
• The presence of girls/women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is 43%, which is one of highest in the world.
o India is presently one of the only 15 countries in the world with a woman Head of State.
• National Family Health Survey 5 (NFHS 5): It says 88.7% women participate in major household decisions today as against 84% five years ago.
• Public Sphere: In the 2019 Lok Sabha election for the first time in the country since independence, 81 women were elected as Members of Lok Sabha.
o There are over 1.45 million or 46% women elected representatives in Panchayati Raj Institutions (against mandatory representation of 33%).

India’s Nuclear Programme
• Nuclear Energy is a non-carbon-emitting energy source that contributes less than 2% of India’s total electricity generation.
• NPCIL owns and operates India’s current fleet of nuclear power plants, with a capacity of 7,500 MW, and has committed investments for another 1,300 MW.
• India imports uranium fuel for nuclear plants from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, France and Canada under bilateral agreements.

Microplastics:
• These are tiny fragments of plastic that are less than 5 millimetres in diameter. They originate from various sources, including cosmetics, city dust, road markings, and engineered plastic pellets.
• However, the majority of the primary microplastics in the world’s oceans come from the laundry of textiles (35%) and the abrasion of tires while driving (28%).
Nanoplastics:
• These are even smaller, with dimensions ranging from 1 nanometer to 1 micrometre.
• They are believed to be more toxic than larger microplastics as they can more easily enter the human body.

Malta became the 119th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).