CURRENT AFFAIRS – 31.01.2024 – Plover Minds Institute LLP

INDIAN SNOW LEOPARD

The snow leopard is known to be an elusive cat and located in mountainous terrain that is hard to access
The survey exercise for the first time marks a base threshold for the animal’s numbers in India
The snow leopard is classified as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
It faces threats from free-ranging dogs, human-wildlife conflicts, and poaching
The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) began in 2019
It involves the World Wide Fund for Nature-India and the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru, along with the WII
India has an estimated 718 snow leopards in the wild, according to a first-of-its kind, four-year-long estimation exercise
The highest number of cats was estimated to be in Ladakh (477), followed by Uttarakhand (124),Himachal Pradesh (51),Arunachal Pradesh (36),Sikkim (21),Jammu and Kashmir (9)
The current estimate puts the number of Indian snow leopards between 10% and 15% of the global population
Survey carried by setting up cameras, or camera traps, in 1,971 locations
Surveying 13,450 km of trails
Teams surveyed for recording signs of snow leopards such as scat, hair and other body markers
The States conducted the surveys and the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, an autonomous body of the Union Environment Ministry, used software and statistical methods to estimate the number of individual cats that are present but not caught on camera and combined them with those caught on camera

2. INDIA’S NOMINATIONATION FOR UNESCO

India has nominated the “Maratha Military Landscapes”, for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List for 2024-25
It is a network of forts that showcase the strategic military powers of Maratha rule
The 12 forts included in this nomination are the forts of Salher, Shivneri, Lohagad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra and Gingee in Tamil Nadu
The “Maratha Military Landscapes” was developed between 17th and 19th centuries
It represents an extraordinary fortification and military system envisioned by the Maratha rulers
This extraordinary network of forts varying in hierarchies, scales and typological features is a result of integrating the landscape, terrain and physiographic characteristics
Distinctive to the Sahyadri mountain ranges, Konkan Coast, Deccan Plateau and Eastern Ghats in the Indian Peninsula
They are distributed across diverse geographical and physiographic regions ○ They showcase the strategic military powers of the Maratha rule
The inception of the Maratha military ideology dates back to 17th century during the reign of the Shivaji Maharaj from 1670
Continued through subsequent rules until the Peshwa rule till 1818 CE

3. INDIAN NAVY

The second successful intervention within 36 hours
The Indian Navy’s offshore patrol vessel INS Sumitra, deployed in the Gulf of Aden 11 Somali pirates off the east coast of Somalia
Navy Neutralised a hijack situation
Rescued the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel Al Naeemi and its crew of 19 Pakistani nationals Another incident – A coordinated multilateral response between the Indian Navy, the Seychelles Defence Forces and the Sri Lankan Navy foiled the hijacking bid on a Sri Lankan fishing trawler
The Indian Navy deployed INS Sharada from Kochi
And tasked its Sea Guardian High Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with locating and intercepting the hijacked fishing vessel

4. DEATH PENALTY

A court in Kerala awarded the death penalty to 14 of the 15 convicts in the murder of Ranjith Sreenivas, a BJP functionary
The verdict was delivered by the Mavelikara Additional District Sessions Court-I
DEATH PENALTY IN INDIA
After 1947, India brings a huge change in the system of passing death penalties to accused
The United Nations declares capital punishment or Death punishment as a violation of human rights
Capital Punishment In India is a legal death penalty.
As per section 368 of Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 provides the authority to High Courts for confirmation of death sentence
During passing of the resolution, calling for a prohibition on the death penalty by UN General Assembly, India cast a vote in favour of it
Landmark Cases Related To Capital Punishment In India
Mithu Vs State Of Punjab (1983) — In this case, the Supreme Court struck down Section 303 of the Indian Penal Code, which recommend for mandatory capital punishment for offenders
Bachan Singh Vs State Of Punjab (1980) — In this case, the Supreme Court says that the capital punishment or death penalty was given only in the rarest cases
Jagmohan Vs State Of U.P. (1972) — This was the first case dealing with the question of constitutional validity of capital punishment in India
Methods Of Execution In India
Hanging – In Post-Independence India, Nathu Ram Godse was the first convict to be executed by the capital punishment case
Shotting – According to the Army Act and The Air Force Act of India also provides provisions of the implementation of the capital punishment
As per Section 34 of The Air Force Act, 1950 provides the power of the court-martial of any person who commits any act that is unlawful and against law

5. RAJYA SABHA – NOMINATION

President Droupadi Murmu has nominated founder Chancellor of Chandigarh University and educationist Satnam Singh Sandhu to the Rajya Sabha.
President’s Constitutional Power
This right to nominate has been bestowed upon the President according to the 4^th schedule under Article 4(1) and 80(2) of the Indian Constitution.
Composition
Present strength is 245 members
233 represents states and UTs
12 are nominated by the President
Powers
Take part in the proceedings of the House
Right to vote in the Vice Presidential Election.

ONE LINER

Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology has declared Kazhugumalai Rock Cut Temple as Protected Archaeological Monument in Vettuvankoil, Thoothukudi.
Tamil Nadu added two more Ramsar Sites – Longwood Shola in Kotagiri and Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary in Ariyalur.