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'Namo Bharat' - Page No.1, GS 3
Eradicate manual scavenging, SC tells Centre, States - Page No.4 , GS 2
Not just a case about improving investigation - Page No.8, GS 2
Gaganyaan Mission: ISRO is set for first test flight today - Page No. 12 ,GS 3
Global uncertainties have risen over the past fortnight'- Page No. 14, GS 3

'Namo Bharat' - Page No.1, GS 3

Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS)

Context: -

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first leg of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), India's first mass rapid system dedicated to regional connectivity, on Friday morning (October 20).
Capable of running at speeds up to 180 km/hour, trains on the first section will eventually cut the journey time between Delhi and Meerut to less than an hour.

What is the RRTS project?

With semi high-speed rail connectivity at its core, the RRTS is an integrated, mass transit network which aims to ensure "balanced and sustainable urban development" through better connectivity and access across the NCR.
The idea of such a network lies in a study which the Indian Railways was commissioned to carry out in the year 1998-99.

Who built the Namo Bharat, which PM Modi will inaugurate?

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is a joint venture company of the Central government and the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar
The body, under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, is mandated with implementing the RRTS project across the National Capital Region, which is spread across an estimated 55,000 square kilometres and is home to a population of over 46 crore with a combined GDP of an estimated $370 billion.

Eradicate manual scavenging, SC tells Centre, States - Page No.4 , GS 2

The Supreme Court on Friday said claims of fraternity, equality, and dignity among citizens remain a mere illusion if a sizeable section of society is forced to enter sewers for a living and die trapped in them even a decade after the outlawing of the inhuman practice of manual scavenging.
A Bench headed by Justice S.R. Bhat held the Union and the States duty- bound to the pledge to completely eradicate manual scavenging through the stringent implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
The court had taken judicial notice of the petition filed in 2020 by Balram Singh, which highlighted that people were still dying in sewers though the practice was banned with the introduction of the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 and the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

Manual Scavenging in India:

As per International Labor Organisation (ILO), manual cavenging includes mainly the disposal of human excreta from dry latrines, public streets and the maintenance and sweepig of septic tanks, sewers and gutters.
Though found in other regions of the world, the practice is most popular in India, where people from lower castes (over 90% are SC) are typically involved in carrying out manual scavenging,
In India, ~58,098 people worked as manual scavengers as of 2018 and 941 people have died (since 1993) due to accidents while undertaking hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks.

Attempts to Abolish Manual Scavenging in India:

The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993.
It covered only dry latrines and the definition of manual scavenging was restricted to a person employed for manually carrying human excreta.
Also, there was no stress laid upon the rehabilitation of these workers and the lenient penal punishment could not create deterrence in society.
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (PEMSR) Act 2013 replaced the Act of 1993.
Unlike the previous act, which was drafted with cleanliness in mind, the current legislation emphasises the human dignity, rights and rehabilitation of manual scavengers.
Safai Karamchari Andolan v. Union of India (2014): The SC highlighted the importance of rehabilitation, to prevent present as well as future generations from working as a manual scavenger.

Salient Features of the PEMSR Act 2013:

It bans manual scavenging and widened the definition of manual scavengers - to include all forms of manual removal of human excreta like an open drain, pit latrine, septic tanks, manholes and removal of excreta on the railway tracks.
It calls for a survey of manual scavenging in urban and rural areas and the conversion of insanitary latrines into sanitarv latrines.
It makes it obligatory for employers to provide protective tools to the workers.
It lays key focus on rehabilitating the manual scavengers by providing them with ready-built houses, financial assistance and loans for taking up alternate occupation on a sustainable basis.

Not just a case about improving investigation - Page No.8, GS 2

The Supreme Court of India, recently, in Rajesh & Anr. vs The State of Madhya Pradesh, while setting aside the conviction of three accused persons alleged to have been involved in murder and related offences, emphasised the need to devise 'a consistent and dependable code of investigation' so that the guilty do not walk free on technicalities.
The Court not only pointed out some illegalities in the investigation but also echoed the comments of the Justice Malimath Committee on Reforms of the Criminal Justice System and the observations of the Law Commission of India in its Report number 239.
By highlighting excerpts from the Justice Malimath Committee report and the Law Commission Report, the Court expressed regret that the star of police investigation is still poor and that the principal causes of a I rate of conviction, inter alia, included inept and unscientific investiga bv the police.
On the subject of investigation, the Malimath Committee had recommended that the investigation wing should be separate from that of the law and order wing.
The Law Commission's Report number 239 which was submitted on the directions of the Court in WP(C) No. 341/2004, Virender Kumar Ohri vs Union of India and Others pertained to suggestions made with regard to 'Expeditious Investigation and Trial of Criminal Cases Against Influential Public Personalities'. With regard to investigation, the commission observed that 'the police stations are understaffed', 'sufficient priority is not given for investigation of crime' and that 'there is no periodic exercise to upgrade the skills of investigation'.
Malimath Committee (2000) on reforms in the Criminal Justice System of India (CJS) submitted its report in 2003. It suggested 158 changes in the CJSI but the recommendations weren't implemented.
The Committee had opined that the existing system "weighed in favour of the accused and did not adequately focus on justice to the victims of crime."
Menon Committee on criminal justice reforms submitted its report 2007. The four member panel was set up to draft a national policy paper on criminal justice system.

Gaganyaan Mission: ISRO is set for first test flight today - Page No. 12 ,GS 3

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on October 21 will conduct the Gaganyaan's first Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1), which will demonstrate the performance of the Crew Escape System. The TV-D1 will lift off at 8 a.m. from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
According to ISRO, the test vehicle developed for this abort mission is a single-stage liquid rocket. The payloads consist of the Crew Module (CM) and Crew Escape Systems (CES) with their fast-acting solid motors, along with CM fairing (CMF) and Interface Adapters.

'Global uncertainties have risen over the past fortnight'- Page No. 14, GS 3

Interest rates will remain high, and any change will depend on the way the world evolves, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Friday, highlighting emerging uncertainties in the global economy in the fortnight since the latest Monetary Policy review.
Mr. Das said a slowdown across economies "creates other challenges for financial stability. So I would not venture to say how long interest rates will be high. I am not giving a forward guidance... only time and the way the world is evolving, will tell," he noted.

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