Supervisory Committee on Mullaperiyar Dam may continue till dam safety authority gets fully functional, Centre tells SC

• The Dam Safety Act of 2021 has come as a panacea to end the prolonged and bitter legal battle over Mullaperiyar dam between Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
• The 2021 Act comprehensively provides for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance to prevent disasters caused by dams.
• It mandates the setting up of two specialised bodies, National Committee on Dam Safety and the National Dam Safety Authority, to evolve policies, recommend regulations for dam safety standards and resolve disputes between States.
• Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been trading allegations against each other over the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam.
• While Kerala claims the 126-year-old dam is unsafe a threat to thousands of people living downstream, Tamil Nadu, argues that the dam is so strong that the height of water level could even be increased to 152 feet.

State of denotified tribes, and why House panel is critical about a programme for their development

• De-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes are communities who are the most vulnerable and deprived.
• Denotified tribes (DNTs) are communities that were ‘notified’ as being ‘born criminal’ during the British regime under a series of laws starting with the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871.
• Nomadic and semi-nomadic communities are defined as those who move from one place to another rather than living at one place all the time.
• A National Commission for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) was constituted in 2006 by the then government.
• It was headed by Balkrishna Sidram Renke and submitted its report in June 2008. The Renke commission estimated their population at around 10.74 crore based on Census 2001.
• A new Commission constituted in February 2014 to prepare a state-wise list, which submitted its report on January 8, 2018, identified 1,262 communities as de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic.
• While a number of these tribes are categorised under SC, ST and OBC, many are not. According to Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, 269 DNT communities are not covered under any reserved categories. These communities are frequently left out because they are less visible and difficult to reach.

Germany closes Russian darknet marketplace Hydra

• Founded in 2015, Hydra sold illegal drugs, stolen credit card data, counterfeit currency and fake identity documents, masking the identities of those involved using the Tor encryption network.
• The marketplace had around 17 million customer accounts and over 19,000 vendor accounts, according to the BKA federal police.
• The Hydra market was probably the illegal marketplace with the highest turnover worldwide, with sales amounting to at least €1.23 billion in 2020 alone.
• A dark net or darknet is an overlay network within the Internet that can only be accessed with specific software, configurations, or authorization, and often uses a unique customized communication protocol.

India, Philippines conclude contract for BrahMos missiles

• The first agreement was signed only in March last year, a second agreement in November and the deal was signed this January.
• Referring to interest from the Philippines in acquiring other defence equipment , he said discussions were on for systems related to aerospace and Navy.
• He said Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. had offered to do a technical briefing on the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and there was a “degree of interest” from Manila.

SC sets deadline for Centre’s response on Hindu Succession Act

• The petition filed by Kamal Anant Khopkar said Sections 15 and 16 of the Act, which deals with inheritance of self-acquired and inherited properties of Hindu women, “unveils deeply rooted patriarchal ideology”.
• The petition draws attention to Section 15 of the 1956 Act which actually mandates how the husband’s heirs have the first right over the self-acquired property of a woman who dies intestate. That is, the husband’s family comes first in the line of inheritance.
• The Hindu Succession Act, 1956 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to amend and codify the law relating to intestate or unwilled succession, among Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs.
• The Act lays down a uniform and comprehensive system of inheritance and succession into one Act.
• Parts of this Act was amended in December 2004 by the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005.

Bill introduced to ban financing of weapons of mass destruction

• It seeks to ban funding of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and empowers the Centre to freeze and seize financial assets of people involved in such activities.
• It also fulfils India’s international obligations pertaining to weapons of mass destruction.
• The earlier law of 2005 regarding WMDs and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) only banned their manufacture.
• The United Nations Security Council’s targeted financial sanctions and the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force have mandated against financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
• The Bill seeks to insert a new Section 12A in the existing law which states that “no person shall finance any activity which is prohibited under this Act, or under the United Nations (Security Council) Act, 1947 or any other relevant Act for the time being in force, or by an order issued under any such Act, in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems”.
• The Bill would give the government powers to “freeze, seize or attach funds or other financial assets owned by such person; or held by or on behalf of, or at the direction of, such person; or derived or generated from the funds or other assets owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such person”.

Zelenskiy accuses Russia of worst war crimes since WW2

• The grimmest discoveries have been made in a Kyiv suburb called Bucha, a town located about 25 km to the northwest of the capital, which had an estimated population of around 36,000 before the invasion began.
• More than 300 bodies have been found in the town that Zelenskyy visited, some with their hands bound, flesh burned, and shot in the back of the head.
• War crimes are defined as “grave breaches” of the Geneva Conventions, agreements signed after World War II that laid down international humanitarian laws during war time. Deliberately targeting civilians amounts to a war crime.
• The International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague has already opened an investigation into possible war crimes by Russia. Russia does not recognise the ICC and will likely not cooperate with the investigation.

Parliament passes Chartered Accountants, Cost and Works Accountants and Company Secretaries (Amendment) Bill

• The Bill amends the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949, the Cost and Works Accountants Act, 1959, and the Company Secretaries Act, 1980.
• It changes the disciplinary mechanism under the three Acts and specifies timelines for disciplinary proceedings. It also provides more external representation on the Board of Discipline and Disciplinary Committee.
• The Bill creates a Coordination Committee headed by the Secretary of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The Committee will have representation from the three Institutes formed under the Acts.
• The Secretary to each Council will be designated as chief executive with the President as the head of the Council. The President will be responsible for ensuring implementation of decisions of the Council.