TNPSC Current Affairs February 04, 2021

Topic: General Administration, Latest Diary of Events

Uniform Minimum Age for Marriage

Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) decided to examine a plea to transfer to itself cases pending in the Delhi and Rajasthan High Courts to declare a “uniform minimum age” for marriage. The Union government has also set up a committee to reconsider the minimum age of marriage for women, which is currently 18.

Key facts:

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) issued notice to the government on a plea, which was filed to “secure gender justice, gender equality, and dignity of women”. The plea sought a direction to the Union government to remove the anomalies in the minimum age of marriage and make it ‘gender-neutral, religion-neutral and uniform for all citizens’.

Various laws state that the minimum age to get married should be 18 for women and 21 for men. The SC has power under Article 139A to transfer to itself, cases involving the same or substantially the same questions of law pending before two or more high courts.

It has been argued that the different ages for marriage violated the fundamental rights of equality (Article 14), protection against discrimination (Article 15), and dignity of life (Article 21) of citizens and went against India’s commitment under the convention on elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW).

Current Laws Related to Marriage in India:

For Hindus, The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, sets 18 years as the minimum age of marriage for the bride and 21 years as the minimum age for the groom.

However, child marriages are not illegal even though they can be declared void at the request of the minor in the marriage.

In Islam, the marriage of a minor who has attained puberty is considered valid.

The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 also prescribe 18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men respectively.

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Topic: Profile of States

Lithium deposits in Mandya district of Karnataka:

Preliminary surveys on surface and limited subsurface by Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) have shown presence of Lithium resources of 1,600 tonnes in the pegmatites of Marlagalla – Allapatna area, Mandya district, Karnataka.

About Lithium:

It is a soft, silvery-white metal. Under standard conditions, it is the lightest metal and the lightest solid element. It is highly reactive and flammable, and must be stored in mineral oil. It is an alkali metal and a rare metal.

Key Characteristics and Properties:

It has the highest specific heat capacity of any solid element. Lithium’s single balance electron allows it to be a good conductor of electricity. It is flammable and can even explode when exposed to air and water.

Uses:

Lithium is a key element for new technologies and finds its use in ceramics, glass, telecommunication and aerospace industries.

The well-known uses of Lithium are in Lithium ion batteries, lubricating grease, high energy additive to rocket propellants, optical modulators for mobile phones and as convertor to tritium used as a raw material for thermonuclear reactions i.e. fusion.

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Topic: International Events

Yudh-Abhyas: Indo-US joint military exercise

The 16th edition of Indo-US joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ will begin in Rajasthanfrom February 8 and it will be concluded in February 21, 2021.

About Yudh Abbhyas 2021:

The exercise will be held near the India-Pakistan border. It will be held with the aim of enhancing the cooperation and interoperability between the armies of India and USA. The exercise will also focus on the counter-terrorism operation in accordance with the mandate of United Nations.

The drill between India and USA will be held in the backdrop of the five days drill between air forces of India and France in Rajasthan in January 2021. The bilateral training exercise of the two armies will be held at the Foreign Training Node in the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges.

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Topic: Profile of States

Kaliveli Wetlands- First Declaration for converting it into Bird Sanctuary

Recently, the Villupuram district administration in Tamil Nadu has issued the first declaration under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The declaration was issued in a bid to declare Kaliveli wetlands as a bird sanctuary.

Key Facts:

This decision is highly appreciated by the Forest Department officials and conservationists since it will boost their efforts to protect the wetland which is home for diverse flora and fauna.

The first declaration was issued under the Section 18 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The Kaliveli wetlands:

The Kaliveli Wetlands is the second-largest brackish water lake in South India. The first largest is the Pulicat lake. The wetland is ecologically important. It is located near to the Marakkanam on the East Coast Road of the Kaliveli Lake. The wetland is spread over an area of 670 sq.km.

The Kaliveli lake is connected to the Bay of Bengal through the Uppukalli Creek and the Edayanthittu sanctuary. Southern part of the wetland was declared a reserved land in the year 2001.

Why it is being converted to bird sanctuary?

As per the 2004 report by the Indian Bird Conservation Network and Bird Life International, the Kaliveli wetlands supports around 20,000 birds every year. The lake also works as a feeding ground for long-distance migrants who migrates from the cold subarctic Central Asia and Siberia. Some of the migratory birds include Black-tailed Godwits, White Stork, Eurasian Curlew, Ruff and Dublin. This is why, there is a demand to covert the wetlands into a bird sanctuary.

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Topic: International Reports, Profile of States

World’s Fastest-growing Mature Tech Ecosystem

Bengaluru has been designated as the fastest-growing mature technology ecosystem in the world since 2016. This report has been prepared by London & Partners. It analysed the data from Dealroom.co to determine the rankings. Londonhas secured the second spot on the list.

Munich, Berlin, and Parishave been ranked 3rd, 4th, and 5th respectively. Mumbai has attained the 6th spot in the report. Bengaluru has also been placed in the 6th position for tech venture capitalist (VC) investments in the world. Shanghai has topped this global list of tech venture capitalist (VC) investments.