15 May 2023

• Polity: The Model Prisons Act 2023 replaces the 130-year-old Prisons Act 1894 with a rehabilitation focus.
• Displacement: Over 71 million internally displaced people across 110 countries by end-2022, a 20 per cent annual increase.
• Technology: The Central Equipment Identity Register for tracking stolen mobile phones was deployed pan-India on 17 May.
• Space: ISRO successfully tested a 2000 kN semi-cryogenic engine at Mahendragiri.
• Wildlife: New regulations for captive breeding of CITES Appendix I species took effect.

GS area: Polity (Governance, Social Justice)

The Union government released the Model Prisons Act 2023 to replace the Prisons Act 1894, a colonial-era law.

• Core shift: The Act moves from a punitive model to one emphasising rehabilitation and reformation of prisoners.
• Key features:
  • Legal aid entitlement for prisoners.
  • Separate accommodation for women and transgender inmates.
  • Grievance redressal mechanisms.
  • Technology integration for prison administration.
• Prison overcrowding: Indian prisons operate at over 117 per cent of capacity.
• Constitutional status: Prisons are a state subject under the Seventh Schedule. The Model Act serves as a guiding template for states. It is non-binding.
• Comparison to old law: The 1894 Act was designed to manage colonial subjects. It focused almost entirely on custody and discipline.

Static linkage: State list, criminal justice, prison reform (Polity).

GS area: Society, International Relations

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre reported over 71 million internally displaced people across 110 countries by the end of 2022. This represents a 20 per cent annual increase.

• India's displacement:
  • Conflict: 6 lakh internally displaced persons.
  • Disasters: 32,000 new displacements.
• Pakistan: Ranked highest for disaster displacement globally.
• India's rank for disaster displacement: Fourth.
• Weather-related displacement: Accounted for 98 per cent of disaster displacements globally in 2022.
• La Nina effect: Contributed to increased flooding across South Asia, Bangladesh and Pakistan in 2022.
• IDPs vs refugees: An Internally Displaced Person has not crossed an international border. A refugee has. IDPs are governed by the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (non-binding), not the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Static linkage: Displacement, climate vulnerability, India's north-east (Society/International Relations).

GS area: Science and Technology (Governance)

The Central Equipment Identity Register was deployed pan-India on 17 May 2023.

• What it does: Tracks lost or stolen mobile phones by IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number. Creates a database linking IMEI to SIM.
• Features: Detects IMEI cloning (creating fake IMEI numbers), enables network-level blocking of stolen devices.
• Scale of impact: Karnataka Police recovered over 2,500 phones using the system before national rollout.
• Related system: ASTR (Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition-powered solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification) detects fraudulent SIM connections. Maximum nine connections per individual.
• Sanchar Saathi portal: Identified 40 lakh fraudulent mobile connections by May 2023.

Static linkage: Digital governance, telecom regulation, cybersecurity (Science and Technology).

GS area: Science and Technology (Space)

ISRO successfully tested a 2000 kN (kilonewton) semi-cryogenic engine at its propulsion test facility in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.

• What semi-cryogenic means: The engine uses refined kerosene (RP-1) as fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidiser. This distinguishes it from fully cryogenic engines that use liquid hydrogen as fuel.
• Advantage over cryogenic: Kerosene is denser than liquid hydrogen, enabling a smaller fuel tank for the same mass of fuel. This allows for a smaller and lighter rocket stage.
• Application: The engine is being developed for heavy-lift launch vehicles that will carry heavier satellites and future deep-space missions.
• Mahendragiri: ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Tamil Nadu. The primary test facility for large engines.

Static linkage: Space technology, ISRO launch vehicles (Science and Technology).

GS area: Environment (Biodiversity, Wildlife regulation)

New licensing rules for captive breeding of CITES Appendix I species were enacted under an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act 2022.

• CITES Appendix I: Lists species facing the highest risk of extinction. Commercial trade in wild specimens is prohibited.
• Appendix I examples relevant to India: Red pandas, great apes, snow leopards and wolves.
• New Breeders of Species Licence Rules 2023: The first systematic regulation of captive breeding for Appendix I species in India.
• Purpose: Prevents illegal wildlife trade from exploiting captive breeding as cover. Creates a registry of licensed breeders.
• Wildlife Protection Act 2022: The amendment updated the 1972 Act to align with CITES schedules more closely.

Static linkage: CITES, Wildlife Protection Act, biodiversity (Environment).

• Palghat Gap: A 40-kilometre break in the Western Ghats between the Nilgiri Hills and the Anamalai Hills. The Bharathappuzha River flows through it. A gateway to Kerala by road and rail. Originated as a shear zone during Gondwana continental drift. Occasional tremors are recorded.
• Migration trend: The 2011 Census counted over 45 crore internal migrants in India, 37 per cent of the population. Female migration exceeds male migration. The dominant driver for women is marriage. COVID-19 accelerated migration of IT workers from major metros to smaller cities.
• Drug pricing: Off-patent medicines are capped at 50 per cent of the original innovator's cost. Generic prices use the average of similar versions. The NPPA determines prices of innovative drugs.