. No.	Topic Name	Prelims/Mains
1.	About the Curative Petition	Prelims & Mains
2.	Details of the Lumpy Skin Disease	Prelims & Mains
3.	About the International Atomic Energy Agency	Prelims & Mains
4.	Details of the Government e-Marketplace	Prelims Specific Topic

1 – About the Curative Petition:GS II

Topic à Judiciary Related Issues

·       Origin:

·       Ashok Hurra and another case (2002), which addressed the question of whether a party who had been wronged was still entitled to any relief against the Supreme Court’s final ruling or order even after a review petition had been denied, is where the Supreme Court of India first conceptualised the curative petition.

·       Objectives:

·       Its two main objectives are to stop both legal system abuse and miscarriages of justice.

·       Constitutional Background:

·       The curative petition concept is supported by Article 137 of the Indian Constitution. It declares that the Supreme Court has the power to review any decision made (or order issued) by it on rules and laws approved in accordance with Article 145. Within 30 days of the date of the decision or judgement, a petition of this kind must be filed.

 

·      Procedure:

·       A curative petition may be filed when a review plea challenging the verdict is denied.

·       The case may be taken into consideration if the petitioner can demonstrate that the natural justice principles were disregarded and that the court neglected to hear him before issuing a decision.

·       It must be uncommon as opposed to frequent.

·       A bench of the three senior-most judges and, if available, the judges who made the pertinent decision must first receive a curative petition. The majority of the judges believe that the matter shouldn’t be scheduled before the same Bench unless a hearing is necessary.

·       The Bench may, at any moment while it is considering the curative petition, ask a seasoned attorney to act as an amicus curiae (Friend of the court).

·       Judges normally rule on curative petitions in chambers unless a specific request for an open court hearing is granted.

 

·       Rejection Standards:

·       If the Bench decides at any moment that the petition lacks validity, the petitioner can face penalties.

Source à The Hindu

2 – Details of the Lumpy Skin Disease:GS II

Topic à Health Related Issues

·       About:

·       It is caused by a virus called the Capripoxvirus and is “an escalating concern to animals globally.”

·       It has genetic origins with the viral groups that cause goatpox and sheeppox.

·       Due to vectors like blood-feeding insects, the main targets for infection are cattle and water buffalo.

·       Symptoms: Round, hard nodes that resemble lumps will appear on the animal’s skin or hide.

·       excessive secretions coming from the lips and nose.

 

·       Spread:

·       Because the disease is not zoonotic, humans cannot get it and it does not spread from animals to humans.

·       LSD has only been discovered in Africa and a tiny area of West Asia since its discovery in 1929.

·       In Asia and the Pacific, North West China, Bangladesh, and India were the first locations to record it in 2019.

 

·       Treatment:

·       Immunization is the most effective strategy to control the condition because there is no known treatment for it.

·       When an animal has fully recovered, it is no longer vulnerable to infection and cannot spread it to other animals. LSD control and eradication depend on early discovery followed by a quick and widespread immunisation programme.

·       Source à The Indian Express

 

3 – About the International Atomic Energy Agency:GS II

Topic à International Organizations 

·       About:

·       The international centre for atomic and nuclear cooperation is the IAEA. It is the UN’s property. In cooperation with its member countries and a wide range of partners, it supports the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

·       Origins and History of the IAEA:

·       The IAEA was influenced by the address given by former US President Dwight Eisenhower to the UN General Assembly in 1953.

·       This was the organization’s first name and address when Atoms for Peace was formally created in 1957.

·       The UN organisation known as the IAEA is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

·       The promotion of secure, safe, and peaceful nuclear technologies is still the fundamental objective of the organisation.

·       There are 171 members of it at the moment. The newest member of the IAEA is Saint Lucia, which joined in 2019.

·       India became a member of the group in 1957.

·       The IAEA ensures the peaceful use of nuclear technologies in order to advance both the Sustainable Development Goals and global peace and security (SDGs).

·       The organization’s current director general is Rafael Mariano Grossi.

·       The IAEA and Mohamed ElBaradei, the organization’s former director general, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

·       Despite being an independent international organisation, the IAEA sends the UNGA a report every year.

·       The IAEA has regional offices in Geneva, New York, Toronto, and Tokyo. Also home to research facilities are Austria, Italy, and Monaco.

 

·       The IAEA’s activities:

·       The responsibilities of the IAEA are discussed below:

·       Encouraging and assisting in the development and peaceful application of nuclear technologies.

·       Putting in place and overseeing safety precautions to ensure that the IAEA’s research, development, and other activities aren’t used for hostile ends.

·       Applying the stringent, all-encompassing safeguards required by the NPT and other international agreements in non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS) that have ratified such agreements.

 

·       The IAEA’s activity is divided into three primary areas:

·       Safety and security

·       both science and technology

·       Security and certification

·       Iran has given IAEA inspectors access to one of the two sites where undocumented nuclear activities may have taken place in the early 2000s. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, was signed in 2015 by Iran and six other nations: the United States, Germany, France, Britain, China, and Russia. Iran is only allowed to keep a stockpile of 202.8 kg under the accord (447 pounds). In spite of the limitations of the agreement, Iran is nevertheless increasing its stockpile of enriched uranium, according to the IAEA assessment.

 

·       Management of the IAEA:

·       The IAEA is made up of two decision-making entities. the following:

·       Board of directors for the general conference.

·       This group consists of the whole membership of the IAEA.

·       It meets in a regular session once a year.

·       The annual general meeting usually occurs in September.

·       The 64th General Conference of the IAEA was held in Vienna, Austria, from September 21–25, 2020.

 

·       The board of governors:

·       35 people are there.

·       The Board typically meets five times a year.

·       It assesses the programme, financial statements, and budget of the organisation and makes recommendations to the IAEA General Conference.

·       The Board makes the final decisions regarding safeguards agreements, membership applications, and the publication of safety standards by the IAEA.

·       It also appoints the Director-General of the IAEA with the approval of the General Conference.

 

·       Secretariat:

·       The IAEA has a distinct Secretariat for its professional and general support workers. It is under the Director-control. General’s

 

Source à The Hindu

4 – Details of the Government e-Marketplace:

Prelims Specific Topic

·       About:

·       Various departments, organisations, and PSUs in the federal and state governments can acquire common-use products and services online through GeM, a one-stop national public procurement portal (PSUs).

·       All products and services made available on GeM must be bought by Ministries and Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).

·       In order to help government users receive the best value for their money, it also provides reverse e-auction and e-bidding technology.

·       GeM presently has over 30 lakh goods available, and online transactions totaling over 10 lakh crore rupees have already occurred.

·       Launch: It was introduced in 2016 with the intention of improving the transparency and efficiency of the public procurement process.

·       Managing Ministry:

·       Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

·       New developments:

·       Window for the Bamboo Market (The Green Gold Collection).

·       country of origin GeM has specified that while registering any new products on the platform, merchants must specify the country of origin.

·       Customers can choose to buy only those products through the portal that meet the criterion for a minimum of 50% local content because this has been enabled on the portal.

 

·       Importance:

·       GeM enables government organisations to swiftly, effectively, transparently, and affordably acquire the products and services they require to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

·       The Atmanirbhar Bharat policy, which was put in place in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and is meant to support independence and regional Indian producers, has the support of GeM.

·       Small local vendors’ entry: Small local businesses now find it simpler to engage in public procurement thanks to the Marketplace, which also successfully implements the government’s “Make in India” and MSME Purchase Preference Policies.

·       Several Entities at One Location: The internet market can combine demand from various entities for equivalent products, building on the benefits provided to small enterprises by State governments.

·       Challenges:

·       A number of Portals:

·       It may be difficult for GeM to fulfil its function as the National Public Procurement Portal and provide the benefits of size and efficiency because there are many portals inside Central Government departments, such as the defence procurement site and the Indian Railways e-Procurement System.

 

·       Lack of Compliance:

·       The General Financial Rules (GFR) 2017 Rule 149, which mandates that all common-use goods and services offered on the GeM portal must necessarily be purchased there, is similarly difficult to enforce.

·       Upcoming steps to take:

·       The goal of GeM is to grow and become a one-stop shop for buyers and merchants. It is building a solid foundation and slowly creating a reliable and efficient commercial environment.

·       If the challenges that stand in the way of its development are effectively solved, it could become as valuable as the dazzling mineral crystals that are suggested by its name.

 

Source à The Indian Express