News In Short

October 4, 2023

Central Government Banned NLFT and ATTF	The National Liberation Front of Tripura and the All Tripura Tiger Force have been banned for five years under the UAPA act. The NLFT and ATTF maintained close nexus with other regional unlawful associations and were involved in killing civilians and police personnel. About UAPA: Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. An Act to provide for the more effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations, and for dealing with terrorist activities and matters connected therewith. Section 3 Of the UAPA Act deals with the declaration of an association as unlawful.— If the Central Government is of the opinion that any association is, or has become, an unlawful association, it may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare such association to be unlawful.
Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)	The Purchasing Managers index fell to 57.5 in September, compared with 58.6 in August, 57.7 in July, 57.8 in June and 58.7 in May, according to S&P Global. About (PMI): The PMI measures the month-over-month change in economic activity within the manufacturing sector. The value and movements in the PMI and its components can provide helpful insight to business decision-makers, market analysts, and investors.
Swachh Bharat Mission	A working paper by the World Bank states that despite early gains of the Swachh Bharat Mission, toilet use has declined since 2018-19. Key Findings: The first phase of 2015-2019 was marked by large improvements, followed by some stagnation and decline over the last two years. The recent negative trends are most concerning and raise questions about sustainability. About SBM: Under the mission, all villages, Gram Panchayats, Districts, States and Union Territories in India declared themselves “open-defecation free” (ODF) by 2 October 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, by constructing over 100 million toilets in rural India. Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) will reinforce ODF behaviors and focus on providing interventions to manage solid and liquid waste in villages safely.
Cytrox’s Predator Spyware	Former Egyptian MP Ahmed Eltantawy was targeted with Cytrox’s Predator spyware sent via links on SMS and WhatsApp. What is spyware? Spyware is loosely defined as malicious software designed to enter a device, gather sensitive data, and forward it to a third party without the user’s consent. It is broadly categorized as trojan spyware, adware, tracking cookies, and system monitors.
*Badis limaakumi*	Recently, Scientists have discovered a new fish species from the Milak River, Nagaland. It belongs to the family of Badidae, a small freshwater fish found in streams. Geographical Spread: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Myanmar. There are 26 recognised fish species in this family. Fish from the Badis family are also known as chameleon fish for their ability to change colour. This helps them blend with the surroundings when under stress.
India-Japan Fund (IJF)	National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) launches $600 million India-Japan Fund (IJF) with Government of India and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) as anchor investors. It will focus on investing in environmental sustainability and low carbon emission strategies besides further enhancing Japanese investments into India The Fund will support NIIFL in promoting Japanese investments in India. The announcement marks NIIF’s first bi-lateral fund, with the GoI contributing 49% of the target corpus and the remaining 51% contributed by JBIC.