Report on International Arms Transfers
- This report was released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- Largest arms exporters in 2016-20 - US, Russia, France, Germany, China.
- Top importers in 2016-20 - Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia, China.
- The United States, the world’s largest arms exporter, saw a rise in its global share of exports from 32% to 37% between 2011-15 and 2016-20.
- India’s arms imports fell 33% between 2011-15 and 2016-20, due to its attempt to reduce its dependence on Russian arms and complex procurement processes.
- India’s top three arms suppliers during 2016-20 were Russia (49% of India’s imports), France (18%) and Israel (13%).
- India accounted for 0.2% of the share of global arms exports during 2016-20, making it the world’s 24th largest exporter of major arms.
- Top recipients of India’s arms - Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Mauritius.
Rule Curve of Mullaperiyar Dam
- The Supreme Court said that Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary is “personally responsible” for the failure to give information on the rule curve for Mullaperiyar dam to the Court-appointed Supervisory Committee.
- Rule curve in a dam decides the fluctuating storage levels in a reservoir.
- The gate opening schedule of a dam is based on the rule curve. It is part of the “core safety” mechanism in a dam.
- The Court directed the Committee to submit a compliance report after issue directions or take steps to address the three core safety issues and,
- Monitoring and performance of the instrumentation of the dam,
- Finalising the rule curve and
- Fixing the gate operating schedule.
Amicus Curiae
- Solicitor General (SG) made an appeal to the Supreme Court to frame guidelines to demarcate the role and ambit of the court’s amici curiae in various cases, especially sensitive ones.
- SG’s remarks came during the hearing of a case of alleged extra-judicial killings by the Army, Assam Rifles and the State police in Manipur during the heights of insurgency.
- Amicus Curiae or ‘friend of the court’ are the lawyers appointed by the courts to present diverse views and assist the court in specific cases.
- Amicus curiae is appointed to help the court compile facts, research the law in question and even offer a non-partisan opinion.
- An oral statement from a top government law officer in the highest court to tether amici curiae hand-picked by the latter is significant.
Cyber Attack
- Maharashtra State Cyber Cell probe had found 14 Trojan horses in the servers of the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company.
- This announcement came after a US-based cyber security firm Recorded Future reported that ‘Red Echo’ group, linked to the Chinese government, had targeted India’s power distribution systems.
- The kind of infrastructure sought to be accessed by Red Echo, such as Regional Load Despatch Centres, has minimal espionage possibilities.
- Recorded Future found many IP addresses linked to critical Indian systems communicating for months with AXIOMATICASYMPTOTE servers, which connected to Red Echo.
- These servers had domains spoofing those of Indian power sector entities configured to them. AXIOMATICASYMPTOTE servers act as command-and-control centres for a malware known as ShadowPad.
ShadowPad
- ShadowPad is a backdoor Trojan malware, which means it opens a secret path from its target system to its command-and-control servers.
- Via this path, information can be extracted or more malicious code delivered.
- ShadowPad is built to target supply-chain infrastructure in sectors like transportation, telecommunication, energy and more.
- Trojanised softwares, or softwares that have dangers hidden in them, are the primary mode of delivery for ShadowPad.
- Recorded Future in its report notes large overlaps in the systems used by Red Echo and ‘APT41/Winnti/Barium’.
Completing the Budget Process
- Lok Sabha guillotined all demands for grants related with FY2021-22. The House also approved Appropriation Bill.
- With this one, more process of Union Budget has been completed.
- Lok Sabha is expected to take Finance Bill for consideration and passage that has all the provisions prescribing changes in the tax laws.
Demand for Grants
- It is the form in which estimates of expenditure from the Consolidated Fund, included in the annual financial statement.
- It is required to be voted upon in the Lok Sabha, and are submitted in pursuance of Article 113 of the Constitution.
- There are 101 demands for grants related with various Central Ministries and Departments.
Appropriation Bill
- Enactment of Appropriation Bill allows the government to withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund of India.
- Once the Rajya Sabha returns the Appropriation Bill, it will be sent to the President for assent and then it will become law.
Source: The Hindu, The Indian Express, Business Line
