Today in History (August 12th, 1877)
On this date in 1877, Thomas Alva Edison, the American inventor, made a significant breakthrough with his phonograph invention. This innovation involved early recordings produced by a vibrating stylus embossing indentations onto a tinfoil sheet.
Summary of Today’s News
Revamp of criminal laws
Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced three Bills in the Lok Sabha to replace colonial-era criminal laws: the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act. The proposed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya (BS) Bills aim to modernize the criminal justice system. Changes include provisions for mob lynching penalties, video trials, e-FIR filing, expanded sedition definitions, addressing corruption, terrorism, and organized crime, community service, solitary confinement, and trials in absentia. The new laws prioritize citizens’ rights and speedy justice while enhancing protections against crimes involving women and children and defining terrorism for the first time.
ECOWAS
The West African regional group, ECOWAS, was established in 1975 under the Lagos Treaty. Its goal is economic integration among member nations, aiming for a unified currency and a significant trading bloc in industry, transport, energy, and more sectors. ECOWAS also addresses conflicts, utilizing initiatives like the ECOMOG peacekeeping operation in the 1990s and early 2000s, led by Nigeria. The organization is headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, and seeks to foster economic, cultural, and geopolitical ties among its members.
Luna 25
The Luna 25, also known as Luna-Glob-Lander, is a Russian lunar lander mission set for the Moon’s south polar region. Its main scientific aims are to analyze the polar regolith’s composition and study the lunar polar exosphere’s plasma and dust components. Departing from the Vostochny cosmodrome, the lander consists of a four-legged base with landing rockets, and an upper compartment housing solar panels, communication tools, onboard computers, and scientific instruments. The primary landing site is near the lunar south pole, with a reserve site southwest of the Manzini crater. The mission’s anticipated duration on the lunar surface for studying regolith and exospheric components is approximately one year.
Mid-Day Meal Scheme
The National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE), initiated in 1995, aimed to boost enrollment, retention, attendance, and nutrition for school children. It evolved into the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) in 2001, focusing on providing cooked meals. The scheme benefits students in government, government-aided schools, special training centers, and madrasas supported by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) from classes I to VIII. Recognized as the world’s largest school feeding program, the Midday Meal Scheme is mandated by the National Food Security Act of 2013.
