HP Current Affairs - UPSC Preparation Made Easy

5th, February, 2023

Importance for Prelims: Economic and social development – sustainable development poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives, etc.

Importance for Mains Exam:

PAPER-V: GENERAL STUDIES-II : UNIT II: Topic: Cybercrime and drug menace – mechanism to detect and control it in Himachal Pradesh.

Officials reported on Monday that while charges under the IPC and other acts climbed by 220 in the state, crimes against women and NDPS cases both slightly decreased in 2022.

The number of crimes against women fell from 1,700 in 2021 to 1,606 in 2022, but the number of NDPS cases barely changed from 1,537 to 1,516 during the same time.
A total of 19,053 cases were registered in 2022 in comparison to 18,833 cases registered in 2021, he said.
The Excise Act cases, which jumped from 2,969 in 2021 to 3,119 in 2022 since many of these cases were reported during the Assembly elections, are to blame for the increase in cases, according to the DSP.

To lessen drug trafficking and crimes against women, many measures were employed. According to him, a trial management system that ensures deposition by the witness and police to shorten case pending times has resulted in quicker courtroom trials and higher conviction rates.
More than 10,000 people were deposed in 2022, Kundu said.
In 2022, 543 rape cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act were reported in the state, down from 612 in 2021, of which 170 were addressed by a court and 40% resulted in convictions, according to him.
Due to a strong trial system, the number of cases concluded has also increased from 67 to 170, he claimed.

As the first state to implement Register Number 26 to monitor sexual offenders, Himachal Pradesh has so far identified 4,300 criminals, of whom 55 are repeat offenders, according to the DSP.
Similar to Register number 29, which was established to keep a record of drug dealers, 2,300 dealers in the state were found, of which 400 are repeat offenders, according to him.
Last year, 368 NDPS cases were decided, with a conviction rate of more than 36%.
According to DGP, the police are also monitoring these criminals and have requested that the bail of the repeat offenders be revoked.
The DSP said that increase in conviction rate and rigorous punishment would act as the biggest barrier and would demotivate people from indulging in such crimes.

(News Source: The Tribune)

Importance for Prelims: Economic and social development – sustainable development poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives, etc.

Importance for Mains Exam:

PAPER-V: GENERAL STUDIES-II : UNIT II: Topic: Cybercrime and drug menace – mechanism to detect and control it in Himachal Pradesh.

The Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religions (Amendment) Bill, 2022, along with nine other bills, have been approved by Governor RV Arlekar.
This information was provided in the House on the second day of the Winter Session here today by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. These Bills were approved while the previous BJP administration was in power.

Mass conversion is now defined as the simultaneous conversion of two or more people.
Any person who converts to a different religion is prohibited from reclaiming any caste or religious benefits under Section 7 of the Act.
A person who makes a false declaration and benefits from caste or religion after conversion is subject to a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh and a minimum sentence of two years in prison, which may be increased to five years.
After converting to another faith, members of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are not permitted to get caste advantages. “Anyone who intends to marry a person of any religion other than the religion he professes and conceals his religion in such a manner that the other person, whom he intends to marry, believes that his religion is true, shall be punished with imprisonment not be less than three years and extendable up to 10 years and a fine up to Rs 1 lakh,” the law states.
The amendment further stipulates that anyone discovered to have participated in mass conversion in violation of the Act’s requirements will face a five- to ten-year prison sentence. If the offence is committed a second time, a minimum sentence of seven years in jail, which may be increased to ten years, and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh are required.

(Source: The Tribune)