National IAS Academy Current Affairs: Contact: PRELIMS. Impeachment of a SC judge. Ice sheets found in Mars

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1 Topic: Polity PRELIMS Impeachment of a SC judge More about Impeachment of a SC judge: Recently four Supreme Court judges went public with charges against Chief Justice of India. According to constitution a judge of the SC can be removed from his office by an order of the president. The president can issue the removal order only after an address by parliament has been presented to him in the same session for such removal. The address must be supported by special majority of each house of the parliament (i.e. a majority of the total membership of that house and a majority of not less than 2/3rd of the members of that house present and voting). Article 124 (4) specifies the grounds of removal as proved misbehaviour or incapacity. So far no SC judge has been impeached in India. Topic: Science and Technologies Ice sheets found in Mars More about Ice sheets found in Mars: NASA has detected thick underground ice sheets along the middle latitudes of the Mars. This is believed to be a potential source of water that could help sustain future human outposts. The water could be used for drinking and potentially conversion into oxygen to breathe. Topic: Economy International termination charges (ITC) More about International termination charges (ITC): The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) cut termination charges for international incoming calls to Land line and wireless connections. International termination charges (ITC) are payable by an international long-distance operator (ILDO), which carries calls from outside the country, to an access provider in the country in whose network the call terminates. ITC is one of the source of foreign earnings for the country. 1 P a g e

2 Topic: GS-2, Polity MAINS Virtual ID for Aadhaar Authentication Context: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which is facing criticism in the light of alleged data breaches, recently, announced a new method of identification called Virtual Identity Introduction: The Unique Identification Authority of India recently introduced the concept of a virtual ID that can be used in lieu of the Aadhaar number at the time of authentication, thus eliminating the need to share and store Aadhaar numbers. It can be generated only by the Aadhaar number-holder via the UIDAI website, Aadhaar enrolment, or its mobile application. The citizens will also have the choice for the reverse which is to not generate their virtual IDs and continue using their Aadhaar numbers each time. Even to the income tax department or other agencies required by law to map Aadhaar, people don t have to give their Aadhaar number and can authenticate using the Virtual ID It also limited the information visible to authentication agencies. The citizens will also have the choice for the reverse which is to not generate their virtual IDs and continue using their Aadhaar numbers each time. What is virtual ID? Virtual ID, the 16-digit randomly generated number that people can share instead of their Aadhaar number It is an extra layer of security to protect privacy of people and does not imply there were gaps in the existing security architecture. Virtual ID can be used for authentication of individuals identity. Virtual ID can be changed any number of times. No documents or proof will be needed to generate a VID. But an Aadhaar number will be essential. Rationale behind this move: To address security concerns over Aadhaar database. The measures are expected to strengthen privacy The new VID system will hide the Aadhaar number from the authenticating agency, while still confirming the identity of the user. These steps will ensure greater privacy and limit access to its database Prevent profiling of people by combining dozens of databases linked to Aadhaar in the country. 2 P a g e

3 Virtual ID would address this concern by giving people the option to generate a random number from a mobile application or the Unique Identification Authority s website. It will enable users to undergo Aadhaar authentication without having to furnish their 12-digit Unique Identity Number (UID), also known as Aadhaar number. VID will be a temporary number that will be automatically revoked once the Aadhaar holder generates a new VID or after the validity of the current VID lapses Only the Aadhaar holder would be able to generate a VID. The new VID system will hide the Aadhaar number from the authenticating agency, while still confirming the identity of the user. It also introduced what it described as a system of Limited KYC (Know Your Customer) to reduce the storage of Aadhaar numbers with the Authentication User Agencies (AUAs). How will it be different from the Aadhaar number itself? VID will be a 16-digit number, which will be temporary in nature. Unlike the 12-digit Aadhaar number that is permanent, the VID will have a certain period of validity, at the end of which it will expire, and the user will have to generate a new one. A VID will automatically expire when a user generates a new one, as there can only be one valid VID number against a particular Aadhaar number at any given point in time. The VID can only be generated by the user in question and, according to UIDAI s circular, it is not possible to derive Aadhaar number from the VID. The VID cannot be used by agencies for duplication, and it cannot be generated by the Authentication User Agency (AUA) either. How will VID help with Aadhaar-linking? Does this mean most agencies will no longer store your Aadhaar data? UIDAI has also introduced a Limited KYC, which is supposed to allow paperless authentication, while ensuring at the same time that the Aadhaar database is not accessed. But it appears that AUAs will be divided into two separate categories: Global AUAs and Local AUAs. The Global AUAs will have complete access to the full ekyc (Aadhaar number), and will also be able to store Aadhaar numbers in their systems. This is something privacy activists have been cautioning against, because the number can used to reveal various other signifiers about an individual. Local AUAs, on the other hand, will have Limited KYC, and will only get a UID token which they can use to identify customers. According to the UIDAI, all agencies will need to set up the UID token system. However, Global AUAs will have the freedom to use the UID token as per their need for authentication and database usage, 3 P a g e

4 What is Aadhaar? The Aadhaar is the brand name of the Unique Identification Number that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issues to every resident of India. It is a twelve digit number which is linked the resident s demographic and biometric information Each number relates to a set of information stored in a centralized database which aids in real time verification. About UIDAI: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services Act, 2016 ( Aadhaar Act 2016 )on 12 July 2016 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). UIDAI was created with the objective to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), named as Aadhaar, to all residents of India that is (a) robust enough to eliminate duplicate and fake identities, and (b) can be verified and authenticated in an easy, cost-effective way. The UIDAI was established in 2009 and functions as part of the Planning Commission of India. The agency issues cards with the help of several registrar agencies composed of stateowned entities and departments as well as public sector banks and entities such as the Life Insurance Corporation of India. UIDAI works in consultation with the Registrar General of India, which is responsible for census data in India Conclusion: The move to introduce an untested virtual ID to address security concerns over Aadhaar database is a step in the right direction, but may be a case of too little, too late, according to experts, as many of the 119 crore Aadhaar holders have already shared their 12-digit numbers with various entities. Unless all entitites are required to use virtual IDs or UID tokens, and are barred from storing Aadhaar numbers, the new measures won t really help. 4 P a g e ******** National IAS Academy , Lucky Paradise, 2nd floor, 8th 'F' main road, 22nd cross, Opp. ICICI bank,

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