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China-Solomon Islands Pact
Why in news?
China’s government announced that it had signed a landmark security pact with the Solomon
Islands, evoking concern from Australia and the U.S.
What is the agreement about?
 The agreement is the first of its kind that China has agreed with any country which is
basically an inter-governmental framework agreement on security cooperation.
 Under the agreement, the two sides will conduct cooperation in areas such as maintenance of
social order, protection of the safety of people’s lives and property, humanitarian assistance
and natural disaster response.
 It is unclear how China plans to support the Solomon Islands in maintaining social order and
whether Chinese security forces will be deployed.
 But, according to a draft that was leaked last month, the Solomon Islands can request police
and military personnel to assist in maintaining social order
 China can also make ship visits and use its ports for logistics.
What is the response of the Indo-Pacific countries?
 Australia- Australia is just 2000km south of the Solomon Islands and has seen years of
escalating tensions with China.
 Australia was deeply disappointed
and concerned about the lack of
transparency with which this
agreement has been developed,
noting its potential to undermine
stability in the region.
 New Zealand- New Zealand said
the country was saddened that the
Solomon Islands had made the
pact.
 The U.S. - The US National
Security Council official is due to
arrive in the Solomon Islands for
high-level talks.
 The US has said it will re-open its
embassy in the Solomon Islands,
which has been closed since 1993.
Why is this pact a cause of concern?
 Regional security- The significance of the pact extends beyond the immediate regional
security concerns in the Pacific.

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 Military bases- For decades, China insisted it would never open a military base abroad, but,
in 2017, the PLA put into use its first foreign base in Djibouti.
 The Solomon Islands government said the agreement does not imply China will build a base
there.
 Interference- Chinese media have mentioned China-Pakistan patrols in Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir.
 Reports have suggested the deployment of security forces in Tajikistan near the Wakhan
corridor that links Afghanistan and Xinjiang.
 Neglection of doctrines- Key pillar of China’s peaceful rise doctrine was popularised by
Panchsheel — the “non-interference” in the internal affairs of other countries.
 China’s past commitments on military bases and non-interference were intended to show the
world Beijing would not seek to become a global supreme leader but its intention does not
square with that idea.
Integrated Command and Control Centres
Reference News:-
The government has announced that 80 of the 100 planned Integrated Command and Control
Centres have been set up, with the rest to be completed by August 15.
What are ICCCs?
The Smart Cities Mission (SCM) includes setting up ICCCs for each city as a vital step.
 They are designed to enable authorities to monitor the status of various amenities in real time.
 They are aimed at controlling and monitoring water and power supply, sanitation, traffic
movement, integrated building management, city connectivity and Internet infrastructure.
 These centres will now also monitor various other parameters and are also linked to the
CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems) network under the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Significance:
The ICCC acts of a smart city acts as a “nerve centre” for operations management. It processes a
complex and large pool of data sets at an aggregated level. For example, it is now the go-to source
for integrated traffic management monitoring.
Smart Cities mission:
 GoI launched the smart cities mission in 2015.
 The cities were given five years to complete the projects under the mission, with the first set
of Smart Cities expected to complete in 2021.
 The objective is to integrate city functions, utilize scarce resources more efficiently, and
improve the quality of life of citizens.
 It is an innovative initiative under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
 It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
Smart city is envisaged to have four pillars:

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1. Social Infrastructure.
2. Physical Infrastructure.
3. Institutional Infrastructure (including Governance).
4. Economic Infrastructure.
Progress made under this scheme (as of June 2021):
 Of the total proposed projects under this mission, 5,924 projects have been tendered, work
orders have been issued for 5,236 and 2,665 projects are fully operational.
 212 PPP projects worth Rs. 24,964 crore have been grounded/completed
 70 Smart cities have developed. operationalized their Integrated Command and Control
Centres (ICCCs) in the country.
Challenges ahead:
1. A lot of progress is desired in creating energy-efficient and green buildings.
2. Making Urban Bodies self-reliant.
3. The share of public transport is declining, it needs to be increased to meet the needs of
increasing urbanization.
4. Rising air pollution, increase in road congestion due to an increase in urbanization.
What is Extradition?
Reference News:-
On February 2nd 2022, the Supreme Court had sought a response from the Centre on a plea filed
by Abu Salem, serving life imprisonment for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case,
contending that his imprisonment cannot extend beyond 25 years as per the terms of the extradition
treaty between India and Portugal.
 Recently, the Union Home Secretary informed the Supreme Court that the Union government
is bound by the commitment given to Portugal in 2002.
Background:
In December 2002, the then Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani had given a commitment to the then
Portuguese government that the maximum sentence handed out to gangster Abu Salem would not
exceed 25 years.
What is Extradition?
As defined by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, ‘Extradition is the delivery on the part of one State
to another of those whom it is desired to deal with for crimes of which they have been accused or
convicted and are justifiable in the Courts of the other State’.
When can it be initiated?
An Extradition request for an accused can be initiated in the case of under-investigation, under-trial
and convicted criminals.

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 In cases under investigation, abundant precautions have to be exercised by the law
enforcement agency to ensure that it is in possession of prima facie evidence to sustain the
allegation before the Courts of Law in the Foreign State.
What is the Legislative Basis for Extradition in India?
The Extradition Act 1962 provides India’s legislative basis for extradition. It consolidated the law
relating to the extradition of criminal fugitive from India to foreign states. The Indian Extradition
Act, 1962 was substantially modified in 1993 by Act 66 of 1993.
Who is the nodal authority for Extradition in India?
The Consular, Passport & Visa (CPV) Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
is the Central/Nodal Authority that administers the Extradition Act and it processes incoming and
outgoing Extradition Requests.
An alleged offender may not be extradited to the requesting state in the following cases:
1. No treaty – In absence of a treaty, States are not obligated to extradite aliens/nationals.
2. No treaty crime – Extradition is generally limited to crimes identified in the treaty which
may vary in relation to one State from another, as provided by the treaty.
3. Military and Political Offences – Extradition may be denied for purely military and political
offences. Terrorist offences and violent crimes are excluded from the definition of political
offences for the purposes of extradition treaties.
4. Want of Dual Criminality – Dual criminality exists when conduct constituting the offence
amounts to a criminal offence in both India and the foreign country.
5. Procedural considerations – Extradition may be denied when due procedure as required by
the Extradition Act of 1962 is not followed.
Digital Banking Units:
Reference News:-
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has reiterated her Budget announcement on setting up 75
digital banking units in 75 districts of the country this year.
 This is to take forward the government’s agenda of digital financial inclusion.
What is digital banking?
Simply put, digital banking involves taking all traditional banking activity online — doing away
with paperwork like cheques, pay-in slips, demand drafts and so on.
What are digital banking units?
A digital banking unit is a specialised fixed point business unit or hub housing certain minimum
digital infrastructure for delivering digital banking products and services as well as servicing
existing financial products and services digitally in self-service mode at any time.
Who will set up these DBUs?

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Commercial banks (other than regional rural banks, payment banks and local area banks) with past
digital banking experience are permitted to open DBUs in tier 1 to tier 6 centres, unless otherwise
specifically restricted, without having the need to take permission from the RBI in each case.
What are the services that will be provided by these units?
As per the RBI, each DBU must offer certain minimum digital banking products and services. Such
products should be on both liabilities and assets side of the balance sheet of the digital banking
segment.
 The services include savings bank accounts under various schemes, current accounts, fixed
deposits and recurring deposit accounts, digital kit for customers, mobile banking, Internet
banking, debit cards, credit cards, and mass transit system cards etc.
What are the benefits of DBUs?
1. Digital banking units will help banks themselves which are now looking to reduce physical
footprint with fewer brick and mortar branches, with a ‘light’ banking approach.
2. The move will open up the rural market for service providers besides providing a boost to
credit flow.
3. Such units will also be cheaper to establish than a new branch, and can provide better
customer experience aided by technology.
4. The units can also be branded as new-age banks that can help provide personalised finance
management tools to new consumers, branded better.
5. Digi banking units also require lesser staff, with cheaper maintenance due to technological
tools and hence can be high-yield units for the parent bank.
6. If not anything, more such units can encourage more financial literacy and a favourable
outlook towards digital banking – which is the need of the hour.
Significance:
The move will open up the rural market for service providers besides providing a boost to credit
flow.
Need for:
Given the rapid rise of digital banking, digital payments, and FinTech innovation, it was critical to
develop digital infrastructure to support digital banking, which has enormous potential.
RBI Guidelines for DBUs:
 According to the guidelines, permission to open DBUs has been given to scheduled
commercial banks (SCB) that have past digital banking experience.
 They can open DBUs in Tier 1 to Tier 6 centres without taking any permission from the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
 The DBUs that will be opened by the SCBs will be treated as Banking Outlets.
 Each DBU has to be housed distinctly, with separate provisions for exit and entry.
 The guidelines state that the DBUs must be separate from the existing Banking Outlet with
proper formats provided that will be appropriate for digital banking users.

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 Each DBU must be headed by a senior and experienced executive of the bank who can be
designated as the DBU’s Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Noise Pollution
Reference News:-
A new set of controversies has emerged in Maharashtra after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)
chief Raj Thackeray raised the issue of loudspeakers in mosques and warned that if they are not
removed by May 3, his party would play Hanuman Chalisa out loud.
 The Maharashtra government might bank on the provisions of The Noise Pollution
(Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, to go about the controversy.
What is Noise pollution according to Indian laws?
Noise is anything that is an unwanted sound, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. Any
unwanted sound that causes annoyance, irritation and pain to the human ear is termed ‘noise’.
What is the acceptable level of noise?
 Rules have defined the acceptable levels of noise across areas during daytime and nighttime.
Daytime comprises 6 am to 10 pm, and night is 10 pm to 6 am.
 In commercial areas, noise limitation has been fixed at 65 dB and 55 dB during daytime and
nighttime respectively. In residential areas, they are 55 dB and 45 dB during daytime and
night respectively.
 In industrial areas, the ceiling is fixed at 75dB and 70dB during daytime and nighttime,
whereas in silence zones, the same is at 50dB and 40dB.
The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000:
Section 2 (a) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 considers noise as ‘air
pollutant’. According to reports, “air pollutant” is any solid, liquid, or gaseous substance, including
noise, present in the atmosphere in such concentrations as to be or tend to be harmful to humans,
other living creatures, plants, property, or the environment.
 Noise pollution and its sources are regulated under The Noise Pollution (Regulation and
Control) Rules, 2000 under The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
 Under the Act, there is a defined ambient acceptable noise levels, restrictions on the use of
loudspeakers, sound-emitting construction equipment, horns, bursting of crackers and so on.
What are the laws around loudspeakers?
Central Pollution Control Board has listed fines for the violation of noise pollution norms,
including the use of loudspeakers or public addresses that can result in a fine of Rs 10,000.
 The noise level at the boundary of the public place, where a loudspeaker or public address
system or any other noise source is being used, shall not exceed 10 dB (A) above the ambient
noise standards for the area or 75 dB (A), whichever is lower.
 The rules also state that a loudspeaker or a public address system shall not be used except
after obtaining written permission from the designated authority.

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 Exemption: The state government can provide exemption during any cultural or religious
festive occasion of a limited duration not exceeding 15 days in all during a calendar year.
How can noise pollution impact health?
While noise pollution does not receive as much attention as air and water pollution, it is known to
impact the health of people.
 According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 1.1 billion young people (aged
between 12–35 years) are at the risk of hearing loss due to noise exposure.
 The WHO has stated that there is sufficient evidence that noise exposure at night causes self-
reported sleep disturbance and noise-induced sleep disturbance is viewed as a health problem.
 WHO also states there is evidence, albeit limited, that disturbed sleep causes fatigue,
accidents and reduced performance.
 Various physical disorders due to higher noise include temporary deafness, headache and an
increase in blood pressure.