DAILY PRELIMS CA — 7 SEPTEMBER

1. Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) 

• Context: CCPA initiated regulatory action against food companies using misleading marketing claims.
• Statutory Basis: Statutory body established in July 2020 under Section 10(1), Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• Nature: Apex regulatory body protecting collective consumer rights against unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements.
• Investigation Wing: Dedicated wing headed by a Director-General; conducts suo motu inquiries and investigations.
• Key Powers: Recalls unsafe goods, orders refunds and issues binding guidelines against dark patterns and hidden charges.
• Penalties: Under Section 21, can modify false advertisements and impose penalties on manufacturers and endorsers.
• Litigation: Can file class-action complaints before District, State and National Consumer Commissions.

2. Virtual Private Network (VPN) 

• Context: Doda district authorities in Jammu & Kashmir banned VPNs for two months.
• Legal Provision: Ban invoked under Section 163, BNSS, replacing former CrPC Section 144 provisions on public order.
• Definition: Creates an encrypted private communication link over public networks; masks the user's IP address and geolocation.
• Tunnelling: Uses encapsulation of original data packets inside transport packets across public networks.
• Encryption: Converts plaintext data into unreadable ciphertext using cryptographic protocols.
• Authentication: Verifies device and user credentials at the VPN gateway before granting network access.
• Types: Remote-Access VPN connects individual users to private networks; Site-to-Site VPN connects fixed physical network locations.

3. Shekhawati Havelis 

• Context: Included in UNESCO’s Tentative List among 14 heritage locations in Rajasthan.
• Location: Semi-arid northern Rajasthan; spans Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu districts.
• Origin: Named after Rao Shekha, a 15th-century Rajput chieftain; built mainly by Marwari merchants (18th–20th century).
• Art & Technique: Distinct fresco murals using the ārā’ish technique, bonding natural pigments into wet lime plaster.
• Themes: Mythology, epics and royal courts, along with modern technology such as locomotives, aeroplanes and motorcars.
• Architecture: Climate-responsive dual courtyards (chowks), overhanging jharokhas and stepped wells (joharas).

4. Bhitarkanika National Park 

• Context: Saltwater crocodile hatchlings began emerging from nesting sites.
• Location: Coastal Kendrapara district, Odisha; bounded by the Bay of Bengal and Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
• Ecosystem: India’s second-largest mangrove ecosystem; major estuarine wetland with tidal creeks and mudflats.
• River System: Deltaic confluence of Brahmani, Baitarani, Dhamra and Pathsala rivers.
• Legal Status: Sanctuary declared in 1975 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972; core zone notified as National Park in 1998.
• Ramsar Site: Designated in 2002; Odisha’s second Ramsar site after Chilika Lake.
• Geography: Flanked by Hukitola and Gahirmatha barrier beaches; high-salinity hydromorphic soils support halophytes.