PM Modi bats for a Uniform Civil Code; And, soft porn takes over a short video app

Market Watch

• Indian benchmark indices ended the day in green, with the Sensex increasing 446.03 points at 63,416.03, and Nifty up 126.20 points at 18,817.40.
• Sectorally, Nifty FMCG (-0.07%) and Oil & Gas (-0.01%) shed the most, while Financial Services 25/50 (1.61%) and Financial Services (1.37%) gained the most.

PM Modi bats for uniform civil code

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has batted for the implementation of a uniform civil code (UCC) in India, stating that it is a constitutional vision and a necessity for the nation .

What is it? UCC calls for the formulation of a set of laws that applies equally to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption.

What he said: While addressing BJP workers in Bhopal , PM Modi stated that the BJP has decided not to adopt the path of appeasement and vote bank politics.

• “Today people are being instigated in the name of UCC. How can the country run on two (laws)? The Constitution also talks of equal rights ... Supreme Court has also asked to implement UCC. These (Opposition) people are playing vote bank politics,” said Modi.
• He also questioned claims that ‘triple talaq’ is an inherent part of Islam by highlighting its absence in Muslim-majority nations such as Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. “Those who advocate for triple talaq, these people hungry for a vote bank, are doing grave injustice to Muslim daughters,” the PM said.

The big picture: At present, the personal laws in India are quite complex , with separate laws governing Hindus (including Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists), Muslims, Christians, and followers of other religions.

• The implementation of the UCC has long been a demand for the BJP, which wants to replace such personal laws based on scriptures and customs of various religions with common laws for every citizen.
• However, opposition parties and Muslim leaders have opposed its imposition on grounds of religious freedom, citing the diversity of communities in India.

The DailyBrief take: The BJP government seems to be delivering its manifesto on the cultural front, but it seems to be failing on its economic agenda, despite the showmanship and make-believe otherwise.

Short-video app Chingari pivots towards ‘adult entertainment’

Short-video app Chingari is in the news for allegedly pivoting towards adult content.

The context: The ban on TikTok in June 2020 saw Indian equivalents like Chingari, Trell, Mitron, Moj, Roposo, Josh, and others dominate the market .

• Amid a funding winter, many such apps are attempting to monetise their large user base to lure back investors; Chingari has also seen its downloads plunge, its losses surge, and its cofounder resign.

The details: Chingari introduced a paid 1-on-1 video call feature in April 2023, purchasable with in-app diamonds.

• Creators on public live videos now encourage users to make these calls, often upon receipt of an in-app gift.

Between the lines: Shortly after, Chingari changed its Android app’s parental rating on the Google Play Store to 18+ in June 2023.

• Furthermore, several employees and users of the app raised allegations of explicit content in private calls , involving graphic language described as “soft-porn”.
• Social media advertisements and job postings specifically seeking female creators also seemingly advertise this as a selling point.
• In response to questions about why only female creators were the focus of the on-boarding campaign, the company said “The platform has placed a particular emphasis on the recruitment of women creators in response to user demand and as part of a broader effort to promote gender diversity and inclusivity within the community.”

Why this matters: The feature has been criticised for enabling user abuse and indecency, as well as for improper filters to block underage users — e.g., its iOS version is still available to minors.

• Hence, Chingari may be breaking laws against child abuse and outraging the modesty of women.

The other side: Chingari has denied that it promotes adult entertainment, stating it deploys AI-driven models and a moderation team to check and block graphic content and informs users and creators about its policy on the same.

• “Moreover, this feature was introduced because no other legacy platform allows users to directly talk to their favourite creators,” it stated .

All image credits: Inc42 .

ICYMI

• Russian President Vladimir Putin and Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin have made public statements addressing the latter’s failed attempt at armed rebellion.
• A recent public interest ad issued by YouTube , featured on the front page of The Economic Times newspaper, has ignited the debate about financial influencers.
• The Election Commission has released its draft proposal for Assam delimitation , resulting in protests and political controversy.
• Tomato prices have spiked in the markets across India from Rs 10-20 per kg to a price of Rs 80-100 per kg.
• YouTuber and comedian Devraj Patel , famous for his ‘dil se bura lagta hai bhai’ meme, tragically died in a road accident.
• A man traveling on a Mumbai-Delhi Air India flight on June 24 was arrested for defecating, urinating, and spitting in the aircraft .
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the schedule for the ODI World Cup 2023 .?