The PESA Act, and the background of the AAP’s election promise in Gujarat

• The PESA Act was enacted in 1996 “to provide for the extension of the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to the Panchayats to the Scheduled Areas”.
• Under the PESA Act, Scheduled Areas are those referred to in Article 244(1), which says that the provisions of the Fifth Schedule shall apply to the Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. The Fifth Schedule provides for a range of special provisions for these areas.
• The PESA Act was enacted to ensure self-governance through Gram Sabhas (village assemblies) for people living in the Scheduled Areas.
• It recognises the right of tribal communities, who are residents of the Scheduled Areas, to govern themselves through their own systems of self-government, and also acknowledges their traditional rights over natural resources.

Krishna, Godavari levels on the rise

• The Central Water Commission (CWC), based on a forecast by the India Meteorological Department, has indicated that water flow in the Godavari at Kanthanapally, the point after the Indravathi joins the main river course, could be about 6.25 lakh cusecs.
• The Indravathi, which contributes most to the Godavari after the Pranahitha, is in spate in Chhattisgarh, with the river flowing above the warning level of 539.5 metres at Jagdalpur and is forecast to cross the danger level of 540.8 metres.
• Authorities of the Water Resources Department (WRD) lifted all the 70 gates of the Prakasam Barrage and released 70,000 cusecs of water into the sea. This is the second time this season that the gates have been lifted. Nearly 82,161 cusecs of flood waters is reaching the barrage from the upper catchment areas.
• With contribution from the Manjira, Kaddam, Peddavagu and Pranahitha, the water flow at Polavaram is forecast to be over 6.55 lakh cusecs.

House panel bats for equality in guardianship

• The said Act does not provide for joint guardianship nor does it recognise the mother as the guardian of the minor legitimate child unless the father is deceased or is found unfit.
• The Act gives preference to father over mother, it goes against the right to equality and right against discrimination envisaged under Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution.
• The committee feels that there is an urgent need to amend the HMGA and accord equal treatment to both mother and father as natural guardians.
• Section 6 of the HMGA lays down that in the case of a Hindu minor boy and a Hindu minor unmarried girl, the father is the natural guardian and ‘after’ him the mother. Section 7 of the same Act provides that the natural guardianship of an adopted son, who is a minor, passes on adoption to the adopted father and ‘after’ him to the adoptive mother.

This new govt portal will find your lost or stolen mobile phone

• This will be done by using the device’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.
• The International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI is a unique number that is used to identify a device on a mobile network. It has 15 digits, and is like your phone’s unique identity.
• When you use the internet or place a call through your cellular service provider, then this number is used to verify the identity of your device.
• If you have a dual SIM phone, then you will have two IMEI numbers, one for each slot.

Electricity Amendment Bill 2022 introduced in Lok Sabha, sent to standing committee on energy examination

• In this Bill, Section 42 of the Electricity Act will be amended to allow ‘non-discriminatory open access’ to the distribution network, allowing private companies to supply electricity provided they get a license.
• Section 14 of the Electricity Act has also been proposed to be amended, allowing private companies to use distribution networks built by public sector electricity companies, enabling competition and enhancing the efficiency of power supply across the country.
• Under the Bill, consumers will be able to choose from multiple electricity providers, essentially like how they choose currently between telecom providers like Airtel, Vodafone, etc..

The big push for renewable energy in India

• Solar photovoltaics (PV) has driven India’s push towards the adoption of cleaner energy generation technologies. From less than 10 MW in 2010, India has added significant PV capacity over the past decade, achieving over 50 GW by 2022.
• By 2030, India is targeting about 500 GW of renewable energy deployment, out of which ~280 GW is expected from solar PV. This necessitates the deployment of nearly 30 GW of solar capacity every year until 2030.
• However, there are challenges that need to be overcome for the sustainability of the PV economy. Indian solar deployment or installation companies depend heavily on imports, as India currently does not have enough module and cell manufacturing capacity.