Latest News
18th March 2021
Mullaperiyar Dam Issue
Recently, the Supreme Court has said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary shall be responsible and appropriate action will be taken on failure to give information on the rule curve for Mullaperiyar dam to the Supreme Court-appointed Supervisory Committee.
Recently, Kenya has said that it will not take part in proceedings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its maritime border dispute with neighbouring Somalia.
Recently, the Supreme Court has said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary shall be responsible and appropriate action will be taken on failure to give information on the rule curve for Mullaperiyar dam to the Supreme Court-appointed Supervisory Committee.
- In November 1979, a tripartite meeting decided that water level had to be brought down from the full reservoir level of 152 ft to 136 ft, in order to enable Tamil Nadu carry out dam strengthening works.
- Tamil Nadu had started demanding restoration of the water level in the Mullaperiyar as it had completed the task assigned to it.
- The Supreme Court was approached when no consensus was reached through negotiations.
- The Supervisory Committee has been directed to issue directions or take steps to address the three core safety issues:
- The monitoring and performance of the instrumentation of the dam;
- Finalising the rule curve; and
- Fixing the gate operating schedule
- Rule curve in a dam decides the fluctuating storage levels in a reservoir.
- The gate opening schedule of a dam is based on the rule curve.
- It is part of the “core safety” mechanism in a dam.
- It is a 126-year-old dam perched high up in the Western Ghats, adjacent to Kerala’s famed Periyar wildlife sanctuary.
- It is located in the Idukki district of Kerala, is operated and maintained by Tamil Nadufor meeting the drinking water and irrigation requirements of five of its southern districts.
- It is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River.
- It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by the British Government to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area (present-day Tamil Nadu).
- It is strongly opposed by Tamil Nadu state, which inherited a lease agreement between the former princely state of Travancore (now Kerala) and the British government.
- The lease allows Tamil Nadu to operate the dam and divert 640 million cubic metres of water annually for irrigation and power generation.
- The bill seeks to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.
- The Bill was approved in Lok Sabha in March 2020.
- There were several petitions received by the Courts seeking permission for aborting pregnancies at a gestational age beyond the present permissible limit.
- The petitions were submitted on the grounds of Foetal abnormalities or pregnancies due to sexual violence faced by women.
- It has enhanced the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women which will be defined in the amendments to the MTP Rules.
- It would include survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women (like differently-abled women, minors) etc.
- The opinion of only one provider will be required up to 20 weeks of gestation and of two providers for termination of pregnancy of 20-24 weeks of gestation.
- The upper gestation limit does not apply in cases of substantial Foetal abnormalities diagnosed by Medical Board.
- The composition, functions and other details of Medical Board is to be prescribed subsequently in Rules under the Act.
- The name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminatedshall not be revealed except to a person authorised in any law for the time being in force.
- The ground of failure of contraceptive has been extended to women and her partner.
- The bill is for expanding access of women to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarian or social grounds.
- It aims to increase upper gestation limit for termination of pregnancy under certain conditions and to strengthen access to comprehensive abortion care.
- The amendments will increase the ambit and access of women to safe abortion services and will ensure dignity, autonomy, confidentiality and justice for women who need to terminate pregnancy.
- The National Commission for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes was constituted in 2015 under the chairmanship of Bhiku Ramji Idate.
- It was entrusted with the task of identifying and enlisting these communities State-wise, assessing the status of their development and recommending appropriate strategies for their economic upliftment.
- According to the Idate Commission report, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have the largest number of DNT and NT communities respectively.
- The government set up a Development and Welfare Board under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for implementing development and welfare programmes for the DNT.
- The DNTs are a heterogeneous group engaged in various occupations such as transport, key-making, salt trading, entertaining etc.
- The term 'De-notified Tribes' stands for all those communities which were once notified under the Criminal Tribes Acts, enforced by the British Raj between 1871 and 1947.
- The acts were repealed by the Independent Indian Government in 1952, and these communities were "De-Notified".
- The terms such as nomads and semi-nomads are applied to 'social groups who undertook a fairly frequent, usually seasonal physical movement as part of their livelihood strategy.
- The Nomadic tribes maintain constant geographical mobility while semi-nomads are those who are on the move but return to a fixed habitations once a year, mainly for occupational reasons.
- It has been constituted in 2019 for a period of three years extendable up to 5 yearswith following terms of reference:
- To formulate and Implement Welfare and Development programme as required, for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities.
- To identify the locations/areas where these communities are densely populated.
- To assess and identify gaps in accessing existing programmes and entitlements and to collaborate with Ministries/Implementing agencies to ensure that ongoing programmes meet the special requirements of De-notified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities.
- To monitor and evaluate the progress of the schemes of Government of India and the States/UTs with reference to De-notified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities.
- Any other related work as may be assigned by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Dr. Ambedkar Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship for DNTs: It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in 2014-15.
- It is aimed at welfare of those DNT students who are not covered under SC, ST or OBC.
- The income ceiling for eligibility is Rs. 2.00 lakh per annum.
- Nanaji Deshmukh Scheme of Construction of Hostels for DNT Boys and Girls: It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in 2014-15.
- It is implemented through State Governments/ UT Administrations/ Central Universities.
- Its aim is to provide hostel facilities to those DNT students who are not covered under SC, ST or OBC and to enable them to pursue higher education.
- The income ceiling for eligibility is Rs. 2.00 lakh per annum.
- The scheme "Assistance to Voluntary Organization working for the Welfare of Other Backward Classes (OBCs)" has been extended for DNTs and EBCs.
- It is a Central Sector Scheme aimed at of Assistance for Skill Development of Backward Classes (OBCs)/ De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs)/ Economic Backward Classes (EBCs).
- Characteristics: It is a shrub which produces an orange-yellow coloured edible berry.
- It has the unique characteristic to grow in marginally fertile soil of cold desert.
- The shrub can withstand extreme temperature from - 43°C to +40°C and is considered drought resistant.
- Distribution: In India, it is found above the tree line in the Himalayan region, generally in dry areas such as the cold deserts of Ladakh and Spiti.
- In Himachal Pradesh, it is locally called ‘chharma’ and grows in the wild in Lahaul and Spiti and parts of Kinnaur.
- According to the Seabuckthorn Association of India, around 15,000 hectares in Himachal, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh are covered by this plant.
- Medicinal Properties: It has been widely used for treating stomach, heart and skin problems.
- Its fruit and leaves are rich in vitamins, carotenoids and omega fatty acids, among other substances.
- It can help troops in acclimatizing to high-altitude.
- Economic Benefits: It is an important source of fuelwood and fodder.
- It is used in making juices, jams, nutritional capsules etc. which adds to its commercial value.
- Ecological Benefits: It is a soil-binding plant which prevents soil-erosion, checks siltation in rivers and helps preserve floral biodiversity.
- It is a good alternative for protecting the local ecology where willow trees are dying in large numbers due to pest attack.
- The scheme would commence from the new academic year i.e. 2021/22.
- The British government has allocated 110 million pounds for the first year.
- It would enable up to 35,000 students from across the country to study or work across the world.
- Under the programme, after schools and universities successfully apply for funding for exchanges, university study and work placements, they can invite their students to apply for individual funding.
- The beneficiaries of the scheme from disadvantaged backgrounds can receive up to 490 pounds per month towards living costs, travel funding and money to offset the cost of passports, visas and insurance.
- It will enable schools, colleges and universities in the UK to apply for government funding to allow students to study and work across the globe, including in India.
- The scheme would be a global programme in which every country in the world will be able to partner with UK institutions.
- It is aimed towards ensuring social mobility, and targets students from disadvantaged backgrounds and areas from where not many could benefit under the previous Erasmus+ scheme.
- It is part of the UK’s drive to increase the amount generated from education exports, including fees and income from overseas students and English language teaching abroad.
- The government aims to generate 35 billion pounds per year, and bring 6 lakh international students to the country by 2030.
- The bamboo groves in the Wayanad forest are the mainstay of herbivores in the Nilgiri biosphere during summer.
- The gregarious flowering may adversely affect migration of lower herbivores owing to the mass destruction of bamboo groves after the flowering.
- The farmers living near the sanctuary fear that the destruction of bamboo groves may worsen the increasing man-animal conflict.
- Thorny bamboo (Bamboosa Bambos) is a monocarpic (flowering only once) plant belonging to the Poaceae family (grass family) and its flowering cycle varies from 40 to 60 years.
- Bamboos are perennial grasses classified under the sub-family bambusoideae.
- The bamboo flowering is considered a bad omen in several northeastern states of India, especially when accompanied by an increase in rodent population.
- It is contiguous to the protected areas of Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka on the northeast and Mudumalai of Tamil Nadu on the southeast.
- It is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
- It was declared as a Sanctuary in 1973.
- The highest peak of WWS is Karottimala.
- The forest types include South Indian Moist Deciduous forests, West coast semi-evergreen forests and plantations of teak, eucalyptus and Grewelia.
- Kuruma, Paniya, Kattunaicka, Urali, Kurichiar and Adiyar are some of the tribal communities that inhabit this area.
Recently, Kenya has said that it will not take part in proceedings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its maritime border dispute with neighbouring Somalia.
- In 2014, Somalia had asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to adjudicate after negotiations to resolve the issue bilaterally failed.
- Kenya resisted by arguing that the ICJ did not have jurisdiction to hear the case.
- The argument of Kenya is based on a 2009 argument between the two neighboursthat Kenya said amounted to a commitment to settle the dispute out of court.
- In 2017, the ICJ ruled that it did have the right to rule in the case, and in 2019 said that it would begin public hearings.
- The move comes after Somalia’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with Kenya in December 2020, after it accused Nairobi of meddling in its internal affairs.
- The main point of disagreement between the two neighbours is the direction in which their maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean should extend.
- Somalia is of the view that the sea border should be an extension of the same direction in which their land border runs as it approaches the Indian Ocean, i.e. towards the southeast.
- Kenya argues that the territorial southeast border should take a 45 degree turn as it reaches the sea, and then run in a latitudinal direction, i.e. parallel to the equator.
- It would be advantageous arrangement for Kenya, whose coastline of 536 km is more than 6 times smaller than Somalia’s (3,333 km).
- The triangular area created by the dispute is around 1.6 lakh sq km large, and boasts of rich marine reserves.
- It is also believed to have oil and gas deposits.
- Both Somalia and Kenya have accused each other of auctioning off blocks from this area.
- The Code on Wages, 2019 universalises and creates a statutory right of minimum wages for all workers whether in organized or unorganised sector.
- The new concept of statutory floor wage has also been introduced in the Code on Wages.
- The Code also provides that the minimum wages are to be ordinarily reviewed and revised by the appropriate Governments in intervals not exceeding five years.
- It comments on various issues including on Indian workers having low average wages, longer hours as well as that the workers in Asia and the Pacific.
- The 2020-21 edition analyses the relationship of minimum wages and inequality, as well as the wage impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
- The global wage growth fluctuated between 1.6 and 2.2 per cent in the four years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (2016–19).
- In advanced G20 economies, the real wage growth fluctuated between 0.4 and 0.9 per cent.
- Among advanced G20 economies, wage growth accelerated the most (by 22 per cent) in the Republic of Korea, followed by Germany (15 per cent).
- In the first half of 2020, a downward pressure on the level or growth rate of average wages was observed in two thirds of the countries.
- In Brazil, Canada, France, Italy and the United States, average wages have been rising markedly because of job losses mainly affecting those at the lower end of the wage scale.
- The impacts of the crisis on total wages have fallen differently on men and women, the latter being disproportionately affected.
- The COVID-19 crisis disproportionately affected lower-paid workers, thereby increasing wage inequalities.
- The temporary wage subsidies have enabled many countries to compensate part of the wage bill that would have been lost, and to lessen the effect of the crisis on wage inequality.
- The report highlighted that minimum wages, statutory or negotiated, exist in 90 per cent of the 187 ILO Member States.
- The report states that an estimated 327 million wage earners are paid at or below the applicable hourly minimum wage which represents 19 per cent of all wage earners, and includes 152 million women.
- It is a flagship report of ILO which examines the evolution of real wages around the world, giving a unique picture of wage trends globally and by region.
- It is central to the analysis of wage trends and labour market developments as well as to the theoretical debate about the role of labour in the economy.
- It is an indispensable publication for economists, trade unionists, employers and the interested public.
- It analyses the latest wage statistics and provides insights on wage policies based on research projects carried out by the ILO.
- It is probably the most comprehensive worldwide database on wages and wage inequality currently available.
- It is the only tripartite United Nations agency established in 1919.
- It brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States.
- It aims to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmespromoting decent work for all women and men.
- In 2020, a student at the University College in Thiruvananthapuram has filed a writ petition opposing her exclusion from the NCC unit at the college on the basis of her gender.
- The petition challenged Section 6 of the National Cadet Corps Act, 1948 which only allows either ‘male’ or ‘female’ cadets.
- The petitioner argued that the ‘inclusion of sexual minorities like transgender persons’ is important to address the ‘rampant marginalisation and discrimination’ that they face.
- The Kerala High Court took exception to the position and stressed that exclusion of transgenders from NCC goes contrary to Kerala’s Transgender Policy and other applicable statutes.
- The bench held that the integration of persons of the third gender into the armed forces or the NCC cannot be a justification to deny the petitioner’s entry into the NCC.
- The Judgement highlighted that the provisions of the NCC Act, 1948 cannot preclude the operation of the Transgender Rights Act, 2019.
- The High Court also ordered the NCC to amend Section 6 of the Act within six months so that the law offers equal opportunities for everyone.
- The NCC had submitted that as per the existing policy, there was no provision for allowing transgender students to get themselves enrolled in the NCC.
- The Centre argued that before constituting a new division for the third gender, the Centre had to conduct a major exercise in terms of reviewing the infrastructure facilities, modules and facilities for such a division.
- It also argued that any induction of a candidate from the transgender community without due deliberations by the authorities would have far-reaching ramifications.
- Kerala was one of the first states in the country to formulate and implement a welfare policy for transgender persons in 2015.
- The policy followed the Supreme Court verdict in 2014 in which the right to equality and equal protection for transgender persons under articles 14, 15 and 16 was upheld.
- The bracket of a ‘third gender’ was allotted to transgender persons.
- The policy asked for all government offices and public functionaries to extend non-discriminatory treatment to transgender.
- The policy promised to provide:
- Free legal aid to those fighting discrimination,
- Recording statistics at the local police station level for crimes against transgenders;
- A 24×7 helpline and crisis management centre;
- A monthly pension scheme for destitute and those above the age of 55; and
- Establishing shelter homes
National Cadet Corps (NCC)
- The Cadet Corps Committee under the chairmanship of Pt HN Kunzrurecommended the establishment of NCC.
- It came into being by an Act of the Parliament Act No. XXXI of 1948 designated‘The National Cadet Corps Act 1948’.
- It aims at developing character, comradeship, discipline, a secular outlook, the spirit of adventure and ideals of selfless service amongst young citizens.
- It aims at creating a pool of organized, trained and motivated youth with leadership qualities in all walks of life.
- It is under the administrative control of Ministry of Defence.
POSTED ON 18-03-2021 BY ADMIN
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