Latest News
19th June 2021
Sea Level Rising
Recently, a team of scientists studied the climate projections of sea level rise and associated coastal inundation in atoll islands.
Key Highlights
Recently, the illegal cultivation of herbicide-tolerant (HT) Bt-cotton has seen a huge jump in 2021.
Recently, Odisha has seen natural nesting of gharials for the first time since they were introduced in its rivers back in 1975.
Muggers
INS Trikand
- The study found out that the sea levels will rise around the Lakshadweep Islands between 0.4 mm per year to 0.9 mm per year and will affect airport and residential areas.
- The study highlights that the worst possible inundation scenarios projected for Lakshadweep Islands are almost similar under different emission scenarios.
- The study highlighted that all the islands in the archipelago would be vulnerable to impact from the rise in sea levels.
- It estimated that smaller islands Chetlat and Amini are expected to have major land loss.
- The projection mapping indicated that about 60-70 per cent of existing shoreline would experience land loss in Amini and about 70-80 per cent in Chetlat.
- It highlights that larger island Minicoy and the capital Kavaratti are also vulnerable to sea level rise, and expected to experience land loss along 60 per cent of the existing shoreline.
- The rising seas that swamp cities and coastal infrastructure could cost the world more than 4 percent of the global economy each year by 2100.
- The regular flooding means a large potential impact on municipal tax bases which help fund schools, emergency services, roads, and other vital local services and infrastructure.
- When sea levels rise as rapidly as they have been, even a small increase can have devastating effects on coastal habitats farther inland.
- The flooding in low-lying coastal areas is forcing people to migrate to higher ground,and millions more are vulnerable from flood risk and other climate change effects.
- The prospect of higher coastal water levels threatens basic services such as Internet access, since much of the underlying communications infrastructure lies in the path of rising seas.
- It can cause destructive erosion, wetland flooding, aquifer and agricultural soil contamination with salt, and lost habitat for fish, birds, and plants.
- The higher sea levels are coinciding with more dangerous hurricanes and typhoonsthat move more slowly and drop more rain, contributing to more powerful storm surges.
- Rising temperatures are warming ocean waters: The thermal expansion was the main driver of global sea level rise for 75 - 100 years after the start of the Industrial Revolution.
- Accelerated shrinking of land ice: The glaciers, ice caps, and ice sheets are shrinking at a faster rate in response to rising temperatures, adding water to the world's oceans.
- Loss of Greenland and Antarctica’s ice sheets: The scientists also believe that meltwater from above and seawater from below is seeping beneath Greenland's ice sheets, effectively lubricating ice streams and causing them to move more quickly into the sea.
- The vulnerability of Asian coastal cities to global warming and the IPCC has warned of a one metre rise in sea level by 2100 and storm surges occurring once a year rather than once a century.
- The flood risk is shaped not only by sea level rise which in turn depends on factors such as how fast the ice sheets melt but also the elevation level of the land.
- It is estimated that the increase in sea level in the Indian Ocean is at the rate of 5-6 cm per decade.
- The sea level rise in the Indian Ocean is largely due to thermal expansion caused by ocean warming.
- It aims to provide a statutory mechanism for redressal of grievances of citizensrelating to content broadcast by television channels in accordance with the provisions of the Cable Television Network Act, 1995.
- The amendment will recognize Statutory Bodies of TV channels under Cable Television Network (CTN) Rules.
- It will bring the television’s self-regulatory mechanism at par with that being set-up for OTT players and digital news publishers.
- There is an institutional mechanism by way of an Inter-Ministerial Committee to address grievances of citizens relating to violation of the Programme/Advertising Codes under the Rules.
- The need was felt to lay down a statutory mechanism for strengthening the grievance redressal structure.
- The broadcasters had also requested for giving legal recognition to their associations/bodies.
- The Supreme Court in the Common Cause Vs Union of India & Others case had advised to frame appropriate rules to formalize the complaint redressal mechanism.
- At present there are over 900 television channels which have been granted permission by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
- All of which are required to comply with the Programme and Advertising Code laid down under the Cable Television Network Rules.
- Sections 2(a): It provides for authorised officer such as District Magistrate or a Sub-divisional Magistrate or Commissioner of Police for such local limits of jurisdiction as may be determined by that Government.
- Section 2 (ai): It defines ‘Authority’ the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India established under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.
- Section 4(1): Any person who is desirous of operating or is operating a cable television network may apply for registration or renewal of registration, as a cable operator to the registering authority.
- Section 8 (1): The Central Government may specify the names of Doordarshan channels or the channels operated by or on behalf of Parliament, to be mandatorily carried by the cable operators in their cable service.
- Section 20: The Central Government may prohibit the operation of any cable television network in such areas as it may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf.
Recently, the illegal cultivation of herbicide-tolerant (HT) Bt-cotton has seen a huge jump in 2021.
- The seed manufacturers claiming that the sale of illegal seed packets has more than doubled from 30 lakh last year to 75 lakh in 2021.
- The Herbicide-tolerant Bt (HT Bt) Cotton is genetically modified crop of unapproved genes which is not permissible in India.
- The herbicide is like a poison which is used to destroy unwanted vegetation.
- The technique in the HT Bt Cotton makes the crop resistant to herbicide following modification in genes of the seeds.
- It allows farmers to spray herbicides to get rid of parasitic weeds in the farm without harming the main crop.
- In the absence of government approval, production of HT Bt seed is illegal, but farmers say it’s available in those states where it is being grown defying the laws.
- A government panel had found that the HT Bt Cotton was grown in 15 per cent of the areas in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana during 2017-18 while this percentage was 5 per cent for Punjab.
- The supporters of HT Bt Cotton have preferred to reduce the cost of labour as de-weeding is an extremely labour intensive activity involving 40 per cent of the total cost for growing cotton.
- It is in this context the herbicide tolerant (HT), the new generation Bt cotton, has attracted the attention of many farmers.
- They should be allowed to use the latest technologies in the agriculture including genetically modified (GM) crops.
- They argue that across the world a dozen GM crops have been approved so far, and these are being grown on over 185 million hectares in more than two dozen countries.
- The farmers have felt the impact of HT Bt Cotton in terms of lower costs and reduced crop losses leading to higher production and income.
- It was created by adding genes derived from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which produces over 200 different toxins, each harmful to different insect.
- It was first approved for commercial use in the United States in 1995.
- In 2002, a joint venture between US-based Monsanto and the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co Ltd (Mahyco) introduced Bt cotton to India.
- In 2011, India grew the largest GM cotton crop at 10.6 million hectares.
- As of 2014, 95 per cent of cotton grown in India was genetically-modified.
Recently, Odisha has seen natural nesting of gharials for the first time since they were introduced in its rivers back in 1975.
- Odisha had become the only state to have all the three species of the reptile i.e. freshwater gharials, muggers and saltwater crocodiles with the introduction of gharials in 1975.
- All the original gharials introduced over the years in Odisha are dead now and Odisha has introduced 13 more gharials over the past three years in the Mahanadi.
- The Odisha Forest Department announced Rs 1,000 for anyone rescuing a gharial, and compensation for those whose fishing nets are destroyed by the reptiles.
- They are a type of Asian crocodilian distinguished by their long, thin snouts.
- They were granted full protection in the 1970s and later listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- It is listed as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- They live in clear freshwater river systems, congregating at river bends where the water is deeper.
- Their range has shrunk to two countries i.e. India, along the Chambal, Girwa, and Son Rivers and Nepal, along the Narayani River.
Muggers
- It is a medium to large crocodilian species.
- It is found in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and in Bangladesh and also its range extends westwards into eastern Iran.
- It is a hole-nesting species, with egg-laying taking place during the annual dry season.
- It is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- It is the largest of all crocodilians, and the largest reptile in the world.
- Saltwater crocs have an enormous range, populating the brackish and freshwater regions of eastern India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia.
- Apart from the eastern coast of India, the saltwater crocodile is extremely rare on the Indian subcontinent.
- A large population is present within the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary of Odishawhile smaller populations occur throughout the Sundarbans.
- It is listed as ‘Least Concern’ under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- It is the 2nd largest Mangrove ecosystems of India.
- It is located in the estuarial region of Bramhani-Baitarani, in the north-eastern place of Kendrapara district of Odisha
- It is the breeding place for the endangered salt water crocodiles which are the prime attractions of the sanctuary.
- The Gahirmatha Beach which forms the boundary of the sanctuary in the east is the largest colony of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles.
- The Election Commission’s role ends with the declaration of results i.e. once the Returning Officer has signed the final result sheet.
- An election petition is the only legal remedy available to a voter or a candidate who believes there has been malpractice in an election.
- The voter or the candidate can challenge the result through an election petitionsubmitted to the High Court of the state in which the constituency is located.
- The election petition has to be filed within 45 days from the date of the poll resultsand nothing is entertained by courts after that.
- The Representative of the People Act of 1951 suggests that the High Court should try to conclude the trial within six months but it usually drags on for much longer.
- The acts of the candidate along with his election agent or by any other person with the consent of the candidate or his election agent is covered for filing an Election Petition.
- Under Section 100 of the RP Act, an election petition can be filed on the grounds that:
- On the day of the election, the winning candidate was not qualified to contest.
- The winning candidate, his poll agent or any other person with the consent of the winning candidate has indulged in a corrupt practice.
- Section 123 of the RP Act has a detailed list of what amounts to corrupt practice, including bribery, use of force or coercion, appeal to vote or refrain from voting on grounds of religion, race, community, and language.
- Improper acceptance of the nomination of the winning candidate or improper rejection of a nomination.
- Malpractice in the counting process, which includes improper reception, refusal or rejection of any vote, or the reception of any vote which is void.
- Non-compliance with the provisions of the Constitution or the RP Act or any rules or orders made under the RP Act.
- Under Section 84 of the RP Act, the petitioner may ask that the results of all or the winning candidates may be declared void if the court finds that a contention of malpractice is correct.
- The petitioner may also ask the court to declare her (in case the petition is filed by a candidate) or any other candidate as the winner or duly elected.
- The verdict on an election petition, if found in favour of the petitioner, may result in a fresh election or the court announcing a new winner.
- Full particulars of the corrupt practice alleged (i.e. under declaration of expenses) including as full a statement as possible of the names of the parties alleged and the date and place of the commission of each such practice
- It should be signed by the petitioner.
- The petition shall also be accompanied by an affidavit in the prescribed form in support of the allegation of such corrupt practice.
- It is a joint naval exercise between Indian Navy and European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR).
- The participants of IN-EUNAVFOR Exercise are Indian Naval Ship Trikand, Italian Navy Ship ITS Carabinere, Spanish Navy Ship ESPS Navarra, and two French Navy Ship FS Tonnerre and FS Surcouf.
- It will see high tempo-naval operations at sea, including:
- Advanced air defence and anti-submarine exercises;
- Cross deck helicopter operations;
- Tactical manoeuvres, boarding operations and underway replenishment;
- Search & Rescue Operations;
- Man Overboard drills and other maritime security operations
- It will endeavour to enhance and hone their war-fighting skills and their ability as an integrated force to promote, peace, security and stability in the maritime domain.
- It showcases increased levels of synergy, coordination and inter-operability between IN and EUNAVFOR.
- It underscores the shared values as partner navies, in ensuring freedom of seas and commitment to an open, inclusive and a rules-based international order.
- They converge on multiple issues including counter piracy operations and protection of vessels deployed under the charter of World Food Programme (UN WFP).
- The have regular interaction through SHADE (Shared Awareness and De-confliction)meetings held annually at Bahrain.
INS Trikand
- It is a Talwar-class frigate of the Indian Navy.
- It was built by the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia.
- It uses stealth technologies and a special hull design to ensure a reduced radar cross section.
- It is a deep-water basin that forms a natural sea link between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
- It is situated between the coasts of Arabia and the Horn of Africa.
- It connects to the Red Sea in the West and the Arabian Sea in the East.
- The Gulf of Aden and Red Sea are connected through Bab-al-Mandeb Strait.
- It is majorly shared between 3 neighbouring nations i.e. Djibouti to the East, Somalia to the South, and Yemen to the North.
- It is led by Switzerland, while Sweden has moved up to the second position (from sixth last year).
- Denmark has lost one place to rank third, the Netherlands has retained its fourth place and Singapore has slipped to the fifth place (from first in 2020).
- Taiwan reached the top-10 (8th) for the first time since the ranking began 33 years ago (moving up from 11th last year).
- The UAE and the USA remain in their same spots as last year (9th and 10th, respectively).
- The top-performing Asian economies are, in order, Singapore (fifth), Hong Kong (seventh), Taiwan (eighth) and China (16th).
- The top-performing economies are characterised by varying degrees of investment in innovation, diversified economic activities, and supportive public policy.
- India has maintained 43rd rank on an annual World Competitiveness Index.
- Among the BRICS nations, India is ranked second after China (16), followed by Russia (45th), Brazil (57th) and South Africa (62th).
- India has maintained its position for the past three years but this year, it had significant improvements in government efficiency.
- India's improvements in the government efficiency factor are mostly due to:
- Relatively stable public finances; and
- Support and subsidies provided by the government to the private companies
- It ranks 64 economies and assesses the extent to which a country promotes the prosperity of its people by measuring economic well-being.
- It measures the prosperity and competitiveness by examining four factors i.e. economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure.
- It is an annual ranking which was first published in 1989.
- It analyzes and ranks countries according to how they manage their competencies to achieve long-term value creation.
- It is based on 334 competitiveness criteria selected as a result of comprehensive research using economic literature, international, national and regional sources and feedback from the business community, government agencies and academics.
- It had been launched for Certification of Medical Devices in 2016.
- It will undertake verification of the quality, safety and efficacy of medical devices.
- It has been designed to integrate the Quality Management System components and product related quality validation processes through witness testing of products.
- The eligibility under ICMED scheme:
- Indian medical device manufactures/ exporters; and
- Local authorized representatives of medical device manufactures/ distributors
- It is the first scheme around the world in which quality management systems along with product certification standards are integrated with regulatory requirements.
- It will be an end to end quality assurance scheme for the medical devices sector in India.
- It provides the much-needed institutional mechanism for assuring the product quality and safety.
- It will go a long way in assisting the procurement agencies to tackle the challenges relating to the menace of counterfeit products and fake certification.
- It will also help in eliminating the circulation and use of sub-standard medical products or devices of doubtful origin that could prove to be serious health hazards.
- It has been set up as a non-profit autonomous society registered under Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860.
- Its aim is to establish an accreditation structure in the country and spread the quality movement in India by undertaking a National Quality Campaign.
- The key objectives of QCI are:
- To lead nationwide quality movement in the country through National Quality Campaign aimed at creating awareness amongst citizens, empowering them to demand quality in all spheres of activities
- To develop apropos capacities at the level of Governments, Institutions and enterprises for implementing & institutionalizing continuous quality improvement
- To develop, establish & operate National Accreditation programmes in accordance with the relevant international standards & guides for the conformity assessment bodies certifying products, personnel, management systems etc.
- To develop, establish and operate National Accreditation Programmes for various service sectors such as education, healthcare, environment protection, governance, social sectors, infrastructure sector, vocational training etc.
- To encourage development & application of third party assessment model for use in government, regulators, organizations and society
- To promote quality competitiveness of India’s enterprises especially MSMEs through adoption of and adherence to quality management standards and quality tools.
- The certificate of registration granted under the proposed law will be deemed to be valid in all States and Union Territories.
- It is a unified law for the entire country, instead of separate rules framed by the States.
- It provides for a central data base for recording the details of vessel, vessel registration, and crew on an electronic portal.
- It requires all mechanically propelled vessels to be mandatorily registered.
- It provides that all non-mechanically propelled vessels will have to be enrolled at district, taluk or panchayat or village level.
- The inland waters, for the purpose of inland navigation, include any:
- Canal, river, lake or other navigable water inward of baseline or as may be declared by notification in the Official Gazette by the Central Government
- Tidal water limit, as may be declared by notification in the Official Gazette by the Central Government;
- National waterways declared by the Central Government; and
- Other waters as may be declared by notification in the Official Gazette by the Central Government
- Its objective is to promote Inland Water Transport (IWT) by replacing, the often-described as archaic, Inland Vessels Act 1917.
- It will regulate safety, security and registration of inland vessels.
- It will streamline and regulate inland vessels.
- It envisages bringing uniformity in the application of the law relating to inland waterways and navigation within the country.
- It aims to promote economical and safe transportation as well as trade through inland waters.
- It seeks to provide for the safety of navigation, protection of life and cargo, and prevention of pollution that may be caused by the use or navigation of inland vessels.å
Inland Water Transport (IWT)
- It is an economic, fuel-efficient, environment friendly and employment oriented mode of transport.
- It is recognised all over the world for its inherent advantage of being the cheapest mode of transport for bulk haulage over long distance between places situated along the waterfront.
- Its energy efficiency, low pollution and potential for employment generation are universally accepted.
- It a statutory body under Ministry of Shipping established in 1986.
- It is entrusted with the responsibility of regulation and development of National Waterways in the country for shipping and navigation.
- The important national waterways in India are:
- Allahabad-Haldia stretch (1620 km) of the Ganga- Bhagirathi- Hooghly river system as National Waterway No-1;
- Sadiya-Dhubri stretch (891 km) of Brahmaputra River as National Waterway No-2;
- Kollam-Kottappuram stretch of West Coast Canal along with Champakara canal and Udyogmandal canal (205 km) as National Waterway No-3;
- Kakinada-Puducherry stretch of Canals and the Kaluvelly Tank, Bhadrachalam-Rajahmundry stretch of river Godavari and Wazirabad- Vijayawada stretch of river Krishna (1078 km) as National Waterway-4; and
- Talcher-Dhamra stretch of rivers, Geonkhali-Charbatia stretch of East Coast Canal, Charbatia-Dhamra stretch of Matai River and Mahanadi Delta rivers (588 km) as National Waterway-5.
POSTED ON 19-06-2021 BY ADMIN
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Political Science and International Relations
Some Reference Essays
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