Supreme Court Seeks Explanation From 2 NCDRC Members For Issuing Non-Bailable Warrants Ignoring SC''s Interim Protection.

National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC):

• It is a quasi-judicial commission in India which was set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986.
• Mandate: To provide inexpensive, speedy, and summary redressal of consumer disputes.
• Its head office is in New Delhi.
• The Commission is headed by a sitting or a retired Judge of the SC or a sitting or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court.
• NCDRC shall have jurisdiction to entertain a complaint valued more than two crore and also have appellate and revisional jurisdiction from the orders of State Commissions or the District fora as the case may be.
• The provisions of this act cover ‘goods’ as well as ‘services’.
• The goods are those which are manufactured or produced and sold to consumers through wholesalers and retailers.
• The services are in the nature of transport, telephone, electricity, housing, banking, insurance, medical treatment, etc.

         Eligibility to File a Claim: Any person who

• Has bought goods for consideration and finds any defect in the quality, quantity, potency, purity, or standard of the goods, or
• Has hired or availed any service for consideration and finds any fault, imperfection, shortcoming, or inadequacy in the quality, nature, and manner of performance in relation to the service.
• However, if a person has bought the goods for resale or for a commercial purpose, he is not a consumer.
• No complaint can be filed for alleged deficiency in any service that is rendered free of charge or under a contract of personal service.

          Who Can File a Complaint?

• A consumer
• Any voluntary consumer association registered under the Companies Act 1956
• The Central Government or any State Government
• One or more consumers where there are numerous consumers.
• Appeal: Any person aggrieved by an order of NCDRC, may prefer an appeal against such an order to SC within a period of 30 days.

Union govt sets up six-member committee to examine concerns of queer community.

The Committee on Queer Community:

• The committee will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and will include senior officials from several key ministries:

           Ministry of Home Affairs

           Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

           Ministry of Law and Justice

           Ministry of Women and Child Development

           Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

• This formation is a direct response to the Supreme Court''s directives in the Supriyo v Union of India case of 2023, where the court held that there is no fundamental right to marry for LGBTQIA+ persons under the Special Marriage Act (SMA).

Responsibilities of the Committee

• The committee is tasked with implementing measures to ensure that individuals from the queer community can access goods, services, and social welfare schemes without discrimination.
• It will also focus on protecting the community from involuntary medical treatments, violence, and coercion, promoting a safer and more inclusive environment.

Alarming Study Reveals Only 13.5% of STEM Faculty in India Are Women.

Understanding the Gender Gap:

• Only 13.5% of faculty members in Indian Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculties are women.
• Female representation is particularly low in fields like Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, and Chemistry.
• Engineering faculties showed the sharpest gender gap, with only 9.2% female faculty.
• In contrast, Biology shows a relatively higher representation of women faculty at 25.5%.
• This variance could be associated with perceptions of biology as a "softer" science compared to other fields.
• Physics, computer science, and chemistry, all had around 11.5% to 13% female faculty.
• Earth sciences and mathematics fared slightly better with 14.4% and 15.8% women, respectively.
• India produces the world's highest percentage of women STEM graduates, around 40%.
• However, only 14% of them pursue scientific research in universities and institutions.
• The gradual departure of women from the STEM workforce is often termed the 'Leaky Pipeline'.

Factors Contributing to Low Representation:

Social Bias in Certain STEM Fields:

• Perceptions of certain fields as "hard" or "soft" sciences discourage women from pursuing disciplines like Engineering, Physics, and Computer Science.
• Societal expectations often push women towards fields perceived as more feminine, impacting their career choices.

Lack of Support During Postdoc to Faculty Transition:

• The transition from postdoc to faculty coincides with family planning for many women, leading to difficult choices and a lack of support structures.
• Societal pressure often prioritizes family responsibilities over career aspirations for women in STEM academia.

Toxic Workplace Environment:

• Senior women often leave STEM academia due to a toxic work environment characterized by disrespect, limited resources, and unequal advancement opportunities compared to male colleagues.
• Such environments deter women from pursuing long-term careers in STEM universities.

Difficulty Accessing Gender Representation Data:

• The absence of a centralized database tracking women faculty in STEM across India makes it challenging to understand the extent of the gender gap and monitor progress towards gender equity.

Lack of Resources and Leadership Commitment:

• Achieving gender equity in STEM faculties requires dedicated resources and strong leadership commitment.
• Without adequate financial and policy support, initiatives aimed at improving women's representation in STEM struggle to gain traction.

Need for women in STEM:

• Women in technical roles and female scientists not only help a nation to leap towards becoming a secure and progressive nation but they will have a positive impact on the science and technology sector of the country.
• Gender diversity leads to creativity, productivity, and innovation.
• Offering women equal opportunities in STEM careers reduces the gender pay gap, enhances economic security, ensures workforce diversity, and mitigates biases in these fields and their outcomes.
• STEM education can empower girls by challenging gender norms and breaking down societal barriers.
• Steps for promoting Women in STEM careers:
• Establish stable mentorship programs and support networks within each organization.
• Mandate the establishment of an 'Office for Equity and Inclusion' in every institution.
• Ensure representation of women scientists on all panels, particularly those related to career advancement, recruitment, budget proposals, etc.
• Establish on-campus daycare centers.

Initiatives that promote women in STEM:

• Vigyan Jyoti Scheme: This initiative from the Ministry of Science and Technology aims to inspire and empower young girls through lectures, workshops, and interaction with experts in STEM disciplines.
• Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST): It will cater to women with a STEM background and empower them to contribute to the science, technology, and innovation ecosystem.
• Biotechnology Career Advancement and Re-orientation Programme (BioCARe): This program is implemented by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) to enhance the participation of Women Scientists in Biotechnology research.
• Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI): This is a pilot project launched by the Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN division of the Department of Science and Technology in 2020.
• Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN)Scheme: To encourage women scientists through various programmes in the field of Science and Technology (S&T).
• CURIE: Only women Universities are being supported for development of research infrastructure and creation of state-of-the-art research laboratories to enhance women’s participation in S&T domain.

A recent study has discovered that the desert formed by the drying Aral Sea has significantly increased dustiness in Central Asia.

The Aral Sea:

• It is also known as Orol Dengizi (Uzbek) or Aral Tengizi (Kazakh).
• It was the fourth largest inland lake in Central Asia.
• After the 1960s, It dried up  and got converted into desert.
• Desert name: The Aralkum Desert
• It is smaller than neighboring deserts namely Karakum (350,000 sq km) in Turkmenistan andKyzylkum (300,000 sq km) in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
• Despite its size, the Aralkum Desert is a major human-made dust source worldwide.
• Location of  Aral Sea : It lies across the border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, extending from the south to the north.
• Climate: The area has a desert-continental climate with hot summers and cold winters.
• Major rivers: The Amu Darya, known as Oxus in ancient times, and the Syr Darya, also called Jaxartes.
• They flowed from the Pamir and Tien Shan mountain ranges, respectively.

Socio-economic impacts of the Aral Sea disaster:

• Increased Desertification: Over the past three decades, the drying of the Aral Sea has caused a 7% rise in dust levels across Central Asia. During the period from 1985 to 2015, emissions of dust from the expanding desert nearly doubled, increasing from 14 to 27 million tonnes.
• Desertification is when drylands become less productive because of natural or human-made causes.
• More cooling and heating: The two fold rise in dust emissions over the Aral Sea/Aralkum area has caused more cooling and heating at both the surface and in the air.
• Dust cools during the day by blocking sunlight and warms at night by releasing heat from the ground.
• The overall effect of dust on temperature depends on factors like dust amount, time of day, season, surface brightness, and dust properties.
• Dust storm: The aral sea has become a source of dust storms.
• Impact of Dust:
• Deteriorated air qualities: It  can affect air quality in cities hundreds of kilometers away, thus can affect Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan and Asgabat, capital of Turkmenistan.

The Siberian High:

It is a big area of cold, dry air that gathers in northeastern Eurasia from November to February.

• Change in weather pattern: It can pressure air to go up by up to +0.76 Pascal each month.
• It can make the Siberian High stronger in winter and the Central Asian warm low weaker in summer.
• The dust events are seasonal and occur more in June, September, November, December and March .

International efforts to address the Aral Sea crisis:

United Nations Joint Programme:

• A consortium of United Nations agencies, including UNDP, the World Health Organization, UNESCO, the UN Population Fund, and UN Volunteers, collaborates through a joint program called “Sustaining Livelihoods Affected by the Aral Sea Disaster.”
• Their tireless work aims to improve the lives and livelihoods of those impacted by the crisis

UN General Assembly Resolution:

• The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution recognizing the Aral Sea region as a “zone of ecological innovations and technologies.”
• The resolution calls on all member countries to support the region. 
• It focuses on the role of science and technology in overcoming challenges
• It also encourages investment in innovative solutions grounded in local knowledge.

Comprehensive Program of Measures:

• In 2018, the Presidents of Central Asian countries convened in Turkmenistan and established the Comprehensive Program of Measures to Mitigate the Consequences of the Aral Disaster and the Development of the Aral Sea Region.
• This program addresses water conservation, ecological protection, and coordinated efforts among Central Asian nations
• In October 2019, the United Nations team in Uzbekistan helped the government arrange a major conference.     
• The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, created by neighboring countries, deals with economic, social, or humanitarian issues.
• The UN Trust Fund, with multiple partners, focuses on human security.

Three new fish species spotted using tools in the Laccadive Sea.

• Three fish species that live in the Laccadive Sea, off the southwest corner of the Indian coast, are capable of using tools.
• This discovery adds to the small list of fish, specifically 18 species worldwide, known to use tools.

Tool-Using Fish Species:

• Most fish species do not use tools due to their physical limitations, such as lacking hands, claws, or tentacles.
• Despite these limitations, certain wrasses have developed specialized behaviors to manipulate objects and crack open sea urchins by using external tools.
• This tool usage is rare among fish and showcases their complex cognitive abilities, challenging the common perception that fishes have lower intelligence.

Recent Discoveries in the Laccadive Sea:

• Scientists have recently identified three new fish species that utilize tools: Jansen’s wrasse (Thalassoma jansenii), checkerboard wrasse (Halichoeres hortulanus), and moon wrasse (Thalassoma lunare).
• These innovative species use parts of the coral reefs as anvils to break the hard shells of E. molaris sea urchins, demonstrating their ability to interact with their environment in unique ways.
• Implications of These Findings
• These wrasses, belonging to the Labridae family, illustrate how marine creatures can adapt their behavior to overcome physical limitations.
• The observed behaviors not only reflect the adaptability and intelligence of these fish but also invite a reevaluation of the cognitive capabilities within the aquatic world.