Indias first Centre of Excellence for Green Port & Shipping (GS Paper 3, Infrastructure)
Why in news?
- Recently,Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterwaysannounced India’s first National Centre of Excellence for Green Port & Shipping (NCoEGPS) a major initiative towards providing greener solutions.
- The centre aims to develop a regulatory framework and alternate technology adoption road map for Green Shipping to foster carbon neutrality and circular economy (CE) in shipping sector in India.
- The NCoEGPS will be working under the framework of the Sagarmala programme of the MoPSW.
Objective:
- The main objective of the proposed NCoEGPS is to provide support to MoPSW in developing and maintaining a policy and regulatory framework for a green alternative technologies road map for the shipping sector in India for its transition to carbon neutrality and CE principles.
To achieve this objective, the NCoEGPS will focus on five broad areas:
- Policy, Regulatory and Research
- Human Resource development
- Network- Key Partners and Strategic collaborators
- Explore- Area of work, outcomes, projects and resources
- Engage- Past events, upcoming events, dissemination
The specific objectives of the formation of NCoEGPS are defined as follows -
- To empower ‘Make in India’ in Port, Coastal and Inland water transport, and Engineering by developing state of art technologies and application products.
- To enable fast-track innovations in order to provide most appropriate solutions to various challenges in these sectors.
- To create a pool of competent manpower to the industry equipped with state of the art theoretical and practical knowhow.
- Self-sufficiency in providing short term solutions through scientific studies technology development technical arm in identifying and analysing complex problems and solving issue.
Scope for NCoEGPS activities:
- NCoEGPS will act as a technological arm of MoPSW for providing the needed support on Policy, Research and Cooperation on Green Shipping areas for Ports, DG Shipping, CSL and other institutions under the umbrella of MoPSW.
- The Center will be a host of several technological arms to support the port and shipping sector and will provide solutions to a variety of problems being faced in the industry through scientific research.
- It will also carry out valuable education, applied research and technology transfer in maritime transportation at the local, regional, national and International levels.
Green shipping:
- India intends to increase the share of renewable energy to 60% of the total power demand of each of its major ports from a present share of less than 10%. This will be through solar and wind-generated power.
- The ports have also aimed to reduce Carbon emissions per ton of cargo handled by 30% by 2030.
- The Maritime Vision Document 2030, released by Prime Minister is a 10 Year blueprint on India’s vision of a sustainable Maritime sector and vibrant blue economy.
- India has been selected as the first country under the IMO Green Voyage 2050 project to conduct a pilot project related to Green Shipping.
MP law on declaring intention to convert illegal
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
Why in news?
- In a decision that provided relief to interfaith couples seeking to marry, the Madhya Pradesh High Court recently restrained the state government from prosecuting “adult citizens if they solemnise marriage on their own volition” and violate Section 10 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (MPFRA), 2021.
Under what circumstances was the MP Freedom of Religion Act, 2021 enacted?
- In December 2202, a special meeting of the state Cabinet cleared the Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantrata Adhiniyam, 2020, a proposed law to tighten restrictions on religious conversions.
- The new law was intended to replace the existing Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 1968. The 1968 law faced a challenge in the High Court, but it had been upheld by the Supreme Court in 1977.
- An ordinance was promulgated on January 7, 2021, and, on March 8, 202, the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021 was passed.
- With the passage of the Act, Madhya Pradesh became the third state after Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to bring a law to punish religious conversions for marriage.
What are the main provisions of the MPFRA, 2021?
- Section 5 of the MPFRA, 2021 prohibits unlawful conversion from one religion to another by use of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, any other fraudulent means, allurement, or promise of marriage.
- Violators face between one year and five years of imprisonment.
- If the person who is converted is a child, a woman, or a person belonging to a Scheduled Tribe or Scheduled Caste, the punishment varies from two years to 10 years, with a fine of 50,000.
- The punishment for mass conversions is five to 10 years in prison, with a penalty of Rs 1 lakh.
- Cases under the Act are cognizable (which means an arrest can be made without a warrant) and non-bailable.
- Complaints can be registered by the victim, the victim’s parents or siblings, or anyone else including a guardian with permission from the local court. The complaint will be investigated by a police officer of the rank of sub-inspector and above.
Valid conversion:
- For a religious conversion to be valid, the law requires a 60-day prior “declaration of the intention to convert” to the district magistrate by the individual as well as the priest carrying out the conversion.
- It is only after this, that a couple from different religions can be legally married. Failure to notify the state of the intent to convert will render the wedding null and void, and an individual can be prosecuted for fraudulent conversion on the promise of marriage.
- A priest who fails to notify the government can be punished with imprisonment from three to five years and a minimum fine of Rs 50,000.
Gujarat law:
- In August 2021, a division Bench of the Gujarat High Court had stayed several provisions of ‘The Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021’, including those pertaining to prior permission from district magistrates, punishment for marriage by unlawful conversions, etc.
- The Gujarat law, which amended an earlier 2003 law pertaining to punishment for forcible conversions, was notified on June 15, 2021.
- The Gujarat HC Bench observed that certain sections of the law “interferes with the intricacies of marriage including the right to the choice of an individual, thereby infringing Article 21 of the Constitution of India”.
What did the MP High Court say in its recent order?
- The order passed found Section 10 of the MPFRA prima facie unconstitutional.
- This section requires individuals who are intending to convert, and the priest who would carry out the conversion, to notify the district magistrate of their intention 60 days in advance.
What’s next?
- The Advocate General of the Madhya Pradesh would challenge the High Court’s order in the Supreme Court “shortly”.
NCPCR launches training module for Child Welfare Committee members
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
Why in news?
- Recently, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) launched a training module for Child Welfare Committees to enhance knowledge and improve skills of its members in delivering effective and timely service for protection and rehabilitation of children.
- NCPCR also launched the ‘GHAR - GO Home and Re-Unite’ (Portal for Restoration and Repatriation of Child) which addresses the amended roles of CWCs and District Child Protection Officer (DCPOs) for children in need of care and protection.
Training Modules for the CWCs:
- The 'Training Modules for the CWCs, protocols for Restoration and Repatriation of Children' has been formulated with an aim to bring the roles and responsibilities of CWCs at one place comprehensively.
- The module is a 15-day programme for training CWCs.
Objective:
- The key objective of the programme is to enhance the functional knowledge, improve relevant skills of the CWC members and its chairperson to deliver effective and timely service for protection and rehabilitation of children in need of care and protection, children in conflict with law, and also to provide protection to the orphan, abandoned and surrendered children, it said.
Portal:
- ‘GHAR - GO Home and Re-Unite’ portal, developed by NCPCR aims to addresses the amended roles of CWCs and district child protection units in matters where children are in need of care and protection, it said.
- The portal has digital tracking and monitoring of children who are in the JJ system and have to be repatriated to another country/state/district.
- It also looks into digital transfer of cases of children to the concerned JJB/CWC of the state. It will help in speedy repatriation of children.
