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The High Court of Karnataka dismissed a petition filed by Twitter, challenging several blocking orders issued by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on the ground that it is ‘devoid of merits’.
Justice Krishna S. Dixit also imposed a cost of ₹50 lakh on Twitter citing its conduct of approaching the court without complying with the Central government’s orders.
The costs are to be paid within 45 days to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority. The court also said that ₹5,000 would have to be paid for every day that the payment is delayed.
Referring to the operative portions, Justice Dixit said that he has framed eight questions.
City
Delhi govt. moves apex court to quash Centre’s ordinance on services (Page no. 2)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
The Delhi government on Friday urged the Supreme Court to quash an ordinance which gives control over civil servants to the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) while reducing the Chief Minister into a “minority voice” in the Capital’s administration.
The petition challenges provisions in the ordinance which mandates the formation of a “permanent” National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA) with the Chief Minister as chairperson and the Chief Secretary and Principal Home Secretary as member and member-Secretary, respectively.
The NCCSA exercises authority over civil service officers working in all the Delhi government departments except those in public order, police and land.
The two bureaucrats can outvote him, hold meetings, make recommendations in his absence, the ordinance shows contempt for the elected Assembly and government while making a pretence of their involvement through the Chief Minister.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government said the Centre promulgated the ordinance on services within just eight days of the Supreme Court’s May 11 verdict that granted Delhi’s elected regime the power to make laws and wield control over its officials.
The May 11 judgment of a Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud had limited the role of the L-G, an arm of the Centre, over bureaucrats in the Capital to three specific areas — public order, police and land.
The ordinance has now wrested control over civil servants serving in Delhi from the Government of the NCT of Delhi to the unelected L-G.
It has done so without seeking to amend the Constitution, in particular Article 239AA, which holds that the power and control over services should be vested in the elected government,” the Delhi government, represented by advocate Shadan Farasat, submitted.
Editorial
The Governor’s move is dangerous, unconstitutional (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
The Governor of Tamil Nadu, R.N. Ravi, has dismissed V. Senthilbalaji, a Minister in the Council of Ministers of Tamil Nadu — as in the communication issued by the Raj Bhavan on June 29, 2023.
The operative part of the press release issued by the Raj Bhavan is that “there are reasonable apprehensions that continuation of Thiru V. Senthilbalaji in the Council of Ministers will adversely impact the due process of law, including fair investigation that may eventually lead to breakdown of the Constitutional machinery in the State.
This unprecedented and deliberately provocative act of dismissing a Minister of a government which enjoys an absolute majority in the State legislature, without the recommendation of the Chief Minister of the State, is going to set a dangerous precedent and has the potential to destabilise State governments putting the federal system in jeopardy.
If Governors are allowed to exercise the power of dismissal of individual Ministers without the knowledge and recommendation of the Chief Minister, the whole constitutional system will collapse.
What needs to be examined first is whether Governors have the power to dismiss an individual Minister without the advice of the Chief Minister.
Under Article 164 of the Constitution, the Chief Minister is appointed by the Governor without any advice from anyone. But he appoints the individual Ministers only on the advice of the Chief Minister.
The Article implies that the Governor cannot appoint an individual Minister according to his discretion. So, logically, the Governor can dismiss a Minister only on the advice of the Chief Minister.
The reason is simple. The Chief Minister alone has the discretion to choose his Ministers. He decides who the Ministers of his Council will be. He also decides who will not remain as a Minister in his Council.
This is a political decision of the Chief Minister, who is ultimately answerable to the people. The Constitution has not transferred the discretion of the Chief Minister to the Governor.
A new chapter in India-Africa ties can be written (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
There is a slow realisation that Africa, a continent, accounting for nearly 17% of the world’s population today and reaching 25% in 2050, needs to be studied closely. Because India’s rise as a global player is inevitably linked to the kind of partnership it enjoys with Africa.
In the past 15 years and especially since 2014, India-Africa relations have developed steadily but more progress is achievable. In this context, the 20-member Africa Expert Group (AEG), established by the Vivekananda International Foundation, recently presented the VIF Report entitled ‘India-Africa Partnership: Achievements, Challenges and Roadmap 2023’. (This writer chaired the Africa Expert Group established by the Vivekananda International Foundation.)
The report examines the transitions unfolding in Africa: demographic, economic, political and social. From this blend of changes, stamped by the adverse impact of the pandemic and complicated geopolitics, emerges a continent that is set to transform itself.
It is slowly heading toward regional integration and is devoted to democracy, peace and progress, even as Ethiopia, Sudan, the Central African Republic and other countries continue to battle with the challenges posed by insurgency, ethnic violence and terrorism.
Superimposed on this landscape is the sharpening competition among at least half a dozen external partners such as China, Russia, the United States, the European Union, Japan, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates for strengthening their relations with parts of Africa to ensure market access, gain energy and mineral security, and increase political and economic influence.
China stands apart, armed with a consistent and robust policy since 2000 to become virtually Africa’s biggest economic partner. An essay in the report aptly portrays China’s role as ‘the infrastructure developer’, ‘the resource provider’, and ‘the financier.’ It has invested enormously in Africa in terms of money, materials and diplomatic push.
Since 2007, Chinese leaders have visited the continent 123 times, while 251 African leaders have visited China. The VIF report notes that India has a substantive partnership with Africa and a rich fund of goodwill, but it is “essential for New Delhi to review its Africa policy periodically, stay resilient by making the required changes, and place a razor-like focus on its implementation”.
The central part is ‘Roadmap 2030’, a set of nearly 60 policy recommendations that are designed to deepen and diversify the India-Africa partnership. They cover four areas.
News
In talk with Putin, Modi calls for ‘dialogue and diplomacy’ to end war in Ukraine (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Days after his return from the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling once again for “dialogue and diplomacy” to end the Ukraine conflict, while “expressing support” for Mr. Putin’s actions during the June 24 failed mutiny in Russia.
During the conversation, which the Kremlin said had occurred “at the initiative of the Indian side”, Mr. Modi also spoke about upcoming contacts between the two leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) virtual summit on July 4, and the BRICS and G-20 summits in August and September, and informed Mr. Putin about his recent visit to Washington.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed they will attend the virtual summit, as will leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
President Putin informed PM about the recent developments in Russia,” said a statement issued by the government. “While discussing the situation in Ukraine, PM reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy.
In a more detailed statement, the Kremlin said that Mr. Putin had given his assessment of the current situation in the “special military operation zone” in Ukraine, adding that he “stressed Kiev’s utter refusal to undertake political and diplomatic steps to resolve the conflict”.
In connection with the events of June 24 in Russia, Narendra Modi expressed understanding and support for the decisive actions of the Russian leadership to protect law and order, ensure stability in the country and the security of its citizens, referring to the short-lived rebellion by Wagner militia group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who had attempted a march on Moscow before calling it off and fleeing to Belarus.
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev had spoken to National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and briefed him on the developments.
Apart from the PM’s visit to Washington, the statement said the two leaders had spoken about bilateral projects and trade, and paid “particular attention” to interactions within the SCO and the G-20, in a possible indicator that President Putin intends to travel to Delhi for the G-20 summit on September 9-10.
UCC draft will be submitted soon, says committee (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
From gender equality to elimination of arbitrariness and discrimination, from uniform laws on property rights to adoption rules, the draft of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for Uttarakhand has taken all these aspects into account, said retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai.
Justice Desai, who is heading the UCC committee formed by the State, also confirmed that the draft of the UCC is ready and is at a printing stage after which it will be submitted to the State government.
She added that the Committee has painstakingly taken into account all shades of opinions and looked into the various statutes and uncodified laws including the statutory framework in select countries.
The committee, headed by justice Desai, who is also the current head of the delimitation commission, also has members likeJustice Pramod Kohli, social worker Manu Gaur (heading Taxpayers Association of Bharat), retired IAS officer Shatrughan Singh and Vice Chancellor of Doon University Surekha Dangwal.
This committee was formed by the Uttarakhand government in June last year to examine ways for the implementation of a UCC.
In the span of a little over a year, this Committee has met 63 times. Over 2.15 lakh written submissions, including mass submissions (with multiple signatories) were received by the committee which has also met over 20,000 people personally via public outreach programme.
Centre invites ideas from public to curb tomato prices (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
The Centre announced a ‘Tomato Grand Challenge Hackathon’ here on Friday, requesting the public to suggest innovative ideas to reduce the tomato prices, surging for the past few weeks.
A similar exercise was done when onion prices increased some time ago. Union Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said his Ministry had then received 13 ideas on adding value and controlling the prices of onion.
Students, research scholars, teachers, industries, start-ups and professionals can participate in the new contest. Mr. Singh said the ideas could be on tomato value chain to ensure its availability to consumers at affordable prices and help farmers get value for the produce.
The hackathon has been formulated by the Department of Consumer Affairs in collaboration with Education Ministry’s Innovation Cell.
The cycle of planting and harvesting seasons and the variation across regions are primarily responsible for price seasonality in tomato.
Apart from this, temporary supply chain disruptions and crop damage due to adverse weather conditions etc. often lead to sudden spikes in prices.
To ensure that onion prices do not rise during the upcoming festival season and winter, the Consumer Affairs Ministry had asked the Union Agriculture Ministry to give incentives to farmers to cultivate onion during the ongoing kharif season.
The country’s onion production is estimated at 319 lakh tonnes in 2023, slightly lower than 324 lakh tonnes in the previous year
As El Nino is yet to strengthen, IMD forecasts ‘normal’ rainfall during July (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 1, Geography)
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday forecast “normal” rainfall in July, which usually receives the highest amount of rain during the monsoon months. This means it will be within 6% of the 28 cm that is usual for the month.
Normal to above normal rainfall is most likely over most parts of central India and adjoining south peninsular and east India below normal rainfall is most likely over many parts of northwest, northeast and southeast peninsular India.
The forecast is significant given that this is expected to be an El Nino year, which most often leads to below normal rainfall in India.
July is also the month when sowing of the kharif crop, particularly rice, peaks. Rainfall in this period significantly influences agricultural output.
This year, Cyclone Biparjoy obstructed the normal onset of the monsoon over Kerala and contributed to depressed rainfall over most parts of the country, particularly the regions most dependent on rainwater for agriculture.
Central India has received 6% less rainfall than what is usual for the region in June and southern India close to 45% less. June, overall, has witnessed 10% less rainfall than what is normal for the month.
M. Mohapatra, Director-General, IMD, said that rain had picked up in the recent weeks. As El Nino is yet to strengthen, good rain is expected in most parts of India until July 13, as per the IMD’s weather models.
Past data suggested that in most of the recent El Nino years, June rainfall was normal. In 16 of the 25 years when June rainfall was ‘below normal’, July rainfall was ‘normal’.
In June, the IMD said that rainfall in the June-September period was likely to be ‘normal’ or 96% of the Long Period Average (LPA) of 87 cm.
World
Pakistan gets a lifeline from IMF with a new $3 billion bailout to help avoid default (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to provide $3 billion to Pakistan in badly needed relief to help bail out the impoverished country’s ailing economy.
The nine-month agreement must be approved by the IMF’s Executive Board, which is expected to make a final decision in mid-July, a top IMF official.
The announcement followed talks earlier this week between Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the IMF, who both suggested that the sides were close to reaching an agreement.
Ms. Porter, the IMF’s mission chief to Islamabad, said Pakistan’s economy has faced several heavy blows recently, such as the devastating floods last summer that killed 1,739 people, caused $30 billion in damage and impacted millions of Pakistanis. The country was also hit by an international commodity price spike in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Ms. Porter said despite the authorities’ efforts to reduce imports and the trade deficit, reserves have declined to very low levels and liquidity conditions in the power sector also remain acute.
The proposed package is higher than what Pakistan was expecting as it awaited the release of a remaining tranche from a 2019 bailout of $6 billion that expired on Friday. That deal was signed by Mr. Sharif’s predecessor, former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Business
India’s FY23 external debt rises to $624.7 billion: RBI (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
India’s external debt at end-March 2023 rose by $5.6 billion to $624.7 billion from the year-earlier period but the external debt-to-GDP ratio slid to 18.9% at end-March from 20% a year earlier, data released by the Reserve Bank of India.
Valuation gains due to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar vis-à-vis the Indian rupee and major currencies such as yen, SDR, and euro were placed at $20.6 billion.
Excluding the valuation effect, external debt would have increased by $26.2 billion instead of $5.6 billion at end-March 2023 over end-March 2022, the RBI said.
Long-term debt (with original maturity of above one year) was placed at $496.3 billion, logging a decline of $1.1 billion over the end-March 2022 level.
The share of short-term debt (with original maturity of up to one year) in total external debt rose to 20.6% at end-March 2023 from 19.7% a year earlier.
Dollar-denominated debt remained the largest component of external debt, with a share of 54.6% at end-March 2023, followed by debt denominated in the Indian rupee (29.8%), SDR (6.1%), yen (5.7%), and euro (3.2%).
Outstanding debt of government and non-government sectors rose during FY23 to $133.3 billion ($130.8 billion in FY22) and $491.3 billion ($488.3 billion), respectively.