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At least seven people were killed and scores more were injured or are missing after flash floods inundated Sikkim.
The floods are believed to have been triggered after a lake, forming from the gradual melting of a Himalayan glacier, suddenly overflowed and inundated the Teesta river basin.
This destroyed the Chungthang dam, a key component of the State’s largest hydroelectric project, and washed away highways, villages, and towns.
The worst-affected districts were Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong, and Namchi. Twenty-two Army personnel were among those reported missing.
The South Lhonak lake in northern Sikkim is situated about 5,200 metres above sea level. Scientists have previously warned that the lake had been expanding over years, possibly from the melting of the ice at its head.
Nearly half the lake was drained out, according to a press statement by the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA). This was likely caused by an “avalanche from the ice-capped feature”.
Trio wins Chemistry Nobel for ‘quantum dots’ (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Alexei Ekimov, Louis Brus, and Moungi Bawendi for their work on quantum dots — very small crystals with peculiar properties that have found application in a variety of fields, from new-age LED screens to quantum computers.
“Quantum dots are … bringing the greatest benefit to humankind, and we have just begun to explore their potential,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
Researchers believe that in future, quantum dots can contribute to flexible electronics, miniscule sensors, slimmer solar cells, and perhaps encrypted quantum communication.
Earlier, reports emerged that the Nobel Committee had inadvertently revealed the names of the winners in an email, accessed by the Swedish press, in an unusual break from a tradition in which the identity of the laureates remains a closely guarded secret until the announcement.
Editorial
Retribution for the south, accolade for the north (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Constitution)
In Indian federal democracy, a State’s relative population size gains political and economic significance. The strong linguistic identities and regional renaissances in political and social spheres propelled the southern States to scale greater heights in all spheres of development.
In sharp contrast to the northern States, population control has been achieved in the southern States through social development and economic growth. In the federal political system, changes in population geography have a lasting impact on the political and economic geography.
Article 81 of the Indian Constitution stipulates that Lok Sabha constituencies in the country should be equal by the size of population.
Based on the 1971 Census, the number of Lok Sabha constituencies for States was determined and frozen for the next 25 years through the 42nd Amendment Act 1976.
In 2001, through the 84th Amendment Act, the freeze on the number of constituencies for each State was further prolonged until the first Census after 2026.
The population growth rates differ between the non-Hindi speaking southern States and the Hindi-speaking northern States. Between 1971 and 2011, the proportion of the population of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh increased from 44% to 48.2%, whereas the proportion of population of the five southern States (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana) declined from 24.9% to 21.1%.
If equal size of Lok Sabha constituencies by population is enforced today as in the population projections of 2023, the five southern States will lose 23 seats, while the northern States will gain 37.
In other words, the proportion of political representation of northern States will increase by 6.81% and that of southern States will decline by 4.24%.
Keeping tabs on carbon with an accounting system (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
The climate ‘polycrisis’ — a term made popular by Adam Tooze — refers to the interconnected and compounding crises related to climate change that are affecting the planet not just in a few sectors but across several sectors and domains.
It encompasses the physical impacts of climate change (rising temperatures, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events) and the social, economic, and political challenges that arise from these impacts.
In India, one can see the interconnections between seemingly different sectors such as energy, infrastructure, health, migration and food production that are being impacted by climate change.
Recognising the complexity and interconnectedness of the climate polycrisis, it is crucial in developing a holistic approach that takes into account the diverse perspectives and priorities of different stakeholders, while ensuring resilience, equity, and justice.
While it seems easier to pursue our response to climate change in a sectoral fashion, the very nature of a polycrisis means that tweaking one corner of the climate challenge leads to unexpected consequences elsewhere.
Instead, we need a deep transformation — one that lays the foundation of a new economy that is sensitive to the planet.
Just as digital infrastructure enables new startups and public services, we need to imagine ‘carbon infrastructure’ that creates opportunities for a flourishing future carbon regime that takes the flows of carbon into account in the formulation of policy at every level: household, panchayat, district, State and country.
Let there be light (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
According to the laws of quantum mechanics, the observable properties of electrons in matter — like a fruit or a rock — change in a few hundred attoseconds. One attosecond is 10-18 seconds.
To study these extremely rapid changes, special tools are needed, and Anne L’Huillier, Pierre Agostini, and Ferenc Krausz have received the 2023 physics Nobel Prize for building these tools.
From the late 1980s, Dr. L’Huillier led several studies that found that an infrared beam shone on a volume of a noble gas produced multiple overtones: waves whose wavelength was an integer-fraction of the ‘original’ light wave.
Her team also observed a peculiar relationship between the original wave’s frequency and the intensity of the overtones, and explained it using the existing laws of quantum mechanics — a milestone.
If the overtone waves’ peaks lined up, they would combine to produce a more intense peak (constructive interference); when one wave’s peak coincided with another’s trough, they would cancel themselves out (destructive interference).
Physicists realised that this reinforcing effect could be timed such that the gas emitted intense peaks with a pulse duration of a few attoseconds, with destructive interference achieving the cut-off.
Dr. Agostini and company demonstrated this in 2001 by producing light with a pulse duration of 250 attoseconds. In the same year, Dr. Krausz and company isolated a single pulse, 650 attoseconds in duration, and used it to measure the kinetic energy of electrons kicked out from krypton atoms by a bunch of photons. Attosecond physics had finally arrived.
Opinion
Women’s quota, panchayats to Parliament (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
The landmark Women’s Reservation Bill — now the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act — that reserves one-third of the total seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women received presidential assent recently.
As the first law passed in the new Parliament building during a special session, it portends a new chapter in India’s democratic journey.
It comes on the 30th anniversary of the constitutional reforms that reserved one-third of seats in panchayats and municipalities for women.
Since then, there have been multiple unsuccessful attempts to extend women’s reservation to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. While its final enactment is momentous, it is contingent on the conduct of delimitation and census.
Nevertheless, it is the right time to take stock of the 30-year experience of women’s reservation in local government and the lessons it offers Indian democracy.
Parliament, 30 years ago, enacted the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments that sought to make panchayats and municipalities “institutions of self-government”.
It mandated a minimum of one-third of seats and office of chairpersons in panchayats and municipalities to be reserved for women.
It also mandated reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Schedules Tribes (STs) based on their percentage population and enabled States to reserve seats for Backward Classes. This has created a system with over 3 million elected panchayat representatives, out of which almost half are women.
News
Majority verdict in JMM bribery case was wrong, Centre tells SC (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
Twenty-five years after a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court protected MPs and MLAs who take kickbacks to vote or make speeches in a particular manner in the House from criminal prosecution, the Centre told a larger seven-judge Bench that the majority verdict in the infamous JMM bribery case was wrong and a lawmaker commits a crime the moment he accepts the pay-off, whether or not he makes good his promise in the House.
The offence of bribery is complete the moment there is an offer of bribe outside the House and you [MP or MLA] accept the money. It does not matter if the legislator performs his part of the bargain inside the House.
Criminality is attached the moment the bribe is accepted,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre, addressed the Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud.
Mr. Mehta said the government’s stand was in tune with the minority view of Justice S.C. Agarwal (now retired) on the Bench in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) bribery case in 1998.
Justice Agarwal had clearly held that the protective cloak of immunity around an MP or MLA would not extend to bribes received outside the House.
The Solicitor-General said the court should now focus more on the Prevention of Corruption Act rather than the question of immunity.
New defence indigenisation list has futuristic weapons, systems (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday released the fifth Positive Indigenisation List of 98 items to be procured by the three Services from domestic sources in a staggered manner on specified timelines. He also released the Navy’s updated indigenisation road map, “Swavlamban 2.0”.
The Department of Military Affairs compiled the list after several rounds of consultations with all stakeholders, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
It lays special focus on import substitution of components of major systems, besides important platforms, weapon systems, sensors and munitions which are being developed and likely to translate into firm orders in the next five to 10 years.
At the plenary session of “Swavlamban 2.0”, the two-day seminar of the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO), Mr. Singh launched 76 challenges for the industry under the “10th Defence India Start-up Challenges (DISC-10) and DISC 10 PRIME of Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and five problem statements under iDEX for Fauji”.
In addition, two INDUS X challenges under “INDUS-X Mutual Promotion of Advanced Collaborative Technologies” (IMPACT) challenges jointly finalised by iDEX and the U.S. Department of Defence were launched.
A special interactive session for the industry to explain the nuances of the road map is planned on Day 2 of the seminar.
World
U.S. not to weigh in on Muizzu’s plan to remove Indian forces from Maldives (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The United States government, did not weigh in on Maldives President-elect Mohamed Muizzu saying he would fulfil his election promise and begin the process of removing Indian military personnel from the country.
This is a matter between the Maldives and India of course,” the U.S. State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said at the daily press briefing.
We have never tried to imply one way or the other that any country is required to make any kind of decision about the kinds of exclusionary partnerships that it enters in through its bilateral relationships, whether it be with China or the United States or India or any other country. Mr. Muizzu is seen as pro-China, unlike the outgoing Maldives president, Mohamed Solih is seen as pro-India.
The U.S. stuck to its position on the diplomatic discord between Canada and India, over Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation that New Delhi masterminded the killing of a Canadian Khalistani separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia in June this year. Washington has been urging New Delhi to cooperate with Ottawa as it probe’s Mr. Trudeau’s allegation.
Business
Govt. eases aircraft recovery rules (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
In a big relief for aircraft lessors, the government has notified that the protection offered to a corporate debtor from recovery of dues under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 will not cover aircraft, helicopters and engines.
If implemented retrospectively, the move may impact Go First’s insolvency resolution proceedings under which the National Company Law Tribunal had granted it a blanket moratorium in May to shield it from lessors and creditors and also restrained the DGCA from accepting any applications for de-registration of aircraft from any lessors.
Go First had 54 aircraft in its fleet, and lessors of nearly all aircraft had sought de-registration of their assets over pending dues.
A senior DGCA official said that it is legally examining the government notification before deciding on de-registration.
Following the NCLT’S May order granting a blanket moratorium, lessors also approached the Delhi High Court to seek access to their aircraft.
They argued that the moratorium was in contravention of the Cape Town Convention and Protocol of 2001, to which India is also a signatory.
The Convention states that in the event of a default, the lessor can terminate the agreement and take possession of the leased assets.
‘Green shipping plan to position maritime sector as eco-friendly’ (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The national action plan for green shipping promoting eco-friendly practices and incentives for low emission ships, will help position India’s maritime sector as environmentally responsible.
India’s maritime sector will play a pivotal role in achieving a $20 trillion economy by 2047, with a 9% projected growth rate,” Mr. Jagannathan said in his inaugural address at the INMEX SMM India 2023 maritime industry exhibition.
The sector’s vision encompasses quadrupling port capacity, clean energy fuel hubs, cruise tourism growth, shipbuilding and recycling leadership, and a 5,000 km regional waterway grid.
NIIF unveils $600 mn India-Japan Fund (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund has entered into a collaboration with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to unveil a $600 million India-Japan Fund.
The fund will have JBIC and Government of India as anchor investors. It will focus on investing in environmental sustainability and low carbon emission strategies and aims to play the role of being a ‘partner of choice’ to further enhance Japanese investments into India.
Science
What is a uterus transplant and what does it mean to have one? (Page no. 20)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
On August 23, doctors at the Churchill Hospital Oxford, in the U.K., conducted the country’s first uterus transplant.
They removed the uterus from a 40-year-old woman and transplanted it to her 34-year-old sister, who had a rare condition that affected her ability to reproduce, according to the BBC.
While the womb was functional, only a live birth in the near future can prove that the transplant succeeded, Isabel Quiroga, the lead surgeon involved in the procedure, has said.
Unlike heart or liver transplants, uterus transplants aren’t life-saving transplants. Instead, they are more akin to limb or skin transplants – which improve the quality of individuals’ lives. Uterus transplants can help women who lack a uterus to fulfil their reproductive needs.
In 2014, as part of an initiative led by the chair of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the University of Gothenburg, Mats Brännström, the first live birth after a uterus transplant took place in Sweden.
The success signalled that the procedure could reverse the consequences of uterine factor infertility. Nine women in Sweden received transplanted wombs donated by relatives in Dr. Brännström’s programme.