What to read in The Hindu

22 March 2024, The Hindu

ASI survey of Bhojshala complex to begin today (Page No. 4)

(GS Paper 1, Art & Culture)

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will conduct a survey of the controversial Bhojshala/Kamal Maula Mosque complex situated in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh from Friday.
• The Madhya Pradesh High Court on March 11 had directed the ASI to carry out within six weeks a “scientific survey” of the Bhojshala complex, a medieval-era monument that Hindus believe is a temple of Goddess Vagdevi. The Muslim community calls it Kamal Maula Mosque.

Depleting water level forces leopards to stray out of forests (Page No. 5)

(GS Paper 3, Environment)

• The death of three leopards in undivided Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh within a span of 45 days suggests that water resources in the wild are on the verge of drying up, with soaring mercury levels.
• The fact that all three casualties occurred well away from the forests clearly indicates that the animals strayed into human habitations in search of food and water, say experts.
• District Forest Officer Vineet Kumar said that , “the region does not have any major forest cover. It is quite depleted, and runs in patches. Wild animals, particularly leopards, find shelter in the denuded forests atop hillocks. The terrain forces leopards to move from one place to the other”.

New capabilities: The choice of MIRV on Agni-V gives it range and ability to defeat defences (Page No. 8)

(GS Paper 3, Defence &Technology)

• On March 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used social media to announce India’s entry into a small club of countries capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads on a single missile.
• This was accomplished with the maiden flight test of Agni-V, India’s longest range ballistic missile with a range of over 5,000 kilometres, with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV) technology under ‘Mission Divyastra’ by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• This is a significant technological breakthrough that furthers India’s nuclear weapons programme and strengthens second strike capability.
• The choice of the MIRV on Agni-V, a three-stage solid fuelled engine, is significant as it is focused towards China given its range and multiple warheads give it the ability to defeat missile defences.
• The MIRV is the next technological threshold in this direction and it is now only logical and a matter of time before the MIRV is deployed on submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

Should judges accept official posts after retirement? (Page No. 9)

(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)

• Recently, hours after resigning as a judge of the Calcutta High Court, Abhijit Gangopadhyay announced that he was joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
• The judge’s decision to join politics and the manner in which it was taken has raised questions of judicial impropriety.
• Some people disapprove of the practice of judges holding official posts after retirement; they believe that this may impinge upon the independence of the judiciary.
• Others, including those in the government, have pointed out that such posts often require judicial personnel of the highest integrity and there is no Constitution bar to this effect.
• One of the most debated post-retirement appointments in the history of the Supreme Court was that of former CJI Ranjan Gogoi, who was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member within six months of demitting office. While speaking at an event, the former CJI clarified his position, stating,“If a judge is true to his functions (during his tenure), post-retirement is okay. It depends on individual to individual…”
• Gogoi further commented that there are three kinds of retired judges, relevant to the issue at hand. One such category, Gogoi said, were “retired activist judges” who “immediately after retirement say many things not said while in office”, often to do with freedom of speech and the judicial system.

How water insecurity affects women (Page No. 9)

(GS Paper 1, Society, Social Empowerment, Communalism)

• While India has made remarkable progress in expanding household access to water, the National Sample Survey 78th round multiple indicator survey (2020-21) suggests that over 41% of rural households lack access to safely managed drinking water within their households, and geographical disparities in household access to safe water, though declining, continue to persist.
• Evidence suggests that lack of access to water can cause considerable stress among households. In water-scarce areas or among households whose principal water source lies outside their household premises, water collection is typically perceived as a gendered activity, with the time burden of collecting water inevitably falling on women and girls of the household. Water insecurity affects women’s everyday lives, household dynamics, and social relationships.
• Research suggests that lack of access to adequate water leads to the practice of open defecation. This, in turn, has a multitude of effects on women. Apart from the health impacts like diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera, and impacts on menstrual health, women who practise open defecation also face psychosocial stress as well as a greater risk of non-partner sexual violence.
• The Jal Jeevan Mission ( JJM) and the National Water Mission present an important shift in the policy for water management. The JJM enables access to drinking water through household tap connections.

Why did Pakistan carry out airstrikes in Afghanistan? (Page No. 10)

(GS Paper 2, IR)

• In a major escalation of tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan this week, Pakistani ghters carried out airstrikes inside the Afghan provinces of Paktika and Khost. At least eight civilians were killed in the pre-dawn attacks, Afghan officials said.
• The Taliban strongly condemned the strikes, and as retaliation, attacked Pakistani military posts along the border using “heavy weapons.”
• Although the fighting across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has stopped for now, the incident highlights the increasing tension between the two countries as Islamabad has accused the Taliban of providing refuge to terrorists launching frequent attacks on its territory.
• The 2,670-kilometre Durand Line which marks the international land border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has long been a point of contention between the two nations. Successive Afghan governments have disputed the demarcation, claiming Pashtun territories in Pakistan, including the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and parts of the North West Frontier Province.
• The Taliban have warned Pakistan of “very bad consequences which will be out of Pakistan’s control” in case of continued attacks inside its territory. The Taliban spokesperson claimed that attacks took place on houses of civilians, killing five women and three children.

Panel to study scope of altering power lines in bustard habitat (Page No. 10)

(GS Paper 3, Environment)

• The Supreme Court on Thursday constituted an expert committee to balance the conservation and protection of the endangered Great Indian Bustard bird population with the country’s international commitments to promote renewable sources of energy.
• The large-winged birds are on the brink of extinction, and one of the causes is the frequent collision with high-powered power cables running adjacent to its core habitats in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said a blanket direction given by the top court in April 2019 for moving high voltage and low voltage power cables underground required “re-calibration”.
• The court appointed the Director, Wildlife Institute of India; wildlife and forest conservation experts, including Hari Shankar Singh, Niranjan Kumar Vasu, B. Majumdar, and Devesh Ghadvi; and Joint Secretary with the Renewable Energy Ministry Lalit Bohra and his counterpart in the Environment Ministry.
• The committee would explore alternatives to balance sustainable development goals and conservation of the birds. It could recommend additional measures to identify additional priority areas. The panel has to file its report in the top court on or before July 31.