24 June 2024, The Hindu
Tribal Affairs Minister promises to look into forest clearances for ₹72,000-cr. Great Nicobar project
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GS 3: Environment- Conservation
- The Union Tribal Affairs Ministry will be looking into the forest clearance paperwork of the ₹72,000-crore infrastructure project on Great Nicobar Island that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has been pushing for, and accordingly determine next steps, Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram has said.
- In an exclusive interaction with The Hindu last week, he outlined his intent to give special attention to forest and land rights of tribal communities during his term.
- This comes just as the Opposition Congress party has been demanding withdrawal of clearances granted for the project and a ground-up review of it over the environmental concerns flagged by experts and constitutional bodies and amid reports of alleged violations of land rights of the tribespeople residing in the region.
Parliament’s changed bench strength spells more hope
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GS 2: Parliament and State Legislatures- structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges
- There is a great sense of expectation from the 18th Lok Sabha, with the inaugural session scheduled to commence on June 24.
- The hope is that the new House will be different in its working and its deliberations during its tenure.
- The anticipation arises from the reduced numerical presence of the governing coalition’s lead partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the increased strength of a combined Opposition, led by the Congress, than what it was during the previous two editions of the Lok Sabha.
- After a hiatus of a decade, a government is a coalition, headed by the leader of the single-largest party, and now dependent on crucial support from two regional allies, the Janata Dal (United) and the Telugu Desam Party.
- Though, technically, the BJP helmed the National Democratic Alliance government, between 2014-24, the situation then was different as the lead party had comfort in bench strength, an element missing for the present.
Create the space for governance with a green heart
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GS 3: Environment- Conservation
- As a new term begins for the government and the Lok Sabha, it must have green concerns close to the heart.
- While we have never had a government that truly put the environment first, the last one, which was in pursuit of its ‘development’ agenda, proved to be actively inimical to the interests of the environment.
- For more than a dozen years, Environment Ministers have been concerned primarily with the welfare of mining, oil, coal, highways, and power industries.
- India stands on the cusp of severe environmental degradation, which can only be arrested by the conscious adoption of green policies even as the country pursues the goal of becoming a middle-income economy.
- These are the areas that need to be addressed urgently.
Indian Railways and safety challenges
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GS 3: Indian Economy - Infrastructure – Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
- The dust and din have not settled since the tragic accident involving the GFCJ container train (goods train), which, while travelling at high speed, rammed into the 13174 Agartala-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express, resulting in 11 deaths and approximately 40 injuries. Amidst the uproar, it is very important to examine some critical points.
- Thanks to focused measures like closing unmanned level crossings and emphasising track maintenance, the safety record of Indian Railways in terms of fatalities and injuries has certainly improved.
- However, comparing this data to past records to paint a rosy picture is misleading. Modern systems and tools make achieving a zero-fatality record an attainable goal, and this is what the Railways should be pursuing.
- Moreover, the Union government’s substantial investment, allocating nearly 25% of its total capex to railways, makes funding all safety works well within the Indian Railway’s reach.
- The non-availability of resources cannot be a red herring any more.
What are the duties of a Speaker?
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GS 2: Indian Constitution: features, amendments, significant provisions
- The President has appointed seven-time MP Bhartruhari Mahtab as the ‘Speaker pro tem’ of the 18th Lok Sabha.
- The election of the full-time Speaker is scheduled for June 26. There are also reports of the Deputy Speaker being offered to one of the allies of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a post that has been held by the Opposition since the 10th Lok Sabha (1991).
- Article 94 of the Constitution states that the Speaker of the Lok Sabha shall not vacate his/her office until immediately before the first meeting of the Lok Sabha after its dissolution.
- This is to ensure that the office of the Speaker is never left vacant. Hence, Om Birla who was the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha continues in that post till June 24 when the first meeting of the 18th Lok Sabha is scheduled.
- Article 95(1) of the Constitution provides that when the post of Speaker and Deputy Speaker is vacant, the President shall appoint a member of the Lok Sabha to perform the duties of the Speaker.
- This would be the situation when the first meeting of a new Lok Sabha commences.
Industry seeks rethink on Chinese FDI curbs and high import tariffs
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GS 3: Indian Economy (international trade)
- Indian industry has urged the government to revisit its restrictions on investment inflows and the movement of skilled personnel from China, and slash high import duties on electronics components as they have made Indian electronics goods globally uncompetitive vis-à-vis rivals such as Vietnam and China rather than boosting localisation of critical inputs.
- Warning that the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for large-scale electronics manufacturing, introduced in April 2020 to offset some cost disadvantages, may soon lose its effectiveness in the face of “tariff-induced cost”, industry players have flagged that the 4%-6% fiscal support under PLI is “grossly inadequate to negate the overall disability as compared to China and Vietnam”.
After years, Russia approves draft logistics agreement to be signed with India
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GS 3: Indian Economy - Infrastructure – Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
- After being held up for several years, the India-Russia mutual logistics agreement is ready for conclusion, with Russia approving the draft agreement over the past week.
- The agreement will simplify military-to-military exchanges for exercises, training, port calls and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts.
- It is similar to a series of such agreements that India has signed with a number of countries, beginning with the United States in 2016.
