2 August 2024, The Hindu
States can sub-classify SCs for quotas: top court
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GS 2: mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of vulnerable sections
- A seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, in a majority judgment on Thursday, held that States have a right to sub-classify Scheduled Castes notified in the Presidential List with an objective to provide them ”more” preferential treatment in public employment and education.
- Four of the seven judges on the Bench separately said the government should extend the “creamy layer principle” to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, like in the case of Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
- It was necessary to exclude the affluent individuals or families from the benefits of reservation and make room for the really underprivileged within these classes.
IMD forecasts above-normal rain in Aug., Sept.
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Prelims syllabus: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
- With rain-triggered landslides killing more than 200 people in Kerala’s Wayanad, and intense spells battering Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast above normal monsoon rain in August and September.
- August, the second rainiest monsoon month, is expected to receive ‘normal’ monsoon and September more rainfall than the average 17 cm every year if the IMD’s forecast of an ‘above normal second half’ of the monsoon comes true.
Dreams and despair in Delhi’s UPSC hub
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GS 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment
- Ten months ago, Shubham Mishra, 25, boarded the Prayagraj Express from Kunda in Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, to Delhi.
- Overwhelmed at the Capital’s expanse, he sat on the Delhi Metro for the first time. “Until then, I’d only seen it in Hindi films,” he says.
- His destination, Karol Bagh, branded by IAS Drishti, a 25-year-old coaching institute, marked the start of his Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) journey.
- His father, a farmer, had taken a loan of ₹1,60,000 to fund this adventure and dream.
A verdict on the Money Bill that India awaits
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GS 2: Indian Constitution: features, amendments, significant provisions
- In the coming weeks, a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court of India is slated to hear arguments over critical questions governing the contours of a Money Bill.
- The Court’s ultimate ruling will have ramifications on a slew of legislation that has been enacted in recent years without the Rajya Sabha’s approval.
- At stake too in the case are the future of India’s federal architecture and the various delicate balances on which the Constitution’s divisions of power rest.
Propelling the U.K. and India story
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GS 2: International Relations- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting the Indian interests
- Two democracies, two elections and two path-breaking results.
- In June this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the second leader in Indian history to win a third consecutive term.
- In July, the Labour Party under Sir Keir Starmer achieved a landslide victory in the United Kingdom.
- This is a new chapter of the U.K.-India partnership.
- There are positive signals in the U.K. Government’s engagement with India.
- The Labour Party has pledged to pursue a “new strategic partnership” with India.
- As part of this, we are eager to see a swift conclusion of the U.K.-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and deeper cooperation on security, technology, climate change, and education.
- It is good to see the U.K.’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Lammy, visit India within a month of taking office.
Private consultation
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Prelims syllabus: Current events of national and international importance
- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has reportedly been holding closed-door meetings with the broadcasting and entertainment industry regarding the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023, and while a draft was circulated last year, subsequent editions are only being given to a few select stakeholders — under strict terms of confidentiality.
- Each copy of the newest draft has been provided with a unique watermark that can identify “leaks”, if any.
- Public consultations are an integral part of making laws that affect many Indians, a fact that was recognised by the government’s 2014 Pre-Legislative Consultation Policy, which recommends extensive public outreach before lawmaking.
- While the government circulated the earlier version of the Bill to the public, it seems to have insisted on withholding responses, and has chosen to take just a few stakeholders into confidence.
Contested harvest
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GS 3: Agriculture: Major cropping patterns in various parts of the country, e-technology; Economics of animal rearing
- India’s torturous saga on the fate of genetically modified food crop made another pit stop last week with a two-judge Bench, of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol of the Supreme Court of India, delivering a split verdict on the question of allowing genetically modified (GM) mustard in farmer fields.
- As of today, the only GM seed permissible in India is cotton.
- The gain in cotton yield had prompted agricultural institutions, private and public, to develop GM seeds in food crops such as rice, wheat, tomato, brinjal and mustard though none has been released.
- These issues underpin the story of DMH-11, or Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11, that was developed under a publicly funded project at the Delhi University’s biotechnology department.
- The genes used in the plant make the crop suitable and lucrative to private seed companies for making newer hybrid varieties.
India believes in development, not expansionism: Modi
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GS 2: International Relations- India and its neighbourhood
- India does not believe in “expansionism”, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday indirectly referring to Chinese activities in the South China Sea.
- Welcoming the Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Mr. Modi indirectly referred to China and highlighted the importance of freedom of navigation.
- Speaking at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), Mr. Minh Chinh echoed the Indian position on maritime security and called for a collective approach to solving all conflicts including in West Asia and in Myanmar.
- The Vietnamese leader recollected India’s contribution to peace building in Vietnam in the 1950s and sought greater cooperation between the two sides in energy, defence and culture.
States can directly buy rice from FCI, says Food Minister
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GS 3: Public Distribution System; issues of buffer stocks and food security.
- Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi announced here on Thursday that the States can directly purchase rice from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) under the Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) from Thursday without participating in e-auction.
- According to the Centre, the decision was taken to reduce the huge surplus stocks ahead of the procurement after this kharif season.
Controlling gestational diabetes critical to mother, baby’s future
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GS 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
- The 18th Annual Conference of the 2024 Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI), which was held in March in New Delhi, marked a significant milestone in the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with the unveiling of the Delhi Declaration.
- This pioneering document provides a futuristic perspective on the primordial prevention strategy for diabetes, especially gestational diabetes (GDM), which has amplified the global threat of NCDs.
