22 August 2024, The Hindu
Centre debates taking a caste count during Census
Page 1
GS 1: Population and related issues
- The Union government is yet to take a call on conducting the next Census exercise but active discussion is on to expand the data collection to include caste enumeration, a top government source told The Hindu.
- “Discussions are on to includte a column to record the caste of people during the next Census exercise. No decision has been taken yet,” the source said.
Do not declare recruitment drive results till Haryana poll is over: EC
Page 1
GS 2: Constitutional Bodies - Election Commission
- The Election Commission of India on Wednesday asked the Haryana government not to declare the results of its ongoing recruitment drive for teachers and police constables in the State till the completion of the Assembly polls , in order to ensure a level playing field for all political parties.
- The Commission, however, said that the recruitment process does not violate Model Code of Conduct (MCC) guidelines.
- Haryana will have a single phase election on October 1, with the results to be declared on October 4.
J & K election body sets up centres to monitor fake news
Page 4
GS 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
- Command-and-control centres have been set up in the offices of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) at Jammu and Srinagar to initiate “strict and prompt action against any suspected case of fake news” during the Assembly elections in J&K.
- “To curb the spread of misinformation and uphold the integrity of the electoral process in the upcoming Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Command-and-Control Centres have been set up in the offices of the Chief Electoral Officer at Jammu and Srinagar.
- Similarly, on a smaller scale, control rooms are now functional 24x7 in all 20 offices of deputy commissioners,” an official spokesman said.
Karnataka ready to arrest Union Minister in graft case: Siddaramaiah
Page 6
GS 2: issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure
- Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, facing prosecution in an alleged land scam case, launched a counter attack on Wednesday (August 21, 2024), saying that his government would not hesitate to arrest Janata Dal (Secular) leader and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, if needed, in an illegal mining lease case.
- The Lokayukta’s Special Investigation Team on Monday (August 19, 2024) sought Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s permission to proceed against Mr. Kumaraswamy regarding the iron ore mining lease which was allegedly approved illegally while he was Chief Minister of the State in 2007.
- On Saturday (August 17, 2024), the Governor had sanctioned the prosecution of Mr. Siddaramaiah in a case related to the allotment of land to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Develeopment Authority.
‘Systemic changes needed in Malayalam film industry’
Page 6
GS 1: Role of women and women’s organization
- The release of the Hema committee report on issues in the Malayalam film industry has kindled debates on what the State government’s response should be.
- In an interview to The Hindu on Wednesday, film editor and Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) member Bina Paul says that the focus should be on bringing in systemic changes in the industry to ensure that women can work with full confidence that they are respected as professionals.
- “A lot of people have gone and deposed before the committee, after they were promised confidentiality.
- We really don’t know how many of them would want to take it forward legally. But, we don’t want to only stress on the instances of sexual harassment.
- There are many other issues related to film sets which we are hoping the government will take note of and act upon,” she says.
Kerala Health Department issues alert against mpox
Page 6
Prelims: Current events of National and international importance
- The Kerala Health department has issued an alert against mpox (known earlier as Monkeypox) with the World Health Organization last week declaring that the outbreak in many African nations now has to be considered a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
- The Health department said on Wednesday that the State had formulated a Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) in 2022 itself when the disease was first reported in Kerala.
Moral pressure and human rights compliance
Page 10
GS 1: Social empowerment
- As is commonly recognised, there are two ways in which compliance with human rights norms can be enforced.
- One approach is the enforcement of economic sanctions or military invasion. This is only possible in the case of powerful nations.
- The other strategy is through forceful condemnation which can be undertaken by non-governmental organisations or smaller nations, irrespective of their military or economic power or their lack of adequate international clout.
- Though the practice of state sovereignty puts up barriers to the implementation of international human rights standards, moral pressure against the governments guilty of violating human rights sometimes succeeds in nudging them to step back.
- But mostly, it is seen that authoritarian regimes such as the dispensation of Vladimir Putin in Russia, Xi Jinping in China or Kim Jong-un in North Korea completely ignore the pleadings of various governments, many of whom, in reality, have their own political and economic agenda in disingenuously taking the moral high ground of an anti-war or a liberal narrative.
Double brake
Page 10
GS 2: Election Commission
- The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Haryana is leaving no stone unturned to fight back a resurgent Congress, as the State is scheduled to have a single-phase Assembly election on October 1 for all 90 seats.
- The attempts of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) to retain its position as a third player, and of the Aam Aadmi Party to emerge as one, continue, though a sharp polarisation between the two national parties appears likely.
- The BJP has to tackle double anti-incumbency as it has been in power in both the State and the Centre for the last 10 years.
- Cognisant of the headwinds, the BJP replaced then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini, in March ahead of the general election.
- Mr. Saini has been trying to pacify various interest groups, by reversing many decisions of his predecessor and announcing new schemes.
- Sarpanches who are up in arms over the curtailing of their rights have got their expenditure limit increased for the gram panchayats from ₹5 lakh to ₹21 lakh.
- He has organised special camps, or ‘Samadhan Shivirs’, to address people’s grievances; and 1.20 lakh contractual employees have been ensured job security until the age of superannuation.
After ‘manifesto moment’, budgetary disappointment
Page 10
GS 2: Government Budgeting
- Following a “manifesto moment” in the lead-up to the 2024 general election where several major political parties pledged support for the LGBTQ+ community, the 2024 Union Budget has dashed the hopes of queer Indians yearning for recognition in national politics.
- A transformative overhaul of the government’s approach towards LGBTQ+ rights was never expected — especially given the Solicitor General’s vehement opposition to marriage equality before the Supreme Court of India last year.
- Yet, the mention of transgender rights in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s own manifesto had sparked a glimmer of hope for progress under a Modi 3.0 government.
Power play
Page 10
GS 2: India and its neighborhood- relations
- While Wayanad in Kerala limps back to normal life after the devastating landslide last month, a landslide on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) in Sikkim caused damage to six houses and a building of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) at its Teesta-5 hydropower station in Gangtok.
- There is no comparison of the impact of the event in both places, as there was no loss of lives or injuries reported in Sikkim.
- However, the cause for concern is that this is the second natural-disaster-led assault on a hydropower project along the Teesta.
- A deluge from the South Lhonak glacier in North Sikkim last October washed away the Chungthang dam that was critical to the Teesta-3 power station (which is not operated by the NHPC).
- The Teesta-3 (1,200 MW) power project was the largest hydroelectric power project in the State until it was effectively grounded after the outburst.
- Only a tenth of the power originally being supplied by the project is now available. The Teesta-5 project, at 510 MW, has also been made non-functional since the glacial lake outburst.
Imports weaken Indian pharma
Page 11
GS 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health
- Ensuring the affordability of pharmaceuticals is essential for controlling healthcare costs, especially in India, where out-of-pocket health expenditures accounted for nearly 47.1% of the total health expenditure in 2021.
- While the Drugs Price Control Order, 2013, aims to regulate the prices of existing medicines, a better option is to establish a competitive environment for critical medicines by promoting local production.
- However, the government has taken two initiatives to meet domestic requirements through imports, which could have a chilling effect on the domestic industry.
Mamata’s moment of reckoning
Page 11
GS 2: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability
- Faced with one of the biggest challenges of her administrative career in containing the raging protests over the rape and murder of a doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did what she does best, which is hitting the streets.
- Many in the State could not fathom whom the Chief Minister was protesting against when anger was directed at her government.
- Even after 13 years in power, Ms. Banerjee has not been able to break free of her image as an Opposition leader, street fighter, and rabble-rouser.
- As a Chief Minister of the fourth most populous State of the country, the people expected more from Ms. Banerjee than only hitting the streets in such a moment of crisis.
Were 8 crore new jobs created in three years?
Page 12
GS 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment
- Employment, or the lack of it, has been a major issue of debate among economists and policy makers in India in recent years.
- Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that India created “eight crore new jobs in the last three to four years”.
- The Prime Minister was using data from the India-KLEMS database hosted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
- As per this database, the total number of workers in India rose from 56.6 crore in 2020-21 to 64.3 crore in 2023-24, that is, a net rise by 7.8 crore workers.
- Tailing this claim, the research team of the State Bank of India (SBI) published a validating report that claimed a match between the total number of workers in the India-KLEMS database and in the NSSO’s Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE), 2022-2023.
SC to examine need for environmental regulator
Page 16
GS 3: Environment Conservation
- The Supreme Court on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) decided to examine the need for a ‘permanent environmental regulator’ similar to those found in the telecom and electricity sectors.
- “There is a regulator in telecom [Telecom Regulatory Authority of India] and electricity [Central Electricity Regulatory Commission]...like that for climate and environment,” said Justice K.V. Viswanathan, who was accompanying Justices B.R. Gavai and P.K. Mishra on the Bench. Justice Gavai was heading the Bench.
‘Rapid e-com growth could hit millions of retail stores and jobs
Page 17
GS 2: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment
- Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) raised pointed questions about the business and pricing strategies of major e-commerce players like Amazon in India, and dismissed a report that concluded e-tailers’ growth did not pose a significant risk to employment opportunities in the county.
- Although he acknowledged that e-commerce is here to stay, the Minister stressed that the sector’s growth must be ‘orderly’ and ‘citizen-centric’, and its role must be cautiously mulled over. “…Are predatory pricing policies good for the country?... I don’t see it as a matter of pride that half our market could be driven by e-commerce 10 years from now. It’s a matter of concern,” he said
‘Bangladesh interim govt. to revoke diplomatic passports issued during Hasina era
Page 18
GS 2: India and its neighborhood- relations
- The interim government of Bangladesh has decided to revoke all diplomatic passports issued to the Members of Parliament who served during the Awami League government, the security branch of the Home Ministry of Bangladesh said on Wednesday evening.
- The decision implies that the diplomatic passport that the deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina used while fleeing to India has now been revoked.
- “The security service of the Home Ministry has taken this decision after consulting all stakeholders and has already alerted all emigration counters of the country,” the Home Ministry said in a statement shared with the media here.
