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The Supreme Court on October 14, 2022 asked the government whether the electoral bonds' system reveals the source of money pumped in to fund political parties even as the Centre repeatedly maintained that the scheme is "absolutely transparent".
The methodology of receiving money is absolutely transparent. It is impossible to get any black or unaccounted money in… To say that this (electoral bonds scheme) affects democracy may not hold water.
The exchange came hours before the announcement of the poll dates for Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
Senior advocate KapilSibal, for the petitioners, said the scheme affected the very idea of free and fair elections provided under Article 324 of the Constitution.
They have been issuing electoral bonds before every State elections," advocate Prashant Bhushan, also for the petitioners' side, interjected.
Urging to refer the case before a larger Bench, Mr. Sibal said the court should consider the cardinal issue of the impact of electoral bonds on Article 324.
Free and fair elections are central to a democracy. It is the Basic Structure. Now, an opaque way of funding political parties where you do not even know who is funding whom destroys the very concept of Article 324. This is a matter for a larger Bench.
Justice Gavai indicated that the court should first hear on whether the case should be referred to a larger Bench. He said it was the prerogative of the Chief Justice of India to form a larger Bench, if required.
Mr. Bhushan flagged three important and interconnected issues highlighted in the petitions challenging the scheme. He said, besides the question of validity of electoral bonds, separate petitions have questioned whether or not political parties came under the ambit of the Right to Information Act.
He said the third issue was the challenge to the retrospective amendments made to the Foreign Contributions Regulations Act by which subsidiaries of foreign companies would not be treated as foreign sources.
Eight years after arrest, High Court acquits former DU professor in UAPA case (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
A 90% physically disabled, wheelchair bound convict, Prof. G.N. Saibaba has been acquitted by the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on October 14, 2022.
A division Bench of justices RohitDeo and Anil Pansare acquitted accused Mahesh Tirki, Pandu PoraNarote, Hem Keshwdatta Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Vijay Nan Tirki and G.N. Saibaba. Pandu Narote, 33, also lodged at Nagpur Central Jail died on August 26 due to swine flu.
The judgment holds the sessions court order of conviction null and void and set it aside in the absence of valid sanction under the UAPA.
Empirical evidence suggests that departure from the due process of law fosters an ecosystem in which terrorism burgeons and provides fodder to vested interests whose singular agenda is to propagate false narrative.
On March 7, 2017, the Sessions Court at Gadchiroli sentenced Professor Saibaba to life imprisonment for his alleged links with the banned organisation Communist Party of India (Maoist) under the UAPA. His appeal against the judgment was pending before the High Court for the last five years.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) immediately moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the acquittal; however, it was declined.
The apex court has however allowed the Central agency to move an application before the registry requesting for urgent listing.
A special sitting of a Bench of Justices M.R. Shah and Bela Trivedi is scheduled to hear Maharashtra’s appeal against the acquittal on October 15
Prof.Saibaba's left hand is on the verge of failure and there is acute pain spreading in both hands. He suffers from pancreatitis, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, chronic back pain, immobility and sleeplessness.
Gokalkonda Naga Saibaba, 52, was arrested on February 16, 2014. The sanctioning authority, K.P. Bakshi, accorded sanction to prosecute on April 6, 2015. The sessions court framed charges against all the six accused on February 21, 2015.
Prof.Saibaba got polio at the age of five but was still able to get the district first position in the tenth grade. Till 2008, he did not have a wheelchair and used to move by covering his palms with chappals and crawl.
States
Eco-sensitive zone: top court may take up Kerala’s review (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
The Supreme Court on October 14, 2022 indicated it may consider taking up Kerala's review of the Supreme Court's judgment to have a one-km eco-sensitive zone ringing protected forests, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries across the country along with a plea for clarification sought by the Centre.
A Bench led by Justice B.R. Gavai said the court would wait for the Centre's application to come up for hearing. It was responding to an oral mentioning made by advocate NisheRajenShonker, for Kerala, about the State's review petition.
The Centre has sought a clarification on certain paragraphs in the court's verdict, including the fate of building activities pre-dating the judgment.
The review by Kerala has argued that the judgment would lead to massive displacement of people living in the vicinity of forest areas.
Even worse, the judgment would strip thousands of Scheduled Tribe families and forest dwellers of their vested rights under the law.
As on May 31, 2022, a total of 26,867 individual rights titles covering an extent of 35521.19 acres, 495 development rights covering an area of 181.33 acres and 183 community rights titles have been issued by the state under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act of 2006.
The Act recognises the traditional forest dwellers' rights and occupation of forest land since generations. The law also provides for development rights to forest dwellers like schools, anganwadis, fair price shops, drinking water supply, vocational training centres, etc.
Kerala noted that its population density was twice that of the entire country as per the 2011 census.Human habitations are there in the areas coming within one km of the protected areas.
Large number of small and medium townships with human habitations and attendant facilities had developed, decades ago, within the vicinity of the protected areas and within the proposed buffer zone of one km.
Further, the judgment would affect the assignment of entire parcels of land by the state under the Kerala Land Assignment (Regularisation of Occupations of Forest Lands Prior to 01-1-1977) Special Rules of 1993.
In June, the apex court, in its judgment, referred to Environment Ministry guidelines highlighting that ESZs around national parks, forests and sanctuaries would function as a “shock absorber” for the protected areas. These zones would act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to those involving lesser protection.
World’s largest aircraft A380 touches down in Bengaluru (Page no. 6)
(Miscellaneous)
The world’s largest passenger aircraft – the Airbus A380 – made its maiden touchdown at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA.
The Emirates flight EK562 carrying 224 passengers from Dubai which landed on KIA’s second runway was a special flight ahead of the launch of its scheduled A380 services that will commence on October 30. The flight took off from the Dubai International Airport at 10 a.m. and landed in Bengaluru at 3.30 p.m.
This flight is a milestone. We are very delighted to bring the A380 to this part of the world. The commercial flight service which will commence from October 30 will link Bengaluru to more than 130 destinations via Dubai.
Bengaluru will also join Emirates' network of over 30 destinations serviced by the A380 aircraft, “ said Adnan Karim, chief commercial officer, Emirates.
BIAL MD and CEO Hari Marar, said “I want to extend a very warm welcome to that model of engineering (A380). We are absolutely delighted to have this aircraft here.
It is a milestone for all of us. The landing of this aircraft is one of the most talked about things in aviation circles. From KIA’s perspective, this could not have come at a better time as we are on the verge of completing a major expansion programme which began four years ago.
When the scheduled services begin on October 30, Bengaluru will become the second city in India to be serviced by the A380. Emirates launched its first A380 service in India on the Dubai-Mumbai route in 2014.
Starting October 30, Emirates A380 flights between Dubai and Bengaluru will operate as EK568 and EK569.Emirates said that the A380 aircraft features first class service with amenities such as shower spa and onboard lounge, business class cabins providing superior levels of comfort and privacy and spacious seats in economy class.
Editorial
Do not ignore the role of the woman livestock farmer (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 1/3, Social Issues/Economy)
The livestock sector is one of the most rapidly growing components of the rural economy of India, accounting for 5% of national income and 28% of agricultural GDP in 2018-19.
In the last six years, the livestock sector grew at 7.9% (at constant prices) while crop farming grew by 2%. Our field studies show that in rural households that own livestock, women are invariably engaged in animal rearing.
On the International Day of Rural Women (October 15), we need to recognise the role of women in livestock rearing, and to include women in all facets of livestock development, be it breeding, veterinary care, extension services, training or access to credit and markets.
It is widely recognised that the majority of women workers in rural areas (72%) are engaged in agricultural activities. However, with the exception of participation in dairy co-operatives, specifically in milk marketing, women’s role in the livestock economy is not as widely known or discussed.
There were five million women members in dairy co-operatives in 2015-16, and this increased further to 5.4 million in 2020-21.
Women accounted for 31% of all members of dairy producer cooperatives in 2020-21. In India, the number of women’s dairy cooperative societies rose from 18,954 in 2012 to 32,092 in 2015-16.
Conventional labour force surveys fail to accurately record women’s work in livestock-raising for many reasons. Among the many problems in data collection, two significant ones are the sporadic nature of work undertaken for short spells throughout the day and often carried out within the homestead, and women’ own responses.
A time use survey in a village of Karnataka showed that a poor peasant woman started her day by collecting dung from the cow shed for 10 minutes (5.15 a.m. to 5.25 a.m.). She engaged in some preparatory cooking tasks for a while.
A little later she milked the cow for 25 minutes, and swept and washed the shed for around 30 minutes. After completing other household tasks, she went to work on a construction site.
She took two cows along and tied them to graze near the work site. When she returned home in the evening, she again milked the animals and fed them, which took around 40 minutes.
After dinner, she fed the animals for the last time in the day. This woman spent around 3.5 hours on livestock-related tasks, which were all combined with household duties. Given this pattern of work, the woman herself may not report “livestock raising” as an economic activity.
Indian Deep Tech and a case for a strategic fund (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making a concerted push for self-reliance in military technology, semiconductors and science-based businesses.
However, there is a market failure where typical venture capital will not invest in this asset class, and government money is not nearly enough or is not fast enough. In order to become a developed country in 25 years, India will need to build world-class deep tech capabilities in certain sectors.
To solve this market inefficiency, here is a case for an “India Strategic Fund”. Certain innovations in the existing corporate social responsibility (CSR) budgets and high net worth (HNI) tax breaks will incentivise capital flowing into strategic tech.
Our way of life, economic and national security are underpinned to certain general purpose technologies (GPTs). Today, four technology battlegrounds exist, i.e. semiconductors, 5G, revolutions in biology and autonomy. Each of these is vulnerable to military conflict, health emergencies and natural disasters.
They are dual use and have steep entry barriers. They are also areas where India is still at the base of the ladder. Self reliance is not just a ‘feel good’ slogan. It is a survival imperative.
A look at the booming start up ecosystem of Bengaluru is revelatory. There are 10-minute grocery delivery and new fintech unicorns popping up in every corner.
But where is India’s answer to ARM, NVIDIA, or Hawkeye 360? The answer is plain and simple. It does not exist. And it will not till such time as there is a dedicated pool of funds to tap into.
In the United States, Israel and North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, government is still the largest source of funds for Deep Tech — a cutting-edge, quantum jump in capability that creates an intellectual property moat.
Billions of dollars of funding flow in through agencies such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Directorate of Defense Research and Development and the Defence and Security Accelerator, much of which becomes the oxygen that small businesses survive on.
This has allowed start ups to emerge as a bridge between the IEEE publications or bench top prototypes of academia and production-hungry large industry. In India, this bridge remains unbuilt.
Globally, venture capital is cautious when it comes to Deep Tech. The Indian venture capital ecosystem is not even willing to discuss it.
Ground zero
The macabre murders in Elanthoor village (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 1, Social Issues)
On October 11, the stench of putrid flesh filled the air of a sprawling and somewhat isolated compound at Elanthoor village.
The dense foliage surrounding the tile-roofed Kadakampallil House in the compound suddenly looked eerie as the police exhumed mutilated body parts from the backyard of the house.
By evening, the property, where Bhagaval Singh, a 68-year-old popular traditional massage therapist (Vaidyar), regularly treated patients, buzzed with macabre tales of ritualistic human sacrifice having taken place on its premises over the last few months.
The news sent shock waves through the village, located some 10 km north of Pathanamthitta town in Kerala. Nobody could have imagined Singh, popularly called AnjilimoottilVaidyar, and his 59-year-old wife Laila murdering two women, allegedly driven by the superstitious belief that it would make them richer, for they were known to be mild-mannered and progressive.
The police have identified the victims as Rosli Varghese, 49, and Padmam, 52, who had gone missing from Kalady near Angamaly town and Elamkulam in Kochi city on June 8 and September 26, respectively.
A postmortem on October 13 confirmed that the remains were of two women, but their identities can only be confirmed through a DNA analysis for which samples have been collected. The victims are suspected to have been ‘sacrificed’ on the nights they went missing.
While the remand report filed by the police at the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ernakulam gives a chilling account of how the murders were planned and committed, even seasoned policemen are averse to talking about it.
The villagers are trying to reconcile with the postulation that it was an obsession with superstition and sorcery that landed the couple in the company of a history-sheeter, Mohammed Shafi a.k.a. Rasheed, whom they met on Facebook as ‘Sreedevi’, and who masterminded the act.
The villagers say the couple had Left-leaning political and social positions. “Bhagaval Singh was the son of the celebrated massage therapist Vasu Vaidyan. He was a public figure in every sense.
The couple had been of great help to people and were politically active,” says Mercy Mathew, president of the Elanthoor panchayat.
News
INS Arihant carries out key missile test (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
The country’s first ballistic missile nuclear submarine (SSMN) INS Arihant carried out a successful launch of a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) on Friday, validating India’s second strike nuclear capability.
The successful user training launch of the SLBM by INS Arihant is significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN programme, a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability.
In November 2019, India formally declared its nuclear triad, stated in its nuclear doctrine, operational after INS Arihant completed its first deterrence patrol, which means Arihant has begun prowling the deep seas carrying ballistic missiles equipped with nuclear warheads.
Without confirming the particular missile, a defence source said it was not the longer K-4 SLBM but the older SLBM in use. INS Arihantis presently armed with K-15 SLBM with a range of 750 km.
The missile was tested to a predetermined range and impacted the target area in the Bay of Bengal with very high accuracy, the statement said. All operational and technological parameters of the weapon system have been validated.
A robust, survivable and assured retaliatory capability is in keeping with India’s policy to have ‘Credible Minimum Deterrence’ (CMD) that underpins its ‘No First Use’ commitment.
In 1998, India conducted nuclear tests under Phokran-II and in 2003, India declared its nuclear doctrine based on CMD and a NFU policy while reserving the right of massive retaliation if struck with nuclear weapons first.
The Agni series of missiles constitute the backbone of India’s nuclear weapons delivery, which also includes the Prithvishort range ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft.
India has also completed its nuclear triad and operationalised its second strike capability, with ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant undertaking deterrence patrols.
The second indigenous SSBN Arighat, which is in advanced stages of sea trials, is scheduled to be commissioned within this year, though no official announcement has been made.
In January 2020, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had successfully test fired a 3,500 km range SLBM K-4 from a submerged pontoon off Visakhapatnam coast.
Once inducted, these missiles will be the mainstay of the Arihant class of SSBNs giving India the stand off capability to launch nuclear weapons submerged in Indian waters.
News
Global Hunger Index is out, India in ‘serious’ category at rank 107 (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, Issues related to development)
India ranks 107 out of 121 countries on the Global Hunger Index in which it fares worse than all countries in South Asia barring war-torn Afghanistan.
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at global, regional, and national levels. GHI scores are based on the values of four component indicators - undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality.
The GHI score is calculated on a 100-point scale reflecting the severity of hunger, where zero is the best score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst.India’s score of 29.1 places it in the ‘serious’ category.
India also ranks below Sri Lanka (64), Nepal (81), Bangladesh (84), and Pakistan (99). Afghanistan (109) is the only country in South Asia that performs worse than India on the index.
China is among the countries collectively ranked between 1 and 17 having a score of less than five.India’s child wasting rate (low weight for height), at 19.3%, is worse than the levels recorded in 2014 (15.1%) and even 2000 (17.15%), and is the highest for any country in the world and drives up the region’s average owing to India’s large population.
Prevalence of undernourishment, which is a measure of the proportion of the population facing chronic deficiency of dietary energy intake, has also risen in the country from 14.6% in 2018-2020 to 16.3% in 2019-2021.
This translates into 224.3 million people in India considered undernourished out of the total 828 million people undernourished globally.
India has shown improvement in the other two indicators - child stunting has declined from 38.7% to 35.5% between 2014 and 2022 and child mortality has also dropped from 4.6% to 3.3% in the same comparative period.
On the whole, India has shown a slight worsening with its GHI score increasing from 28.2 in 2014 to 29.1 in 2022. Though the GHI is an annual report, the rankings are not comparable across different years. The GHI score for 2022 can only be compared with scores for 2000, 2007 and 2014.
Globally, progress against hunger has largely stagnated in recent years. The 2022 GHI score for the world is considered “moderate”, but 18.2 in 2022 is only a slight improvement from 19.1 in 2014.
This is due to overlapping crises such as conflict, climate change, the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the Ukraine war, which has increased global food, fuel, and fertiliser prices and is expected to “worsen hunger in 2023 and beyond.”