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Judiciary is overburdened because of the system, says Chief Justice of India Chandrachud; he points out that it is already difficult to find good lawyers to fill judicial vacancies in High Courts
The Supreme Court on November 29, 2022 said that increasing the number of judges will not demolish the perennial problem of pendency, noting that it is already difficult finding good lawyers to accept the call to the Bench in High Courts.
The court said that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to “double” the number of judges in the High Courts and the district judiciary was a rather “simplistic” solution to arrears.
At one point, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud asked petitioner-advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay whether he wanted the Supreme Court to increase its judicial strength to 70 from the current 34.
Mr. Upadhyay said that the judge-population ratio in developed countries was 50 for every million. Mr. Upadhyay said that there were at least 10 crore cases pending in the district judiciary alone.
Betting for exotic meat, gambling dens in Manipur descend further into illegality (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
The police and forest officials in the State’s Ukhrul town have been scanning “gambling dens” following reports of wild animals – dead or alive – being offered as prizes for raffle draws. Ukhrul is about 80 km northeast of the State capital Imphal.
Wildlife activists based in the town said that there have been instances of people buying raffle draw tickets ranging from ₹100 to ₹500 to try their luck to win exotic meat.
The larger or rarer the bird or animal or body part, the higher the price of the ticket. “Such cases of gambling with a wildlife twist have been happening under the very noses of the authorities, particularly on a 5-km stretch where the Mini Secretariat is located,” an activist said, declining to be named.
Some of these raffle draws and other forms of gambling are organised under the pretext of raising funds for some cause or the other.
Apart from wild boars and deer, animals such as binturong (an arboreal mammal also known as bearcat), squirrels and flying foxes (bats) have been found to be on offer.
Different types of birds such as the grey-sided thrush and tragopans (often called horned pheasants) have also been spotted. The Blyth’s tragopan is the State bird of adjoining Nagaland.
States
Device which can convert any normal bed into an ‘ICU’ to be deployed in six States (Page no. 5)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
Dozee, a contactless remote vital parameter monitoring (RPM) device which can convert any normal bed into a step-down ICU, will be deployed in six states.
Around 400 units of Dozee which has been developed by a city-based start-up, Turtle Shell Technologies Private Limited, will be deployed in public healthcare systems across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim.
This device is being deployed under the Aarogya Daksh scheme which is a joint initiative between Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) and SBI Foundation.
With a 12 vital parameter read-out tracked through proprietary AI algorithms, Dozee sets up an efficient early warning system for vastly improved patient safety and critical care outcomes.
The unit can not only increase ICU throughput but also save thousands of nursing hours and maximise triaging for resource poor, challenging settings such as pandemic situations, a Bengaluru-based innovation and technology hub supported by Government of India and Government of Karnataka.
C-CAMP CEO and Director, Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed said that according to the World Bank, hospital beds per 1,000 people in India was reported at only 0.53 in 2017 and the latest news reports state that ICU beds stand at only 125,000 for a population of 1.4 billion.
Editorial
Settling the language for cooperative federalism (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
Cooperative federalism and ‘cultural chauvinism’. The latter expression found mention in an editorial comment recently and bears repetition:
This latest effort to impose Hindi raises once again and quite retrogressively the issue of cultural nationalism at a time when it is least required. India has remained uniquely unified despite the infinite multiplicities of its cultures.
Language is an essential ingredient of identity. The question of expressing national identity in a linguistically diverse society anxious to jettison or reduce the use of English as the language of the colonial power was passionately debated by the Constitution-makers and even linked to ‘national prestige’.
It was an uneasy compromise reflected in the wording of Part XVII (Articles 343-351).
Article 345 leaves it to the State to choose its language for official purposes. In actual practice, several States and Union Territories continue to use English.
Article 348 stipulates that all proceedings of the Supreme Court and ‘of every High Court’ and of Bills, etc. in Parliament shall be in the English language.
The Eighth Schedule and the periodic additions to it (now numbering 22) spell out the diversity and complexity of the language landscape as do the Official Languages Act of 1963 and its Rules made in 1976 and amended in 1987, 2007 and 2011.
The question of Official Language brought forth ‘passionate dissents’ in the Constituent Assembly and the drafting of the Constitution. It covered language of legislatures; language of the courts and the judiciary, and language of the official work of the Union.
A spymaster who now has the Pakistan Army’s reins (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 2, International Relations)
Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir has taken over as Pakistan’s new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) from General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who retired on November 29 after a six-year-long tenure.
Gen. Munir will inherit a lot of political and economic mess from his predecessor. Therefore, his foremost task will be to restore the sullied image of the Pakistan Army, resolve internal differences, and generate confidence in the country’s political establishment by displaying neutrality. As a part of this, he may devise hawkish policies on national security matters in the near term.
Gen. Munir is the 17th Army Chief of Pakistan. A graduate of the 17th batch of the Officers Training School at Mangla, he was commissioned into the 23rd Battalion of Pakistan Army’s Frontier Force Regiment.
His experience ranges from leading Force Command Northern Areas in Gilgit-Baltistan to heading both the Military Intelligence and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Notably, he was the ISI chief during the Pulwama suicide attack in Kashmir in February 2019. It is expected that he will follow a hard-line policy vis-à-vis India.
Under Gen. Bajwa’s leadership, the military establishment brazenly interfered in political ‘engineering’ by first installing the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) ‘hybrid’ regime in 2018, and then allegedly removing him from power in April this year.
However, it only ensued persisting political instability in Pakistan. Since his ousting, Imran Khan and the PTI have been on the offensive, launching a campaign against the ‘imported’ coalition government of the Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan Democratic Movement and the military establishment.
Explainer
On the entry of women in masjids (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 1, Social Issues)
Last week, the Jama Masjid in Delhi prohibited the entry of single women or women in groups inside the mosque premises. The authorities reasoned that some women fail to respect the sanctity of the place of worship, making videos there.
When women come alone, they indulge in improper acts, shoot videos. The ban is to stop this,” reasoned the Masjid’s spokesman. The decision led to an uproar on social media.
By early evening, the mosque management clarified that the ban excluded those women coming for worship, or those accompanied by their husband or families.
However, many continued to question the unilateral decision of the authorities, forcing Delhi Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena to step in to douse the ire.
Following a meeting with the Lieutenant-Governor, the mosque authorities withdrew the ban. Imam Ahmed Bukhari clarified, “The masjid administration does not want to prevent anyone from worshipping inside.”
Incidentally, the Jama Masjid is otherwise one of the few mosques to allow women worshippers to offer regular prayers.
While there is a clear difference of opinion among Islamic scholars on the right of women to visit a dargah or a cemetery, there is lesser disagreement on a woman’s right to offer prayers inside a masjid.
Most Islamic scholars agree that a prayer can be offered at home but can only be established in a group, hence the importance of going to a mosque.
Most also agree that women have been exempted, not prohibited from going to the mosque, keeping in mind their child-rearing and other domestic responsibilities.
News
India grew as a regional power in Indo¬ Pacific’ (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
India has emerged as a regional power and net security provider in the Indo-Pacific as its capacity to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to its citizens as well as regional partners has grown in recent years.
It had strengthened multilateral partnerships through engagement via regional mechanisms. This has improved interoperability, enabling faster response in crisis situations, speaking at the multi-agency Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise ‘Samanvay 2022’ in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. He noted that Asia, particularly the Indo-Pacific region, is vulnerable to the impact of climate change.
The exercise is being conducted by the Indian Air Force at the Agra Air Force Station from November 28-30.
In addition to various stakeholders within the country, representatives from the Association of South East Nations (ASEAN) nations are also attending the exercise.
India’s approach, after the formulation of the National Disaster Management Policy, has shifted in its focus from a relief-centric approach to a “multi-pronged” approach, including prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response, relief and rehabilitation, Mr. Singh added.
Yudh Abhyas among five other bilateral Army drills on (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
The Indian Army is currently engaged in bilateral exercises with five countries under way both inside and outside the country meant to improve interoperability.
The 18th edition of India-U.S. Army exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ which is under way at Auli in Uttarakhand, about 100 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), has entered the validation phase and is set to conclude later this week.
Other ongoing exercises are ‘Ex Austra Hind’ with Australia at Mahajan field firing ranges in Rajasthan from November 28 to December 11 and ‘Ex Agni Warrior’ with Singapore at Deolali from November 13 to December 3.
The outgoing exercises are ‘Ex Harimau Shakti’ with Malaysia from November 28 to December 12 and ‘Ex Garuda Shakti’ with Indonesia, between Special Forces began on November 21. ‘Ex KazInd’ with Kazakhstan is scheduled in mid-December.
Yudh Abhyas reinforces our commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and improves interoperability with our Indian Army partners,” U.S. Army Pacific, the Army service component command to the Indo-Pacific Command.
This is the first exercise to be held at the newly set up foreign training node at Auli in Uttarakhand located at an altitude of 9,200 feet.
Indian Army soldiers from 9 Assam Regiment and U.S. Army soldiers of 40th Cavalry Regiment under 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division are taking part in the exercise. The previous edition of the exercise was held at Alaska, U.S., in October 2021.
In a sign of increasing commonality of platforms at various levels, Indian soldiers used Sig Saur assault rifles procured from U.S. while India Air Force deployed a Chinook heavy-lift helicopter on a Combat Enabling Operation as part of the exercise.
News
NITI Aayog proposes decarbonising of industrial emissions (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), the technology for decarbonising carbon dioxide (CO2) from high polluting sectors such as steel, cement, oil, gas, petrochemicals, chemicals and fertilisers, has a critical role to play for the country to halve CO2 emissions by 2050, says a report on the policy framework of the CCUS prepared by the Niti Aayog and MN Dastur & Company.
The report, released by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Suman K. Bery, also said the CCUS technology would help in promoting the low carbon-hydrogen economy and in removal of the CO2 stock from the atmosphere.
NITI Aayog will try to develop a consensus with other Ministries on the matter. He added in his message to the report that India’s per capita CO2 emissions were about 1.9 tonnes per annum, which was less than 40% of the global average and about one-fourth of that of China.
We need a sustainable solution for the decarbonisation of sectors that contribute to 70% of emission. CCUS has an important and critical role to play in it, especially for India to accomplish net-zero by 2070.
Mr. Bery said CCUS could enable the production of clean products while utilising rich endowments of coal, reducing imports and thus leading to a self-reliant India economy. CCUS also has an important role to play in enabling sunrise sectors such as coal gasification and the nascent hydrogen economy in India.
Power Secretary Alok Kumar said said the focus should be on research and development, particularly on cutting edge technologies. “NTPC has taken some R&D projects. Ministry has supported it.
UNDP to help waste segregation workers access govt. schemes (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is helping the people working in the waste segregation industry in India to move into formal economy, by helping them access government welfare programmes.
As part of the initiative, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General Usha Rao-Monari would distribute the `Jan Dhan’ account kits to waste segregation workers during her first visit to the country, on December 1.
The opening of the `Jan Dhan’ accounts has been facilitated through the UNDP’s plastic waste management programme.
The waste management promotes the collection, segregation, and recycling of all plastics to move towards a circular economy for the same.
This is done at ‘Swachhta Kendra’ or material recovery facilities. The plastic collected and processed so far has already crossed 1,38,000 metric tonnes.
The programme also ensures the well-being and financial inclusion of the `Safai Sathis’ or waste-pickers, by linking them to the social protection schemes.
According to the UN agency, a key objective of the programme is to help move the sector from informal to formal. So, the UNDP has been assisting the ‘Safai Saathis’, who contribute immensely to resource management and yet occupy the lowest rung of the ladder of the circular economy.
This is done by linking them to social protection schemes like the `Jan Dhan’ accounts, Aadhar cards, `Ayushman Bharat’, pension schemes, and scholarships for children, among others.
A baseline survey done by the UNDP earlier shows that the ‘Safai Sathis’ are employed mainly on the margins of the urban informal sector.
Their low income and job security are compounded by the fact that nearly 70% come from socially- backward groups and over 60% have no formal education.
Business
Retail pilot for digital rupee to start Dec. 1 (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on November 29 announced that the first pilot for the retail version of the digital rupee (e₹-R) would be introduced on December 1, 2022.
It may be recalled that the RBI had on October 31 indicated that the pilot in e₹-R would commence in a month’s time. The pilot would cover select locations in closed user groups (CUG) comprising participating customers and merchants.
The e₹-R would be in the form of a digital token that represents legal tender. It would be issued in the same denominations as paper currency and coins are currently issued and would be distributed through banks.
Users will be able to transact with e₹-R through a digital wallet offered by the participating banks and stored on mobile phones / devices.
Transactions can be both Person-to-Person (P2P) and Person-to-Merchant (P2M). Payments to merchants can be made using QR codes displayed at merchant locations.
The e₹-R would offer features of physical cash such as trust, safety and settlement finality. As in the case of cash, it will not earn any interest and can be converted to other forms of money, like deposits with banks.
“The pilot will test the robustness of the entire process of digital rupee creation, distribution and retail usage in real time. Different features and applications of the e₹- R token and architecture will be tested in future pilots, based on the learnings from this pilot,” the RBi said.
Eight banks have been identified for phase-wise participation in this pilot. The first phase will begin with four banks, namely State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank and IDFC First Bank in four cities across the country.
Four more banks including Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank will join this pilot subsequently.