Comprehensive Current affairs 30 August 2020

India notifies functions of Jammu & Kashmir LG & council of ministers.

The Union Home Ministry on Friday notified new rules for administration in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) that specify the functions of the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) and the Council of Ministers.

The rules notified by Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla say that proposals or matters which affect or are likely to affect peace and tranquillity or the interest of any minority community, the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Backward Classes “shall essentially be submitted to the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary, under intimation to the Chief Minister, before issuing any orders”.

The erstwhile State has been under Central rule since June 2018 and the elected Assembly was dissolved in November the same year. Indian Home Minister, while introducing the legislation in Parliament last year, said J&K’s Statehood would be restored soon.

J&K has been without a Chief Minister since June 2018. According to the requirements of the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, fresh elections will be held after the delimitation exercise is completed next year.

The rules say all communications received from the Centre, including those from the Prime Minister and other Ministers, other than those of a routine or unimportant character, shall, as soon as possible after their receipt, be submitted by the Secretary to the Chief Secretary, the Minister in charge, the Chief Minister and the L-G for information.

GoI brings in Chunauti contest for promoting small town start ups.

Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched “Chunauti”- Next Generation Startup Challenge Contest to further boost startups and software products with special focus on Tier-II towns of the country.

The government has earmarked a budget of over 95 crore rupees over a period of three years for this programme. It aims at identifying around three hundred startups working in identified areas and providing them seed funds of upto 25 lakh rupees and other facilities.

Under this challenge the Ministry of Electronics and IT will invite startups in the areas of work including Edu Tech, Agri Tech and FinTech solutions for masses, Supply Chain and Logistic management, Infrastructure, Medical Healthcare as well as jobs and skilling.

3). First all-weather route to Ladakh

India is pushing hard to complete an all-weather strategic route to Ladakh that will link Darcha in Himachal Pradesh to Nimu via Padum in Kargil’s Zanskar valley.

Darcha-Padum-Nimu Route:

• It requires upgrading the Darcha- Padum-Nimu trekking route into a metalled road and building a 4.5 -kilo -metre tunnel under Shingo La on the Darcha-Padum route.

• The project is scheduled to be completed by the Defence Ministry within two years.

• This will be the first all-weather and the third route to connect Ladakh by road which is already connected by two other routes.

• The first route is via Zoji La in Jammu and Kashmir and second via Himachal’s Manali-Upshi Leh axis.

• Nimu is 35 kilometres from Leh town and headquarters of XIV Corps responsible for the defence of East Ladakh and Siachen Glacier.

• The 9.02 kilometre Atal tunnel at Rohtang La, which will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km, is set to become operational in the last quarter of 2020.

Significance:

• It is urgently needed given Pakistan and China’s interest in the Siachen Glacier and Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO).

• It will keep the supply lines open for the military guarding Siachen, Kargil and DBO sectors.

• The Darcha-Nimu route will also develop the new union territory of Ladakh to get round- the-year supplies.

India co-sponsors UNSC resolution on women peacekeepers.

India has co-sponsored a security council resolution that calls for full, effective and meaningful participation of women personnel in peacekeeping operations. In a tweet, India's Permanent Mission to the UN said that India is proud to co-sponsor the resolution which was put forth by Indonesia.

The mission said UN Security Council Resolution on ‘women in peacekeeping' calls for full, effective and meaningful participation of women in peacekeeping operations.

India is one of the largest troop contributors to UN peacekeeping operations. The mission said India has set for itself during its tenure in the Security Council beginning 2021 that India will continue to push for greater involvement of women in all areas.

In June, India was elected non-permanent member of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2021.

India has a long tradition of being associated with UN Peacekeeping since its inception. The country made history in 2007 when she deployed the first all-women Police Unit in the UN Mission in Liberia.India is the fifth largest contributor of uniformed personnel to the UN Peacekeeping Forces.

Online chess Olympiad.

India reached the semifinals of the online Chess Olympiad in controversial circumstances on Friday. It had won the first of the two matches against Armenia, which didn’t play the second and withdrew from the competition.

The Armenians protested with FIDE claiming that they lost one game because of loss of internet connection on Chess.com’s end.

Stars in Dwarf Galaxies .

The astronomers from the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) have recently found out the reasons behind intense star formation in some dwarf galaxies. It is an autonomous institute of Department of Science & Technology (DST).

About Star Formation in Galaxies:

• Stars are born within the clouds of dust and gas scattered throughout most galaxies.

• Turbulence deep within these clouds gives rise to knots with sufficient mass that the gas and dust can begin to collapse under its own gravitational attraction.

• As the cloud collapses, the material at the center begins to heat up. Known as a protostar, it is this hot core that one day becomes a star.

• Not all of this material ends up as part of a star the remaining dust can become planets, asteroids, or comets or may remain as dust.

• Stars are fueled by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen to form helium deep in their interiors.

The outflow of energy from the central regions of the star provides the pressure necessary to keep the star from collapsing under its own weight, and the energy by which it shines.

• A solar system typically lives 10 billion years after the formation process.

Highlights:

• Dwarf galaxies are the most abundant type of galaxy in the universe but are difficult to detect due to their low luminosity, low mass and small size. Some dwarf galaxies have been seen forming new stars at a mass-normalized rate i.e. 10-100 times more than that of the Milky-way galaxy.

• The star-formation activities do not last longer than a few tens of millions-years, a period which is much shorter than the age of these galaxies - typically a few billion years. Star formation at a high rate requires very high density of Hydrogen in the Galaxies.

• Multiple nuclei and high Concentration of ionized hydrogen have been found in the central region of such galaxies. Hydrogen in these dwarf galaxies is found to be irregular and sometimes not moving in well-defined orbits i.e. non -symmetric distribution of hydrogen.

• Scientists used the 1.3-meter Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT) near Nainital (Uttarakhand) and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Maharashtra.

Glanders Disease

The Delhi High Court has sought response of Delhi government on plea of PETA to prevent Spread of Glanders Disease.

Highlights:

• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has sought the HC to implement the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009.

• PETA has sought implementation of the National Action Plan for Control and Eradication of Glanders.

• It is aimedto prevent spread of Glanders Disease among Horses, Mules, Ponies and Donkeys.

Glanders Disease:

• Glanders is a contagious zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in horses, mules, and donkeys.

• The infectious disease that is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei, usually by ingestion of contaminated feed or water.

• B. mallei is able to infect humans, so is classed as a zoonotic agent.

• Transmission occurs by direct contact with infected animals and entry is through skin abrasions, nasal and oral Mucosal Surfaces, or by Inhalation.

Prevalence:

• Glanders is endemic in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America.

• It has been eradicated from North America, Australia, and most of Europe through surveillance and destruction of affected animals,and import restrictions.

• Signs of glanders include the formation of nodular lesions in the lungs and ulceration of the mucous membranes in the upper respiratory tract.

• Bacterium Burkholderia mallei is considered as potential bio-weapon and categorized under ‘Tier 1 Select Agent’.

India recycles only 1% of its construction and Demolition Waste.

As per a report by Centre for Science and Environment, India recycles just one per cent of its construction and demolition (C&D) waste.

• India generates an estimated 150 million tonnes of C&D waste every year.

• But the official recycling capacity is a meagre 6,500 tonnes per day — just about one per cent.

• 53 cities were expected to set up recycling facilities to recover material from C&D waste by 2017 — but only 13 cities have done that by 2020.

Concerns:

• The heaps of concrete, bricks and metal waste from construction were choking waterbodies, green areas and public spaces in Indian cities.

• Toxic dust particles from the debris pollute air and add to particulate matter (PM) pollution.

• It is opposite to National Clean Air Programme where cities have to reduce their particulate pollution by 20-30 per cent by 2024.

Initiatives for recycling C&D waste:

• The Bureau of Indian Standards has allowed use of concrete made from recycled material and processed C&D waste.

• The Construction and Demolition Waste Rules and Regulations, 2016 have mandated reuse of recycled material.

• Swachh Bharat Mission has recognised the need for C&D waste management.

• Ranking points for C&D waste management for Swachh Survekshan 2021 have been doubled to 100 points, divided equally between management infrastructure and waste processing efficiency.

• Cities will need to have a C&D waste collection system in place; notified charges for C&D services and segregation of waste in five streams.

• Under waste processing efficiency criteria, ranking points will be awarded based on the percentage of collected waste that is Processed and Reused.

Significance:

• The demand for Primary Building Material, Including Minerals, Stone, Sand, Iron ore, Aluminium and Timber, is growing at an Unprecedented Rate.

• A significant proportion of construction waste can be recycled and Reused and brought back to construction to substitute naturally sourced material.

• This can help reduce energy intensity and Environmental Footprints of Buildings and

Infrastructure.

Central govt. Give states borrowing options to compensate GST shortfalls.

States have been given two borrowing options to meet shortfall of GST compensation. After chairing the 41st GST Council meet yesterday, Finance Minister NirmalaSitaraman said, the two options were placed before states so that each state does not have to struggle for loans.

Ms Sitharaman said, this year's entire GST compensation gap of two lakh 35 thousand crore rupees can be met by the States, in consultation with RBI. She said, States have requested for details of both the options, and sought seven working days to deliberate on it and get back.

These options will be available only for this year. The Minister said, once the arrangement is agreed upon by GST Council, dues will be cleared fast and also take care of the rest of the financial year. She said, government will give a further relaxation of 0.5 per cent in States' borrowing limit under FRBM Act.

Finance Minister said there was no proposal to raise tax rates to make up for the shortfall that has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.Finance Secretary Ajay BhushanPandey has said, GST collection has been severely impacted due to covid pandemic.

GoI bring new routes under UDAN scheme.

The Government has approved 78 new routes under the 4th round of Regional Connectivity Scheme - Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik, (UDAN) to further enhance the connectivity to remote and regional areas of the country.

The Civil Aviation Ministry said, North East Region, Hilly States and Islands have been given priority in the approval process for the new routes. It said, 29 served, eight unserved and two underserved airports have been included in the list for approved routes. The Ministry said, overall 766 routes have been sanctioned so far under the UDAN scheme.

Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, UshaPadhee said, the Ministry had launched the 4th round of UDAN in December last year with a special focus on North-Eastern Regions, Hilly States and Islands.

Special focus on mains.

Q. 1) What is criticism and what is contempt?

Context:

Supreme Court decision convicting Prashant Bhushan of contempt of court.

Qualities of a Judge:

A magistrate is a lowly cog (level) in the great judicial machine and not a judge of a superior court.

Apart from integrity, in all its aspects including intellectual, and impartiality, the one word which comes readily to mind on the qualities of judges is sobriety.

Indeed, sobriety in a judge is so significant that it is part of the simile ‘as sober as a judge’.

Sobriety is not greyness or humourless grimnessbut a characteristic that denotes balance and connotes a desire to shunthe limelight.

It is the opposite of flamboyancewhich is in itself not a negative personal attribute and perhaps even appropriate for some callings, but is it so in judges?

Judges in the past and most now too avoid being flamboyant. Sobriety and flamboyance are relevant in the Prashant Bhushan case but have not received any focus.

This is because the Supreme Court has avoided any comment on the Chief Justice of India (CJI)’s photograph which has been, in a manner, the origin of the present action.

In paragraph 62, the court in the Bhushan judgment notes: “The first part of the first tweet states, that ‘CJI rides a 50 lakh motorcycle belonging to a BJP leader at Raj Bhavan, Nagpur without a mask or helmet’.

This part of the tweet can be said to be a criticism of the CJI as an individual and not against the CJI as CJI”.

It thereafter proceeds to mention the second part of the tweet where Mr. Bhushan says, “at a time when he keeps the SC in a lockdown mode denying citizens their fundamental rights to access justice”.

The court holds that the second part of the tweet was critical of the CJI as CJI and was contemptuous.

Maintaining the dignity of office:

The court has itself categorically opined that any comment on the photograph of the CJI cannot attract contempt.

Citizens are safe from being hauled upfor contempt if they draw inferences as long as they do not make that a basis for making adverse comments about the the CJI’s role in the administration of justice in the country.

This fortifies citizens to make observations on the photograph as well as the changing nature of conventions regarding the personal conduct of the judges of the superior courts so long as they do not imply any criticism of the judges’ functioning as judges.

There too the court has discussed at great length how fair and constructive criticism of judicial functioning and of court judgments without attribution of motives is healthy for the functioning of Indian democracy.

People who were knowledgeable about the incident said that the CJI did not know who owned the motorcycle and that he merely wanted to get a feel of it. It also claimed that he wants to buy a motorcycle after his retirement.

The fact is that the photograph was unique for never has a superior court judge, leave alone a CJI, been seen astride a motorcycle.

The question is whether the CJI was wise to do so while occupying the august office he does or whether he should have curbedhis enthusiasm till he had retired.

What would he feel if many judges and magistrates follow his example, and photographs of them getting a feel of objects of their enthusiasm — for example, sports cars — appear?

This is a question only he can answer after giving it the thought it deserves.

I will only add that he himself knows that many lawyers on elevation to the bench have to curb their enthusiasm, change some habits and become sober in their conduct.

Shunning the limelight:

In the immediate aftermath of independence, judges also maintained a tradition of aloofness. They did not seek public attention; indeed, they avoided it.

For instance, unlike politicians and officers of the executive branch, they moved without pilots and escorts or sirens and red lights on their cars.

It may now come as a surprise but it was only in the 1980s that High Court judges were provided with official cars.

At some stage judges began to seek to be equated with executive officers and politicians in terms of some perks and privileges.

This does not imply that the standards of judicial work were compromised but it did mean that they came more in the public eye. This led to a weakening of the strong norms of aloofness. The limelight was shunned. Official cars with sirens and red lights were symptomatic of the changing mores.

There was yet another tradition that most judges strictly adhered to. They mainly confined themselves to their judicial work and only spoke through their judgments.

This does not mean that they did not pursue their hobbies and write on non-judicial subjects in which they had expertise but they avoided issues of public policy which may come before the courts.

Certainly, they did not give their views on controversial political and social issues. Largely this tradition continues to be pursued.

Conclusion:

All in all, judges of the superior courts must, even in these changing times, ponderdeeply the old norms that earned them respect and public confidence, and pursue them.

There is no surer foundation for the judicial branch of the state.

Q. 2 ) What are the major challenges ahead during conducting JEE and NEET exams in pandemic period?

Context:

A pandemic and the resultant delay in commencing admission to professional courses have put the Union Education Ministry in an unenviable position.

Striking a balance: It is under compulsion to strike a balance between ensuring physical and emotional well-being of aspirants and sustaining a merit-based admission process, while seeking to limit the academic disruption.

The NEET is the only gateway for MBBS/BDS admissions in the country.

In respect of engineering admissions, the JEE is not mandatory for State government-run and private institutions.

Citing the Supreme Court’s recent order declining to interfere with the conduct of the two common entrance tests, Education Minister has contended that the issue is being politicised.

His argument is that a “silent majority” favours the exams as an overwhelming number of registered candidates have downloaded their admit cards.

From an academic perspective, the Supreme Court has rightly observed that the career of students “cannot be put in perilfor long”.

Mr. Pokhriyal is apprehensive that further delay could lead to a “zero academic year”, a concern shared by many academics.

Practical limitations:

Ground realities reflect the concerns from the other side. More than the fear of contracting COVID-19 from examination centres, aspirants face practical limitations.

The NEET will be conducted in 3,843 centres across 155 cities, whereas the number of applicants is about 15.97 lakh.

For an estimated 8.58 lakh aspirants, the JEE will be held in 660 centres in 12 shifts.

With many States not resuming public transport services and hotels remaining closed, travel and accommodation for candidates from interior regions is a major challenge.

Social and cultural pressures are such that girls from villages and tier-3 towns are likely to face hurdles as travelling alone would not be encouraged under these unusual circumstances.

Even if hotels are opened at short notice, the fear of the pandemic might detera section of aspirants from staying there.

Delay in admission to the IITs and medical colleges would also have an adverse bearing on BE/BTech seats in leading institutions including deemed universities as eventually they may go vacant when students opt out.

Given this background, the government must explore alternatives such as allowing States to conduct medical admissions based on Class XII Board marks using standard normalisation.

NEET could be limited to central institutions. Likewise, instead of the JEE, a nationwide marks normalisation could be examined but IIT Directors have argued that doing away with JEE would dilute the quality of education.

Conclusion:

Extraordinary circumstances may require extraordinary solutions.

Perhaps the examination slots could be staggeredand the number of centres increased drastically. Pragmatic compromises are inevitable.

Conducting JEE and NEET amid a pandemic is not easy, but options are limited.

Q.3) Describe the functions of GST council. What is the issue of compensating states for the shortfall in their goods and services tax (GST) collections? Also discuss the necessary steps need to be taken in this regard.

Context:

It is beyond anyone’s imagination that the Government of India would invoke the “Force Majeure” clause against its own people.

Unfortunately, this has become reality at a time when every Indian State is massively burdened by the COVID-19 crisis and governance has been severely affected.

Finance Minister’s statement on Thursday that the financial crisis facing the States is a result of an “act of God” is symptomatic of the callousness with which the Modi government treats State governments.

This abdicationof responsibility strikes a cruel blow to the social contract that exists between the Government of India and State governments, who are equal representatives of the 1.3 billion citizens of India.

The Basis:

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime was built on the promise that if States faced revenue deficits after the GST’s introduction, the Centre would make good the loss in the first five years.

It was on the basis of this commitment that States extended their support to GST.

States sacrificed their constitutionally granted powers of taxation in the national interest. That allowed the Centre to announce the dawn of “one nation one tax” at the stroke of midnight in 2017.

When the GST compensation cess exceeded the amount that had to be paid to States, the Central government absorbed the surplus.

Now, the economy has slowed down dramatically and the resources raised are insufficient.

Instead of exploring other viable options, the Centre is orchestrating a charade and raising questions about whether it is legally accountable to pay compensation.

A reading of the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Act 2017 and the Constitution 101st Amendment answer these questions affirmatively. Alas, the government’s objective is to obfuscate.

It is one thing to say that there are no funds available but entirely another to assert that there is no commitment to pay compensation.

This commitment has a history that begins with United Progressive Alliance era when many BJP-ruled States strongly pitched for a compensation mechanism to be a part of the Constitution itself.

Paragraph 92 of the Standing Committee report shows that the Centre assured payment of compensation for a specified period, if there were such a loss.

Assurance made:

When the Modi government introduced the GST compensation cess, many States pointed out that proceeds from the cess may be inadequate to fund the losses faced by States after the rollout of GST.

Allaying these apprehensions, the central government made the assurance that it would provide funds to meet States’ deficits.

In the seventh meeting of the GST Council, the Chairman (then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley), observed that it was the constitutional commitment of the central government to provide cent per cent compensation.

This was reinforced in the eight meeting of the Council.

In the tenth meeting, the Secretary of the GST Council stated that the central government could raise resources by other means for compensation and this could then be recouped by continuing the cess beyond five years.

Therefore, there was never any ambiguityin the minds of States that succour will be offered by the Centre.

States never expected to be disappointed so early. The central government has let them down by thrusting on them two options, both of which involve borrowing by States.

This is akin to asking States to mortgage their future to sustain the present.

Cooperative federalism has been transformed into coercivefederalism.

Centre is best placed:

The central government has the ability to raise resources through means that are not available to States.

Monetary measures are the monopoly of the central government. Even borrowing is more efficient and less expensive if it is undertaken by the Central government.

Over the last six years, the Centre has continually cornered resources that should have been shared with States.

The Fourteenth Finance Commission allotted 42% of central government tax revenues to States.

However, Accountability Initiative’s analysis of State Budgets shows that States received only 30%of central tax collections during the 2015-19 period.

The Centre raised an estimated ₹3,69,111 crore revenue through cesses and surcharges in 2019-20 alone. These are not shareable with States.

Similarly, cesses on petroleum products have resulted in the Centre receiving 60% of petroleum tax revenues, with only 40% going to States. In 2013-14, the ratio was 50-50.

Conclusion:

As equal representatives of the citizens of the federal republic of India, State governments expected the Centre to demonstrate empathy when they are bearing the bruntof the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns that were announced without consultation.

This is the most appropriate time to provide them relief through the Consolidated Fund of India.

Prime Minister proudly described GST as a ‘Good and Simple Tax’ which would usher in a glorious economic future for India.

Unfortunately, just three years later, the harsh reality is that States are staring at ‘grave and sordid times’ ahead.