9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – August 8th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• Water-wisdom for climate change

GS Paper 2

• India, democracy and the promised republic
• Chinese military vessel at Hambantota is a spectre that threatens the new equilibrium in India-Sri Lanka relations
• The coming battle for Taiwan
• CUET Defective

GS Paper 3

• Tapping technology to check minor mineral plunder
• About Gregor Mendel and criticisms against his work: Judging the fudging of data
• India’s tax-GDP ratio may be too high

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• ‘Climate change fuelling rise in extreme weather events’
• Indian Virtual Herbarium, biggest database of country’s flora, is a global hit
• India begins cooperation with Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces
• Explained| The Great Barrier Reef’s recovery and vulnerability to climate threats
• First ever repair of a US Navy Ship in India; ‘Charles Drew’ arrives at L&T Kattupalli shipyard
• Explained | The workings of the Supreme Court collegium
• Satellites no longer usable after deviation: ISRO on maiden SSLV mission
• Mother being natural guardian of child has right to decide surname, says SC
• Gender gaps in food: 150 million more women went hungry than men in 2021
• Google Launches “India Ki Udaan” Project To Mark 75 Years Of Independence

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

Water-wisdom for climate change

News: During the monsoon season, it has been noticed that precious rainwater is going down the drain. It means we are wasting precious natural resources.

Some key facts about water

One, water is a key determinant of health security and economic growth in India.

Two, water wars are not inevitable but will happen if we do not manage our resources prudently.

Various Paradigms in the understanding of the water management practices in India.

Over the past decades, the country has learned critical lessons on water management and evolved a new paradigm.

(A) Till the late 1980s:  Water management was largely confined to the issue of irrigation projects. Therefore, dams and canals were built to store and supply water over long distances.

However, big droughts occurred in the late 1980s, and big projects were found insufficient.

(B) Post-1980s Period: The traditional technologies for rainwater harvesting in ecological diverse regions of India were promoted. For example, the slogans like “Rain is decentralized, so is the demand for water. So, capture the rain when and where it falls”, were raised. Therefore, the state governments started launching massive programs to capture rainwater by building ponds, digging tanks, and setting up check-dams on streams.

(C) By the mid-2000s: It was understood that groundwater is not a “minor” resource, but the “major source” of water for both drinking and irrigation. Further, over 50% of agriculture was still rain-fed. Therefore, water conservation and rainwater harvesting were critical for productivity and well-being.

Therefore, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was linked with the rainwater harvesting efforts. Thereafter, rural water assets were constructed.

(D) In the 2010s; During this period, India witnessed a number of urban droughts. During this time, it was learnt that augmenting the water supply is just one part of the challenge.

(1) Pumping and piping water from long distances led to losses in distribution and rising electricity costs.

(3) Overuse of groundwater led to a decline in the groundwater level in urban areas.

(4) There were cases of encroachment of water bodies.

(5) More water supply meant more wastewater, and untreated wastewater released into rivers caused river and water pollution. This in turn destroys available water and increases the cost of cleaning up drinking water.

(6) The urban residents were not even connected to underground sewerage. Therefore, they relied upon on-site sewage “disposal” systems like septic tanks or open drains

(7) The sewage treatment infrastructure was not sufficient to stop river pollution.

What should be done?

To ensure affordable sanitation and treatment of wastewater in cities, there is a need for the reengineering of on-site systems. It means waste to be collected from each household, transported, and treated in that area.

The urban-industrial wastewater and sewage must be treated, recycled, and reused. If it is treated for reuse, then it will prevent water loss and pollution of our rivers.

In addition, water use must be minimized and become much more efficient with every drop. For example, investing in water-efficient irrigation, household appliances, and changes in our diets.

India must invest in various local water systems to capture every drop of rain at local levels like the construction of ponds, tanks, and rainwater-harvesting structures.

Our forests and green spaces need to be protected. They will recharge our groundwater.

In our cities, the lakes and ponds should be protected as they would act as sponges that will allow us to harvest the rain flood and make sure it does not turn into wasted water. Further, the treated sewage and wastewater must be diverted to these sponges to recharge the groundwater in the cities and make us water-secure.

GS Paper 2

India, democracy and the promised republic

News: Recently, a commentator has argued that India may not have succeeded in economic terms but has remained a democracy since its independence. But, democracy is not only about the protocols of governance but as much about the outcomes that it produces.

How India should be judged on its 75th anniversary?

On its 75th anniversary, India must be judged by the extent to which it has advanced human development.

This is because Jawaharlal Nehru in his message to the nation on August 15, 1947, mentions the aim of India “To bring freedom and opportunity to the common man, to the peasants and workers of India. To fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease. To build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions that will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman.”

What is the status of women on the 75th anniversary?

Gender-based inequality is rampant in India; within every social group, women are worse off than their men. Women are less nourished, less educated and have a representation in the institutions of governance far lower than their share of the population.

Women participate equally in the elections, but they are denied a place at the high table of governance. This reflects in the very low female labour force participation in India compared to the rest of the world.

It reinforces their secondary position in society by adding economic deprivation to the social restriction that discourages them from working outside the home.

What is the status of Regional differentiation on the 75th anniversary?

China does far better than India on development indicators pertaining to health and education, not to mention poverty. There are States in India which compare quite well with China on human development indicators.

The south and the west of India show greater development because they have witnessed the greater social transformation. The superior human development indicators of Kerala and Tamil Nadu have followed this social transformation. For instance, data released by NITI Aayog in 2021 show multi-dimensional poverty in Bihar to be over 50% while it is only a little more than 1% in Kerala.

What are the other challenges faced by India at present?

a) The freedom of expression of individuals is curtailed, b) India had not achieved sufficient progress in agriculture, c) India’s middle classes have benefited greatly from the economic policies of the past 75 years, but have contributed relatively little to safeguard democracy.

Indians displayed an unusually strong commitment to civil liberties in 1977. It is necessary for India to create “social, economic and political” institutions that can facilitate social transformation. They can also arise from civil society.

Chinese military vessel at Hambantota is a spectre that threatens the new equilibrium in India-Sri Lanka relations

News: Recently, it came to the notice of the Indian government that a Chinese military vessel, the Yuan Wang 5, was scheduled to arrive at Hambantota Port on August 11. It had to stay over for a week. The Sri Lankan government attempted to show it off as a “research vessel” on an innocuous refuelling stop.

About the Chinese Vessel – China’s Yuan Wang: This is a strategic platform that forms a part of the People’s Liberation Army support force. It is used for surveillance.

India’s Response to the vessel: Delhi has raised serious security concerns with respect to Sri Lanka’s move, allowing Chinese vessels.

Sri Lanka’s Response: After a tense week of negotiations between the two South Asian neighbours, Sri Lanka has “deferred the arrival of Chinese vessels until further consultations are made on this matter”.

What are the possible threats to Indian interests?

This is the second time in 19 months that Colombo has tried to make light of India’s security concerns on account of the Chinese presence in Sri Lanka. For example, In January 2021, the Sri Lankan government awarded a renewable energy project on three islands close to the Tamil Nadu Coastline, to a Chinese firm. However, Sri Lanka deferred the project after much diplomatic energy on India’s part, and a commitment to developing the same project through a grant.

Sri Lanka and other India’s entire neighborhood countries like the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan are facing a crisis. This may impact India adversely.

What can be its implications for India-Sri Lanka relations?

Sri Lanks cannot play a China vs India game on its soil without getting hurt itself.

India has been giving massive assistance to Sri Lanka in its time of economic crisis. Colombo may lose Delhi’s goodwill if it continues to ignore India’s real security concerns in the neighborhood.

The coming battle for Taiwan

News: The recent visit of US Leader Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan has triggered geopolitical events in the Indo-Pacific Region, in the form of the current Taiwan crisis.

China wants to reunify the country, both to recover from two centuries of humiliation by Western powers and to finish the civil war that started nearly a hundred years ago.

Further, China believes that if it recovers Taiwan, then it will retake its rightful place as a global power.

What are the stages that China has passed through to reach its present status?

First Act: China has adopted Deng Xiaoping’s ‘hide and bide’ strategy and Hu Jintao’s ‘peaceful rise’. Thus, it remained peaceful, until it was powerful enough to move to the next stage.

Second Act: By 2010 Beijing assessed that it was powerful enough to assert itself in the international arena. Therefore, it started forcefully taking control of disputed territories, both land, and sea, on its own terms.  It has used coercion and force to change the status quo along the Ryukyus, Spratlys, Paracels, the nine dashed lines in the South China Sea, and, the Himalayan frontiers with Bhutan, Nepal, and India. However, India has been successful in forceful resistance.

Third act: By 2020, Hong Kong was reunited. China destroyed its limited autonomy under “one country, two systems”. Thus, the only remaining Chinese target is Taiwan. Macao had already been taken.

The Fourth act: It will take place when China is reunified. It will then challenge and upstage the US as the world’s dominant power.

What are the possible resistances to Chinese policy?

There are always two threats that can cause destruction to a particular country, including, present China; 1) Internal folly and 2) External resistance.

Internal Folly: Great nations suffer more from self-inflicted wounds than anything done by the enemy. China has been suffering from one century of civil war and revolutionary excesses. For example, recent attacks on the private sector, the tech economy, the current zero-covid policy, etc. have damaged the Chinese economy.

External resistance: India’s resistance has added friction to the Chinese ambition in the Himalayas. QUAD and AUKUS have emerged. Nancy Pelosi’s visit is a manifestation of a bipartisan consensus in Washington that Beijing must be challenged.

What should be done?

For India

(1) Late K. Subrahmanyam pithily stated that India is better off on the side of the West in its contest with China because China’s desire and thy manner of pursuing its desire is wrong

(2) Taiwan is not a major strategic concern for India. However, because it is the single most important factor that can consume Beijing’s energies and delay its play for global power, it is in our interest that Taiwan keep China occupied. Therefore, to some extent, our interests converge with those of the US, Japan, Australia, and the Taiwanese people.

(3) Quad partners can extend material support, and India’s moral support for Taiwan can be very important.

Global Geopolitics

As China may go to war. Therefore, international leaders should pursue good diplomacy, which involves buying time. A real invasion might begin with pre-emptive attacks against US military assets.

CUET Defective

News: Recently, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced that the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) exam will go on till August 28.

What are the reasons for such an extended exam period?

The announcement is attributed to “administrative/logistics/technical” reasons.

Proximate Causes

In CUET’s second phase, a number of major technical glitches like server issues, snags in downloading papers and security protocol failures. Therefore, NTA cancelled exams at around 10% of the centres.

Ultimate Causes

The under-preparation of the NTA. Unlike JEE-Main, which has only two papers, CUET tests 54,000 unique subject combinations. Therefore, CUET demands a more complex IT architecture and sturdier infra.

Consequences

The glitches and delays will have spill-over effects on the entire higher education cycle.

Psychological impact: For Class XII students, this year is being felt like a never-ending nightmare of exam dates. They will have to face a fresh round of uncertainty. They will get their admit cards close to exam dates, often leaving them scrambling to make difficult travel arrangements.

The Way Forward

NTA should invest in system upgrades. For example, the Kendriya Vidyalaya network can be used.

There are plans to hold CUET twice in the next academic year.

The Union Ministry of Education must ensure accountability at NTA.

GS Paper 3

Tapping technology to check minor mineral plunder

News: The United Nations Environment Programme, in 2019, ranked India and China as the top two countries where illegal sand mining has led to sweeping environmental degradation.

Minor minerals such as sand and gravel have crossed 60 million metric tons in India. This makes it the second-largest extractive industry on the planet, after water.

Laws and monitoring have been made stringent for the mining of major minerals. But rampant and illegal mining of minor minerals continues unabated.

What are the impacts of illegal sand mining?

Severely affects soil formation and the soil holding ability of the land, leading to a loss in marine life, an increase in flood frequency, droughts, and also degradation of water quality.

These effects can be seen in the beds of the Godavari, the Narmada, Yamuna and the Mahanadi basins.

In Narmada basin, sand mining has reduced the population of Mahseer fish from 76% between 1963 and 2015.

Apart from these, illegal mining can also create losses to the state exchequer. For instance, U.P. is losing revenue from 70% of mining activities as only 30% area is legally mined.

How minor minerals are regulated?

Firstly, the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notifications of 1994 and 2006 made environmental clearance compulsory for mining in areas more than or equal to five hectares.

Secondly, a report by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Environmental Aspects of Quarrying of Minor Minerals (2010) directed all State governments to make the requisite changes in the regulatory framework of minor minerals.

Thirdly, the Supreme Court of India after taking cognisance of a report directed state governments to make environmental clearance for mining in areas less than five hectares mandatory. Consequently, the EIA was amended in 2016.

The amendment also provided for the setting up of a District Environment Impact Assessment Authority (EIAA) and a District Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC).

Fourthly, the NGT directed some States to use satellite imagery to monitor the volume of sand extraction and transportation from the riverbeds.

What are the challenges in regulating minor minerals?

Not efficient regulation: State-wise review of EACs and EIAAs in key industrial States such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, shows that these authorities have a rejection rate of a mere 1%. So, introducing clearances alone can not help eliminate irregularities in the illegal mining of minor minerals.

A State-wide review of the reasons behind non-compliance suggests a malfunction of governance due to a) weak institutions, b) scarcity of state resources to ensure enforcement, c) poorly drafted regulatory provisions, d) inadequate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and e) excessive litigation dampens state administrative capacity.

Under-estimated quantity: The problem of illegal mining of minor minerals is often under-estimated. There have been numerous cases of the illegal mining of dolomite, marble and sand across the States.

No comprehensive assessment: This hampers the evaluation of the scale of sand mining in India.

Difficult to detect: Being removed from agricultural lands or fallow lands of the government near major highways or construction projects.

Power of state governments: The regulatory and administrative powers to frame rules, prescribe rates of royalty, mineral concessions, enforcement, etc. are entrusted exclusively to the State governments.

What should be done to protect minor minerals?

1) Satellite imagery can be used to monitor the volume of extraction and also check the mining process, 2) The NGT and administrative authorities can obtain satellite pictures for the past 10 to 15 years and show how small hillocks of earth, gravel or small stone dunes have disappeared in an area, 3) Drones, the internet of things (IoT) and blockchain technology can be leveraged to monitor mechanisms by using Global Positioning System, radar and Radio Frequency (RF) Locator.

About Gregor Mendel and criticisms against his work: Judging the fudging of data

News: Recently the 200th birth anniversary of Gregor Mendel, the ‘father of modern genetics’ was celebrated worldwide. This raised the issue of judging the fudging(cheating) of data.

About Gregor Mendel

-Mendel discovered the basic principles of heredity and laid the mathematical foundation of the science of genetics.

-He performed controlled crossing experiments on around 29,000 plants with the garden pea between 1856 and 1863. He deduced that genes come in pairs and are inherited as distinct units, one from each parent.

-He registered many observable characteristics, such as the shape and colour of the seeds, and the colour of the flower, and formulated two principles of heredity.

His seminal paper, ‘Experiments on Plant Hybridization’, was published in the Proceedings of the Brunn Society for Natural Science in 1866.

In 1900, the British biologist William Bateson unearthed Mendel’s paper and gave posthumous recognition to Mendel’s works.

What are the criticisms against Mendel’s work?

In 1936, eminent British statistician and geneticist, Sir Ronald Fisher, published a paper. By reconstructing Mendel’s experiments, Fisher found the ratio of dominant to recessive phenotypes to be implausibly close to the expected ratio of 3:1. He claimed that Mendel’s data agree better with his theory than expected under natural fluctuations.

But he also concluded, “The data of most, if not all, of the experiments have been falsified to agree closely with Mendel’s expectations.” Numerous articles have been published on the Mendel-Fisher controversy subsequently.

How has the Mendel theory and fudging of data evolved recently?

In a 1984 book, an author argued that Ptolemy, Hipparchus, Galileo, Newton, Bernoulli, Dalton, Darwin, and Mendel are all alleged to have violated standards of good research practice.

The 2008 book by Allan Franklin and others ended the Mendel-Fisher Controversy. The book recognised that “the issue of the ‘too good to be true’ aspect of Mendel’s data found by Fisher still stands.

How one can judge the cheating of data?

Benford’s law says that in many real-life numerical data sets, the proportion of times of different leading digits is fixed.

It is difficult to conclude fudging in most cases. The available technologies for identifying data fudging are still inadequate to address all possible situations.

Judging the fudging is a continual process, empowered with new technologies, scientific interpretations, and ethical standards.

India’s tax-GDP ratio may be too high

News: In a recent web publication, the IMF published its World Revenue Longitudinal Data set for all countries, from 1990-2019.

Common Observations of India’s Tax/GDP Ratio

(1) India’s Tax/GDP ratio is low, at around 10-11% of GDP. It has stayed close to that level for the last 20 years. In 2019, it hit a decade low of 10% of GDP, the same as in 2014.

(2) In comparison with our peers, India’s tax/GDP ratio is much lower. Therefore, it is argued that it should be increased.

Debates on Tax/GDP Ratio in the Indian Economy

India’s tax/GDP ratio is one of the three important fiscal variables in the economy, i.e., taxes, fiscal deficit, and debt. And it is lower than what it “should” be.

These fiscal variables are interrelated. Therefore, a lower tax/GDP ratio impacts the other two fiscal variables. I.e., lower tax revenue means higher fiscal deficit, for the same level of expenditures, and higher deficit means higher debt. All three, directly or indirectly, are assumed to affect growth and/or inflation.

It has been argued that the low tax ratio in India has led to a lower rate of investment, a higher fiscal deficit, and lower GDP growth.

What are the issues in the arguments for low-tax/GDP ratio in India?

However, there is no empirical evidence to indicate a causal relationship between tax ratios or fiscal deficits and growth. But no doubt there is a well-established relationship between investment and growth.

India should compare its tax-GDP ratio with the tax/GDP ratio of the G20 countries. There is a misinterpretation because the tax collected is a function of the average level of per capita income. And Per capita income in the G20 varies from around $2,100 (India) to around $65,000 (US).

In the pre-pandemic year 2019, India’s tax-GDP ratio was 16.7%. It was higher than that of China (15.9%), Mexico (14.1%), Indonesia (11.0%), Saudi Arabia (5.9%), and Turkey (15.9%) among G20 economies.

If the comparison is done with the tax-GDP ratio adjusted for PPP per capita income, the IMF’s data reports that the world average tax gap is -1.3 percent and India is at +1.2 percent for the nine years 2011-2019. So, India’s tax GDP ratio averages 2.5 percentage points more than an average economy.

Among 70 Emerging economies, excluding Advanced Economies and countries belonging to the former Soviet Union, India’s rank is 20, i.e., India’s Tax ratio is higher than 50 peers on a systematic basis.

Debates over the structural measures to increase the tax/GDP ratio of India

Hike Corporate Tax Rate View: Some experts argued to increase revenue from corporate tax (one of three major components of tax revenue, the other being income and indirect taxes). Because inequality was increasing, the rich should pay more taxes to lower the fiscal deficit.

Lower Corporate Tax Rate View: A small minority of economic experts argued that the higher corporate tax rates will stifle investment, increase tax un-compliance, and lower growth. Therefore, there should be a lowering of the corporate tax rate in India to meet the intended goals

Various Structural Change Measures Taken for Increasing the Tax Collection in India Post-2019

Corporate tax cut 2019: In September 2019, the Finance Minister lowered the corporate tax rate by around 10 percentage points. This was one of the largest corporate tax cuts in world history. Unfortunately, the pandemic struck the world a few months later and disrupted world economies.

Efficacy of the tax cut in India

The corporate tax revenue has increased by 66%, and GDP by 33% based on the use of fiscal 2019-20 as a base. It means, there has been an average tax buoyancy of 2.0 over three years since 2019.

Tentatively, the tax-GDP ratio in the fiscal year 2022-23 will average over 18 percent in India, a level close to Japan and the US.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

‘Climate change fuelling rise in extreme weather events’

Source: The post is based on the article “‘Climate change fuelling rise in extreme weather events’” published in The Hindu on 8^th August 2022.

What is the News?

Recently IMD Director-General has said that climate change has hampered the ability of forecasting agencies to accurately predict severe events. He also said that IMD is installing more radars and upgrading its high-performance computing system to meet the challenge.

What are the key highlights of his speech?

Climate change has increased the instability in the atmosphere. This leads to an increase in convective activity — thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rainfall. The severity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea is also increasing.

India has got digital data on rainfall since 1901. Parts of north, east and northeast India show a decrease in rainfall, while some areas in the west, such as west Rajasthan, show an increase.

Monsoon: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Nagaland had shown significant decreasing trends in the southwest monsoon rainfall during the recent 30-year period (1989-2018).

Cloud bursts: A study by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, MoES says the frequency of mini-cloud bursts (five cm or more rainfall in an hour) is increasing in the Himalayas.

Reason for intense rainfall: Studies have proved that this increase in heavy rainfall events and decrease in light precipitation is due to climate change.

Climate change has increased the surface air temperature, which in turn has increased the evaporation rate. Since warmer air holds more moisture, it leads to intense rainfall.

How India is improving its weather forecasts?

IMD’s forecast accuracy had improved by about 30% to 40% for severe weather events such as cyclones, heavy rain, thunderstorms, heat waves, cold waves and fog in the past five years due to an improvement in the observational network, modelling and computing systems.

Firstly, the IMD is bolstering its observational network with the augmentation of radars, automatic weather stations and rain gauges and satellites to improve predictability.

IMD has put up six radars in the northwest Himalayas and four more will be installed this year.

Note: Radars are preferred because they have a higher resolution and can provide observations every 10 minutes.

Secondly, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) also plans to upgrade its high-performance computing system from a capacity of 10 petaflops currently to 30 petaflops in the next two years. This will help assimilate more data into the model that can then be run at higher resolutions.

Thirdly, IMD-MoES weather modelling system has a resolution of 12 kilometres. The target is to make it six kilometres. Similarly, the resolution of the regional modelling system will be improved from three kilometres to one kilometre.

Indian Virtual Herbarium, biggest database of country’s flora, is a global hit

Source: The post is based on the article “Indian Virtual Herbarium, biggest database of country’s flora, is a global hit” published in PIB on 7th August 2022.

What is the News?

In the ‘Mann Ki Baat ‘episode, the Prime Minister talked about the Indian Virtual Herbarium.

What is Indian Virtual Herbarium?

Developed by: Botanical Survey of India(BSI)

Purpose: It is a digital database of plants and preserved parts of plants with labelled information.

Features: The herbarium provides information on plants in different categories such as Cryptogams (spore-bearing plants). Phanerogams (seed-bearing plants). Both the groups are again divided into two categories which include genera; specimen and type specimens.

– Each record in the digital herbarium includes an image of the preserved plant specimen, scientific name, collection locality, and collection date, collector name, and barcode number.

– The digital herbarium also includes features to extract the data State-wise, and users can search plants of their own States, which will help them identify regional plants and in building regional checklists. 

Significance: This is the biggest virtual database of flora in the country. Moreover, this database also has immense use in plant identification, systematics studies and ecological studies. 

India begins cooperation with Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces

Source: The post is based on the article “India begins cooperation with Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces” published in The Hindu on 8th August 2022.

What is the News?

India has formally commenced cooperation with the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). However, the modalities of the exact nature of cooperation are being worked out.

Note: At the India-US 2+2 Ministerial dialogue in April 2022, India announced that it would join the CMF as an Associate Partner.

What is Combined Maritime Forces(CMF)?

Established in: 2001

Purpose: It is a multinational naval partnership to promote security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

Located in: Bahrain

Commanded by: U.S. Navy Vice Admiral

Members: It consists of 34 member nations. Including countries such as Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, France, Japan, Pakistan, United States, Yemen, and others.

Task Forces: It comprises of three task forces: CTF 150 (maritime security and counter-terrorism), CTF 151 (counter piracy) and CTF 152 (Arabian Gulf security and cooperation).

Note: This is a flexible organization and members are not bound by either a political or military mandate. 

India and CMF Cooperation: India has in the past cooperated with CMF on various occasions. For instance, the CMF’s CTF 151 has coordinated with Indian and Chinese warships deployed on anti-piracy duties to patrol the Maritime Security Transit Corridor.

– Moreover, the Indian Navy has a Liaison Officer posted at the US Central Command (CENTCOM) in Bahrain who will also function as the point person for cooperation with the CMF.

Explained| The Great Barrier Reef’s recovery and vulnerability to climate threats

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained| The Great Barrier Reef’s recovery and vulnerability to climate threats” published in The Hindu on 7th August 2022.

What is the News?

According to the Australian Institute of Marine Science(AIMS) report, the highest levels of coral cover within the past 36 years have been recorded in the northern and central parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef(GBR).

What are Corals?

Corals are marine invertebrates or animals which do not possess a spine. They are the largest living structures on the planet.

Corals are of two types

Hard corals: They extract calcium carbonate from seawater to build hard, white coral exoskeletons. Hard corals are in a way the engineers of reef ecosystems and measuring the extent of hard coral is a widely-accepted metric for measuring the condition of coral reefs.

Soft corals: They attach themselves to hard skeletons and older skeletons built by their ancestors. Soft corals also add their own skeletons to the hard structure over the years. These growing multiplying structures gradually form coral reefs.

Importance of Corals: Coral reefs support over 25% of marine biodiversity even as they take up only 1% of the seafloor. The marine life supported by reefs further fuels global fishing industries. Besides, coral reef systems generate $2.7 trillion in annual economic value through goods and service trade and tourism. 

Click Here to read more

What is Coral Bleaching?

Click Here to read

What is the Great Barrier Reef?

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest and longest coral reef system. It is located in Australia. 

It is a World Heritage Area since 1981 (the world’s first reef ecosystem to be recognised by UNESCO)

It is home to 400 types of coral, 1500 species of fish and 4000 types of molluscs. 

What does the report say about the Great Barrier Reef?

The highest levels of coral cover within the past 36 years have been recorded in the northern and central parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef(GBR). This is because,

1) Increase in the fast-growing Acropora corals, which are a dominant type in the GBR, 2) Low levels of acute stressors in the past 12 months such as no tropical cyclones and lesser heat stress in 2020 and 2022 as opposed to 2016 and 2017.

However, the report has warned that this could be quickly reversed owing to rising global temperatures.

Note: Great Barrier Reef experienced a mass coral bleaching event in March this year.

First ever repair of a US Navy Ship in India; ‘Charles Drew’ arrives at L&T Kattupalli shipyard

Source: The post is based on the article “First ever repair of a US Navy Ship in India; ‘Charles Drew’ arrives at L&T Kattupalli shipyard” published in PIB on 7th August 2022.

What is the News?

US Navy Ship (USNS) Charles Drew has arrived at L&T’s Shipyard at Kattupalli, Chennai for undertaking repairs and allied services. This is the first ever repair of a US Navy ship in India.

Why has a US Naval Ship come to India for repair?

At the recent India-U.S. 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, both countries agreed to explore the possibilities of utilizing Indian shipyards for the repair and maintenance of ships of the U.S. Maritime Sealift Command to support mid-voyage repair of U.S. Naval ships.

Note: Enabling the repair of US Navy vessels in Indian shipyards was the conclusion of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement(LEMOA) in 2016.

What is the significance of this development?

Firstly, it gives a huge boost to ‘Make in India’ & ‘Aatmanirbharta in Defence’.

Secondly, this assumes special significance in furthering the strategic partnership between India and the US. It marks the beginning of a new chapter for deeper engagements.

About Indian Shipyard Industry

Currently, India has six major shipyards with a turnover of nearly $2 billion. 

Under the new innovation ecosystem, vessels capable of undertaking autonomous missions have been built by Goa Shipyard Limited and some of our start-ups. 

Hence, the Indian shipbuilding industry is not just carrying out conventional things but is also amalgamating the latest technologies with it.

Explained | The workings of the Supreme Court collegium

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained | The workings of the Supreme Court collegium” published in The Hindu on 7th August 2022.

What is the News?

The Chief Justice of India(CJI) N.V. Ramana’s tenure is ending soon. The Collegium under this CJI has been particularly successful. They recommended numerous judicial appointments and scripted history by getting nine Supreme Court judges appointed in one go. Of the nine, Justice B.V. Nagarathna is in line to be the first woman CJI in 2027.

What is the Collegium System?

Click Here to read

How are judicial appointments to the Supreme Court made?

The appointment of the CJI and judges of the apex court is governed by a Memorandum of Procedure. The CJI and the judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President under Article 124(2) of the Constitution. 

Appointment of CJI: As per protocol, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court is designated as the CJI. The process starts with the Union Law Minister seeking the recommendation of the outgoing CJI for his successor.

– Once the CJI recommends, the Law Minister forwards the communication to the Prime Minister who would advise the President on the appointment.

Appointment of Supreme Court Judges: For this, the proposal is initiated by the CJI. The CJI consults the rest of the Collegium members, as well as the senior-most judge of the court hailing from the High Court to which the recommended person belongs. The consultees must record their opinions in writing and it should form part of the file.

– The Collegium sends the recommendation to the Law Minister who forwards it to the Prime Minister to advise the President.

What are the criticisms against the collegium?

1) Opaqueness and a lack of transparency, 2) Scope for nepotism and 3) Overlooks several talented junior judges and advocates.

What are the attempts to reform the appointment system?

An attempt was made to replace the collegium with a ‘National Judicial Appointments Commission’ (through Ninety-ninth Amendment Act,2014). But was struck down by the apex court in 2015 on the ground that it posed a threat to the independence of the judiciary.

Has the increase in judicial appointments lowered the pendency in the Supreme Court?

The increase in the number of judges has not guaranteed lower pendency of cases in the apex court over the years. The number of pending cases has risen to 71,411 as of August 1, 2022, from a little over 55,000 in 2017. This is despite the fact that the sanctioned judicial strength of the court was increased to 34 judges in August 2019. 

Satellites no longer usable after deviation: ISRO on maiden SSLV mission

Source: The post is based on the article “Satellites no longer usable after deviation: ISRO on maiden SSLV mission” published in Business Standard on 7th August 2022.

What is the News?

Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) has launched the first Small Satellite Launch Vehicle(SSLV) from Sriharikota. 

The vehicle carried an Earth Observation Satellite named EOS-02 and a co-passenger satellite, ‘Azaadi SAT’ into low earth orbit. However, ISRO later announced that these satellites are no longer usable.

Why are these satellites no longer usable?

The SSLV rocket placed these satellites in an elliptical orbit instead of a circular one.

An elliptical orbit is the lowest orbit and is not stable due to the Earth’s attraction force due to which the satellites could not stay in orbit and have already crashed. As a result, these satellites are no longer usable.

Nevertheless, the entire architecture of ISRO’s SSLV performed well apart from the “anomaly” that led to the mission’s failure.

What is SSLV?

SSLV is India’s smallest launch vehicle weighing 110 tonnes.

It can carry payloads weighing up to 500 kg and deploy satellites into a 500 km low earth orbit.

Advantages of SSLV: 1) Can be assembled within 72 hours by a team of just 5-6 people. 2) It costs at least one-tenth of those currently in use. 3) It can enable a space launch from India every week. 4) It caters specifically to the small and micro satellites that constitute over 90% of all satellites being launched these days.

Mother being natural guardian of child has right to decide surname, says SC

Source: The post is based on the article “Mother being natural guardian of child has right to decide surname, says SC” published in Indian Express on 29th July 2022.

What is the News?

The Supreme Court has ruled that a mother, being the only natural guardian of the child after the death of the biological father (husband), has the right to decide the surname of the child.

What was the case about?

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging a judgment passed by the High Court of Andhra Pradesh in 2014. The High Court asked to restore the child’s surname to the previous one and to show the name of the late husband in records as his natural father. If that is not possible, the court asks to mention the new husband as his stepfather.

What did the Supreme Court rule?

The Supreme Court overturned the AP High Court’s judgment.

The court observed that a surname refers to a name that a child or person shares with the rest of the members of the family.

It not only indicates lineage but also plays a crucial role in the life of children by providing them with a sense of social reality. Further, the Homogeneity of surnames emerges as a mode to create, sustain and display family.

Hence, the court ruled that the mother, if remains to be the only natural guardian, can decide the surname of the child and even give the kid up for adoption.

Gender gaps in food: 150 million more women went hungry than men in 2021

Source: The post is based on the article “Gender gaps in food: 150 million more women went hungry than men in 2021” published in Down To Earth on 7th August 2022.

What is the News?

CARE, an international humanitarian organization has released a report titled “Food Security and Gender Equality: A synergistic understudied symphony”. The report highlights the link between Gender Inequality and Food Insecurity.

What are the key findings of the report?

Gender Gap in Food Security: The gap between men and women’s food security is growing worldwide. As many as 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021. Among them, 150 million more women were food insecure than men.

Gender Inequality and Food Security: The report found that across 109 countries, as gender inequality goes up, food security goes down. For instance, nations with high gender inequality, such as Yemen, Sierra Leone and Chad, experienced the lowest food security and nutrition.

Women bear a bigger food insecurity burden: Even when both men and women are technically food insecure, women often bear bigger burdens, in this situation men are found eating smaller meals and women are found skipping meals.

Employed Women Experienced Less Food Insecurity: When women are employed and earning money or when they are directly involved in farming, they are less likely to experience food insecurity.

Women more Likely to Live in Poverty: Women are more likely than men to live in extreme poverty because their work is underpaid or not paid at all. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, women took on three times as much unpaid work as men.

What are the suggestions given by the report?

SDG Goal 5 talks about achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls by 2030.

This requires urgent action to eliminate the many root causes of discrimination that still curtail women’s rights in private and public spheres.

Google Launches “India Ki Udaan” Project To Mark 75 Years Of Independence

Source: The post is based on the article “Google Launches “India Ki Udaan” Project To Mark 75 Years Of Independence” published in NDTV on 6th August 2022.

What is the News?

Google has launched the “India ki Udaan” Project to mark 75 years of Independence.

What is the India ki Udaan Project?

Executed by: Google Arts and Culture.

It celebrates the achievements of India and is based on the theme ‘Unwavering and undying spirit of India over these past 75 years’.

The centrepiece of its celebrations is a new online collection titled “India Ki Udaan”. It features India’s rich cultural diversities, including iconic moments from the last 75 years.

Significance of the project: This project offers a unique view of India’s remarkable moments and lets people discover some of the most memorable moments in India’s modern history. These include iconic personalities, and the proudest scientific and sporting achievements and show how women in India continue to inspire the world.