9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – October 14th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• The democratisation of India, the Mandal way
• Supreme Court’s split verdict on hijab frames a fraught issue and offers a starting point for the larger bench
• Mission Karmyogi: An attempt to change the face of civil services
• 7 ways to tango with Taiwan
• Does India need a population policy

GS Paper 3

• Falling reserves and the bogey of the RBI’s role
• Govt’s ethanol blending programme faces supply and pricing problem
• Lessons from Maiden: Gambia deaths raise several questions
• Overtaxing online gaming will favour grey operators

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• The online gaming market in India, and proposed rules to regulate it
• Who was Bharat Ratna Nanaji Deshmukh? All you need to know about the social reformer
• What is the “doom loop” in the euro zone?
• Role and development of Athlete Biological Passport programme highlighted at the 3rd edition of the WADA Athlete Biological Passport Symposium
• What is a ‘split verdict’, and what happens next in such cases
• Centre to help set up paddy straw pellet units to arrest stubble burning
• The Interpol General Assembly meeting in Delhi
• ISRO’s Next-Gen Launch Vehicle may assume PSLV’s role

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

The democratisation of India, the Mandal way

News:  The article discusses how the changes were made for the depressed classes in India.

‘Mandal’ was a socio-political movement that changed the demographic diversity of people’s representatives in India. It was also known as ‘India’s Silent Revolution’ by Christophe Jaffrelot.

How did the concept of social justice transformed from the colonial era?

The path to social justice in modern India was started by social revolutionaries such as Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule, etc. during the colonial rule.

But the policy for depressed came only after B.R. Ambedkar brought the issue at the national level.

The “depressed classes” (Dalits) and “tribals” (Adivasis) were listed as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes respectively by 1935.

Later, the Constitution of India recognized these depressed classes and came with the benefits of reservation in education and employment.

However, a large section of the backward classes and occupational caste groups remained socially and educationally backward and their presence in elite services remained dismal.

The post-independence years was dominated by Nehruvian socialism but the polity and governance remained in the hands of upper castes.

Moreover, caste-class division was debated in the Constituent Assembly and it was thought that backward classes would be backward communities.

But B.R. Ambedkar was against this view of the Constituent Assembly and he said: “…a backward community is a community which is backward in the opinion of the government….”

Further, the Mandal report stated that a caste can be a social class in India.

How did the Constitution of India bring social justice?

Article 340 of the Constitution led the formation of two backward class commissions namely – the Kalelkar Commission (1953-1955) and the Mandal Commission (1978-80).

The Mandal Commission submitted a report that changed the scenario of the backward class in India and it led to “Mandal movement”. It was a campaign for implementing the recommendations of the Mandal Commissions.

The announcement of the implementation of one of the recommendations (27% reservation for the OBC in the central services) of the Mandal Commissions led the “Mandal moment”.

Further the 73rd and 74th Amendments took the idea of social justice by extending reservation benefits to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs and Horizontal reservation to all women.

In 2006, reservations were extended to OBC candidates in institutions of higher learning which was popularly known as Mandal II.

How did Mandal commission report helped in bringing social justice in other religions?

Mandal recognized socially and educationally backward castes and communities irrespective of their religion.

Pasmanda (backward in Persian) movement emerged among backward Muslims demanding democratisation and representation.

Further, the Mandal report recognised a large section of Muslims and Christians who converted from Hinduism and a majority of them were continuing with their earlier caste-based occupations.

Supreme Court’s split verdict on hijab frames a fraught issue and offers a starting point for the larger bench

News: The issue of Hijab in the dress code occurred when Muslim students in the government-run Pre-Government College in Karnataka’s Udupi district were prevented from entering classrooms on account of wearing hijab.

The state government further ordered that colleges should ensure that clothes which disturb, equality, integrity and law and order shouldn’t be worn.

The Karnataka HC ratified this order on March 15 by invoking the essential practices doctrine. The order of the Karnataka court was further challenged in the SC.

What was SC judgment in the Hijab case?

The Supreme Court couldn’t arrive at a unanimous decision and it has referred the case to the senior bench. However, there were different views given by the judges on the case.

Justice Hemant Gupta agreed with the Karnataka government and said that order of the government was only to “promote uniformity and encourage a secular environment” in the classroom.

However, Justice Dhulia emphasized that core issue is “a matter of choice” and a concern regarding education.

He further said that this case has also to be seen in the perspective of the challenges already faced by a girl child in reaching her school.

He invoked the verdict of SC in the Bijoe Emmanuel (1986) case and said that the issue is of the choice and whether we are making the life of a girl child better by denying her education only because of hijab.

Moreover, the situation of closing gates for Muslim students’ girls wearing head scarf could be a setback for the education amongst the girls of the minority community.

It is the education that has empowered the young girls to fight for their rights. Therefore, it is expected from SC to come up with a balanced judgment.

Mission Karmyogi: An attempt to change the face of civil services

News- The article explains the Mission Karamyogi programme of the central government for training civil servants.

What is Mission Karamyogi?

It sets up a capacity building commission.

Its aim is to develop an effective citizen-centric civil service.

It is targeted at employees of both centre as well as states.

It focuses on improving the professional and investigative skills of the police force.

It is about creating a civil service with domain and technological competencies. Government will play an enabling and regulatory role in the future private sector led market economy. This

requires a civil service that has the domain knowledge of a specific sector.

The people who deal with regulation are deputed to the private sector to facilitate cross-learning. It will reduce friction between the public and private sector.

What are some facts related to the capacity building approach followed by the programme?

The Capacity Building Commission has worked closely with the Department of Economic Affairs. It also coordinated with the UK’s National Infrastructure Authority, IIM Ahmedabad and Larsen and Toubro project management learning centre to develop online learning courses.

The capacity-building approach adopted by the Mission has been guided by the “70-20-10” formula. Seventy per cent adult learning comes from on job experience, 20 per cent is a result of peer-to-peer sharing and only 10 per cent comes from classroom teaching.

Capacity Building Commission is working with government-run civil servant training institutions to provide classroom and online instruction.

The CBC is also providing training for section officers and assistant section officers. The focus has shifted from educating the officers about routine administrative practices. It is providing them operational and practical skills such as working on government E-procurement portals.

How is Mission Karamyogi different?

Earlier training programmes were focused on mostly first-class officers. Mission Karamyogi includes all categories of employees at central and state level.

The programme is guided by the “Whole Government” approach. Training resources are being shared across departments and silos are being broken. The CBC worked closely with the Climate Change Training Institute and the Wildlife Institute of India to tackle the problem of animal accidents on railway lines.

7 ways to tango with Taiwan

News- The article explains the steps needed to be taken by India to improve its relationship with Taiwan.

Recently Taiwanese semiconductor giant Foxconn partnered with Vedanta to invest 1.54 lakh crore toward semiconductor manufacturing.

Why does Taiwan want a close relationship with India?

Economic ties are important. But we cannot ignore the geopolitical environment. Taiwan wants other nations especially in the Indo-Pacific to display friendship towards.

Both India and Taiwan are democracies. Both are also facing Chinese aggression.

What is the way forward for improving ties?[Text Wrapping Break]Take a stand– We need to take a stand on issues concerning Taiwan. Foreign Ministry comment on tension in Taiwan strait was well received by Taiwan.

Open more Taiwan centres– Government should permit Taiwan to set up an office of Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in MUmbai . These types of centres will lead to more investment in India.

Legislators visit– We should send a multi-party delegation to Taiwan. Other countries like the US, Japan send these types of delegations.

Civil society engagement– There is a need for more non-state exchanges with Taiwan. India will be benefitted by Taiwan’s deep understanding of communist China.

Focus on supply chain– Taiwan is looking for India’s help in building a resilient supply chain. India should set up a single window mechanism for firms interested in investment. State government should set up sherpa for every major investment by Taiwanese firms.

India-Taiwan FTA– Both countries should conclude a free trade agreement between them. The bilateral trade was around $7 billion in 2021. Studies show that there is great scope for FTA between two countries.

Moe scholars exchange– Both countries should increase scholarly exchange between them. There is a programme that enables academic institutions in Taiwan to send Chinese language teachers to India. It must be expanded.

Does India need a population policy

News- The article explains the need for a new approach to population related issues. It also explains whether we need a new population policy.

United Nations data shows that India would surpass China as the world’s most populous country by 2023. According to the 2018-19 Economic Survey, India’s demographic dividend will peak around 2041.

What should be our approach to population related issues?

We need to move from a family planning approach to a family welfare approach. The focus should be on empowering men and women to make informed choices about their fertility, health and well-being.

Focus should be upon productivity of the population. Economic planning that ensures good jobs, agriculture productivity is the way ahead.

Is automation a solution to the negative economic effects of an ageing population?

Estimates show that 12% of India’s total population by 2025 is going to be the elderly. Every fifth Indian by 2050 will be over the age of 65.

Automation makes a big difference to the productivity of individuals. However, it doesn’t replace

human nature and human touch. Automation does not provide the emotional warmth and security that family members provide to each other. We need to figure out how to address ageing in the context of changing families and the nature of state support in India.

What is need to tap into increasing young population.

We have the capacity to tap into the potential of our youth population.

We need to invest in adolescent well-being, if we want to reap the benefits of demographic dividend. Skilling and education of our large adolescent population can ensure their well being.

We need to address the effects of pandemic on the lives of adolescents and youths.

What are the implications of declining fertility rates?

It has dropped below the replacement level of 2.1

We need to recognise the gender dimension of some of these challenges. Fertility decline has tremendous gender implications. Ageing is also a gender issue as two-thirds of the elderly are women, because women tend to live longer than men do.

We need to improve employment opportunities for young women and increase the female employment rate. Elderly women need economic and social support networks.

We need to think about its implications for the political economy. In four other States, it has not declined much as compared to others. The future of India lies in the youth living in U.P., Bihar, M.P. We need to support these States in ensuring that their young people are available to the labour market and have sufficient skills. Otherwise, it will become an economic liability.

Do we need a population policy?

India has a very good population policy designed in 2000. States also have their population policies. We just need to add ageing to our population policy focus.

There is a need for more investments in family planning and overall investment in population.

We need a policy that supports reproductive health for individuals.

Discourse around population policy should be changed. Population control still remains a part of our dialogue. We need a policy that enhances population as resources for India’s development. We need to move away from the focus on the two-child norm. The two-child norm indicates a coercive approach to primarily one community.

GS Paper 3

Falling reserves and the bogey of the RBI’s role

News: There is a widespread misconception that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been depleting India’s foreign exchange (forex) reserves to defend the rupee.

As per reports, India’s forex reserves have reduced from $642 billion to $537 billion from September 8, 2021 to September 30, 2022 due to selling of dollars in India’s inter-bank forex market. However, this could be a misconception.

How RBI Controls the forex market?

It is well established that that the RBI has a role in determining dollar/rupee rate.

The players in the forex market are the banks licensed by the RBI and the RBI itself.

Individuals and corporates cannot enter the forex market. They can deal only with their respective banks. So, the RBI dominates the forex market as the regulator, a player and the jury.

Further, the forex market is regulated by the RBI with the exchange control regulations and all the banks are required to hold a fix forex reserves at the close of business hours each day.

Why RBI’s intervention cannot deplete forex reserves?

RBI’s Interventions are not sufficient to deplete forex reserves due to few reasons:

First, even if RBI sells a certain amount of dollars in the market. It is not going to deplete automatically. The amount will be reduced if the sold dollars are purchased by some bank and bank then remit these dollars to a licensed importer.

Second, if a purchasing bank start to speculate, then also forex reserve may deplete. But it is not permitted by the RBI.

Third, selling these dollars in the overseas cross currency market are also prohibited by the central bank.

Therefore, until and unless there is a demand of dollars from an authorized bank customer, reserves cannot go out.

Govt’s ethanol blending programme faces supply and pricing problem

News: India has achieved ethanol blending of over 10 per cent till September 2022 and it has set a target to achieve 20 per cent ethanol blending by 2025.

There are two sources required for ethanol blending. They are – a) sugarcane-based and b) grain-based.

The present condition shows that the second source needs to be focused by the government.

What is the present situation of ethanol blending process?

In order to achieve the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending by 2025, India requires a production capacity of around 14.5 billion liters.

Around 3.33 billion liters of ethanol have been supplied in the current ethanol supply year (December 2021-November 2022).

Out of these, the sugar industry has contributed 2.87 billion liters (almost 86 per cent) and the rest has been contributed by grain-based distilleries.

Therefore, there is a need to increase ethanol production from grain to meet targets.

What are the challenges being faced by the grain-based ethanol production?

Sourcing rice husk to run their boilers has been a challenge because of the rising demands is putting pressure on rice husk prices. The price of rice husk has increased from around Rs 3.5 to almost Rs 10.5 a kg.

It is also expected that prices will further go up with the increased competition in the market because grain-based mills do not have any dedicated areas to source husk like sugarcanes.

Further, the price of broken rice has also shot up over the past year from Rs 15,000 to almost Rs 22,000 per tonne. Even the ban on the export of broken rice has not been very effective in controlling the price.

The price of maize has also jumped from Rs 15,000 to around Rs 22,000 a tonne. Broken rice and maize are the important components for ethanol production.

Moreover, an average grain-based distillery does not have option to get fix prices of raw material as the sugarcane industry has.

Further, there are moral issues also involved in diverting too much rice and maize for ethanol production as affordable food remains an issue in India.

What are the problems faced by the production of ethanol form biomass?

Ethanol produced from biomass is called 2G ethanol. It is called 2G ethanol because ethanol is produced from second-generation sources such as paddy stubble.

The government announced to set up 12 integrated 2G ethanol plants in 2018. However, even after four years only one plant has been constructed.

The high cost of the technology and convincing farmers are major challenges faced by State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) that wish to produce 2G ethanol.

An investment of Rs 1,969.5 crore had been set aside for OMCs by the government under Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan-Vatavaran Anukool Fasal Awashesh Nivaran Yojana). Even this scheme is being re-evaluated.

Moreover, PM Modi has launched the first 2G ethanol plant built by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at an estimated cost of Rs 900 crore in Haryana’s Panipat. The cost of setting up plant has risen due to the high cost of the technology.  Further, the absence of suitable supply chains for bio-ethanol will increase challenges for its transportation to the plant.

There also challenges for storing the raw biomass at 2G ethanol plants without degradation.

Therefore, there is a need that government should come up with proper solutions as ethanol production is important to reduce import bills from oils.

Lessons from Maiden: Gambia deaths raise several questions

News: 66 children have died in the Gambia after drinking cough syrup manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals.

The centre has decided to set up a four-member committee to investigate allegations against Maiden Pharmaceuticals.

It has raised questions about the regulatory systems that govern India’s pharmaceutical industry.

What are the findings of the probe made by different organization?

Maiden Pharmaceuticals company had not been following the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) prescribed under the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules.

According to the WHO, two toxic contaminants, diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol were found in cough syrups manufactured by the company. They may have caused acute kidney failure in the Gambian children.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) probe found that the date of manufacture printed on the drug product predated the batch of manufacturing date.

What are other concerns?

The drugs manufactured by other big companies have also failed multiple US Food and Drug Administration inspections in the past. This raises threat not only for the overseas buyers but it is also threat for the domestic markets.

A study shows that fake drugs are a booming business in India accounting for a 25 per cent of the domestic medicine market.  The study also says the Delhi-National Capital Region is the epicentre of this fake business.

Further, India is the world’s fourth-largest producer of pharma products and one of the biggest exporters of generic drugs. These kinds of issues may damage the image of India worldwide.

Therefore, there is a need that proper inspection and regulatory mechanism should be carried out by the government in the pharma companies in India.

Overtaxing online gaming will favour grey operators

News- The article explains the repercussions of the proposed move to increase GST in the online gaming sector to 28% of the entire prize pool.

Online gaming industry is generating $20 billion revenue and entertaining 200 million people. It is expected to reach $25 billion by 2030.

What is the taxation structure for the online gaming industry?

Online gaming industry currently pays 18% GST on its revenues or platform fee intake for providing their platform. The platform fee intake is about 15% of the overall prize pool in the contest.

What will be the impacts of 28% GST on the entire prize pool?

It will make it impossible to achieve PM Modi’s vision of India becoming a superpower.

It will lead to an increase in the effective tax burden. The tax will be almost twice of operator revenue.

It will give rise to grey market operators who will evade taxes. It is not possible for tax complaint operators to compete with them.

The industry may not find these things sustainable. Closure of industry will lead to job losses and tax revenues losses for the government.

Why is higher taxation being proposed?

It flows from the argument that games of skill are required to pay GST on the entire pool instead of tax revenue.

But the law states that the entire pool is taxable in the case of betting and gambling. Higher court judgments have established that games of skill do not constitute gambling.

Some people in the government and civil society organisations take it as a social evil.

What is the way forward?

Shutting down local industry is not the solution.

India can learn from western countries who are experienced in this field.

An industry-friendly, progressive policy is needed which focuses on consumer protection.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

The online gaming market in India, and proposed rules to regulate it

Source: The post is based on the article “The online gaming market in India, and proposed rules to regulate it” published in the Indian Express on 10^th October 2022.

What is the News?

An inter-ministerial task force was set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to propose contours of national-level legislation to regulate online gaming. The task force has recently proposed its recommendations.

What are the challenges associated with present Online gaming regulation?

a) Online gaming so far has been a state subject. However, state governments have said they find it extremely difficult to enforce certain rules like geo-blocking certain apps or websites within the territory of their state.

b) The rules passed in one state are not applicable in another, which has caused inconsistency in the regulation of the online gaming industry in the country.

c) State governments also do not have enough blocking powers like the Centre to issue blocking orders for offshore betting sites.

d) There have been a number of reported incidents of people losing large sums of money on online games, leading to suicides in various parts of the country.

e) There is currently no regulatory framework to govern various aspects of online gaming companies.

How big is the online gaming market in India?

The revenue of the Indian mobile gaming industry is expected to exceed $1.5 billion in 2022, and is estimated to reach $5 billion in 2025.

The industry in the country grew at a CAGR of 38% between 2017-2020, as opposed to 8% in China and 10% in the US.

India’s percentage of new paying users (NPUs) in gaming has been the fastest growing in the world for two consecutive years, at 40% in 2020 and reaching 50% in 2021.

What are the key recommendations of the task force regarding Online gaming regulation?

Law for real money games: A central-level law for online gaming should apply to real money and free games of skill, including e-sports, online fantasy sports contests, and card games among others.

These real money online games platforms will also be treated as ‘reporting entities’ under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, and will be required to report suspicious transactions to the Financial Intelligence Unit-India.

Regulating Casual games later: Casual games with no real money element in the form of stakes may be kept outside the scope of such rules. Unless they have a high number of users in India or permit the publication or transmission of information in the nature of any inappropriate content like violence, nudity, addictive content or misleading content.

The regulatory body for online gaming: The task force recommended creating a regulatory body for the online gaming industry. The body will determine what qualifies as a game of skill or chance, and accordingly certify different gaming formats, seek compliance and enforcement.

Three-tier dispute resolution mechanism: A three-tier dispute resolution mechanism, similar to that prescribed under the Information Technology Rules, 2021 for online streaming services was prescribed for grievance redressal of the gaming platform.

About Offshore betting apps: The proposed Digital India Act can include offshore betting apps in the list of prohibited user harms that will not be permitted.

Nodal agencies for regulations: MeitY may act as the nodal ministry to regulate online gaming, except for the e-sports category on which the Department of Sports can take the lead.

Other aspects of online gaming such as advertisements, code of ethics relating to content classifications etc. could be regulated by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, while the Consumer Affairs Ministry can regulate the sector for unfair trade practices.

Who was Bharat Ratna Nanaji Deshmukh? All you need to know about the social reformer

Source: The post is based on the article “Who was Bharat Ratna Nanaji Deshmukh? All you need to know about the social reformer” published in The Times of India on 11^th October 2022.

What is the News?

Recently, Nanaji Deshmukh’s birth anniversary was celebrated.

About Nanaji Deshmukh

Born in: Maharashtra in 1916.

Contribution to Education: He is believed to have established Saraswati Shishu Mandir (SSM), which runs a chain of private schools in India and is said to be the educational wing of the RSS.

He started the country’s first SSM at Gorakhpur in 1950 and was the founder of Deendayal Research Institute (DRI) situated at Chitrakoot.

He was also responsible for starting India’s first rural university, Chitarkoot Gramodya Vishwavidyalaya.

Role in JP movement: He played a key role in the Jaya Prakash (JP) movement against the Emergency in 1974. Deshmukh was the main force behind social activist Jayaprakash Narayan’s agitation for total revolution.

Contribution to Rural Development: Deshmukh, through Deendayal Research Institute (DRI), set up alternative rural development models based on traditional knowledge in the remote areas of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (MP).

Other reform movements: a) Desmukh actively participated in the Bhoodan Movement started by Vinoba Bhave, b) Nanaji played an important role in carrying out a social restructuring programme in over 500 villages of UP and MP, and c) He carried out the reformation of agriculture and cottage industry, rural health and rural education.

Awards and recognition: He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna.

What is the “doom loop” in the euro zone?

Source: The post is based on the article “What is the “doom loop” in the euro zone?” published in The Economist on 11^th October 2022.

What is the News?

Recently, the European Central Bank (ECB) called an emergency meeting for a doom loop. Many economists have warned that Europe may be headed for a doom loop

What is a doom loop?

A doom loop is the circle of vulnerability where a country’s banking system can be severely hurt by volatility in the economy. A country is at risk of a doom loop when a shock to one part of its economic system is amplified by its effect on another.

How doom loop impact the economy?

The doom loop is the circle of vulnerability where a country’s banking system can be severely hurt by volatility in the price of the sovereign bonds they hold for reserves. Thus resulting in a contraction in lending provided by the banks.

This contraction in credit, in turn, slows the domestic economy, resulting in a further deterioration in the price of the sovereign’s bond issues.

A government under financial stress may have to cut spending or raise taxes when the economy is weak. That in turn can aggravate fiscal problems.

The circle can also be activated by external forces such as a slowdown in global economic activity due to natural recession or trade friction.

Why Euro Zone is more vulnerable to a doom loop?

1) In rich countries, central banks have the power to halt such a vicious cycle by standing behind government debt, stabilising financial markets or cutting interest rates to support the economy. But in the eurozone, the ECB can only do this to a degree for individual countries.

2) After the financial crisis in 2008, banks in highly indebted euro-zone countries started to buy large amounts of government debt. Between 2009 and 2015 in Spain, for example, banks increased their holdings of Spanish government bonds from around 2% of total assets to over 9%.

Role and development of Athlete Biological Passport programme highlighted at the 3rd edition of the WADA Athlete Biological Passport Symposium

Source: The post is based on the article “Role and development of Athlete Biological Passport programme highlighted at the 3rd edition of the WADA Athlete Biological Passport Symposium” published in the PIB on 13^th October 2022.

What is the News?

National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) & National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) India are hosting the 3rd edition of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) Symposium.

What is Athlete Biological Passport (ABP)?

It is a powerful anti-doping tool that monitors selected biological variables over time. It reveals the effects of doping rather than attempting to detect the doping substance or method itself.

It works against doping through enhanced target testing and analysis, investigations, deterrence, and as indirect evidence for use of prohibited methods or substances.

About WADA ABP Symposium

The first WADA ABP Symposium was hosted in 2015 in Doha by Qatar. The second WADA ABP Symposium was hosted in 2018 in Rome by Italy.

The 3rd edition is being held in India.

What is a ‘split verdict’, and what happens next in such cases

Source: The post is based on the article “What is a ‘split verdict’, and what happens next in such cases” published in the Indian Express on 14^th October 2022.

What is the News?

The Supreme Court recently delivered a split verdict in the Karnataka hijab ban case with one of the two judges on the Bench upholding the order of the Karnataka High Court validating the government’s ban, and the other set aside the High Court ruling.

Now the matter was directed to be placed before the Chief Justice of India (CJI) for appropriate directions.

What is a Split verdict?

A split verdict is passed when the Bench cannot decide one way or the other in a case, either by a unanimous decision or by a majority verdict.

Split verdicts can only happen when the Bench has an even number of judges. This is why judges usually sit on benches of odd numbers for important cases.

What happens after a split verdict?

In case of a split verdict, the case is heard by a larger Bench. The larger Bench to which a split verdict goes can be a three-judge Bench of the High Court, or an appeal can be preferred before the Supreme Court.

In the case of the hijab verdict, the CJI, who is the ‘master of the roster’, will constitute a new, larger Bench to hear the matter.

What are the previous cases of the split verdict?

In May, a two-judge Bench of the Delhi High Court delivered a split verdict in a batch of petitions challenging the exception provided to marital rape in the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Centre to help set up paddy straw pellet units to arrest stubble burning

Source: The post is based on the article “Centre to help set up paddy straw pellet units to arrest stubble burning” published in The Hindu on 14^th October 2022.

What is the News?

The Union Environment Ministry announced a ₹50 crore scheme to incentivise industrialists and entrepreneurs to set up paddy straw pelletisation and torrefaction plants.

What is the amount of paddy straw generated?

About 27 million tonnes of paddy straw are generated in Punjab and Haryana. About 75% or 20 million tonnes is from non-basmati rice that cannot be fed to cattle because of its high silica content. About 11 million tonnes can be managed in the field and the rest is usually burnt which adds to the air pollution crisis in Delhi.

About the paddy straw pelletisation and torrefaction plants scheme

The estimated cost of setting up a regular pelletisation plant, which can process a tonne per hour, is ₹35 lakh. Under the scheme, the Centre will fund such plants to a maximum of ₹70 lakh subject to capacity.

Similarly, the cost of establishing a torrefaction plant is ₹70 lakh. Under the scheme, it is eligible for maximum funding of ₹1.4 crores.

Torrefaction is costlier but can deliver a product whose energy content is much higher and theoretically substitute for more coal in a power plant.

The Centre has underlined that this would be a “one-time only” scheme and regular pellet plants would be eligible for ₹40 crores of the overall share.

What are the advantages of the scheme?

The scheme will help convert waste to wealth and provide job opportunities to rural youth in Punjab and Haryana.

Paddy straw made into pellets or torrefied can be mixed with coal in thermal power plants. This saves coal as well as reduces carbon emissions that would otherwise have been emitted were the straw burnt in the fields.

The Interpol General Assembly meeting in Delhi

Source: The post is based on the article “The Interpol General Assembly meeting in Delhi” published in The Hindu on 14^th October 2022.

What is the News?

The General Assembly of the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) is meeting in Delhi for four days. This is the second time since 1997 the 195-member-strong body is holding such a large conference in India.

What is the Interpol?

Set up in: 1923

Interpol is a secure information-sharing platform that facilitates criminal investigation of police forces across the globe through the collection and dissemination of information received from various police forces.

It keeps track of the movements of criminals and those under the police radar in various regions and tips off police forces which had either sought the Interpol’s assistance or which in its opinion will benefit from the particulars available with it.

How is Interpol organised?

Head: President. He is elected by the General Assembly. He comes from one of the member nations and holds office for four years.

Day-to-day activities: These are overseen by a full-time Secretary General elected by the General Assembly, who holds office for five years.

The General Assembly lays down the policy for execution by its Secretariat which has several specialised directorates for cybercrime, terrorism, drug trafficking, financial crime, environmental crime, human trafficking, etc.

What is the Red notice?

It is a structured communication issued by Interpol to all member nations notifying the name(s) of persons against whom an arrest warrant is pending in a particular country.

The notice issued requests all member nations that if the named individual(s) is located in their country immediate communication should be sent to the nation that wants him in connection with a criminal investigation.

What are Interpol’s future challenges?

The rising spectre of transnational, cyber and organised crime requires a globally coordinated law enforcement response. Interpol has a legacy of trust and reliability.

So Interpol needs to acquire powers of sanction against a country which refuses to cooperate in implementing a Red notice.

ISRO’s Next-Gen Launch Vehicle may assume PSLV’s role

Source: The post is based on the article “ISRO’s Next-Gen Launch Vehicle may assume PSLV’s role” published in The Hindu on 14^th October 2022.

What is the News?

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is developing a Next-Gen Launch Vehicle (NGLV), which will replace operational systems like the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

About Next-Gen Launch Vehicle (NGLV)

In NGLV, ISRO is looking at a cost-efficient, three-stage to-orbit, a reusable heavy-lift vehicle with a payload capability of ten tonnes to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).

Propulsion: NGLV will have semi-cryogenic propulsion (refined kerosene as fuel with liquid oxygen (LOX) as oxidiser) for the booster stages which is cheaper and more efficient.

NGLV will feature a simple, robust design which allows bulk manufacturing, modularity in systems, sub-systems and stages and minimal turnaround time.

Potential applications: The uses of NGLVs will be in the areas of launching communication satellites, deep space missions, future human spaceflight and cargo missions.

What needs to be done to improve the NGLVs?

It is important to develop a ”business model” for NGLV. This will include launching commercial satellites and national missions as well as ensuring industry participation from the start.