Daily Prelims Notes 17 December 2022

December 17, 2022
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Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

17 December 2022

Table Of Contents

1. COP15 Montreal: ‘Coalition for Nature’ formed by Small Island Developing States

Subject: Environment

Context:

A number of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have agreed to form a ‘Coalition for Nature’ for the implementation and adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) at the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

About coalition for nature:

The coalition is being led by Cabo Verde, Samoa and Seychelles.
objective: Enhancing means of implementing ambitious objectives for nature in SIDS under the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
The goal of the coalition is to advocate for agreed common SIDS priorities and needs such as greater means of implementing biodiversity objectives in these places by putting up a unified front.
The purpose of the SIDS Coalition is to underline how SIDS are home to a large portion of the world’s biodiversity and show that they have been using nature-based solutions and leading the world by example. It will also highlight how enhancing the means of implementation of SIDS will be strategic to save the planet.

Members:

Belize, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Dominican Republic, Guinea Bissau, Kiribati, Samoa, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are the current members of the coalition.
Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom as Friends of the SIDS Coalition.

Global support to the coalition:

The SIDS Coalition will be supported by the Friends of the Coalition in the form of ‘voice of support’.
The UK committed to doubling climate finance through a $500 million Blue Planet Fund to help SIDS develop blue economies.

Why small island developing states (SIDS) are demanding this?

SIDS hosts 19 per cent of the world’s coral reefs and their geographic isolation safeguards an array of endemic plants and animals found nowhere else on earth.
The island states are responsible for an ocean area 28 times the size of their land mass.
small land mass, small population, geographic isolation, limited resource base, and the vulnerability of low-lying areas puts small island states at a disproportionate risk of external shocks.

2. NASA set to launch first global water survey satellite

Subject: Science and Technology

In the news:

A SpaceX rocket was due for launch from California early on Friday carrying a U.S.-French satellite designed to conduct the first global survey of Earth’s surface waters, shedding new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate change.

About the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite (SWOT):

Launched by: NASA
Launching vehicle: Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX
Launching site: Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Satellite built by: NASA and French space agency CNES
- The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft also has contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency.
Aim: To observe nearly all the water on our planet’s surface, with a prime mission of three years.
- The satellite will measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90% of Earth’s surface.
- This information will provide insights into how the ocean influences climate change; how a warming world affects lakes, rivers, and reservoirs; and how communities can better prepare for disasters, such as floods.
Features of the satellite:
- SWOT will cover the entire Earth’s surface between 78 degrees south and 78 degrees north latitude at least once every 21 days, sending back about one terabyte of unprocessed data per day.
- The scientific heart of the spacecraft is an innovative instrument called the Ka-band radar interferometer (KaRIn), which marks a major technological advance.
- SWOT mission will provide data on more than 95% of the world’s lakes larger than 15 acres (62,500 square meters) and rivers wider than 330 feet (100 meters) across.

3. Wayanad rice festival promotes climate-resilient crops

Subject: Environment

Context:

A Kerala-based organisation named Thanal has embarked on a unique conservation experiment, planting 300 climate-resilient varieties of traditional rice on 1.5 acres of land at its agroecology centre in Panavally in the Wayanad district.

About the initiative:

Ikki Jathre, or the Festival of Rice, launched by the Kerala-based organisation Thanal.
During the festival, Thanal initiates planting 300 climate-resilient varieties of traditional rice to promote the traditional agriculture system.
Thanal has been organising annual “rice field weeks” since 2012.
- Most of the varieties were collected from Kerala, Karnataka, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. There are three traditional rice varieties from Vietnam and Thailand.
- Throngs of farmers, researchers, environmentalists and students have been arriving at Panavally to take part in the festival.
Aim of the initiative: To sensitise people to the significance of conserving traditional crops that have the ability to withstand harsh climatic conditions.
- The festival also sets the stage for knowledge sharing and co-creation of knowledge between tribal farmers and experts.

Agro Ecology Centre, Wayanad:

Agro Ecology Centre is an off campus of Thanal at Panavally in the district of Wayanad.
The centre facilitates research and documentation on agro bio diversity, organic farming and other activities related to Agriculture and Food Safety.
The centre hosts around 200 traditional varieties of rice.
The centre provide training for farmers, students and Government officials.
The Centre also facilitate seed production, conservation and exchange.

Importance of traditional rice cultivation:

India had nearly 1.5 lakh varieties of rice, with about 3,000 varieties unique to Kerala.
Many of these have disappeared. Only 6,000 varieties are currently being cultivated by the farmers in the country.
The Thondy variety, a traditional and popular rice among the people in Wayanad a few decades ago, could compete with any hybrid rice in terms of productivity.
Moreover, the input cost of traditional rice cultivation is very low owing to its inherent resistance to pests and diseases.
Also, its nutritional value is high.
Many farmers had stopped cultivating traditional rice seeds after hybrid rice varieties became popular, under the misconception that the former has low productivity.

4. GI tags

Subject: Science and Technology

In the news:

Kerala State’s five agricultural products get GI Tag.
These five products are:

Attappady Attukombu Avara (beans),
Attappady Thuvara (red gram),
Onattukara Ellu (sesame),
Kanthalloor-Vattavada Veluthulli (garlic), and
Kodungalloor Pottuvellari (snap melon)

This achievement is the result of the teamwork of Kerala Agricultural University, the Department of Agriculture, and farmer groups of the respective areas.
With the latest five GIs, 17 agricultural products of Kerala facilitated by the Kerala Agricultural University have received the GI status.
The unique features of the products, imparted by the agro-climatic conditions of the geographical area of their production, are the basis for getting a geographical indication tag.

Attappady Attukombu Avara (beans):

It is cultivated in the Attappady region of Palakkad, and is curved like a goat’s horn as its name indicates.
Its higher anthocyanin content compared to other dolichos beans imparts violet colour in the stem and fruits.
Anthocyanin is helpful against cardiovascular diseases along with its anti-diabetic properties.
Other than this, calcium, protein, and fibre content are also high.
The higher phenolic content of Attappady Attukombu Avara imparts resistance against pest and diseases, making the crop suitable for organic cultivation.

Attappady Thuvara (red gram):

It is having seeds with a white coat.
Compared to other red grams, Attappady Thuvara seeds are bigger and have higher seed weight.
This delicious red gram, which is used as a vegetable and dal, is rich in protein, carbohydrates, fibre, calcium and magnesium.

Kanthalloor-Vattavada Veluthulli (garlic):

Compared to the garlic produced in other areas, the garlic from the Kanthalloor-Vattavada area of Devikulam block panchayat in Idukki contains a higher amount of sulphides, flavonoids, and proteins.
It is rich in allicin, which is effective against microbial infections, blood sugar, cancer, cholesterol, heart diseases, and damages to blood vessels.
The garlic cultivated in this area is also rich in essential oil.

Onattukara Ellu (sesame):

Onattukara Ellu and its oil are famous for its unique health benefits.
The relatively higher antioxidant content in Onattukara Ellu helps in fighting the free radicals, which destroy the body cells.
Also, the high content of unsaturated fat makes it beneficial for heart patients.

Kodungalloor Pottuvellari (snap melon):

Kodungalloor Pottuvellari cultivated in Kodungalloor and parts of Ernakulam are consumed as juice and in other forms.
This snap melon, which is harvested in summer, is excellent for quenching thirst.
It contains a high amount of Vitamin C.
Compared to other cucurbits, nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, fibre and fat content are also high in Kodungalloor Pottuvellari.

5. Funding the energy transition: India’s G20 presidency must follow lessons from COP27

Subject: Environment

The V20 group:

The Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group was established with the inaugural meeting of the V20 Ministers of Finance of the Climate Vulnerable Forum chaired by the Philippines, on 08 October 2015 in Lima, Peru in conjunction with the 2015 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund.
It is a dedicated cooperation initiative of economies systemically vulnerable to climate change.
Currently, Marshall islands hold the presidency since 2018.
Background:
- The call to create the V20 (group of 58 countries) originated from the Climate Vulnerable Forum’s Costa Rica Action Plan (2013-2015) in a major effort to strengthen economic and financial responses to climate change.
- It foresaw a high-level policy dialogue pertaining to action on climate change and the promotion of climate resilient and low-emission development with full competence for addressing economic and financial issues beyond the remit of any one organization.

Green Climate Fund (GCF):

The GCF was set up in 2010 under the UNFCCC’s financial mechanism to channel funding from developed countries to developing countries to allow them to mitigate climate change and also adapt to disruptions arising from a changing climate.

How it helps?

The Green Climate Fund will support projects, programmes, policies and other activities in developing country Parties using thematic funding windows.
It is intended to be the centrepiece of efforts to raise Climate Finance of $100 billion a year by 2020.
The Fund will promote the paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways by providing support to developing countries to limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change, taking into account the needs of those developing countries particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
The Fund will strive to maximize the impact of its funding for adaptation and mitigation, and seek a balance between the two, while promoting environmental, social, economic and development co-benefits and taking a gender-sensitive approach.

Who will govern the Fund?

The Fund is governed and supervised by a Board that will have full responsibility for funding decisions and that receives the guidance of the Conference of Parties (COP).
The Fund is accountable to and functions under the guidance of, the COP.

What are carbon border taxes-

The carbon border tax involves imposing an import duty on a product manufactured in a country with more lax climate rules than the one buying it.
Carbon Border Adjustment mechanism (CBAM):
- The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is a plan from the European Union (EU) to tax carbon-intensive products, such as iron and steel, cement, fertiliser, aluminium and electricity generation, from 2026.
- The CBAM will equalise the price of carbon between domestic products and imports and ensure that the EU’s climate objectives are not undermined by production relocating to countries with less ambitious policies.

6. Directorate General Defence Estates (DGDE) to conduct survey on enemy properties

Subject :Polity

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the DGDE will start the process of survey for Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI).
The government has decided to dispose off over 9,400 enemy properties in the country, which is likely to generate about ₹1 lakh crore to the exchequer.
A Group of Ministers, headed by Home Minister Amit Shah, was set up in 2020 to supervise selling of enemy property which is real estate left behind at the time of partition.

Background

After the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the Union government enacted the Enemy Property (Custody and Registration) Order and formed the Custodian of Enemy Property of India (CEPI) department to look after properties left behind by the people who migrated to Pakistan or other countries with whom India has hostilities.

About enemy property:

In the wake of the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971, there was migration of people from India to Pakistan.
Under the Defence of India Rules framed under The Defence of India Act, 1962, the Government of India took over the properties and companies of those who took Pakistani nationality.
These “enemy properties” were vested by the central government in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India.
The same was done for property left behind by those who went to China after the 1962 Sino-Indian war.
The Tashkent Declaration of January 10, 1966 included a clause that said India and Pakistan would discuss the return of the property and assets taken over by either side in connection with the conflict.
However, the Government of Pakistan disposed of all such properties in their country in the year 1971 itself.

Regulation of Enemy properties in India:

The Enemy Property Act, enacted in 1968, provided for the continuous vesting of enemy property in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India.
Some movable properties too, are categorised as enemy properties.
In 2017, Parliament passed The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, which amended The Enemy Property Act, 1968, and The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.
The amended Act expanded the definition of the term “enemy subject”, and “enemy firm” to include:
- the legal heir and successor of an enemy, whether a citizen of India or a citizen of a country which is not an enemy; and
- the succeeding firm of an enemy firm, irrespective of the nationality of its members or partners.
The amended law provided that enemy property shall continue to vest in the Custodian even if the enemy or enemy subject or enemy firm ceases to be an enemy due to death, extinction, winding up of business or change of nationality, or that the legal heir or successor is a citizen of India or a citizen of a country which is not an enemy.
The Custodian, with prior approval of the central government, may dispose of enemy properties vested in him in accordance with the provisions of the Act, and the government may issue directions to the Custodian for this purpose

7. Bihar Hooch tragedy

Subject :Science

Context: The official death toll of bihar hooch tragedy has increased to 28.

Alcohol prohibition is a state subject with each state having full control of alcohol legislation, state excise rates and the organization of production and sale of alcohol.

About Alcohol Making

Alcoholic beverages are made by fermentation of sugary and starchy substances, followed by distillation to increase alcohol concentration.
Fermentation:
- When heated, yeast reacts with sugar (from grain, fruits, sugarcane, etc.) to ferment and produce a mixture containing alcohol.
- However, as this process continues and the alcohol levels rise (with more of the sugar getting converted to alcohol), the conditions become toxic for the yeast itself, eventually ending the process of fermentation.
Distillation:
- Distillation is the process of physically separating the alcohol from the rest of the mixture using evaporation and condensation.
- Through this process alcohol is separated from the fermented mixture and far more potent alcoholic misture is derived.
- The active ingredient in them is ethyl alcohol or ethanol.

Ilicit liquor (Hooch):

Any alcoholic beverage made under unlicensed conditions is called illicit liquor. Usually sub-standard raw material is used, often this is spiked with other chemicals.
The term hooch is a popular slang for illicit liquor. The origin of the term hooch is said to come from the Hoochinoo Indians of Alaska.

What makes it poisonous?

Hooch-makers also use this principle.
However, there is an inherent risk associated with the crude methods of production that hooch-makers employ.
The fermented mixture which is to be distilled contains more than just consumable alcohol (ethanol). It also contains methanol, a different form of alcohol which is highly toxic for human beings
Under unregulated conditions, methanol or methyl alcohol can be produced with the desired ethanol.
Sometimes, industrial methyl alcohol or denatured spirit (mixture of ethanol and methanol) is added by illicit brewers to save costs and in mistaken belief that it’ll increase potency.
Methyl alcohol is extremely toxic — 10 ml can cause blindness and 30 ml can cause death within 10 to 30 hours. It is like ethyl alcohol in taste and smell.

Treatment:

Ethyl alcohol and fomepizole are used as antidotes, inhibiting metabolizing of methyl alcohol so that it passes through urine.
Advanced treatment requires haemodialysis to remove toxic substances from bloodstream.

8. Vacation of Judiciary

Subject :Polity

Context: Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud recently said that no Vacation Benches will be available in the Supreme Court during the winter break.

Vacation Bench
A Vacation Bench of the Supreme Court is a special bench constituted by the Chief Justice of India.
When is vacation bench constituted?
The Supreme Court takes two long vacations each year, the summer and winter breaks, but is technically not fully closed during these periods.
Urgent matters:
- Litigants can still approach the Supreme Court during vacations and, if the court decides that the plea is an “urgent matter”, the Vacation Bench hears the case on its merits.
- While there is no specific definition as to what is an “urgent matter”, during vacations the court generally admits writs related to habeas corpus, certiorari, prohibition and quo warranto matters for enforcement of any fundamental right.
Underlying rules:
- Under Rule 6 of Order II of The Supreme Court rules, 2013, the Chief Justice may appoint one or more Judges to hear during summer vacation or winter holidays all matters of an urgent nature.

9. Chinmayanand declared proclaimed offender in rape case

Subject :Polity

Context: A Special MP/MLA court in Shahjahanpur on Thursday declared former Union minister Chinmayanand a proclaimed offender in an 11-year-old rape case. The court issued the order after Chinmayanand failed to appear in court despite several summons, official sources said.

Proclaimed Offender under CrPC

In 2005, an amendment was brought to add sub-sections (4) and (5) in Section 82, whereby a person who is accused of serious offences under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, if he fails to appear as per the requirements of the proclamation, the court can declare him a proclaimed offender after inquiring into the matter.
The CrPC further provides that the declaration of him being a proclaimed offender will also be published in the same way a proclamation is published.
Section 174A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, also provides that where a person has been declared a proclaimed offender under Section 82(4) of the CrPC, he shall be liable for a term of imprisonment that may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine in tandem with such a punishment.
The following criminal liability is far greater than what has been inflicted upon a person who fails to appear as per the direction of the proclamation.

Effects of declaring a person as proclaimed offender

Section 40(1)(b) of the CrPC provides that every officer employed in connection with the affairs of a village, or the residents of the village for that matter, has a duty to communicate to the nearest magistrate or officer in charge of possessing information regarding the place where a proclaimed offender has resorted to.
Section 41(1)(ii)(c) of the CrPC provides that a police officer can arrest a person who has been declared a proclaimed offender without any warrant.
Under Section 43 of the CrPC, a private person can arrest a proclaimed offender and present him to the nearest police station.
Section 73(1) of the CrPC confers power upon the Chief Judicial Magistrate or a Magistrate of First Class to direct a warrant against a proclaimed offender.
It is pertinent to note that the term proclaimed offender in Section 82 has been added by the 2005 amendment, however, the term has been used in the following sections even before the 2005 amendment.

10. Linking of Aadhaar and electoral ID is voluntary

Subject :Polity

Context: Terming the exercise to link Aadhaar with election photo identity card (EPIC) as ‘voluntary,’ Law Minister Kiren Rijiju told the Lok Sabha said that people who don’t link their Aadhaar with EPIC will not be struck off the voters list.

Aadhaar-Voter ID Linkage

Legal status: In December 2021, Parliament passed the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 to amend the Representation of the People, Act, 1950, Section 23(4) was inserted in the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
According to it the electoral registration officer may for the purpose of establishing the identity of any person or for the purposes of authentication of entries in electoral roll of more than one constituency or more than once in the same constituency for citizens already enrolled, require them to furnish their Aadhaar numbers.

Recent Changes:

Recently, the government notified changes to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Rule 26B was added to provide that every person whose name is listed in the roll may give his Aadhar number to the registration officer.

Confusing Government Actions:

There have been assurances given by both the government and the EC that linkage of the Aadhaar with Voter ID is optional, but this does not seem to be reflected in Form 6B issued under the new Rule 26B.
Form 6B:
- It provides the format in which Aadhaar information may be submitted to the electoral registration officer.
- Further, it provides the voter to either submit their Aadhaar number or any other listed document.
- However, the option to submit other listed documents is exercisable only if the voter is not able to furnish their Aadhaar number because they do not have an Aadhaar number.

Previous attempts made in this regard

In 2014, the Election Commission of India (ECI) conducted two pilot programmes on linking the voter id with Aadhaar in the districts of Nizamabad and Hyderabad.
The ECI launched the National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP) on April 2015.
However a Supreme Court order on August 2015 halted the programme.

11. Supreme Court and its role

Subject :Polity

The main purpose of the court is the “exercise of its jurisdiction as a protector of the fundamental right to life and personal liberty inhering in every citizen,” the Chief Justice said in a judgment.
The Supreme Court of India is the country’s highest judicial court. It is the final court of appeal in the country.
It is the final intepreter of the Indian constitution.
It acts as the protector and guarantor of fundamnetal rights enshrined in the Indian constitution.

Supreme Court History

The Federal Court of India was created as per the Government of India Act 1935.
This court settled disputes between provinces and federal states and heard appeals against judgements of the high courts.
After independence, the Federal Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council were replaced by the Supreme Court of India, which came into being in January 1950.
The Constitution of 1950 envisaged a Supreme Court with one Chief Justice and 7 puisne Judges.
The number of SC judges was increased by the Parliament and currently, there are 34 judges including the Chief Justice of India (CJI).

Supreme Court of India – Functions

It is the guardian of the constitution
It protects the Fundamental rights under Indian Constitution.
It takes up appeals against the verdicts of the High Courts, other courts and tribunals.
It settles disputes between various government authorities, between state governments, and between the centre and any state government.
It also hears matters which the President refers to it, in its advisory role.
The SC can also take up cases suo moto (on its own).
The law that SC declares is binding on all the courts in India and on the Union as well as the state governments.

Supreme Court Jurisdiction

The jurisdiction of the SC is of three types:
Original – Read in detail about Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in the linked article.
Advisory – Notes on Advisory Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court are given in the linked article.
Appellate Jurisdiction

Supreme Court Composition

Including the CJI, there are 34 judges in the Supreme Court.
The judges sit in benches of 2 or 3 (called a Division Bench) or in benches of 5 or more (called a Constitutional Bench) when there are matters of fundamental questions of the law is to be decided.

Procedure of the Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court of India has powers to consult the President to regulate the practice and procedure of the Court.
The Constitutional Cases are usually decided by a bench consisting of five judges whereas other cases are decided by a bench of at least three judges.

Seat of Supreme Court

As per the Constitution of India, Delhi is declared as the seat of the Supreme Court of India. However, the Chief Justice of India has the power to assign another place (s) as the seat of the Supreme Court. This is only an optional provision and not mandatory.

SC Judge Eligibility

As per Article 124, an Indian citizen who is below 65 years of age is eligible to be recommended for appointment as a judge of the SC if:
he/she has been a judge of one or more High Courts, for at least 5 years, or
he/she has been an advocate in one or more High Courts for at least 10 years, or
he/she is in the opinion of the President, a distinguished jurist.

Independence of Judiciary

The Constitution has many provisions to ensure the judiciary’s independence. They are discussed below:
Security of tenure: The judges of the SC are given security of tenure. Once appointed, they will retain their office until the age of 65 years. They can be removed only by a presidential order on grounds of proven misbehaviour and/or incapacity. This requires a Special Majority according to Article 368. Read more about the types of majorities in Parliament in the linked article.
Salaries and allowances: The judges of the SC enjoy good salaries and allowances and these cannot be decreased except in the case of a financial emergency. The expenses of the High Court are charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State, which is not subject to vote in the state legislature.
Powers and Jurisdiction: The SC’s powers and jurisdiction can only be added by the Parliament and not be curtailed.
The conduct of any judge of the Supreme Court in the discharge of his/her duties cannot be discussed in the legislature.
The SC has the power to punish any person for its contempt, as per Article 129. (Read about Contempt of Court in India in the linked article.)
Separation of the Judiciary from the Executive: A Directive Principle of State Policy says that the state shall take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive in the public services of the state. According to Article 50, there shall be a separate judicial service free from executive control.