Daily Prelims Notes 21 July 2024

Daily Prelims Notes

21 July 2024

Table Of Contents

1. Cotton farmers struggle to deal with Scourge of the pink bollworm
2. Article 361 provides immunity to the President and Governors from legal proceedings during their term
3. Israeli jets strike Houthi targets in Yemen ‘in response to attacks’

1. Cotton farmers struggle to deal with Scourge of the pink bollworm

Subject: Sci

Sec: Biotech

Context:

The deadly pink bollworm has ravaged cotton crops in the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Cotton cultivation in these states has fallen from around 16 lakh hectares last year to only 10 lakh hectares this year.

More about News:

• PBW (Pink bollworm) first appeared in North India during the 2017-18 season, in a few locations of Haryana and Punjab, primarily cultivating Bt cotton.
• By 2021, the pest began to cause considerable damage in several districts in Punjab, including Bathinda, Mansa, and Muktsar. Since 2021, the frequency of PBW attacks in the three aforementioned states has increased annually.
• Apart from Punjab, affected districts in Rajasthan are Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh, and in Haryana, Sirsa, Hisar, Jind, and Fatehabad.

Pink Bollworm:

• Scientific name: Pectinophora gossypiella
• The pink bollworm (PBW), known among farmers as gulabi sundhi, damages the cotton crop by burrowing its larvae into the cotton bolls. This results in the lint being cut and stained, making it unfit for use.
• Pink bollworm is native to Asia, but has become an invasive species in most of the world’s cotton-growing regions.
• In parts of India, the pink bollworm is now resistant to first generation transgenic Bt cotton(Bollgard cotton) that expresses a single Bt gene (Cry1Ac). 

PBW Spread:                                                                           

• Spreads through
• Residue of infected crops, often left by farmers on the field to be used as fuel, can also harbour PBW larvae which can then infect future crops.
• Infected cotton seeds.

Controlling PBW spread:                                          

• To prevent future infestation, fields which saw PBW infestation should not be planted with the cotton crop, for at least one season.
• Farmers have to burn residue at the earliest, and ensure there is no mixing between healthy and unhealthy seeds (or cotton).

Preventive measures:                         

• The “gold standard” of crop protection in the West, involves the application of a certain paste onto the stems of cotton plants, near the shoots. This paste releases synthetic pheromones that attract male insects.
• But due to the widespread presence of these pheromones, these males are then unable to locate the females. This disrupts the mating process, and reduces PBW population.
• For a one-acre field with roughly 7,000 cotton plants, the paste needs to be applied to 350-400 plants spread across the field, a total of three times — at the 45–50-day, 80 days, and 110-day marks after sowing.
• PBKnot Technology, also works on a similar principle. Here, thread knots with pheromone dispensers are placed strategically on the cotton fields to confuse male moths, and prevent them from finding females. This dispenser has to be tied to cotton plants when they are 45-50 days old.

Problems with adoption:

• Lack of awareness and training
• Costs
• Intensive training programs and awareness campaigns are necessary
• Expanded field demonstrations, and government and private sector support
• Coordinated effort among states where the pest has been wreaking havoc.

2. Article 361 provides immunity to the President and Governors from legal proceedings during their term

Subject: Polity

Sec:  Constitution

Context:

The Supreme Court of India agreed to delve into the provisions of Article 361 of the Indian Constitution, which provides “blanket immunity” to governors from any form of criminal prosecution.

More about News:

• The bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, issued a notice to the West Bengal government concerning a plea filed by a contractual woman employee.
• The apex court asked the woman employee of West Bengal ‘Raj Bhavan’ to make the Centre a party to her plea as well. The woman alleged that she was molested by the state Governor CV Ananda Bose and is seeking judicial scrutiny of Article 361.
• Article 361 is an exception to Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution and provides that the president or the governor is not answerable to any court for the exercise of the powers and duties of his office.

Article 361:

• Article 361 of the Constitution that deals with immunity to the President and the Governors. It states that they shall not be answerable:
  • to any court for the exercise and performance of the powers and duties of his office; or 
  • for any act done or purporting to be done by him in the exercise and performance of those powers and duties.
• Article 361 grants the Governor of a State immunity from legal liability for their official acts and personal acts during their term of office.
• Governor cannot be held accountable to any court for their official duties, and no criminal proceedings can be initiated against them.
• Civil proceedings can be brought against them for their personal acts after two months’ notice. 
• The Governor also cannot be arrested or imprisoned while in office.
• Additionally, if Governor commits any criminal offense during their term of office, they can be prosecuted once their term ends. 
• This ensures that they are not above the law and can be held responsible for any unlawful actions.

Primary role of governors:

• Primary responsibility of a governor in India is to uphold, safeguard and enforce the Constitution and the laws of the land. In Articles 153 and 154 of the Constitution of India, governors are responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of the state government while upholding the constitutional framework.

Historical context and precedents:

• In the landmark case of Rameshwar Prasad v. Union of India, the Court elaborated on the immunities granted to the governor, affirming that even allegations of personal malafides do not diminish this immunity. The ruling established that the governor is fully shielded under Article 361 not only from criminal complaints but also from actions related to the discretionary powers exercised in their constitutional role.

Supreme Court Verdict on the Rameshwar Prasad Case:

• Constitution Bench led by the then Chief Justice of India Y K Sabharwal delivered a decisive verdict on October 7, 2005.
• The Supreme Court ruled that the Governor should avoid getting involved in controversies like disqualifying members of the Legislative Assembly. Therefore, the Constitution includes provisions such as Article 192(2) and Article 103(2), which require the Governor to seek the opinion of the Election Commission and act
• The court criticized the Governor’s actions as insincere and claimed that the underlying motive was to prevent a political party from attempting to form the Government.

3. Israeli jets strike Houthi targets in Yemen ‘in response to attacks’

Sub: IR

Sec: Places in news

Context:

• Israel carried out air strikes on the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeidah in Yemen.
• This action followed a drone launched by the Houthis hitting Tel Aviv.

Source: BBC