Daily Prelims Notes 29 April 2022

April 29, 2022
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

29 April 2022

Table Of Contents

Subject: Governance

Section: Welfare scheme

Context- The Centre is set to consider the Himachal Pradesh government’s request for inclusion of the Hatti community in the list of Scheduled Tribes in the state.

Concept-

Who are the Hattis?

The Hattisare a close-knit community who got their name from their tradition of selling homegrown vegetables, crops, meat and wool etc. at small markets called ‘haat’ in towns.
The Hattis who live in the trans-Giri area and Jaunsar Bawar in Uttarakhand were once part of the royal estate of Sirmaur until JaunsarBawar’s separation in 1815.
The Hatti community, whose men generally don a distinctive white headgear during ceremonies, is cut off from Sirmaur by two rivers called Giri and Tons.
The Hatti community is concentrated in the four Assembly constituencies in Sirmaur district — Shillai, Paonta, Renuka, and Pachhad.
Due to topographical disadvantages, the Hattis lag behind in education and employment.

the hatti area

Societal norms of Hattis

The Hattisare governed by a traditional council called Khumbli, which like the khaps of Haryana, decide community matters.
The Khumbli’s power has remained unchallenged despite the establishment of the panchayati raj system.
There is a fairly rigid caste system among the Hattis — the Bhat and Khash are the upper castes, while the Badhois are below them.
Inter-caste marriages have traditionally remained a strict no-no.

About Scheduled Tribes:

The term ‘Scheduled Tribes’ first appeared in the Constitution of India.
Article 366 (25) defined scheduled tribes as “such tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 to be Scheduled Tribes for the purposes of this constitution”.
Article 342 prescribes the procedure to be followed in the matter of specification of scheduled tribes.
- The first specification of Scheduled Tribes in relation to a particular State/ Union Territory is by a notified order of the President, after consultation with the State governments concerned.
- These orders can be modified subsequently only through an Act of Parliament.
- The above Article also provides for listing of scheduled tribes State/Union Territory wise and not on an all India basis.

2. Heatwave Alerts By IMD

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate change

Context- Heatwave to Intensify in Next Five Days in Several Parts of Country, Orange Alert for 3 States.

Concept-

The ongoing heatwave sweeping through vast swathes of the country will intensify in the next five days, with the IMD issuing an “orange” alert for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra, and predicting a rise of another two degrees Celsius in the northwest region.

Colour- Coded Weather Warning:

It is issued by the IMD whose objective is to alert people ahead of severe or hazardous weather which has the potential to cause damage, widespread disruption or danger to life.
Warnings are updated daily.
The IMD uses 4 colour codes are:
- Green (All is well): No advisory is issued.
- Yellow (Be Aware): Yellow indicates severely bad weather spanning across several days. It also suggests that the weather could change for the worse, causing disruption in day-to-day activities.
- Orange/Amber (Be prepared): The orange alert is issued as a warning of extremely bad weather with the potential of disruption in commute with road and rail closures, and interruption of power supply.
- Red (Take Action): When the extremely bad weather conditions are certainly going to disrupt travel and power and have significant risk to life, the red alert is issued.
These alerts are universal in nature and are also issued during floods, depending on the amount of water rising above land/in a river as a result of torrential rainfall.
- For e.g., when the water in a river is ‘above normal’ level, or between the ‘warning’ and ‘danger’ levels, a yellow alert is issued.

About India Meteorological Department:

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.
It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology.
IMD is headquartered in Delhi and operates hundreds of observation stations across India and Antarctica.
Regional offices are at Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Nagpur, Guwahati and New Delhi.
IMD is also one of the six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres of the World Meteorological Organisation.
- It is regional nodal agency for forecasting, naming and disseminating warnings about tropical cyclone in the Indian Ocean north of the Equator including the Malacca Straits, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.
IMD collaborates with other agencies such as the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting and the National Institute of Ocean Technology.
IMD also operates seismic monitoring centres at key locations for earthquake monitoring and measurements.
IMD undertakes observations, communications, forecasting and weather services.
- In collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation, the IMD also uses the IRS series and the Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) for weather monitoring of the Indian subcontinent.
- IMD was first weather bureau of a developing country to develop and maintain its own satellite system.
- IMD Forecasts monsoon based on:
  - Sea Surface Temperature
  - ENSO
  - Relative Humidity
  - Wind Direction
  - Wind Speed
  - Pressure Patterns
  - Cloud Cover etc.

****For further reading refer to Optimize Ias DPN 28th April 2022.

3. Whitley Gold Award

Subject: Environment

Section: Conservation

Context- Snow leopard conservationist Charudutt Mishra wins Whitley Gold Award for efforts to involve local communities.

Concept-

Charudutt Mishra, a snow leopard conservationist, was awarded the Whitely Gold Award on April 27, 2022, at the Royal Geographical Society in London, for his efforts to involve local communities in conserving the enigmatic big cat of Inner Asia.
This is Mishra’s second WFN Prize. He had won the award previously in 2005.
Six other conservationists were awarded prizes during The 2022 Whitley Awards Ceremony. They are:

Emmanuel Amoah from Ghana, for work on the West African slender-snouted crocodile
Micaela Camino, Argentina, for empowering communities to defend their human rights and conserve Argentina’s Dry Chaco
Pablo Hoffmann, Brazil, for nurturing wild plant diversity in the Araucaria Forest region
Sonam Lama, Nepal, for work done on red pandas
Estrela Matilde, São Tomé and Príncipe, for efforts to save sea turtles
Dedy Yansyah, Indonesia, for work on the Sumatran rhino

About Whitley Award:

Whitley Awards are presented annually by the Whitley Fund for Nature.
It is presented to recognise grass root level conservation leaders.
The Whitley Fund for Nature was established by Edward Whitley in 1994. It has so far given 16 million pounds to support the work of two hundred environmental heroes.

About Snow Leopard:

Scientific Name: Panthera uncia
Snow leopards act as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystem in which they live, due to their position as the top predator in the food web.
Habitat: Mountainous regions of central and southern Asia.
In India, Western Himalayas: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Eastern Himalayas: Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
Snow Leopard capital of the world: Hemis, Ladakh.
- Hemis National Park is known for a good presence of Snow Leopard.
Protection Status:
- IUCN-Red List : Vulnerable
- CITES :Appendix I
- Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 : Schedule I
It is also protected by several national laws in its range countries.
- The 12 snow leopard range countries include, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

4. Dumpsite Fires

Subject: Environment

Section: Pollution

Context- Third dumpsite fire in a month points to systemic failure of waste management in Delhi.

Concept-

The fire that broke out at North Delhi’s Bhalswa dumpsite April 26, 2022 is the third landfill fire in a month and has been raging for over 72 hours.
The previous two blazes were reported at Ghazipur dumpsite in East Delhi. Delhi’s environment minister called an urgent meeting with the waste sector experts to discuss various solutions to tackle fire.

Causes of Dumpsite Fire:

Natural fires are very common at dumpsites.
Dumpsites not scientifically Planned without adequate segregation of waste.
These landfills receive mixed waste, including organic waste as well as ignitable material and plastics.
The biodegradable or food waste decomposes over time.
- The anaerobic decomposition (breakdown of organic waste in the absence of oxygen) of organic waste generates methane gas and heat.
Methane is present in air only in traces. But at dumpsites, methane can range between 3.5% and 13%. If there is anything combustible at the dumpsite, it can catch fire quickly.

What can be done?

To avoid these fire outbreaks in the future, the city authorities must prepare a city waste management plan.
Source segregation non-negotiable: Treating ‘mixed waste’ is challenging.
No biodegradable organic waste in dumpsites: Biodegradable waste should not be dumped at landfills because the biodegradation process is responsible for generation of methane that contributes significantly in dumpsite fires.
- Converting organic waste into bio-compressed natural gas (CNG) also can be a game-changer.
Dry waste recycling: The segregated dry waste can be processed in decentralised material recovery facilities.
Adopt a zero-landfill model: This model is based on resource recovery and principles of circular economy.
- It identifies a “zero-landfill city” as one that ensures maximum quantities of waste are subjected to scientific treatment and recycling, thus reducing the amount of residual solid waste and minimising the need to construct new landfills. The objective is to achieve 100 per cent waste treatment.
Biomining of dumpsites must: Legacy waste treatment and fresh waste treatment should be planned parallelly.
Thick Soil Cover: At sanitary landfills, waste should be compacted and a thick soil cover should be placed over it. Soil acts as a fire suppressant and restricts the passage of oxygen that is required for combustion.

5. Traditional Rice Varieties

Subject: Agriculture

Section: Crop

Context- Biju in Odisha grows nine traditional varieties of paddy

Concept-

Among the 40,000 varieties of rice cultivated worldwide, only two major species are cultivated widely—Oryza sativa or the Asian rice and Oryza glaberrima or the African rice.
The cultivation of Oryza sativa is practised worldwide; however, the cultivation of the Oryza glaberrima is confined to Africa.
The Indian rice varieties cultivated widely are Basmati, Joha, Jyothi, Navara, Ponni, Pusa, Sona Masuri, Jaya, Kalajiri (aromatic), Boli, Palakkad Matta, etc.
The coloured variety includes
- Himalayan red rice;
- Matta rice, Kattamodon, Kairali, Jyothy, Bhadra, Asha, Rakthashali of Kerala;
- Red Kavuni, Kaivara Samba, Mappillai Samba, Kuruvi Kar, Poongar of Tamil Nadu, etc.
Biju in Odisha grows nine traditional varieties of paddy that have a longer harvest duration of 130-150 days.These include scented varieties such as Chandan Baas,Tulsi Baas, Kalkati and Baas Patri; and the unscented Saputri, Garrakanthi, Ranki, GeleiKanthi, Hi- rakani, Kulia and Darli.
Some traditional South Indian rice varieties. a Red Kavuni. b Kaivara Samba. c Kuruvi Kar. d Poongar. e Kattu Yanam. f Koliyal. g Maappillai Samba. h Black Kavuni.
- Kavuni possesses antimicrobial activity.
- Kaivara Samba lowers blood sugar levels.
- Kuruvi Kar is resistant to drought and consumed by the locals for its health benefits.
- Poongar is consumed by women after puberty and is believed to avert ailments associated with the reproductive system.
- Kattu Yanam lowers glucose level in blood and also imparts strength.
- Koliyal is widely consumed as puttu, a specialty dish.
- Mappillai Samba has a hypocholesterolemic effect and anti-cancer activity and also improves fertility in men.
- Black Kavuni is resistant to drought and is popular among locals for its health benefits.

The shelf life of rice

In general, it is recommended to store rice in the form of paddy rather than as milled rice, since the husk provides protection against insects and helps prevent quality deterioration.
Rice can be stored for long periods only if the following three conditions are met and maintained:
- (1) the moisture levels of grains, 14% or less and that of seeds must be 12% or less;
- (2) grains must be well protected from insects, birds and rodents; and
- (3) grains must be protected from rains or imbibing moisture from the atmosphere.

Coloured rice

Brown rice retains its bran layer (containing vitamins, minerals and fibre), as this has not been polished more to produce white rice.
The coloured rice varieties are either semi-polished or unpolished.
Red-coloured rice varieties are known to be rich in iron and zinc,
while black rice varieties are especially high in protein, fat and crude fibre.
Red and black rice get their colour from anthocyanin pigments, which are known to have free radical scavenging and antioxidant capacities, as well as other health benefits.

Structure of rice grain

The paddy (also, rough rice or rice grain) consists of the hull, an outer protective covering, and the fruit or rice caryopsis (brown or dehusked rice)
Rice primarily consists of carbohydrates, proteins and small quantities of fat, ash, fibre and moisture.
Vitamins and minerals are largely confined to the bran and germ.
The different layers of rice contain different quantities of nutrients.
- The bran layer is rich in dietary fibre, minerals and vitamin B complex while the aleurone layer contains the least.
- The endosperm of rice is rich in carbohydrate and also contains a reasonable amount of digestible protein, with favourable amino acid profile than other grains.

Rice processing

Processing of rice mainly involves milling of rice which converts paddy into rice by removing the hull and all or part of the bran layer.
Milling of rice is a crucial stage and the objective of milling is to remove the husk and bran so as to produce an edible white rice kernel that is free from impurities.

6. Light Emitting Diode

Subject: Science

Section: Msc

Context- Using LED bulbs in trains can help the Indian Railway achieve its Net Zero target by 2030.

Concept-

Lighting accounts for nearly 5% of global CO2 emissions.
A global switch to energy efficient light emitting diode (LED) technology could save over 1,400 million tons of CO2 and avoid the construction of 1,250 power stations.
With savings of up to 50-70%, LED lighting has been recognized as one of the most actionable and ready-to-implement technologies for cities to transition to a low carbon economy and peak emissions in the next decade.

Fluorescent Bulbs vs LED Bulb:

Fluorescent bulbs emit omnidirectional light while that of LEDs is directional.
- Fluorescent bulbs radiate light 360 degrees around the tube’s circumference.
- Only a small percentage of this light is directed to the area directly below (such as at a desk in an office). The rest radiates in less useful directions unless the bulbs are installed inside reflectors, which still scatter some of the light.
- On the other hand, LED lights are directional in that most of their light radiates in a 110 degree They don’t require the bulky reflectors of fluorescent tubes.
LED lighting is more energy-efficient than fluorescent bulbs.
- According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a 12 watt LED light puts out the same lighting as a 15 watt fluorescent light. In other words, LEDs use 20% less power.
Fluorescent bulbs emit UV light.
- Fluorescent bulbs emit some UV light, which is hard on the eyes and causes color fading in fabrics. This is wasted energy.
- LED lighting does not emit UV light. In fact, its light emission lies entirely in the visible light range.
- The phosphors within LED Lamps convert UV to white light.
LED lights last longer than fluorescent bulbs.
- LED lights last up to 13 times longer than fluorescent bulbs. This means a big savings in maintenance costs.
LED lights are more rugged than fluorescent lights.
- LEDs are solid state lights, which are more damage resistant than the fragile tubes of fluorescent lights. Fluorescent bulbs contain inert gas within the glass casing. Breaking fluorescent bulbs also exposes one to mercury.
LEDs do not flicker near the end of their life.
- Fluorescent lights go through a period of flickering before burning out. However, the usefulness of the light ends when the flickering starts.
Fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, and may therefore present waste disposal issues.

7. UNFCCC COP 26 at Glasgow

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate Change

Context- India’s successes at Glasgow.

Concept:

Delivering the National Statement at the cop26 Summit in Glasgow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminded the world that despite being home to 17 percent of the world’s population, India has been responsible for only 5 percent of the global emissions.
From the cop26 stage, the prime minister announced India’s commitment to “Panchamrit”:
- India will bring its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030.
- India will bring its economy’s carbon intensity down to 45 per cent by 2030.
- India will fulfil 50 per cent of its energy requirement through renewable energy by 2030.
- India will reduce 1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions from the total projected emissions by 2030.
- India will achieve net-zero by 2070.
India expects developed countries to provide climate finance of $1 trillion at the earliest.
India also launched the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (iris), which will work to achieve sustainable development through a systematic approach to promote resilient, sustainable and inclusive infrastructure in Small Island Developing States.
A major boost for India-initiated International Solar Alliance (isa) came when US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry announced at cop26 that the US has joined the isa as a member country. The membership of isa thus rose to 101.
India also launched the Green Grids Initiative-One Sun One World One Grid (ggi-osowog) along with the UK.
- ggi-osowog will bring technical, financial and research cooperation to help facilitate cross-border renewable energy transfer projects, which will provide osowog its global infrastructure.
India and other developing countries were also successful in keeping the agenda of long-term finance under the convention alive till the year 2027, while developed countries wanted to end this agenda under the convention.

8. Polavaram Project

Subject: Geography

Section: Mapping

Context- The Polavaram irrigation project, set to be operationalised by April 2022.

Concept-

The Polavaram irrigation project, set to be operationalised by April 2022, will displace the largest number of people in India’s history of such projects.
Once completed, it will uproot 106,006 families across 222 villages in Andhra Pradesh.
The displaced villages are notified scheduled areas because they have a considerable tribal population.
Recognition of their forest rights is another major concern among the tribal population.

About Polavaram Project:

The present Polavaram Irrigation Project is a modified proposal of the Ramapada Sagar Project.
It is an under-construction multi-purpose irrigation National project on the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh.
It will facilitate an inter-basin water transfer from the Godavari River to the Krishna river through its Right canal.
Its reservoir spreads in parts of Chhattisgarh and Orissa States also.
The project is a multipurpose major terminal reservoir project for the development of Irrigation, Hydropower and drinking water facilities.
The project was started in 2008, accorded national status in 2014 in the Andhra Pradesh Bifurcation Act.
The Andhra Pradesh government extended the completion date to the 2022 Kharif season.

The Godavari River:

The Godavari is the largest Peninsular river system. It is also called the Dakshin Ganga.
It rises in the Nasik district of Maharashtra and discharges its water into the Bay of Bengal.
The Godavari basin extends over states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Puducherry.
The Pravara, Manjira and Maner are right bank tributaries and the Purna, Pranhita, Indravathi and Sabari are important left-bank tributaries.

9. Mosquito Borne Diseases Outbreak

Subject: Science

Section: Biotechnology

Context- Climate change is causing more frequent mosquito borne disease outbreaks.

Concept-

The latest outbreaks of Zika fever in India indicate that mosquito-borne diseases are fast spreading to new populations and regions.
Uttar Pradesh is one of three states to report Zika cases this year along with Kerala and Magharashtra.
Earlier, India reported Zika cases twice— in 2017 (133 cases) and 2018 (290 cases).

About Zika:

Viruses spread by Aedes aegypti (dengue, chikungunya and Zika) generally rise when India sees extended monsoon.
ZIKA WAS first isolated from a rhesus monkey in Uganda’s Zika forest in 1947 and in humans in 1952.
The Zika virus is spread by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.
It can also be transmitted through blood transfusions, sexual contact and via exposure to urine.
There is no vaccine.
The spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika to new geographic regions and populations is a cause of worry on several grounds.
- First, no specific treatment is available for most such diseases, be it Zika fever, dengue or chikungunya.
- Second, their symptoms closely resemble covid-19 and other viral infections that spread through the bite of insects.
- Third, erratic weather patterns due to climate change have added an uncertain, surprise dimension to the battle against mosquitoes, particularly the species of Aedes that are the most common carrier of infections like Zika, dengue, chikungunya and the haemorrhagic yellow fever.
Originally found in tropical and sub-tropical regions, Aedes mosquitoes are now present on all continents except Antarctica.
A aegypti is native to sub-Saharan Africa, and in its native environment it lives in tree holes and small pools of water and bites non-human primates.
- It is believed that these mosquitoes first moved to nearby human habitations during droughts when the tree holes dried up.
- The mosquitoes then moved out of Africa during the transatlantic slave trade.
- The first case of yellow fever was reported outside Africa in Yucatan, Central America, in 1648.
A albopictus is native to tropical Southeast Asia, where it was originally a forest species that fed on wild animals.
- It first spread to the islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and then during the 1980s extended its range across temperate regions in Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Breeding behaviour of the mosquitoes has also changed. Traditionally, it is believed that the mosquito species breed in clean water, but now studies suggest that they can also lay eggs in polluted water. There is also evidence that Aedes mosquitoes can breed in brackish water.
Several other factors are also responsible for the increasing menace caused by these mosquitoes. This includes environmental cues such as light pollution. While A aegypti typically bites people during the day (early morning to afternoon), artificial lights have increased their feeding period and consequently their ability to spread diseases.
A aegypti has also developed resistance to common insecticide permethrin.
A aegypti is likely to expand, particularly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, transmission potential of A albopictus is likely to decline substantially in the tropics as the tropics eventually become too hot for it.

Solutions:

Controlling the vector is the only option that we have.
Other technological strategies include engineering the mosquito to be sterile or to be refractory to the viruses using Wolbachia or genetic engineering.

10. IMD predicted western disturbance by month end

Subject: Geography

Section: Climatology

Context: The IMD expected a couple of cooler wester disturbances to check in from the international border by the month end and produce heat-buster thunder storms, hail storms, gusty winds, rain and thunder showers over the hills and plains of North-West India

Why in news?

The first western disturbance will bring light/moderate isolated rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms/lightning/gusty winds (speed reaching 30-40 kmph) over Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh until Saturday; over Himachal Pradesh during the next five days; and over Uttarakhand until Sunday.

There are chances of isolated hail storms in Uttarakhand during next four days. Heatbustingdust storms may prowl the plains across Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on Saturday.

The second western disturbance may strike North-West India from Monday and trigger light/moderate isolated/scattered rainfall accompanied with thunder storms and lightning over the hills of North-West India from May 2 to 4.

Concept:

Western Disturbances

Western Disturbances are low pressure systems, embedded in western winds (westerlies) that flow from west to the east.
It is a term coined by an Indian Meteorologist for the weather phenomenon which is propagated from the West.
Western Disturbances begin is a low pressure system that originates in the Mid- latitude region near the Atlantic ocean and Europe.
The low pressure typically forms over the Mediterranean Sea and travels over Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan before entering India loaded with moisture.
These moisture laden western disturbances eventually come up against the himalayas and get blocked, as a consequence, the moisture gets trapped and precipitation is shared in the form of snow and rain over Northwest India and sometimes, other parts of North India.
An average of 4-5 western disturbances form during the winter season and the rainfall distribution and amount varies with every western disturbance.
The word ‘Western’ refers to the direction from which they originate with regard to India.
The word ‘disturbance’ is used because the air within the low pressure systems tends to be unstable or disturbed.
Sometimes, when western disturbances become more intense in the Indian Region, they can extend even upto 15 degree north, resulting into rainfall upto north Maharashtra, Gujarat and the entire Madhya Pradesh to the south.

Impact

Western Disturbances are the cause of the most winter and pre-monsoon season rainfall across North-West India. This phenomenon is usually associated with cloudy sky, higher night temperatures and unusual rain. It is estimated that India gets close to 5-10% of its total annual rainfall from western disturbances.
In winter, western winds bring moderate to heavy rain in low lying areas and heavy snow to mountainous areas of the Indian subcontinent.
India is a rain dependent country and while the south west monsoon covers most of India, parts of North India don’t get much rain from it. These regions depend upon snow and rain from western disturbance during winter season from November to March.
Precipitation during the winter season has great importance in agriculture particularly for rabi crops including wheat, which is one of the most important Indian crops.
They start declining after winter. During the summer months of April and May, they move across North India and at times help in the activation of monsoon in certain parts of northwest India.
During the monsoon season, western disturbances may occasionally cause dense clouding and heavy precipitation.
Weak western disturbances are associated with crop failure and water problems across north India.
Strong western disturbances can help residents, farmers and governments avoid many of the problems associated with water scarcity.

11. Dispute between the Delhi government and the Centre over the control of administrative services

Subject: Polity

Section: Federalism

Context: Supreme Court has started hearing the dispute between the Delhi government and the Centre over the control of administrative services.

What are the legal issues before the SC?

There are two legal issues before the court:
- First, reference made by a two-judge Bench in February 2019, which, while deciding on the distribution of powers between the Delhi government and Centre, left the question of who will have control over the administrative services for consideration by a larger Bench.
- Second, Delhi government’s petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act 2021, which provided that the term “government” referred to in any law made by the Legislative Assembly of Delhi will imply the Lieutenant Governor (L-G).

Background:

SC in 2017 upheld the respective powers of the state Assembly and Parliament. It said that while the Council of Ministers must communicate all decisions to the L-G, this does not mean that the L-G’s concurrence is required.
- In case of a difference of opinion, the L-G can refer it to the President of India for a decision. The L-G has no independent decision-making power, but has to either act on the ‘aid and advice’ of the Council of Ministers or is bound to implement the decision of the President on a reference that is made.
In 2019 ruling agreed that the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Delhi government cannot investigate corruption cases against central government officials, and that the power to appoint commissions under The Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, would be vested with the Centre and not the Delhi government.
The two judges differed on who should have control over the administrative services.
The Centre has contended that the two judges could not take a decision on the question of who controls services as the Constitution Bench in its July 2018 judgment had not interpreted the expression “insofar as any such matter as applicable to Union Territories” appearing in Article 239AA.
Therefore, it must be referred to a five-judge Constitution Bench which will first settle the question of law, only after which the dispute over who has control over services can be looked into.

What is Article 239AA of the Constitution?

Article 239 AA was inserted in the Constitution by The Constitution (69th Amendment) Act, 1991 to give Special Status to Delhi following the recommendations of the S Balakrishnan Committee that was set up to look into demands for statehood for Delhi.
It says that the NCT of Delhi will have an Administrator and a Legislative Assembly. Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, the Legislative Assembly “shall have power to make laws for the whole or any part of the NCT with respect to any of the matters in the State List or Concurrent List in so far as any such matter is applicable to Union territories” except on the subject of police, public order, and land.

National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act 2021

https://optimizeias.com/nct-amendment-bill-2021/

12. Reporting cyber incidents in 6 hrs mandatory

Subject: Science

Section: National Organisation

Context: The new guidelines issued by CERT-In to companies operating in India.

New guidelines issued by CERT-In:

CERT-In has mandated that all cyber security incidents such as targeted scanning or probing of critical networks and systems, compromise of critical systems and information, unauthorised access of data and systems among others must be informed to it by the respective companies within six hours of either being made aware of the incident or becoming aware itself.
It says companies operating in India say that service providers, intermediaries, data centres, companies and government organisations must mandatorily report such incidents within six hours.
It has also mandated that virtual asset service providers, virtual asset exchange providers and custodian wallet service providers shall maintain all the information they have gathered as a part of the know your customer (KYC) process and records of financial transactions for a period of five years.
With respect to transaction records, accurate information shall be maintained in such a way that individual transaction can be reconstructed along with the relevant elements comprising of, but not limited to, information relating to the identification of the relevant parties including IP addresses along with timestamps and time zones, transaction ID, the public keys (or equivalent identifiers), addresses or accounts involved (or equivalent identifiers), the nature and date of the transaction, and the amount transferred
Data centres, virtual private server providers, cloud service providers, and VPN providers shall be required to keep details like customer’s validated name, period of the service, IP addresses allotted and used, purpose for which the service was sought, address and contact number as well as ownership pattern.

Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)

https://optimizeias.com/computer-emergency-response-team-cert-in/

13. Freebie Model of Governance

Subject: Economy

Section: Fiscal policy

Freebies that are usually distributed include goods like bicycles, smart phones, TVs, Laptops and waivers on bills (water, electricity, etc.).Freebies and poll promises are different from subsidies which are required for the proper functioning of a government to fulfill peoples’ needs and may not be a part of government poll promises. However, it is sometimes confused with freebies.

Why?

Political parties promise to offer free electricity/water supply, monthly allowance to unemployed, daily wage workers and women as well as gadgets like laptops, smartphones etc. in order to secure the vote of the people.

Impact:

Arguments in Favor of Freebies:The model is neither sustainable nor economically viable.

Essential for Fulfilling Expectations- helps win election
Balanced regional growth -With the states that have comparatively lower level of development with a larger share of the population suffering from poverty, such kind of freebies become need/demand-based and it becomes essential to offer the people such subsidies for their own upliftment.
Reduce inequality of income and wealth
Increase consumption and thus standard of living of masses
Reduction in poverty
Economic Push: They help increase the demand that prevents the rate of growth from declining further. Free education and health are anyway justified because they are cases of ‘merit wants’ and increase productivity of labor.

Associated Issues With ‘Freebies’:

Rise in fiscal deficit: This places a huge economic burden on the exchequer of the state as well as centre.
Rise in inflation-demand exceed the supply
Unproductive expenditure-no multiplier effect to increase producive capacity of the economy
Against Free and Fair Election: The promise of irrational freebies from public funds before elections unduly influences the voters, disturbs the level playing field and vitiates the purity of the poll process.
It amounts to an unethical practice that is just like giving bribes to the electorate.
Against Equality Principle: Distribution of private goods or services, which are not for public purposes, from public funds before the election violates several articles of the Constitution, including Article 14 (equality before law).
Burden of financing-increase tax or debt.
Distort market determined pricing system
Wastage of resources/Inefficient allocation of scarce resources.