Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 4th September 2021

What is in news : Scientists of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, will geotag the spot-billed pelicans at Kokkrebellur in Mandya district to track their flight path and study their migratory patterns

Details:

• Will help understand the habitat preferred by the birds
• Will help initiate conservation measures through suitable interventions, apart from throwing light on their nesting patterns and breeding biology.
• Around 250 pelicans come to roost at Kokkrebellur during peak season, and this is in addition to painted storks.
• The pelicans which arrive at Kokkrebellur around October or November tend to roost for an extended period of time lasting up to six months.
• Whereabouts are not known for the remaining period and geotagging will to help not only track their movement but also ascertain the preferential habitats of these birds in different seasons and at different location
• In the past, the birds used to be ringed and provided with an identity tag, and ornithologists and birders would identify them and confirm their presence in different location when sighted in those places.
• But their flight path remained unknown as ringing the birds with ID tags did not provide for real-time monitoring to track their movement

About :

• Kokkarebellur village is named after the painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala), which is called "kokkare" in the native Kannada language.
• The village is situated near Maddur between the cities of Mysore and Bangalore.
• Apart from painted storks, spot-billed pelicans are also found here in large numbers. Both are classified to be near threatened in the IUCN Red List.
• The village is one of the 21 breeding sites of those birds in India.

SPOT BILLED PELICAN

• Large pale waterbird
• Hefty pinkish pouched bill marked with diagnostic dark spots on the upper mandible. Head is grizzled with a hint of a shaggy crest
• Back of the neck is dark
• Rings of bare skin around each eye that make this bird look like it's wearing glasses
• Often seen in large lakes and estuaries fishing in groups
• Nests in noisy colonies in trees bleached by droppings

POLITY & GOVERNANCE

What is in news : Chief Minister of Manipur virtually launched the e-ILP platform for effective regulation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in the state.

What is ILP :

• Document that Indian citizens from other states are required to possess in order to enter states like Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur.
• Issued by the concerned State Government and can be issued for travel purposes solely.
• Such states are exempted from provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

History of ILP:

• Under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act, 1873, the British framed regulations restricting the entry and regulating the stay of outsiders in designated areas.
• This was to protect the Crown’s own commercial interests by preventing “British subjects” (Indians) from trading within these regions.
• In 1950, the Indian government replaced “British subjects” with “Citizen of India”.
• This was to address local concerns about protecting the interests of the indigenous people from outsiders belonging to other Indian states.

Who appoints Supreme Court judges:

• Articles 124(2) and 217 of the Constitution governs the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts respectively.
• Under both provisions, the President has the power to make the appointments after consultation with such of the Judges of the Supreme Court and of the High Courts in the States as the President may deem necessary

CASES THAT DEFINED CONSULTATION

• The tussle between the executive and the judiciary over judges’ appointment began following the Indira Gandhi-led government’s move in 1973 to supersede three senior judges and appoint Justice A N Ray as the CJI.
• In three cases — which came to be known as the Judges Cases — in 1981, 1993 and 1998, the Supreme Court evolved the COLLEGIUM SYSTEM for appointing judges.
• A group of senior Supreme Court judges headed by the CJI would make recommendations to the President on who should be appointed. These rulings not only shrank the executive say in proposing a candidate for judgeship, but also took away the executive’s veto power.
• In the First Judges Case — S P Gupta v Union of India (1981) — the Supreme Court ruled that the President does not require the “concurrence” of the CJI in appointment of judges. The ruling affirmed the pre-eminence of the executive in making appointments, but was overturned 12 years later in the Second Judges Case.
• In the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association v Union of India (1993), a nine-judge Constitution Bench evolved the ‘collegium system’ for appointment and transfer of judges in the higher judiciary. The court underlined that the deviation from the text of the Constitution was to guard the independence of the judiciary from the executive and protect its integrity.
• In 1998, President K R Narayanan issued a Presidential Reference to the Supreme Court over the meaning of the term “consultation” — whether it required “consultation” with a number of judges in forming the CJI’s opinion, or whether the CJI’s sole opinion could by itself constitute a “consultation”. The ruling on this established a quorum and majority vote in the collegium to make recommendations to the President.

How many judges does the Supreme Court have? How is the number decided?

• Currently, the Supreme Court has 34 judges including the CJI.
• In 1950, when it was established, it had 8 judges including the CJI.
• Parliament, which has the power to increase the number of judges, has gradually done so by amending the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act — from 8 in 1950 to 11 in 1956, 14 in 1960, 18 in 1978, 26 in 1986, 31 in 2009, and 34 in 2019.

SOCIAL ISSUES

What is in news : Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor launched the Rural Enterprises Acceleration Programme called ‘Saath’ for Self Help Group (SHG) women

Details :

• Will help about 48000 SHGs in which about four lakh women are connected, in Jammu and Kashmir
• Focus on mentoring and market linkages of products
• Create 11000 more SHGs in upcoming years
• Launched with the aim of transforming the lives of rural women associated with SHGs
• Also aims to accelerate livelihoods of rural women who are engaged in small works. Small works are those where they do not earn much profit and there is lack of knowledge about marketing, packaging and branding.
• Launched in line with the Umeed scheme that enabled women to start their own business.

REPORTS & INDICES

By : Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)

Details :

• Species Under Threat:
  • 17,500 tree species which is some 30% of the total – are at risk of extinction, while 440 species have fewer than 50 individuals left in the wild.
  • 11% of the flora or plant life of every country was made up of threatened species.
  • Overall the number of threatened tree species is double the number of threatened mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles combined.
• Most At-Risk Trees: Among the most at-risk trees are species including magnolias and dipterocarps – which are commonly found in Southeast Asian rainforests. Oak trees, maple trees and ebonies also face threats.
• Countries with Highest Risk: Thousands of varieties of trees in the world’s top six countries for tree-species diversity are at risk of extinction. The greatest single number is in Brazil, where 1,788 species are at risk. The other five countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Colombia and Venezuela. There were also 27 countries that had no threatened species of trees.
• Island Trees: Though megadiverse countries see the greatest numbers of varieties at risk of extinction, island tree species are more proportionally at risk.
• This is particularly concerning because many islands have species of trees that can be found nowhere else.
• Major Threats:
  • The top three threats facing tree species are crop production, timber logging and livestock farming, while climate change and extreme weather are emerging threats.
  • At least 180 tree species are directly threatened by rising seas and severe weather, especially island species such as magnolias in the Caribbean.
• Need of Saving Trees:
  • Support System: Trees help support the natural ecosystem and are considered vital for combating global warming and climate change. The extinction of a single tree species could cause a domino effect, catalysing the loss of many other species.
  • Act as Buffer: They store 50% of the world’s terrestrial carbon and provide a buffer from extreme weather, such hurricanes and tsunamis.
  • Habitat & Food: Many threatened tree species provide the habitat and food for millions of other species of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects and microorganisms.
• Suggestion for Policymakers:
  • Extend Protection: Extend protected area coverage for threatened tree species that are currently not-well represented in protected areas.
  • Conservation: Ensure that all globally threatened tree species, where possible, are conserved in botanic garden and seed bank collections.
  • Increase Funding: Increase availability of Government and corporate funding for threatened tree species.
  • Expand Schemes: Expand tree planting schemes, and ensure the targeted planting of threatened and native species.
  • Increase Collaboration: Increase global collaboration to tackle tree extinction, by participating in international efforts.

HISTORY – ART - CULTURE

What is in news : Government in Tamil Nadu has announced the construction of a memorial in Villupuram to people killed in police firing and clashes in 1987, during a movement demanding reservation for the Vanniyar community.

VANNIYARS

• Are one of the largest and most consolidated backward communities in the state
• They had raised massive protests in the mid-1980s demanding 20% reservation in the state, and 2% in central services

THE MOVEMENT

• Was backed by the Justice Party as well as the Self-Respect Movement. Organised protests began with the formation of Vanniyar Sangam, headed by S Ramadoss, a medical practitioner who later founded the political party PMK.
• Agitation began in 1986 with activists sending hundreds of letters and telegrams to then Chief Minister M G Ramachandran seeking an audience.
• As there was no response from MGR and the then Rajiv Gandhi government, agitators started demonstrations in community strongholds, then went on to blockading rail and road traffic.
• The blockades were effective because community members in each village would block busy highway stretches on their village borders. They would cut revenue trees on either side of the state highway.
• One blockade in May 1986 brought traffic in the entire state to a halt, and thousands were arrested. A one-day blockade of trains followed in December 1986. The peak was in September 1987, when road traffic in northern Tamil Nadu came to a halt for an entire week.

The 1987 deaths

• The Vanniyars declared an agitation from September 17 to 23, 1987, which turned violent. At least 21 protesters were killed, mostly in police firing, and also in clashes with members of Scheduled Caste communities.
• While this shook the state establishment, there was no immediate solution. MGR died three months later, in December 1987.

Reservation granted

• After the DMK government of M Karunanidhi came to power in 1989, the OBC quota was split into two: Backward Castes and Most Backward Castes. Vanniyars were categorised among the MBCs with 107 other communities, with 20% reservation.
• Three decades later, the then AIADMK government passed a Bill, and the current DMK government has implemented it with a Government Order ensuring 10.5% reservation for Vanniyars within the 20% MBC quota.

What is in news : Avani Lekhara has become the 1st Indian women to win two Paralympic medals at a single edition of the Paralympics

Details :

• Avani Lekhara won a bronze medal in women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (SH1) event.
• She made history with a third-place finish.
• She had become the first Indian woman to win gold in women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing (SH1) event at the ongoing Paralympics.
• made more history on Friday with a third-place finish in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event.
• In the 1984 Paralympics, Joginder Singh Sodhi had won multiple medals in single edition of the Games. He clinched one silver and two bronze medals.

Avani Lekhara

• She is an Indian Paralympian and rifle shooter who won a gold medal in 10m air rifle standing as well as a bronze medal in 50m air rifle standing at 2020 Paralympics.
• She is currently ranked at World No 5 in Women’s 10m Air Rifle standing SH1.
• GoSports Foundation has been supporting her through the Para Champions Programme.

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

What is in news : President Xi Jinping has called for China to achieve "common prosperity", seeking to narrow a yawning wealth gap that threatens the country's economic ascent and the legitimacy of Communist Party rule.

What :

• "Common prosperity" was first mentioned in the 1950s
• By Mao Zedong, founding leader of what was then an impoverished country, and repeated in the 1980s by Deng Xiaoping, who modernised an economy devastated by the Cultural Revolution.
• Deng said that allowing some people and regions to get rich first would speed up economic growth and help achieve the ultimate goal of common prosperity.
• China became an economic powerhouse under a hybrid policy of "socialism with Chinese characteristics", but it also deepened inequality, especially between urban and rural areas, a divide that threatens social stability.
• The push for common prosperity has encompassed policies ranging from curbing tax evasion and limits on the hours that tech sector employees can work to bans on for-profit tutoring in core school subjects and strict limits on the time minors can spend playing video games.

How will it be achieved:

• Use taxation and other income redistribution levers to expand the proportion of middle-income citizens, boost incomes of the poor, "rationally adjust excessive incomes", and ban illegal incomes.
• High-income firms and individuals to contribute more to society via the so-called "third distribution", which refers to charity and donations.
• Several tech industry heavyweights have announced major charitable donations and support for disaster relief efforts.
• Online gaming giant Tencent Holdings has said it will spend 100 billion yuan ($15.47 billion) on common prosperity.
• Long-discussed reforms such as implementing property and inheritance taxes to tackle the wealth gap could gain new impetus, but policy insiders believe such changes are years off.
• Other measures would include improving public services and social safety net.

What will be the economic impact:

• Chinese leaders are likely to tread cautiously so as not to derail a private sector that has been a vital engine of growth and jobs, analysts said.
• The common prosperity goal may speed China's economic rebalancing towards consumption driven growth to reduce reliance on exports and investment, but policies could prove damaging to growth driven by the private sector, analysts say.
• Increasing incomes and improved public services, especially in rural areas, would be positive for consumption, and a better social safety net would lower precautionary savings.

• Hansa New Generation (NG) aircraft, designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore a constituent lab of CSIR,has successfully made its maiden flight
• The Prime Minister has congratulated Archer Harvinder Singh for winning the Bronze Medal at the Paralympics Games in Tokyo.
• Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar will lead a new Afghan government
• In a major discovery, footprints of three species of dinosaurs have been found in the Thar desert in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district, proving the presence of the giant reptiles in the western part of the State, which formed the seashore to the Tethys Ocean during the Mesozoic era.The footprints, made in the sediment or silt of the seashore, later became permanently stone-like.They belong to three species of dinosaurs — Eubrontes cf. giganteus, Eubrontes glenrosensis and Grallator tenuis