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  • Dolphins return to the Ganga

    dolphin

    Dolphins have started coming back to the Ganga with improvement in the quality of the river water made possible by the Namami Gange Programme.

    About Gangetic Dolphin

    • The Gangetic river system is home to a vast variety of aquatic life, including the Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica).
    • It is one of five species of river dolphin found around the world.
    • It is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems.
    • An adult dolphin could weigh between 70 kg and 90 kg. The breeding season of the Gangetic dolphin extends from January to June.
    • They feed on several species of fishes, invertebrates etc.

    Threats to Gangetic dolphins

    • The construction of dams and barrages and increasing pollution has led to a decline in the population of aquatic animals in the rivers in general and of dolphins in particular.
    • Aquatic life is an indicator of the health of river ecosystems.
    • As the Gangetic dolphin is at the top of the food chain, protecting the species and its habitat will ensure

    How are they conserved?

    • Although efforts to save them were started in the mid-1980s, the estimates suggest the numbers have not risen as a result.
    • The Gangetic dolphin remains listed as Endangered by the IUCN.
    • After the launch of Ganga Action Plan in 1985, the government on November 24, 1986, included Gangetic dolphins in the First Schedule of the Indian Wildlife (Protection), Act 1972.
    • This was aimed at checking hunting and providing conservation facilities such as wildlife sanctuaries.
    • For instance, Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuary was established in Bihar under this Act.
    • It has been recognized as National Aquatic Animal of India.

    Policy moves for conservation

    • The government had prepared The Conservation Action Plan for the Ganges River Dolphin 2010-2020.
    • The National Mission for Clean Ganga celebrates October 5 as National Ganga River Dolphin Day.
    • There is also Project Dolphin on the lines of Project Tiger, which has helped increase the tiger population.

     

    Try this PYQ:

    Which one of the following is the national aquatic animal of India?

    (a) Saltwater crocodile

    (b) Olive ridley turtle

    (c) Gangetic dolphin

    (d) Gharial

     

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  • GI in news: Kalanamak Rice

    kalanamak

    Kalanamak, a traditional variety of paddy is all set to get a new look and name.

    Kalanamak Rice

    • Kalanamak rice is a paddy with black husk and strong fragrance, which is considered a gift from Lord Buddha to the people of Sravasti when he visited the region after enlightenment,
    • It is grown in 11 districts of the Terai region of northeastern Uttar Pradesh and in Nepal.
    • The traditional Kalanamak rice is protected under the Geographical Indication (GI) tag
    • It’s recorded in the GI application that Lord Budhha gifted Kalanamak paddy to the people of Sravasti so that they remembered him by its fragrance.

    What is the upgrade?

    • The traditional paddy has been prone to ‘lodging’, a reason for its low yield.
    • Lodging is a condition in which the top of the plant becomes heavy because of grain formation, the stem becomes weak, and the plant falls on the ground.
    • Addressing the problem, the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) has successfully developed two dwarf varieties of Kalanamak rice.
    • They have been named Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638 and Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652.

    Back2Basics:  Geographical Indication

    • A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
    • Nodal Agency: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry
    • India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 w.e.f. September 2003.
    • GIs have been defined under Article 22 (1) of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
    • GI is granted for a term of 10 years in India. As of today, more than 300 GI tags has been allocated so far in India (*Wikipedia).
    • The tag stands valid for 10 years.

     

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  • Reframing the Guidelines of Capital Punishment

    Capital

    Context

    • CJI, Justice Lalit had displayed unique sensitivity to the plight of the condemned ‘death row prisoners’ in Anokhi Lal vs State of M.P. (2019), Irfan vs State of M.P., Manoj and Ors vs State of M.P. (May 2022) and impart corrections in the form of creative directions/guidelines.

    What is capital punishment?

    • Capital punishment, sometimes called death penalty, is execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law for a criminal offense.
    • It should be distinguished from extrajudicial executions carried out without due process of law.
    • The term death penalty is sometimes used interchangeably with capital punishment, though imposition of the penalty is not always followed by execution, because of the possibility of commutation to life imprisonment.

    Capital

    Background of capital punishment

    • Bachan Singh case: In Jagmohan Singh vs State of UP’ (1973), then in ‘Rajendra Prasad vs State of UP’ (1979), and finally in ‘Bachan Singh vs State of Punjab’ (1980) the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutional validity of the death penalty.
    • Punishment according to fair procedure: It said that if capital punishment is provided in the law and the procedure is a fair, just and reasonable one, the death sentence can be awarded to a convict.
    • Rarest of rare case: This will, however, only be in the “rarest of rare” cases, and the courts should render “special reasons” while sending a person to the gallows.

    What is “rarest of rare” case?

    • The principles of what would constitute the “rarest of rare” were laid down by the top court in the landmark judgment in ‘Bachan Singh’.
    • Two prime questions, the top court held, may be asked and answered:
    • First: is there something uncommon about the crime which renders the sentence of imprisonment for life inadequate and calls for a death sentence?
    • Second: are there circumstances of the crime such that there is no alternative but to impose the death sentence even after according to maximum weightage to the mitigating circumstances which speak in favor of the offenders?

    Why existing guidelines are problematic?

    • Arbitrary sentencing: There has long been a judicial crisis in death penalty sentencing on account of unprincipled sentencing, arbitrariness and worrying levels of subjectivity. The crisis has been acknowledged by the Supreme Court, the Law Commission of India, research scholars and civil society groups.
    • Crime-centric nature: Death penalty sentencing has been, by and large, crime-centric. This approach goes against the requirements imposed on sentencing judges by the Supreme Court in Bachan Singh (1980).
    • Nature of crime a dominant consideration: An important reason for the breakdown is that factors relating to the crime the nature of the crime and its brutality are often dominant considerations, and there is barely any consideration of mitigating factors.
    • Little discussion on mitigating factors: There has been very little discussion on bringing the socioeconomic profile of death row prisoners as a mitigating factor into the courtroom.

    capital

    What are new guidelines through recent judgement?

    • Considering Potential mitigating circumstances: The focus here is on reframing ‘Framing Guidelines Regarding Potential Mitigating Circumstances to be Considered While Imposing Death Sentences’, a decision authored by the three judge Bench (the current CJI and Justices Ravindra Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia, September 19, 2022).
    • Seeking remedies beyond Legislative and judicial limitation: Such a reference to a larger Bench would constitute yet another step in the direction of death penalty sentencing justice reform such as the legislative limitation flowing from Section 354(3) in the Code of Criminal Procedure; judicial limitation flowing from the ‘rarest of rare’ case; and ‘oral hearing’ after all the remedies to the condemned are exhausted.
    • Mitigating factors are important: Justice Ravindra Bhat did not stop at paying lip service to ‘rarest of rare’ case limitation, but also required the sentencing court to take the trouble of balancing the aggravating factors and mitigating factors, as per the full Bench ruling.
    • The following observations of the Court are significant: “It is also a fact that in all cases where imposition of capital sentence is a choice of sentence, aggravating circumstances would always be on record, and would be part of [the] prosecutor’s evidence, leading to conviction, whereas the accused can scarcely be expected to place mitigating circumstances on the record, for the reason that the stage for doing so is after conviction.
    • Granting real and meaningful opportunity: The three judge Bench decision seems to have gone beyond sentencing incongruities when it observes: “This court is of the opinion that it is necessary to have clarity in the matter to ensure a uniform approach on the question of granting real and meaningful opportunity, as opposed to formal hearing to the accused/convict on the issue of sentence.”

    Conclusion

    • Free, fair and transparent opportunity has been given to accused while awarding the death sentence. Supreme court of India has rightly laid down the guidelines through judgement for sentencing the capital punishment to prevent the arbitrary use and misuse of capital punishment.

    Mains Question

    Q. What are the issues with death penalty guidelines in India? What are the new guidelines by SC regarding capital punishment?

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  • PM calls for ‘One Nation, One Uniform’ for Police

    uniform

    Prime Minister has pitched the idea of “One Nation, One Uniform” for Indian police forces.

    One Nation One Uniform

    • PM urged that the identity of police across the country should be the same.
    • This suggestion is in line with his broader attempt to introduce a uniform set of policies across the country.

    How can this be achieved?

    • Law and order is a State Subject.
    • The Indian Constitution puts police forces under the jurisdiction of state governments, and each of the 28 states have their own police force.
    • Both ‘public order’ and the ‘police’ are placed in List II (State List) of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with the division of powers between the Union and States.
    • In the circumstances, it is unclear how the PM’s suggestion, if the government were to take it up seriously, might be implemented.

    Why such move?

    Ans. Inconsistencies in attire

    • While police personnel in India are often associated with the colour khaki, their uniforms do differ in varying degrees in different regions.
    • For example:
    1. Kolkata Police wear white uniforms
    2. Puducherry Police constables wear a bright red cap with their khaki uniforms
    3. Delhi Traffic Police personnel wear white and blue uniforms

    Changes in police uniforms

    Over the years, police departments of various states have made various attempts to reform uniforms for their personnel.

    • Maharashtra: In February 2018, in a bid to prevent colour variation in the uniform of its personnel, the Maharashtra police had decided to provide dope-dyed khaki fabric for its staff. Again, the Maharashtra DGP issued a circular discontinuing the practice of wearing a “tunic uniform” for officers from the rank of Police Sub Inspectors (PSI) to Deputy Superintendent (DySP).
    • Karnataka: In October 2018, the Karnataka Police announced that women personnel would no longer wear khaki saris, rather a khaki shirt and trousers while on duty. This would make it easier for policewomen to do their job and improve their effectiveness in dealing with crime.
    • New Delhi: The Delhi Police had asked the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to design fresh uniforms, with an immediate focus on clothing that would be more comfortable.

    Other such moves

    • In August this year, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers announced that it had implemented the “One Nation One Fertiliser” scheme.
    • The Centre in August 2019 had introduced the “One Nation One Ration Card” scheme.
    • PM has also repeatedly suggested the implementation of “One Nation, One Election”, and adopting a single voter list for all polls.

     

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  • What is Air Quality Index (AQI)?

     

    air

     

     

    Air Quality Index (AQI)

    • AQI measures how safe the air around you is for breathing. Organizations that report AQI measure the density of various pollutants in the air (such as PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, etc) at different monitoring stations.
    • The widely-used National Air Quality Index (NAQI) given by the Central Pollution Control Board is a 24-hour average.
    • Its unit is micrograms per cubic meter.
    • A particular amount of one pollutant may not be as harmful as the same amount of another pollutant.
    • So, each pollutant’s quantity in the air is adjusted to a common scale (say, 0 to 500) that works for all pollutants.
    • Finally, the pollutant with the worst sub-index determines the AQI for that time and location.

    What are NAAQ standards?

    • The mandate provided to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act empowers it to set standards for the quality of air.
    • Hence the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards were notified in November 2009 by the CPCB.
    • Prior to this, India had set Air Quality standards in 1994, and this was later revised in 1998.
    • The 2009 standards further lowered the maximum permissible limits for pollutants and made the standards uniform across the nation.
    • Earlier, less stringent standards were prescribed for industrial zones as compared to residential areas.

    Pollutants covered:

    • Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
    • Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2),
    • Particulate Matter (size less than 10 µm) or PM 10
    • Particulate Matter (size less than 2.5 µm) or PM2.5
    • Ozone (O3)
    • Carbon Monoxide (CO)
    • Ammonia (NH3)

    (Air Pollutants that most of us NEVER heard of)

    • Lead
    • Benzene (C6H6)
    • Benzo(a)Pyrene (BaP)
    • Arsenic(As)
    • Nickel (Ni)

    What are Initiatives taken by India for Controlling Air Pollution?

    • System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) Portal
    • Air Quality Index: AQI has been developed for eight pollutants viz. PM2.5, PM10, Ammonia, Lead, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide.
    • Graded Response Action Plan
    • For Reducing Vehicular Pollution: BS-VI Vehicles, Push for Electric Vehicles (EVs),Odd-Even Policy as an emergency measure
    • New Commission for Air Quality Management
    • Subsidy to farmers for buying Turbo Happy Seeder (THS) Machine

     

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  • Declining Funding to Welfare Schemes

    Context

    • Over the past three years, over 50% of existing central government sponsored schemes have been discontinued, subsumed, revamped or rationalized into other schemes. The impact has been varied across Ministries.

    Social welfare Schemes which are discontinued, subsumed or revamped

    • Schemes under Ministry of women and child development: There are just three schemes now out of 19 schemes, i.e., Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya, Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. Mission Shakti itself replaced 14 schemes which included the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme.
    • Schemes under Ministry of animal husbandry and dairy: Just two schemes remain out of 12. Additionally, the Ministry has ended three schemes which include Dairying through Cooperatives, National Dairy Plan II, etc.
    • Schemes under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare: There are now three out of 20 (Krishonnati Yojana, Integrated Scheme on Agricultural Cooperatives and the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana), while there is little information on the National Project on Organic Farming or the National Agroforestry Policy.

    Government spending on fertilizers

    • Declining fertilizer subsidies: Subsidies having been in decline over the last few years; actual government spending on fertilizers in FY2021 reached ₹1,27,921 crore. In the FY2122 Budget, the allocation was ₹79,529 crore (later revised to ₹1,40,122 crore amidst the COVID19 pandemic). In the FY2223 Budget, the allocation was ₹1,05,222 crore.
    • Price rise in NPK fertilizers: Allocation for NPK fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) was 35% lower than revised estimates in FY2122. Such budgetary cuts, when fertilizer prices have risen sharply after the Ukraine war, have led to fertilizer shortages and farmer anguish.

    The status of other important schemes

    • Reduced budget of MGNREGA: The allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) went down by approximately 25% in the FY2223 Budget earlier this year, with the allocated budget at ₹73,000 crore when compared to the FY21-22 revised estimates of ₹98,000 crore. The Economic Survey 2022-23 has highlighted that demand for the scheme was higher than pre-pandemic levels as rural distress continues. Anecdotal cases show that actual funding disbursal for MGNREGA has often been delayed, leading to a decline in confidence in the scheme.
    • The Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan: The GKRAY (June 2020, for a period of 125 days) sought to provide immediate employment and livelihood opportunities to the rural poor; approximately 50.78 crore person days of employment were provided at an expenditure of approximately ₹39,293 crore (against an announced budget of ₹50,000 crore, Ministry for Rural Development). The scheme subsumed 15 other schemes. With between 60 million to 100 million migrant workers who seek informal jobs, such a scheme should have been expanded.
    • Delayed payments for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA): ASHA, who are the first responders, there have been delays in salaries for up to six months. Regularisation of their jobs continues to be a struggle, with wages and honorariums stuck at minimum levels. There is one more example. Biodiversity has also been ignored.
    • Less funding or wildlife habitat development: Funding under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has declined: from ₹165 crore (FY18-19), to ₹124.5 crore (FY19-20), to ₹87.6 crore (FY2021). Allocations for Project Tiger have been slashed ₹323 crore (FY18-19) to ₹194.5 crore (FY20-21). A pertinent question is about meeting climate change obligations in the face of funding cuts.

    What are the reasons behind slashing of Funds?

    • Funds lying idle: There are challenges such as funding cuts, disbursement and utilization of funds. As of June 2022, ₹1.2 lakh crore of funds meant for central government sponsored schemes are with banks which earn interest income for the Centre.
    • Some of the unutilized funds: For instance, the Nirbhaya fund (2013) with its focus on funding projects to improve the public safety of women in public spaces and encourage their participation in economic and social activities is an interesting case; ₹1,000 crore was allocated to the fund annually (2013-16), and remained largely unspent. As of FY2122, approximately ₹6,214 crore was allocated to the Nirbhaya fund since its launch, but only ₹4,138 crore was disbursed. Of this, just ₹2,922 crore was utilised; ₹660 crore was disbursed to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, but only ₹181 crore was utilised as of July 2021.

    Various reasons for corruption in implementation of welfare programmes:

    1. Lack of scrutiny: Government schemes are meant to implement at local level. Lack of effective scrutiny through timely inspections, audits lead to unaccountability and gross mismanagement of funds.
    2. Lack of awareness: Due to illiteracy and unawareness of various government schemes and its provisions lead to corruption. False beneficiaries, fake documents are used to misuse funds meant for the benefit of schemes.
    3. Weak enforcement of laws: Weak enforcement of laws for punishing corrupt has led to a sense of fearlessness among corrupts. India’s anti-corruption law has failed to punish the corrupt and instil fears regarding corruption.
    4. Political inaction: Most of the time, officials involved in corruption have political backing. Many times politicians or their family members are involved in corruption. Thus, any effort to punish the culprit goes in vain due to political interference.
    5. Centralised administration: The welfare bureaucracy is deeply centralised that comes at the cost of building a local government system that is genuinely responsive to citizen needs.
    6. Judicial delays: Judiciary in India is overburdened. A case of corruption drags for years. In the meantime, the culprit is able to destroy the evidence against him and influence the judiciary.
    7. Weak local governance: Local governance is must for effective implementation of welfare programmes. Due to absence of strong Panchayats and lack of effective local scrutiny the programmes are used as an opportunity for corruption.

    What should be the way forward?

    • State should get more funding for welfare: Rather than downsizing government schemes and cutting funding, one should right size the government. After the Goods and Services Tax reform, the Centre-State relationship has been transformed, with fiscal firepower skewed towards the Centre.
    • Need of efficient civil services: Our public services require more doctors, teachers, engineers and fewer data entry clerks. We need to build capacity for an efficient civil service to meet today’s challenges, i.e., providing a corruption free welfare system, running a modern economy and providing better public goods.
    • Making public service delivery effective: Rather than having a target of fewer government schemes, we should raise our aspirations towards better public service delivery.

    Conclusion

    • Welfare schemes are absolutely necessary where large population still lives under poverty. Inflation and unemployment further exacerbate the problem. Rather than reduction or cutting the funds government should rationalize the spending on welfare schemes.

    Mains Question

    Why is there continuous decline in spending on various welfare schemes? How can government rationalize its spending on welfare schemes?

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  • Back in news: Gilgit-Baltistan

    gilgit

    Defence Minister has said that the mission of full integration of Jammu & Kashmir that started on August 5, 2019 will be complete when Gilgit-Baltistan and areas of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) will reunite with India.

    Gilgit-Baltistan: How Pakistan occupied it?

    • During the first Indo-Pak war of October 1947, Pakistan occupied 78,114 sq. km of the land of Jammu and Kashmir, including the ‘Northern Areas’.
    • The Northern Areas is the other name of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) that Pakistan has used for administrative reasons because it was a disputed territory.
    • In 2020, it became the fifth State of Pakistan after Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    GB through history

    • The political nature of Gilgit-Baltistan has been directionless from the beginning.
    • Pakistan initially governed the region directly from the central authority after it was separated from ‘Azad Jammu and Kashmir’ on April 28, 1949.
    • On March 2, 1963, Pakistan gave away 5,180 sq km of the region to China, despite local protests.
    • Under PM Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the name of the region was changed to the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA).
    • Pakistan passed the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Order in 2009, which granted “self-rule” to the ‘Northern Areas’.

    Its geographical features

    • It is home to K-2, the second-tallest mountain in the world.
    • Tourism remains restricted by many factors, including military hostility, though the region has some of ancient Buddhist sculptures and rock edicts.
    • It is also home to an old Shia community, which often finds itself subjected to persecution in Pakistan’s urban centers.
    • At present, a Governor and an elected Chief Minister rule the region, which is divided into Gilgit, Skardu, Diamer, Astore, Ghanche, Ghizer and Hunza-Nagar.

    Geographic significance of the region

    • Geographic tri-junction of Himalaya, Hindu Kush and Pamir, GB possesses the most startling views of natural beauty.
    • Apart from several high-altitude lakes, the region is also home to three of world’s longest glaciers outside of the polar region, including the world’s highest war field, the Siachen glacier.

    Strategic importance of GB

    • GB is home to some of the world’s most important and contentious strategic points capable of creating unremitting wars.
    • The region holds extreme volatility and if gets subjected to desuetude can cause a ruckus in the entire regions of South Asia, Central Asia and China, ultimately affecting the entire world.
    • The mountain province consists of 3 core divisions: Gilgit, Baltistan and Diamer.
    • This region is further divided into 10 districts along with its Shaksgam valley – which was gifted to China by occupier Pakistan in 1963 border agreement – of 5,180 square km.

    Economic Potential

    • Home to valuable earthy resources, GB is rich in mineral deposits.
    • These include metallic, non-metallic, energy minerals, precious stones and different rocks of industrial use.
    • The southern areas of this region have substantial deposits of nickel, lead, copper and zircon.
    • In its northern regions, it contains deposits of iron, silver, gold, garnet and topaz.
    • Almost all of its mining potential is untapped and capable of generating ample wealth.

    Chinese vested interest

    • Gilgit-Baltistan is important for China as it is the gateway for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
    • Significantly, the ongoing stand-off with China at the LAC in Eastern Ladakh has a Gilgit-Baltistan connection.
    • The Darbuk-Shyok-DBO road of India is viewed as a tactical roadway to access the Karakoram Pass, which provides China crucial access to Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan.

    Why should India reclaim GB?

    • Gilgit Baltistan is an integral part of Indian Territory illegally occupied by Pakistan.
    • It is the key to the destruction of Chinese influence in South Asia; the string of China-Pakistan’s pearl necklace and also the Brahmastra for India against China.
    • India controlling GB can turn out to be the worst nightmare for China and eventually for Pakistan

    Can India take back the BG/POK?

    • India can certainly get back POK, Gilgit-Baltistan as all of that territory belongs to India.
    • However, military use could trigger a nuclear response from Pakistan as the trigger is in the hands of terrorists and the army.
    • Diplomatic channels are another option but it will take too much time.
    • Pakistan now is appearing to destabilize all way worse than Sri Lanka did. It might collapse some day in near future.

     

    Try this PYQ:

    If you travel through the Himalayas, you are likely to see which of the following plants naturally growing there?

    1. Oak
    2. Rhododendron
    3. Sandalwood

    Select the correct option using the code given below:

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”0c573rp1c2″ question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

     

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  • What is the News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA)?

    The NBDSA has fined the news channel for turning a news debate on hijab into a “communal issue” and not adhering to guidelines.

    What is the News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA)?

    • The NBDSA is a self-regulatory agency set up by news and digital broadcasters.
    • It is an independent body set up by the News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA), which serves as a representative of private television news, current affairs and digital broadcasters.
    • It describes itself as “the collective voice of the news, current affairs and digital broadcasters in India.”
    • Funded entirely by its members, the NBDA has 26 news and current affairs broadcasters (comprising 119 news and current affairs channels) as its members.
    • Various senior members of Indian media organisations serve on its Board of Directors.

    Composition of the NBDSA

    • The body includes a Chairperson who is to be an eminent jurist, and other members such as news editors, and those experienced in the field of law, education, literature, public administration, etc.
    • They are to be nominated by a majority of the Board.
    • Former Supreme Court judge and jurist AK Sikri is currently serving as the Chairperson.

    Functioning of NBDSA

    • Within this structure, it lays-down and foster high standards, ethics and practices in news broadcasting, including entertaining and deciding complaints against or in respect of broadcasters.
    • These standards mention a focus on objectivity, impartiality, maintaining discretion when reporting on crime against women and children, not endangering national security, etc.

    Powers and authorities

    • NBDSA may initiate proceedings on its own and issue notice or take action in respect to any matter which falls within its regulations.
    • This can also be through complaints referred to the Authority by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting or any other governmental body, or by anyone else via its website.
    • A “two-tier” procedure is in place for redressing grievances, where any person aggrieved by the content of any broadcast is required to first make a complaint to the concerned broadcaster and then the Authority if dissatisfied.

    Why was the channel fined?

    • The NBDSA held that the programme was in violation of the principles relating to impartiality, neutrality, fairness and good taste and decency.
    • It said that it did not have any problem with the subject but with the narrative of the debate.

     

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  • Two Lakshadweep beaches get Blue Flag Certification

    blue

    The globally recognised and coveted international eco-label ‘Blue Flag’ has been accorded to two new Indian beaches — Minicoy Thundi Beach and Kadmat Beach, both in Lakshadweep.

    What is Blue Flag?

    • The Blue Flag is an exclusive eco-label or certification that is given to coastal locations around the world as a badge of environmental honour.
    • The programme is run by the Copenhagen, Denmark-headquartered Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), a non-profit organization.
    • It seeks to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
    • It started in France in 1985 and has been implemented in Europe since 1987, and in areas outside Europe since 2001 when South Africa joined.
    • Certification is awarded annually. A total 5,042 beaches, marinas, and tourism boats in 48 countries have been awarded the label so far.

    Criteria for certification

    It has 33 stringent criteria under four major heads for the beaches, that is-

    1. Environmental Education and Information
    2. Bathing Water Quality
    3. Environment Management and Conservation and
    4. Safety and Services

    Total blue beaches in India

    India now has 12 blue beaches. The other 10 Indian beaches on the list, according to the FEE site, are-

    1. Shivrajpur in Gujarat’s Devbhumi Dwarka district
    2. Ghogla beach in Diu
    3. Kasarkod (Uttara Kannada) and
    4. Padubidri (Udupi) in Karnataka;
    5. Kappad (Kozhikode) in Kerala
    6. Eden beach in Puducherry
    7. Kovalam (Chennai) in Tamil Nadu
    8. Rushikonda (Visakhapatnam) in Andhra Pradesh
    9. Golden beach in Puri, Odisha; and
    10. Radhanagar Swarajdeep in Andaman and Nicobar

    About the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)

    • The FEE is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.
    • It was founded in 1981 as the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE).
    • Currently, it has 77 member countries.

    Its other programmes include:

    • Green Key
    • Eco Schools
    • Young Reporters for the Environment
    • Learning about Forests
    • Global Forest Fund

     

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  • India’s first indigenous Overhauser Magnetometer

    magnet

    Indian scientists have developed an indigenous Overhauser Magnetometer, one of the most accurate magnetometers extensively used by all magnetic observatories around the world.

    What are Overhauser Magnetometers?

    • A magnetometer is a scientific instrument used to measure the strength and direction of the magnetic field.
    • OVH magnetometers are known for their higher accuracy, higher sensitivity, and efficient power consumption.
    • They find applications in all magnetic observatories worldwide as well as in international space programs.
    • It has so far been imported for such purposes in India.

    Feats achieved

    • The performance of this indigenously made magnetometer is at par with a commercial OVH sensor that is currently installed at the magnetic observatories of IIG.
    • The Indian OVH sensor reproduced the geomagnetic diurnal variations accurately and precisely.
    • It showed the signatures of various space weather events such as geomagnetic storms, sudden impulses, etc.
    • It would also be of potential help to develop a sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instrument.

    Benefits of OVH magnetometers

    • OVH magnetometers reduce the cost of sampling and sensing experiments essential for geomagnetic sampling.
    • It can reduce India’s dependence on commercial OVH magnetometers for performing geomagnetic field measurements.

     

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