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  • In news: Etikoppaka Toy Craft

    etikoppaka

    The Union conferred Padma Shri to Mr. Raju in the art category as an honour to the Etikoppaka wooden toy craft.

    Etikoppaka Toys

    • Etikoppaka is a small village on the banks of Varaha River at a distance of 64 Kms away from the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.
    • The name Etikoppaka is synonymous with beautiful wooden artifacts and lacquer colours.
    • The toys are made with lacquer color and are traditionally known as Etikoppaka toys or Etikoppaka Bommalu.
    • The village is very famous for its toys made of wood. The toys are also called as lacquer toys because of application of lacquer coating.
    • Etikoppaka Toys have obtained their GI tag under the Handicrafts category in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

    How are they made?

    • The toys are made out of wood and are coloured with natural dyes derived from seeds, lacquer, bark, roots and leaves.
    • The wood used to make the toys is soft in nature and the art of toy making is also known as Turned wood Lacquer craft.
    • While making the Etikoppaka toys, lac, a colourless resinous secretion of numerous insects, is used.
    • The already prepared vegetable dyes are further mixed to the lac, during the process of oxidation.
    • After this process, the end product obtained is rich and colored lacquer.
    • The lac dye is used for decorating the Etikoppaka toys, which are exported all over the world.

     

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  • What ails the Ken-Betwa River Link Project?

    ken-betwa

    The Steering Committee of the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) held its third meeting in New Delhi.

    What is the Ken Betwa Link Project?

    • The Ken-Betwa Link Project is the first project under the National Perspective Plan for the interlinking of rivers.
    • Under this project, water from the Ken River will be transferred to the Betwa river.
    • Both these rivers are tributaries of the river Yamuna.

    The Project has two phases:

    • Under Phase-I, one of the components — Daudhan dam complex and its appurtenances like Low Level Tunnel, High Level Tunnel, Ken-Betwa link canal and Power houses — will be completed.
    • While in the Phase-II, three components — Lower Orr dam, Bina complex project and Kotha barrage — will be constructed.

    Utility of the Project

    • Irrigation: The project is slated to irrigate 10.62 lakh hectares annually, provide drinking water supply to 62 lakh people and generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power.
    • Water supply: The project will be of immense benefit to the water-starved Bundelkhand region, spread across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
    • Agricultural boost: The project is expected to boost socio-economic prosperity in the backward Bundelkhand region on account of increased agricultural activities and employment generation.
    • Addressing Rural Distress: It would also help in arresting distress migration from this region.

    Ecological issues with the project

    • The government’s plan is based on a ‘surplus and deficit’ model that have little basis in science.
    • There may not even be enough water in the Ken, a non-perennial river, to meet the projected needs of the Betwa – forget the needs of the Bundelkhand region.
    • UP and MP could not agree on how water would be shared, particularly in the non-monsoonal months.
    • The project plans to create a high reservoir-dam on the Ken River in the Panna National Park and Tiger Reserve for the KBLP.
    • Downstream of the national park lies the Ken Gharial Sanctuary, created to protect the critically endangered Gangetic gharial (Gavialis gangeticus).

    What are the legal problems?

    • Approval by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife to the Ken-Betwa link Project has not been proved.
    • This is necessary for the improvement and better management of the wildlife therein as provided in Section 35(6) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

    Issues with the projects

    • Migration: It will lead to massive displacement of people
    • Topography change: Since the Ganga basin topography is flat, building dams would not substantially add to river flows.
    • Inundation: The transfer of such enormous amounts of water will inundate forests and land for reservoirs.
    • Seismic hazards: The weight of billions of liters of water can have seismic implications in the Himalayan region.
    • Financial expense: River inter-linking is an expensive business from building the link canals to the monitoring and maintenance of infrastructure.
    • Political will: Implementation of the project not only needs a huge financial capital but also political support both is scarce commodities as of now.
    • Consensus building for land acquisition: Another important issue is building consensus among states and Land acquisition.
    • Ecological feasibility: Once the project is implemented it would lead to large-scale displacement of people and animals.

    Criticisms of such projects

    • Bad Science: Such projects are built on bad science and an outdated understanding of water systems and water management.
    • Human determinism: Such projects go in contravention with natural process thereby generating more scope for threat than any opportunity.

    Way forward

    • Due diligence: Expert scrutiny during the project-approval stage are cornerstones of sound environmental governance.
    • Independent hydrological study: of these rivers is necessary.

    Conclusion

    • No developmental project should destroy the ecology of remnant fragile ecosystems and an important tiger habitat in the country.
    • Destructive impact of the proposed dam on the flow of water into and outside of this sanctuary should be immediately clear, as also its violation of the requirement under the Act for a sanctuary

     

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  • Green Comet appears close to Earth after 50,000 years

    comet

    The rare green comet that last came to Earth about 50,000 years ago has returned to the skies of Earth. C/2022 E3 (ZTF) can be seen with the naked eye if the conditions in the sky are just right.

    What are Comets?

    • Comets are frozen rocky or gas-filled objects that are remnants of the formation of the solar system.
    • Due to their composition, characteristics and the path they move in, they tend to leave a light “behind them”.
    • Here, the comet itself is green (called the head of the comet) and emits a whitish light behind it (often called the tail of the comet).
    • Just like other bodies in space, comets also have orbits.
    • They are sometimes pulled in close to the sun because of the sun’s gravity acting on them.
    • As they orbit near the Sun, they heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a planet.
    • The remains of dust following this burning up, from a distance, look like a trail of light to humans on Earth.

    What is Green Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)?

    • Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was first discovered in March last year by the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility when it was already inside the orbit of Jupiter.
    • While it was initially believed to be an asteroid, it began developing a tail as the Sun’s influence began vapourising the ice.
    • At the time of its discovery, it was shining with a magnitude of 17.3.

    Why is it green in colour?

    • Comets have often been seen giving out blue or whitish light, or even green.
    • In this case, the green glow “is thought to arise from the presence of diatomic carbon – pairs of carbon atoms that are bound together – in the head of the comet.
    • The molecule emits green light when excited by the ultraviolet rays in solar radiation.

    When and where can the green comet be seen?

    • Observers in the Northern Hemisphere will find the comet in the morning sky, as it moves swiftly toward the northwest during January.
    • It’ll become visible in the Southern Hemisphere in early February.
    • In Indian skies, when looking in the northwest direction, one might spot it 16° above the horizon in the Bootes constellation.
    • But with lights from buildings and streetlights on, it can be difficult to make it out without equipment.

    Is the green comet rare?      

    • It last came in the skies above Earth during the Upper Paleolithic period, a time when Neanderthals roamed the planet and early homo sapiens had just come around.
    • Coming under the category of long-period comets, which take more than 200 years to orbit the Sun, the green comet is not easily spotted.
    • With a highly elliptical orbit, the comet will head back to the Oort cloud and make its next appearance roughly 50,000 years later.
    • But given their orbits, it’s not unique for comets to reappear close to Earth only after many, many years.

     

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  • Norovirus Cases detected in Kerala

    norovirus

    The Kerala Health Department confirmed two cases of the gastrointestinal infection norovirus in class 1 students in Ernakulam district.

    What is Norovirus?

    • Norovirus is an important cause of acute non-bacterial gastroenteritis in children as well as adults worldwide.
    • It leads to diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal pain. Being a diarrhoeal disease, it can lead to dehydration, so drinking plenty of fluids is recommended.
    • The virus was first discovered in connection with an outbreak of acute diarrhoeal disease in Norwalk, Ohio, in 1968 and was called the Norwalk Virus.
    • Later, several stomach flu viruses closely linked to the Norwalk virus were found and together, these are now called Noroviruses.
    • Many stomach flu outbreaks typically in cruise ships have been traced to NoV.

    How deadly is this?

    • Norovirus is not new; it has been circulating among humans for over 50 years and is thought to be one of the primary causes of gastroenteritis.
    • The virus is estimated to kill 200,000 persons globally every year, with most deaths occurring among those below the age of five years and those over the age of 65 years.
    • The virus is capable of surviving low temperatures, and outbreaks tend to be more common during the winter and in colder countries — that is why it is sometimes referred to as “winter vomiting disease”.

    What is the incidence of infection in India?

    • Cases of norovirus are not as common in India as in many other places — at the same time.
    • The infection has been reported in previous years as well, mainly from Southern India, and especially from Kerala.
    • A 2021 study from Hyderabad reported that norovirus was detected in 10.3% samples of children who came in with acute gastroenteritis.

    Can norovirus infection cause a large-scale outbreak?

    • Even though more cases of norovirus are being detected, experts say that this is unlikely to lead to a large-scale outbreak.
    • There is no epidemiological study to co-relate of these cases.

     

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  • Species in news: Olive Ridley Turtles

    olive

    Hundreds of vulnerable Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) have washed ashore along the coastline between Kakinada and Antarvedi in the Godavari region during the ongoing annual breeding season on the east coast.

    Why in news?

    • The wastewater from the aqua ponds is also being released into the sea.
    • This is suspected to be one of the reasons for the mortality of turtles

    Olive Ridley Turtles

    • The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a medium-sized species of sea turtle found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
    • In the Indian Ocean, the majority of olive ridleys nest in two or three large groups at Rushikulya rookery near Gahirmatha in Odisha.
    • The coast of Odisha in India is the largest mass nesting site for the olive ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.
    • The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1 in CITES, and Schedule 1 in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

    Special feature: Mass nesting

    • They are best known for their behavior of synchronized nesting in mass numbers, termed Arribadas.
    • Interestingly, females return to the very same beach from where they first hatched, to lay their eggs.
    • They lay their eggs in conical nests about one and a half feet deep which they laboriously dig with their hind flippers.
    • They hatch in 45 to 60 days, depending on the temperature of the sand and atmosphere during the incubation period.

     

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  • Lay-off Indian techies scrambling for options to stay in US

    Thousands of Indian IT professionals in the US, who have lost their jobs due to the series of recent layoffs at companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon, are now struggling to find new employment within the stipulated period under their work visas.

    Recent layoff is US

    • Nearly 200,000 IT workers have been laid off since November last year, including some record numbers in companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon.
    • As per some industry insiders, between 30 to 40 per cent of them are Indian IT professionals, a significant number of whom are on H-1B and L1 visas.

    What one means by Lay-Off?

    • A layoff is the temporary or permanent termination of employment by an employer for reasons unrelated to the employee’s performance.
    • Employees may be laid off when companies aim to cut costs, due to a decline in demand for their products or services, seasonal closure, or during an economic downturn.
    • When laid off, employees lose all wages and company benefits but qualify for unemployment insurance or compensation (typically in USA).

    Why do companies resort to layoffs?

    • Cost reduction: One of the main reasons why workers get laid off is because the company decides to cut back on costs in some way. The need can arise from the fact that the company is not making enough profits to cover its expenses or because it needs substantial extra cash to address paying off debt.
    • Staffing redundancies: Layoffs also occur when a company needs to eliminate some positions due to over-staffing, outsourcing, or a modification to the roles.  A company may want to eliminate redundant positions in order to make its operations more efficient.
    • Relocation: Moving the company’s operations from one area to another can also bring about the need to let go of some workers. Shutting down the initial location will not only affect the workers who get laid off but the surrounding community’s economy as well.
    • Merger or buyout: If a business is bought out or decides to merge with another, the change might lead to a change in the company’s leadership and corporate direction. If there’s new management, the chances are that they’ll come up with new goals and plans, and this can lead to layoffs.

    Immediate triggers of Lay-Off

    • Pandemic Boom: During the pandemic, there was a surge in demand as people were in lockdown and they were spending a lot of time on the internet. The overall consumption saw an upsurge following which the companies went to increase their output to meet the market requirements.
    • Over hiring during pandemic: In order to meet the demands, many tech companies went on a hiring spree anticipating the boom to continue even after the pandemic. However, as the curbs were eased and people started stepping out of their homes, consumption fell, resulting in heavy losses to these big tech companies. Some of these resources were hired at a higher cost because of the sudden upsurge in demand.
    • Fear of recession: As the demand is coming back to pre-Covid levels and seeing the debt bubble almost about to burst and fearing recession, these companies are cutting down their costs by closing down low-performing projects and laying off the excess and high-cost resources they hired to accelerate growth.
    • Russia-Ukraine War: The war has also contributed to these layoffs as it has made the market more volatile. This is clearly visible from stock market volatility.
    • Inflation: Rising inflation has also impacted several world economies severely leading to a crisis in the job market as well. The world is currently hitting a reset button to overcome all these ups and downs.

    Various US Visa Programs

    1) H-1B visa

    • What is it: The H-1B visa category covers individuals who “work in a speciality occupation, engage in cooperative research and development projects administered by the US Department of Defense or are fashion models that have national or international acclaim and recognition.”
    • Who’s covered: The H-1B is most well known as a visa for skilled tech workers, but other industries, like health care and the media, also use these visas.

    2) H-2B visa

    • What it is: According to USCIS, the H-2B program allows US employers or agents “to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs.”
    • Who’s covered: They generally apply to seasonal workers in industries like landscaping, forestry, hospitality and construction.

    3) J-1 visa

    • What it is: The J-1 visa is an exchange visitor visa for individuals approved to participate in work-and-study-based exchange visitor programs in the United States.

      Who’s covered:       The impacted people include interns, trainees, teachers, camp counsellors, au pairs and participants in summer work travel programs.

    4) L-1 visa

    • What it is: The L1 Visa is reserved for managerial or executive professionals transferring to the US from within the same company, or a subsidiary of it. The L1 Visa can also be used for a foreign company opening up US operations.
    • Who’s covered: Within the L1 Visa, there are two subsidiary types of visas
    1. L1A visa for managers and executives.
    2. L1B visa for those with specialized knowledge.

    Why these matters?

    • A significantly large number of Indian IT professionals, who are on non-immigrant work visas like H-1B are L1.
    • They are now scrambling for options to stay in the US to find a new job in the stipulated few months’ time that they get under these foreign work visas after losing their jobs and change their visa status as well.

    Impacts of Lay-offs

    • Cut-throat market competition: Layoffs are a painful but expected fact of life in a market economy exposed to competition and trade.
    • Immense loss to the workers: Layoffs can be damaging psychologically as well as financially to the affected workers as well as their families, communities, colleagues, and other businesses.
    • Decreased customer loyalty: When a company lays off its employees it sends out a message to customers that it is undergoing some sort of crisis.
    • Emotional Distress: The person who is laid off suffers the most distress, but remaining employees suffer emotionally as well. The productivity level of employees who work in fear is likely to go down.

    Lessons for India

    • Indian startups grew at a notoriously faster pace than its neighboring regions.
    • But the layoffs are a sobering reminder that the bigger the startups became, the harder they fell.
    • Just because a startup had touched a sky-high valuation did not immediately mean its employees’ jobs were insured.

    Way forward

    • Voluntary retirement program: This enables individuals to transition to retirement smoothly.
    • Cut back on the extras: If a company is laying off workers to reduce costs, it can look for other avenues of saving money. For example, the company managers can freeze additional hiring, reduce or remove bonuses.
    • Consider a virtual office: Another way to cut down on costs is to keep only the most important staff onsite and send the rest of the workers home to work remotely.
    • Offer more unpaid time off: A company owner can also save money by offering more unpaid time off rather than eliminating workers’ positions.

     

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  • Bimodal Nuclear Propulsion can send missions to Mars in 45 days

    nuclear

    NASA is planning to send mission to Mars in 45 days using the Bimodal Nuclear Propulsion.

    Bimodal Nuclear Propulsion: What is it?

    • NASA relaunched its program to develop bimodal nuclear propulsion a few years ago. Bimodal nuclear propulsion is a two-part system that includes an NTP and NEP element.
    • This system is expected to enable transits to Mars in 100 days.
    • In 2023, the US space agency started a new program named NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) and has selected a nuclear concept for Phase I development.
    • This new bimodal nuclear propulsion system will use a “wave rotor topping cycle” that may reduce transit times to Mars to 45 days.

    How will nuclear propulsion work?

    • Nuclear propulsion is based on two concepts Nuclear-Thermal Propulsion (NTP) and Nuclear-Electric Propulsion (NEP).
    • The NTP system includes a nuclear reactor that will heat liquid hydrogen (LH2) propellant and turn it into ionised hydrogen gas (plasma) that will then be channelled through nozzles to generate thrust.
    • NEP depends on a nuclear reactor to provide electricity to a Hall-Effect thruster (ion engine).
    • It will generate an electromagnetic field that will ionise and accelerate an inert gas (for example xenon) to create thrust.

    Benefits offered

    • Nuclear propulsions have major advantages over conventional chemical propulsion.
    • These benefits include fuel efficiency, a higher specific impulse rating and unlimited energy density (virtually).
    • NEP’s advantage over NTP and conventional chemical propulsion systems is that it offers more than 10,000 seconds of Specific impulse (ISP).
    • ISP is a measure of how efficiently a reaction mass engine (a rocket using propellant or a jet engine using fuel) creates thrust.

    Benefits for manned missions

    • A crewed mission to Mars based on conventional propulsion technology may last up to three years.
    • However, A transit time of 45 days will reduce the overall mission time to months instead of years.
    • This will drastically reduce the major risks associated with missions to Mars which include – radiation exposure, the time spent in microgravity and related health concerns.

    Limitations of these nuclear propulsion systems

    • This means NEP systems can maintain thrust for close to three hours.
    • However, the thrust level is lower compared to conventional rockets and NTP systems.
    • In outer space, the thermal energy conversion rate is just 30-40% under ideal circumstances.

     

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  • INS Vagir commissioned into the Indian Navy

    ins vagir

    The fifth Scorpene class conventional submarine was commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS Vagir.

    INS Vagir

    • The latest submarine gets its name from the erstwhile Vagir, a submarine that served the Navy between 1973 and 2001 and undertook numerous operational missions.
    • The construction of the new Vagir began in 2009 and it took its maiden sea sortie in February last year.
    • Also known as Sand Shark, the submarine was delivered to the Indian Navy in December 2022.

    Class: Kalvari

    • In maritime parlance, a class of ships is a group of vessels which have the same make, purpose and displacement.
    • Vagir is a Kalvari-class submarine, which includes other vessels, such as the INS Kalvari, INS Khanderi, INS Karanj, INS Vela and INS Vagsheer.
    • Of these, Kalvari and Khanderi were commissioned in 2017 and 2019, and Vela and Karanj were inducted in 2021.
    • Vagir has now been commissioned and Vagsheer was launched in 2022 and is expected to be inducted next year.
    • The submarines in the current Kalvari-class take their names from erstwhile decommissioned classes of submarines named Kalvari, which included Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj and Vela classes — comprising Vela, Vagir, Vagshir.

    Capabilities and technical details of INS Vagir

    • The Kalavari class of submarines have an estimated endurance of approximately 50 days.
    • They also have the capability of operating in a wide range of Naval combat including anti-warship and anti-submarine operations, intelligence gathering and surveillance and naval mine laying.
    • These submarines are around 220 feet long and have a height of 40 feet. It can reach the highest speeds of 11 knots (20 km/h) when surfaced and 20 knots (37 km/h) when submerged.
    • The modern variants of the Scorpene class of submarines have what is called Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) which enables non-nuclear submarines to operate for a long time without access to surface oxygen.

    Strategic importance

    • Currently, India has less number of submarines than what is required with some more of those from both types being at various stages of construction.
    • India operates one submarine in the nuclear-powered class of Chakra and two other nuclear-powered vessels in Arihant.
    • There are in addition to submarines belonging to three classes of Diesel Electric category — Kalvari, Shishumar and Sindhughosh, some of which are ageing.
    • The nuclear-powered and diesel-electric submarines have their designated roles in the Carrier Battle Groups, which are formations of ships and submarines with Aircraft Carriers in the lead role.
    • As per the basic principles of submarine deployment and minimum requirement for India to create a strategic deterrence, there is a specific number of submarines of both types that India needs to have in active service.

     

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  • PM named 21 Andaman Islands after Param Vir Chakra recipients

    param vir chakra

    Prime Minister named 21 largest unnamed islands of Andaman & Nicobar Islands after India’s 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees.

    Note: Earlier, Ross Island was renamed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep by the Prime Minister during his visit to the Island in 2018. Neil Island and Havelock Island were also renamed Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep.

    Here’s the full list of 21 islands renamed after Param Vir Chakra awardees:

    1. Dhan Singh Island after Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Dhan Singh Thapa
    2. Tarapore Island after Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore
    3. Karam Singh Island after Lance Naik (Hony. Captain) Karam Singh
    4. Bana Island after Naib Subedar Bana Singh
    5. Ekka Island after Lance Naik Albert Ekka
    6. Khetrapal Island after 2nd Lt Arun Khetrapal
    7. Pandey Island after Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey
    8. Hoshiar Island after Major Hoshiar Singh
    9. Shaitan Island after Major Shaitan Singh
    10. Jadunath Island after Nayak Jadunath Singh
    11. Yogender Island after Subedar Major (Hony. Captain) Yogendra Singh Yadav
    12. Hamid Island after Company Quartermaster Havildar (CQMH) Abdul Hamid
    13. Rane Island after 2nd Lt Rama Raghoba Rane
    14. Ramaswamy Island after Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran
    15. Batra Island after Captain Vikram Batra
    16. Joginder Island after Subedar Joginder Singh
    17. Salaria Island after Captain G S Salaria (then Major)
    18. Piru Island after Company Havildar Major Piru Singh
    19. Somnath Island after Major Somnath Sharma
    20. Sekhon Island after Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon
    21. Sanjay Island after Subedar Major (then Rifleman) Sanjay Kumar

    About Param Vir Chakra (PVC)

    • The PVC is India’s highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime.
    • Till now, the medal has been awarded 21 times, of which 14 were posthumous and 16 arose from actions in Indo-Pakistani conflicts.
    • Of the 21 awardees, 20 have been from the Indian Army, and one has been from the Indian Air Force.
    • Major Somnath Sharma of the Kumaon Regiment was the first recipient.
    • Others wartime gallantry awards are Mahavir Chakra, Vir Chakra; and peacetime gallantry awards include- Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.

    History of gallantry awards in India

    • The history of present-day Indian gallantry awards can be traced back to the rule of the East India Company.
    • The first formal award was instituted by Lord William Bentinck in 1834 as the Order of Merit, later renamed the Indian Order of Merit in 1902.
    • During the First World War, the British awards system was adopted and continued through the Second World War.
    • Post-independence, new awards were instituted on 26 January 1950, with retroactive effect from 15 August 1947.
    • The PVC is equivalent to the Victoria Cross in the United Kingdom and the Medal of Honor in the United States.

     

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  • PM calls for Prison Reforms and Repeal of Obsolete Laws

    prison

    Prime Minister has suggested prison reforms to improve jail management and recommended repealing obsolete criminal laws, at the national annual police meet.

    Issues with Prisons in India

    • Overcrowding: 149 jails in the country are overcrowded by more than 100% and that 8 are overcrowded by margins of a 500%. Overcrowding takes affects the already constrained prison resources and separation between different classes of prisoners difficult.
    • Under-trials: More than 65% of the prison population in India are under trials. The share of the prison population awaiting trial or sentencing in India is extremely high by international standards; for example, it is 11% in the UK, 20% in the US and 29% in France.
    • Lack of legal aid: Legal aid lawyers are poorly paid, and often over-burdened with cases. Further, there is no monitoring mechanism to evaluate the quality of legal aid representation in most states.
    • Miserable conditions:Prison structures in India are in dilapidated condition. Further, lack of space, poor ventilation, poor sanitation and hygiene make living conditions deplorable in Indian prisons.
    • Shortage of staff:The ratio between the prison staff and the prison population is approximately 1:7. In the absence of adequate prison staff, overcrowding of prisons leads to rampant violence and other criminal activities inside the jails.
    • Torture and Sexual abuse: Prisoners are subjected to inhuman psychological and physical torture. Sexual abuse of persons in custody is also part of the broader pattern of torture in custody.
    • Custodial deaths:In 2015, a total of 1,584 prisoners died in jails. A large proportion of the deaths in custody were from natural and easily curable causes aggravated by poor prison conditions. Further, there have been allegations of custodial deaths due to torture
    • Underpaid and unpaid labor: Labor is extracted from prisoners without paying proper wages.
    • Discrimination:According to Humans Rights Watch, a “rigid” class system exists in Indian prisons. On the other hand, socio-economically disadvantaged prisoners are deprived of basic human dignity.
    • Inadequate security measures and management: Poor security measures and prison management often leads to violence among inmates and resultant injury and in some cases death.
    • Lack of mental healthcare: In prison the problem of the overcrowding, poor sanitary facilities, lack of physical and mental activities, lack of decent health care, increase the likelihood of health problems. Further, mental health care has negligible focus in Indian prisons.
    • Colonial system:Absence of reformative approach in the Indian prison system has not only resulted in ineffective integration with society but also has failed to provide productive engagement opportunities for prisoners after their release

    SC Judgements in this regard

    • Through a number of judgements {like Maneka Gandhi case(Right to life and personal with dignity), Ramamurthy vs. State of Karnataka (on conditions of prisons) Prem Sankar Shukla vs. Delhi Administration (no handcuffing).
    • The Supreme has upheld three broad principles regarding imprisonment and custody.
    1. A person in prison does not become a non-person;
    2. A person in prison is entitled to all human rights within the limitations of imprisonment
    3. There is no justification for aggravating the suffering already inherent in the process of incarceration.

    Major legislations for prison reforms

    • The Prisons Act, 1894:It contains various provisions relating to health, employment, duties of jail officers, medical examination of prisoners, prison offenses etc.
    • Transfer of Prisoners Act, 1950– The Act deals with the transfer of a prisoner from state to another state
    • Repatriation of Prisoners Act, 2003:The act enables the transfer of foreign prisoners to the country of their origin to serve the remaining part of their sentence. It also enables the transfer of prisoners of Indian origin convicted by a foreign court to serve their sentence in India
    • Model Prison Manual 2016:It aims at bringing in basic uniformity in laws, rules and regulations governing the administration of prisons and the management of prisoners across all the states and UTs in India
    • Legal service Authority Act, 1987:According to the law, a person in custody is entitled to free legal aid.

    Committees and Recommendations

    Various Committees and Commissions have been constituted by the State Governments as well as the Government of India to study and make suggestions for improving the prison conditions and administration.

    (1) Mulla Committee, 1983

    The major recommendations of the committee included:

    • The setting up of a National Prison Commission to oversee the modernization of the prisons in India
    • Putting a ban on clubbing together juvenile offenders with the hardened criminals in prison and enacting a comprehensive and protective legislation for the security and protective care of delinquent juveniles
    • Segregation of mentally ill prisoners to a mental asylum
    • The conditions of prison should be improved by making adequate arrangements for food, clothing, sanitation and ventilation etc.
    • Lodging of under trial in jails should be reduced to bare minimum and they should be kept separate from the convicted prisoners

    (2) Krishna Iyer Committee, 1987

    • The committee mandated to study the condition of women prisoners in the country.
    • It recommended induction of more women in the police force in view of their special role in tackling women and child offenders.

    (3) National Policy on Prison Reforms and Correctional Administration, 2007

    • In 2005, the Government of India constituted a high-powered committee under the chairmanship of the Director General, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D).
    • This committee used the reports of Justice Mulla Committee Report & Justice Krishna Iyer Committee and made several additional and new recommendations.

    (4) Justice Amitava Roy Committee, 2018

    • In 2018 the Supreme Court constituted Amitava Roy Committee to look into the aspect of jail reforms across the country and make recommendations on several aspects, including overcrowding in prisons.
    • It recommended- Special fast-track courts should be set up to deal exclusively with petty offences which have been pending for more than 5 years.
    • Further, accused persons who are charged with petty offences and that granted bail, but who are unable to arrange surety should be released on a Personal Recognizance (PR) Bond.

    Steps taken

    • Modernization of Prisons scheme: The scheme for modernization of prisons was launched in 2002-03 with the objective of improving the condition of prisons, prisoners and prison personnel. Various components included the construction of new jails, repair and renovation of existing jails, improvement in sanitation and water supply etc.
    • E-Prisons Project: It aims to introduce efficiency in prison management through digitization.
    • Open Prisons: The All-India Committee on Jail Reform constituted in 1980 recommended the government to set up and develop open prisons in each state and UT similar to the Sanganer open camp in Rajasthan.

    Way Forward

    • Urgent repair: There is a dire need to address the issue of overcrowding in Indian jails. Further, sincere efforts should be made to improve living conditions which include better sanitation and hygiene, and adequate food and clothing.
    • Address health concerns: There should be an urgent focus on addressing health issues and ensuring access to medical care among prisoners. Women’s health needs, covering mental, physical, sexual and reproductive health, require particular attention.
    • Reform offenders: Efforts should be made to reform offenders in the social stratification by giving them appropriate correctional treatment.
    • Training and rehabilitation: Initiatives should be taken to impart vocational training to prisoners and ensure proper rehabilitation and social inclusion after release
    • Legal aid: The government must take initiative to improve the conditions of under-trial prisoners which can be achieved by speeding of the trial procedure, simplification of the bail procedure and providing effective legal aid
    • More open prisons: Open prison as an effective institution for the rehabilitation of offenders has been highlighted by Supreme Court as late as 1979 in the Dharambeer v State of U.P case. Open prisons should be encouraged as correctional facilities.

     

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