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GS Paper: GS2

  • First ever All India Survey on Domestic Workers

    Union Minister for Labour and Employment  has flagged off the first ever All All India Survey on Domestic workers being conducted by Labour Bureau.

    All India Survey on Domestic Workers

    • The Survey  is aimed to estimate the number and proportion of domestic workers at National and State level.
    • It would help find percentage distribution of domestic workers with respect to Live-in/Live-out, formal/ Informal Employment, Migrant/Non-Migrant, their wages and other socio-economic characteristics.
    • The survey will also provide the Household Estimates of Live-in/Live-out domestic workers and average number of domestic workers engaged by different types of households.

    Objectives of the Survey

    • Estimate the number/proportion of DWs at National and State level.
    • Household Estimates of Live-in/ Live-out DWs.
    • Average number of DWs engaged by different types of households.

    Why need such Survey?

    • Domestic workers (DWs) constitute a significant portion of total employment in the informal sector.
    • However, there is a dearth of data on the magnitude and prevailing employment conditions of DW.
    • Hence with the view to have time series data on domestic workers, GoI has entrusted Labour Bureau to conduct an all-India survey on DWs.

    Parameters of the Survey

    The Domestic Worker Survey collects information on the following broad   parameters:

    • Household Characteristics such as HH size, Religion, Social Group, Usual Monthly Consumption Expenditure, Nature of Dwelling unit.
    • Demographic Characteristics such as Name, Age, Relation to Head, Marital Status, General Education Level, Usual Principal Activity Status, Subsidiary Activity Status and Status of DWs.
    • Information on Employer is also collected such as their preferences of DW regarding Gender and marital status, mode of payment of wages, number of days worked, mode of engagement, whether DW services were availed during ii COVID-19 pandemic, medical support given to DWs.

    Scope of the Survey

    • All India States/UTs of India covered are 37 and Districts covered are742
    • Unit of Enumeration is Villages as per Census 2011 and Urban Blocks as per latest phase of UFS.
    • At the all-India level, a total number of 12766 First Stage Units (FSUs) i.e., 6190 villages and 6576 UFS blocks will be covered in the survey.
    • 1,50,000 Households i.e., the Ultimate Stage Units (USU) will be covered.

     

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  • Dynamism in India-U.S. ties

    Context

    While there are regular interactions among officials at various levels and across sectors, as well as people-to-people engagement, there are no formal interactions between Members of Parliament in India and members of the U.S. Congress.

    US Congressional Delegation (CODEL) visit to India

    •  CODEL travels across the world during the periods when Congress takes a break from legislative work.
    • Interactions during these travels are important in shaping relations with foreign countries.
    • In November, a congressional delegation (CODEL) travelled to the Indo-Pacific Command countries, including the Philippines, Taiwan and India.
    • In New Delhi, the six-member delegation interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and representatives of the Dalai Lama.
    • The members of the delegation noted the “increasing convergence of strategic interests” between India and the U.S. and said they would like to “further enhance cooperation… to promote global peace and stability”.
    •  Mr. Modi appreciated the consistent support and constructive role of the U.S. Congress in deepening the India-U.S. comprehensive global strategic partnership.
    • Enhancing bilateral relationship on critical issues: Mr. Modi and CODEL exchanged views on enhancing the bilateral relationship and strengthening cooperation on contemporary global issues such as terrorism, climate change and reliable chains for critical technologies.
    • Demand for the presidential waiver for India: Two days after returning from his trip to India, CODEL member Senator Tommy Tuberville favoured India getting the presidential waiver under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
    • Significance of CODEL visit: Members of the U.S. Congress play an important role in determining foreign policy, which at times is dictated by the demands of constituents.

    Way forward

    •  Despite the robustness in India-U.S. relations, there is no institutional communication or interaction between MPs in India and members of the U.S. Congress.
    • Establishment of India-US Parliamentary Exchange: The joint statement at the end of the 2+2 Dialogue in 2019 stated: “The Ministers looked forward to the establishment of India-US Parliamentary Exchange to facilitate reciprocal visits by Parliamentarians of the two countries”.
    • Indian Parliamentary Group: India can take it forward through the Indian Parliamentary Group, which acts as a link between the Indian Parliament and the various Parliaments of the world.
    • At present, there are eight Parliamentary Friendship Groups of India’s including Japan, Russia, China and the European Union.
    • The U.S. is absent from this list.

    Conclusion

    The significance of the CODEL visit is not lost in the U.S. as members of the U.S. Congress play an important role in determining foreign policy, which at times is dictated by the demands of constituents.

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  • Andhra Pradesh government repealed laws on 3 capitals

    The Andhra Pradesh Assembly unanimously passed a Bill to repeal two laws that were cleared last year to set up three different state capitals.

    Three Capitals Act

    • The law was titled Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020.
    • The incumbent govt had decided to reverse the previous government’s decision to have an ambitious world-class capital city at Amaravati, which is located between Vijayawada and Guntur.
    • Thus, it was decided that Amaravati was to be the Legislative capital, Visakhapatnam the Executive capital, and Kurnool the Judicial capital.

    Why was it repealed?

    • Over a hundred petitions challenging the government’s move have been filed before the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
    • Farmers of Amaravati, who let the government acquire their lands, wanted them to stick to the previous plan and build a world-class capital city in the same location.

    Will Andhra Pradesh have only one capital now?

    • It is not clear if the government will stick to Amaravati as the sole capital.
    • Throughout his address, the CM stressed the need for decentralization for the equitable development of all regions.

    What are the other examples of multiple capital cities?

    • Among Indian states, Maharashtra has two capitals– Mumbai and Nagpur (which hold the winter session of the state assembly).
    • Himachal Pradesh has capitals at Shimla and Dharamshala (winter).
    • The former state of Jammu & Kashmir had Srinagar and Jammu (winter) as capitals.

    Must read

    Three capitals for Andhra Pradesh — its logic and the questions it raises

     

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  • Global State of Democracy Report, 2021

    The number of countries moving towards authoritarianism in 2020 was higher than that of countries going in the other direction, towards democracy, a/c to the Global State of Democracy (GSD) Report, 2021.

    Note: The Global Democracy Index is released by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU). One may get confused over this two.

    About GSD Report

    • The GSD report is released by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International-IDEA).
    • The International-IDEA, is an inter-governmental organization supporting democracy, is chaired by Australia and includes India as a member-state.
    • The report aims to influence the global debate and analyses current trends and challenges to democracy, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
    • It offers specific policy recommendations to spark new and innovative thinking for policymakers, governments and civil society organizations supporting democracy.

    GSD framework

    Highlights of the report

    • The US and three members of the European Union (EU) [Hungary, Poland and Slovenia] have also seen concerning democratic declines.
    • The pandemic has prolonged this existing negative trend into a five-year stretch, the longest such period since the start of the third wave of democratization in the 1970s.
    • Democratically elected Governments, including established democracies, are increasingly adopting authoritarian tactics.
    • This democratic backsliding has often enjoyed significant popular support.

    India’s performance

    • The report highlighted the case of Brazil and India as “some of the most worrying examples of backsliding.
    • India is the backsliding democracy with the most democratic violations during the pandemic.
    • Violations include- Harassment, arrests and prosecution of human rights defenders, activists, journalists, students, academics and others critical of the government or its policies; internet obstructions etc.

    Resilient democracies

    • The report pointed out that many democracies had proved to be resilient to the pandemic.
    • Despite pandemic restrictions on campaigning and media, the electoral component of democracy has shown remarkable resilience.
    • Countries around the world learned to hold elections in exceedingly difficult conditions and they rapidly activated special voting arrangements to allow citizens to continue exercising their democratic rights.

    Democracy is good. I say this because other systems are worse.

    –  Jawaharlal Nehru

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  • China’s missile tests could have Sputnik-like effect

    Context

    On October 27 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US, reacted to China testing its nuclear-capable hypersonic weapons system by drawing an analogy with a Sputnik moment.

    How US’s Ballistic Missile Defence led to the recent Sputnik moment

    •  Since the US withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty in 2002, both Russia and China have been wary of Washington’s Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) programme.
    • It undermines strategic stability: Missile defence is inherently destabilising — it undermines “strategic stability”.
    • A robust BMD would compromise the second strike capability of the adversary by neutralising the surviving incoming missiles in case of a near-decapitating first strike
    • Both Russia and China thus view the US BMD as undermining their deterrence and have sought ways to restore their retaliatory strike capability by investing in new technologies such as Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs).
    • HGVs can escape the missile defence systems.
    • HGVs fly at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles, which means they could potentially escape early warning systems, aided by the earth’s curvature.

    Implications of Chinese test

    • It can set off competition: The Chinese tests have the potential to set off an aggressive competition among the nuclear powers to modernise their nuclear arsenals and add new, potentially destabilising capabilities to their arsenal.
    • Global and regional arms race: In the present era of minimal arms control measures, the Chinese hypersonic missile system test will trigger an intense arms race both at the global and regional levels.
    • With the Chinese test, the US may be forced to expand its hypersonic programme and further modernise its missile defence systems.

    What should be the course of action for India

    • China’s nuclear-tipped hypersonic weapon systems, though not particularly India-focused, could nudge New Delhi to adopt two courses of action.
    • Missile program: First, accelerate its hypersonic missiles programme.
    • Develop missile defence system: Second, consider erecting an equally robust missile defence.
    • Chinese advancement in stealth technologies will drive New Delhi to seek similar capabilities but also develop effective countermeasures.
    • This can then set off a regional arms race, a sign that is not particularly encouraging for regional peace.

    Consider the question “Examine the implications of recent hypersonic missile test by China for the region and global arms race control efforts? What should be the course of action for India? “

    Conclusion

    China’s hypersonic missile test may not have come with a Sputnik-like surprise, but it has the potential to set off a post-Sputnik-like arms race that does not augur well for the strategic stability both at the global and regional level.

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    Back2Basics: Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs)

    • A hypersonic missile is a vehicle that achieves a speed five times faster than the speed of sound, crossing Mach 5.
    • These missiles travel at a speed of around 6,115 km per hour, with a combination of technology and manoeuvrability of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

    Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS)

    • A Fractional Orbital Bombardment System is a warhead delivery system that uses a low earth orbit towards its target destination.
    • Just before reaching the target, it deorbits through a retrograde engine burn.

  • Why are Judicial Transfers riddled by controversies?

    The transfer of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee from the Madras High Court to the Meghalaya High Court has given rise to a controversy over the question of whether judicial transfers are made only for administrative reasons or have any element of ‘punishment’ behind them.

    Transfer of judges and the Constitution

    • Article 222 of the Constitution provides for the transfer of High Court judges, including the Chief Justice.
    • It says the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, may transfer a judge from one High Court to any other High Court.
    • It also provides for a compensatory allowance to the transferred judge.
    • This means that the executive could transfer a judge, but only after consulting the Chief Justice of India.
    • From time to time, there have been proposals that one-third of the composition of every High Court should have judges from other States.

    What is the Supreme Court’s view on the issue?

    Union of India vs. Sankalchand Himatlal Sheth (1977)

    • The Supreme Court rejected the idea that High Court judges can be transferred only with their consent.
    • It reasoned that the transfer of power can be exercised only in public interest.
    • It held that the President is under an obligation to consult the CJI, which meant that all relevant facts must be placed before the CJI.
    • It ruled CJI had the right and duty to elicit and ascertain further facts from the judge concerned or others.

    S.P. Gupta vs. President of India, 1981 (First Judges Case)

    • It considered the validity of the transfer Judges as well as a circular from the Law Ministry.
    • The Ministry had put that additional judge in all High Courts may be asked for their consent to be appointed as permanent judges in any other High Court, and to name three preferences.
    • The Minister’s reasoning was that such transfers would promote national integration and help avoid parochial tendencies bred by caste, kinship and other local links and affiliations.
    • The majority ruled that consultation with the CJI did not mean ‘concurrence’ with respect to appointments.

    SCARA Vs Union of India, 1993 (Second Judges Case)  

    • In effect, it emphasized the primacy of the executive in the matter of appointments and transfers.
    • However, this position was overruled in the ‘Second Judges Case’ (1993).
    • The opinion of the CJI, formed after taking into account the views of senior-most judges, was to have primacy.
    • Since then, appointments are being made by the Collegium.

    Current procedure for transfers

    • As one of the points made by the ‘Second Judges Case’ was that the opinion of the CJI ought to mean the views of a plurality of judges, the concept of a ‘Collegium of Judges’ came into being.
    • In the collegium era, the proposal for transferring a High Court judge, including a Chief Justice, should be initiated by the Chief Justice of India, “whose opinion in this regard is determinative”.
    • The consent of the judge is not required.
    • All transfers are to be made in public interest, i.e. for promoting better administration of justice throughout the country.
    • For transferring a judge other than the Chief Justice, the CJI should take the views of the CJ of the court concerned, as well as the CJ of the court to which the transfer is taking place.
    • The CJI should also take into account the views of one or more Supreme Court judges who are in a position to offer their views.
    • In the case of transfer of a Chief Justice, only the views of one or more knowledgeable Supreme Court judges need to be taken into account.

    Provision for Written Recommendation

    • The views should all be expressed in writing, and they should be considered by the CJI and four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, which means, the full Collegium of five.
    • The recommendation is sent to the Union Law Minister who should submit the relevant papers to the Prime Minister.
    • The PM then advises the President on approving the transfer.

    What makes transfers controversial?

    • Punitive intent: Transfer orders become controversial when the Bar or sections of the public feel that there is a punitive element behind the decision to move a judge from one High Court to another.
    • No disclosure of reasons: As a matter of practice, the Supreme Court and the government do not disclose the reason for a transfer.
    • Adverse opinions behind: For, if the reason is because of some adverse opinion on a judge’s functioning, disclosure would impinge on the judge’s performance and independence in the court to which he is transferred.

     

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  • Process for Repealing a Law

    PM after repealing the farm laws has said that the process of repealing the laws — which are currently stayed by the Supreme Court — will take place in the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament.

    Repealing a Law

    • Repealing a law is one of the ways to nullify a law.
    • A law is reversed when Parliament thinks there is no longer a need for the law to exist.
    • Legislation can also have a “sunset” clause, a particular date after which they cease to exist.
    • For example, the anti-terror legislation Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act 1987, commonly known as TADA, had a sunset clause, and was allowed to lapse in 1995.
    • For laws that do not have a sunset clause, Parliament has to pass another legislation to repeal the law.

    (Sunset Clause: A law shall cease to have effect after a specific date, unless further legislative action is taken to extend the law.)

    How can the government repeal a law?

    • Article 245 of the Constitution gives Parliament the power to make laws for the whole or any part of India, and state legislatures the power to make laws for the state.
    • Parliament draws its power to repeal a law from the same provision.
    • A law can be repealed either in its entirety, in part, or even just to the extent that it is in contravention of other laws.

    What is the process for repealing a law?

    • Laws can be repealed in two ways — either through an ordinance, or through legislation.
    • In case an ordinance is used, it would need to be replaced by a law passed by Parliament within six months.
    • If the ordinance lapses because it is not approved by Parliament, the repealed law can be revived.
    • The government can also bring legislation to repeal the farm laws.
    • It will have to be passed by both Houses of Parliament, and receive the President’s assent before it comes into effect.

    Legislations required

    • All three farm laws can be repealed through a single legislation.
    • Usually, Bills titled Repealing and Amendment are introduced for this purpose.

     

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  • HomoSEP: Robot for cleaning Septic Tanks

    IIT Madras has developed a robot that can, if deployed extensively, put an end to this practice of sending people into septic tanks.

    HomoSEP

    • HomoSEP stands for “homogenizer of septic tanks”.
    • It has a shaft attached to blades that can open like an inverted umbrella when introduced into a septic tank.
    • This is helpful as the openings of the septic tanks are small and the tank interiors are bigger.
    • The sludge inside a septic tank contains faecal matter that has thickened like hard clay and settled at the bottom.
    • This needs to be shredded and homogenized so that it can be sucked out and the septic tank cleaned. The whirring blades of the robot achieve precisely this.

    Manual scavenging deaths in India

    • A statement by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry conveyed that in the five years till December 31, 2020, there have been 340 deaths due to manual scavenging.
    • Uttar Pradesh (52), Tamil Nadu (43) and Delhi (36) leads in the list. Maharashtra had 34 and Gujarat and Haryana had 31 each.
    • This is despite bans and prohibitory orders.

    Various policy initiatives

    • Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020: It proposes to completely mechanise sewer cleaning, introduce ways for ‘on-site’ protection and provide compensation to manual scavengers in case of sewer deaths.
    • Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013: Superseding the 1993 Act, the 2013 Act goes beyond prohibitions on dry latrines, and outlaws all manual excrement cleaning of insanitary latrines, open drains, or pits.
    • Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan: It started national wide march “Maila Mukti Yatra” for total eradication of manual scavenging from 30th November 2012 from Bhopal.
    • Prevention of Atrocities Act: In 1989, the Prevention of Atrocities Act became an integrated guard for sanitation workers since majority of the manual scavengers belonged to the Scheduled Caste.
    • Judicial intervention: In 2014, a Supreme Court order made it mandatory for the government to identify all those who died in sewage work since 1993 and provide Rs. 10 lakh each as compensation to their families.

     

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  • Health Care Equity in Urban India

    The report on ‘Health Care Equity in Urban India’ exploring health vulnerabilities and inequalities in cities in India was recently released.

    About the report

    • The report is released recently by Azim Premji University in collaboration with 17 regional NGOs across India.
    • It notes that a third of India’s people now live in urban areas, with this segment seeing rapid growth from about 18% (1960) to 28.53% (2001) to 34% (in 2019).
    • The study draws insights from data collected through detailed interactions with civil society organizations in major cities and towns.
    • This also included an analysis of the National Family and Health Surveys (NHFS), the Census of India, and inputs from State-level health officials on the provision of health care.
    • It also looks at the availability, accessibility, and cost of healthcare facilities, and possibilities in future-proofing services in the next decade.

    Key highlights of the report

    • Urban poverty on rise: Close to 30% of people living in urban areas are poor.
    • Declining life expectancy: Life expectancy among the poorest is lower by 9.1 years and 6.2 years among men and women, respectively, compared to the richest in urban areas.
    • Chaotic health governance: The report, besides finding disproportionate disease burden on the poor, also pointed to a chaotic urban health governance.
    • Multiplicity and non-coordination: The multiplicity of healthcare providers both within and outside the government without coordination challenges to urban health governance.
    • Lack of political attention: Urban healthcare has received relatively less research and policy attention.

    Major recommendations

    The report calls for:

    • Strengthening community participation and governance
    • Building a comprehensive and dynamic database on the health and nutrition status, including co-morbidities of the diverse, vulnerable populations
    • Strengthening healthcare provisioning through the National Urban Health Mission, especially for primary healthcare services
    • Putting in place policy measures to reduce the financial burden of the poor
    • A better mechanism for coordinated public healthcare services and better governed private healthcare institutions

    Conclusion

    • As urbanization is happening rapidly, the number of the urban poor is only expected to increase.
    • A well-functioning, better coordinated, and governed health care system is crucial at this point.
    • The pandemic has brought to attention the need for a robust and resourced healthcare system.
    • Addressing this will benefit the most vulnerable and offer critical services to city dwellers across income groups.

     

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  • 25 years of Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA)

    The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has celebrated the 25th year of the inauguration of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996 (PESA)’ as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

    What is PESA?

    • The PESA is a law enacted by the govt. for ensuring self-governance through traditional Gram Sabhas for people living in the Scheduled Areas of India.
    • Scheduled Areas are areas identified by the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

    What are Scheduled Areas?

    • “Scheduled Areas” mean the Scheduled Areas as referred to in Clause (1) of Article 244 of the Constitution.
    • They are found in ten states of India which have predominant population of tribal communities.
    • At present, Scheduled Areas have been declared in the States of AP (including Telangana), Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, MP, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan.

    Powers granted to Gram Sabha/Panchayats

    • Land acquisition: To be consulted on matters of land acquisition and resettlement.
    • Mining licencing: Grant prospecting license for mining lease for minor minerals and concessions for such activities.
    • Water Bodies: Planning and management of minor water bodies.
    • Regulation of Liquor: The power to enforce prohibition or to regulate or restrict the sale and consumption of any intoxicant.
    • Minor Forest Produces: The ownership of MFPs
    • Land reforms: The power to prevent alienation of land and to restore any unlawfully alienated land of a scheduled tribe.
    • Village Markets: The power to manage village markets.
    • Money Lending: The power to exercise control over money lending to scheduled tribes.

    Role of Governor in Implementation of PESA

    (1) Report as sought by the President:

    • As per para 3 of the Fifth Schedule, the Governor therein is required to make a report to the President regarding the administration of the Scheduled Areas.
    • The Attorney General had advised the Home Ministry that the role of the governor in sending this report is discretionary.

    (2) Applicability of certain laws:

    • An even more significant role of the Governor in scheduled areas arises out of the powers inherent in sub-para (1) of Para 5 of the Fifth Schedule.
    • Governor may direct that any particular Act of Parliament or of the Legislature of the State shall not apply to a Scheduled Area or any part thereof in the State or shall apply to a Scheduled Area.

    (3) Modification of laws:

    • The regulation-making powers of the Area is bound neither by the advice of the Tribes Advisory Council or the assent of the President.
    • The provision lays down the responsibility on the Governor to ensure that laws that are contrary to the interests of Scheduled Areas may be suitably modified.

    Why was PESA enacted?

    • Filling the constitutional vacuum: These Areas were not covered by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment or Panchayati Raj Act of the Indian Constitution as provided in Part IX of the Constitution.
    • Self-governance: PESA sought to enable the Panchayats at appropriate levels and Gram Sabhas to implement a system of self-governance.
    • Customary regulation: It includes a number of issues such as customary resources, minor forest produce, minor minerals, minor water bodies, selection of beneficiaries, sanction of projects, and control over local institutions.

    Significance of PESA

    • Tribal autonomy: PESA was seen as a panacea for many of these vulnerabilities where the tribal communities in such Scheduled Areas were to decide by themselves the pace and priorities of their development.
    • Tribal way of development: PESA was viewed as a positive development for tribal communities in Scheduled Areas that had earlier suffered tremendously from engagement with modern development processes.
    • Sustainable access to forests: The loss of access to forest, land, and other community resources had increased their vulnerability.
    • Easing of tribal distress: Rampant land acquisition and displacement due to development projects had led to large-scale distress in tribal communities living in Scheduled Areas.

    Issues with PESA

    • Dilution of the role of Tribal Advisory Councils: PESA mandates Tribal Advisory Councils to oversee tribal affairs and also gives extrajudicial, extra-constitutional powers to the Governors.
    • Politicization: The councils, with the CM as their chairperson, have evolved into a non-assertive institution amid the machinations of upper-class politics.
    • Non-involvement: The Governors, in order to have friendly relations with the Chief Ministers, have desisted from getting involved in tribal matters.
    • Lack of coordination at Centre: Two different ministries, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, have an overlapping influence and they function almost without any coordination.
    • Lack of operationalization: In most of the state the enabling rules are not in place more than eight years after the adoption of the Act suggests the reluctance to operationalize the PESA mandate.
    • Ignoring the spirit of PESA: The state legislations have omitted some of the fundamental principles without which the spirit of PESA can never be realised.
    • Ambiguous definitions: No legal definition of the terms like minor water bodies, minor minerals etc. exist in the statute books.

    Related question in CS Mains:

    Q. What are the two major legal initiatives by the State since Independence addressing discrimination against Scheduled Tribes (STs)? (2017, 150W)

    —

    Also try answering this PYQ:

    In the areas covered under the Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, what is the role/power of Gram Sabha?

    1. Gram Sabha has the power to prevent alienation of land in the Scheduled Areas.
    2. Gram Sabha has the ownership of minor forest produce.
    3. Recommendation of Gram Sabha is required for granting prospecting license or mining lease for any mineral in the Scheduled Areas.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) Only 1

    (b) 1 and 2 only

    (c) 2 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

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