Environmental groups in Karnataka have criticised the project to link the Bedti and Varada rivers in Karnataka, calling it ‘unscientific’ and a ‘waste of public money’.
Bedti-Varada Interlinking Project
The Bedti-Aghanashini-Varade river-linking project was also included in the country’s major rivers project devised by the then PM Vajpayee government.
The Central Government had created a task force to prepare action plans for interlinking the riverbeds in 2002.
The project cost and the source of investments were ascertained and suggested that the project be taken up in 2016.
Key details
The Bedti-Varada project was envisaged in 1992 as one to supply drinking water by the then government.
The plan aims to link the Bedti, a river flowing west into the Arabian Sea, with the Varada, a tributary of the Tungabhadra river, which flows into the Krishna, which in turn flows into the Bay of Bengal.
A massive dam will be erected at Hirevadatti in Gadag district under the project. A second dam will be built on the Pattanahalla river at Menasagoda in Sirsi, Uttara Kannada district.
Both dams will take water to the Varada via tunnels of length 6.3 kilometres and 2.2-km. The water will reach at a place called Kengre.
It will then go down a 6.88 km tunnel to Hakkalumane, where it will join the Varada.
The project thus envisages taking water from the water surplus Sirsi-Yellapura region of Uttara Kannada district to the arid Raichur, Gadag and Koppal districts.
India has 2.96 crore orphaned or abandoned children, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The Ministry of Women and Child Development reported in its annual report for 2020-21 that there were 2.56 lakh children living in 7,164 child care institutions (CCIs) across the country.
1.45 lakh children were reunited with their birth families after the Supreme Court ordered states to investigate the possibility of reuniting these children in care institutions with their birth families as a pandemic precaution.
Adoption Laws in India
(A) The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA)
A Hindu parent or guardian can place a child for adoption with another Hindu parent under the Act.
A prospective parent can also adopt a male child if he has no other male children or grandchildren, or a female child if he has no other female children or grandchildren.
If the adoptive mother is a woman and the person being adopted is a man, she must be at least 21 years old.
After complying with all Act provisions, the adoption process is completed with a registered adoption deed through court.
(B) Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015
The JJ Act also permits the adoption of same-sex children, allowing biological or adopted parents to adopt a child of the same gender.
Prospective parents can adopt their relatives’ children whether they live in India or abroad. A single or divorced person can adopt under the JJ Act, but a single male cannot adopt a girl child.
A home study is conducted by the Specialised Adoption Agency (SAS) to determine if a person is eligible to adopt a child, and the process ends with an adoption order.
SAS and the Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency (AFAA) are required to follow up with the adoptive family for two years after the adoption.
Reasons for low adoption in India
Parent-centrism: The current adoption approach is very parent-centred, but parents must make it child-centred.
Age of child: Most Indian parents also want a child between the ages of zero and two, believing that this is when the parent-child bond is formed.
Institutional issues: Because the ratio of abandoned children to children in institutionalised care is lopsided, there are not enough children available for adoption.
Lineage discrimination: Most Indians have a distorted view of adoption because they want their genes, blood, and lineage to be passed down to their children.
Red-tapism: Child adoption is also not so easy task after the Juvenile Justice Rules of 2016 and the Adoption Regulations of 2017 were launched.
Government Initiatives
(1) Mission Vatsalya:
Mission Vatsalya shall include Child Protection Services and Child Welfare Services. It brings together services and structures to help children in distress.
(2) Mission POSHAN 2.0:
Mission POSHAN 2.0 shall include Umbrella Integrated Child Development Scheme – Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyan, Scheme for Adolescent Girls, and National Creche Scheme.
(3) Mission Shakti:
Mission Shakti envisions a unified citizen-centric lifecycle support system for women that includes integrated care, safety, protection, rehabilitation, and empowerment to free women as they move through different stages of life.
‘Sambal’ and ‘Samarthya’ are two sub-schemes of Mission Shakti.
The “Sambal” sub-scheme is for women’s safety and security, while the “Samarthya” sub-scheme is for women’s empowerment.
(4) PM CARES for Children Scheme:
The government announced a special “PM CARES for Children” program for all children orphaned by Covid-19 who lost their parents or single parents or legal guardians or adoptive parents due to Covid-19.
These children can also receive support through scholarships or education loans equivalent to tuition fees during their higher education, and the loan interest is paid by the PM CARES Fund.
(5) CARA
Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is an autonomous and statutory body of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It was set up in 1990.
It functions as the nodal body for the adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions.
CARA is designated as the Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the 1993 Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, ratified India in 2003.
It primarily deals with the adoption of orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children through its associated and recognized adoption agencies.
Activists surrounding the Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP) in Manipur have now taken up the cudgels to ensure that the government does not shift the proposed heritage park from the approved site.
Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP)
The KLNP is a national park in the Bishnupur district of the state of Manipur in India.
It is 40 km2 in area, the only floating park in the world, located in North East India, and an integral part of Loktak Lake.
The national park is characterized by floating decomposed plant material locally called Phumdi at the south–eastern side of the Loktak Lake, which has been declared a Ramsar site.
It was created in 1966 as a wildlife sanctuary to preserve the natural habitat of the endangered Eld’s deer.
In 1977, it was gazetted as national park.
Key faunas
KLNP is home to the last of the brow-antlered deer (Rucervus eldii eldii), one of the most endangered deer in the world.
It is locally called as Sangai.
The animal is, in fact, in danger of losing its home—most of the phumdis, or floating swamps, are unable to sustain its weight.
In 1951, it was reported extinct, but British tea planter and naturalist Edward Pritchard Gee rediscovered it in 1953.
Hi Guys, Now it’s time to cross the higher bar. The Main Examination is intended to estimate the overall intellectual qualities and depth of understanding of candidates rather than merely the range of their information and memory.
The core and benchmark of questions in the General Studies papers (Paper II to Paper V) will be such that a well-evaluated candidate will be competent to answer them. The questions are likely to test the candidate’s basic understanding of all relevant issues, and ability to analyze & summarize, and take a view on conflicting socio-economic goals, objectives, and demands. And you must give applicable, meaningful, and succinct answers.
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These answer writing programs have been divided into three sections – Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. As the names for the section headings suggest, one should proceed step by step, understanding each section completely before proceeding to the next. Ultimately you should be able to use the tips from all sections in your answer writing in a holistic manner.
After the go-go 1990s and 2000s the pace of economic integration stalled in the 2010s, as firms grappled with the aftershocks of a financial crisis, a populist revolt against open borders and President Donald Trump’s trade war.
Background of globalisation
After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, main theme of globalisation was efficiency.
Companies located production where costs were lowest, while investors deployed capital where returns were highest.
Governments aspired to treat firms equally, regardless of their nationality, and to strike trade deals with democracies and autocracies alike.
Low prices: All this kept prices low for consumers and helped lift 1bn people out of extreme poverty as the emerging world, including China, industrialised.
Recent worries with globalisation
Volatile capital flows destabilised financial markets. Many blue-collar workers in rich countries lost out.
Recently, two other worries have loomed large.
Cost in case of disruption is high: First, some lean supply chains are not as good value as they appear: mostly they keep costs low, but when they break, the bill can be crippling.
Covid-19 was a shock, but wars, extreme weather or another virus could easily disrupt supply chains in the next decade.
Dependencies on autocracies have increased: The second problem is that the single-minded pursuit of cost advantage has led to a dependency on autocracies that abuse human rights and use trade as a means of coercion.
Hopes that economic integration would lead to reform—what the Germans call “change through trade”—have been dashed: autocracies account for a third of world gdp.
The fragile state of the international trade and beginning of new phase in globalisation
The pandemic and war in Ukraine have triggered a once-in-a-generation reimagining of global capitalism in boardrooms and governments.
Supply chain resilience: The supply chains are being transformed, from the $9trn in inventories, stockpiled as insurance against shortages and inflation, to the fight for workers as global firms shift from China into Vietnam.
Preferring security over efficiency: This new kind of globalisation is about security, not efficiency: it prioritises doing business with people you can rely on, in countries your government is friendly with.
One indication that companies are shifting from efficiency to resilience is the vast build-up in precautionary inventories: for the biggest 3,000 firms globally these have risen from 6% to 9% of world gdp since 2016.
Many firms are adopting dual sourcing and longer-term contracts.
Investment pattern is inverted: The pattern of multinational investment has been inverted: 69% is from local subsidiaries reinvesting locally, rather than parent firms sending capital across borders.
Strategic autonomy: The industries under most pressure are already reinventing their business models, encouraged by governments that from Europe to India are keen on “strategic autonomy”.
Moving towards vertical integration: The car industry is copying Elon Musk’s Tesla by moving towards vertical integration, in which you control everything from nickel mining to chip design.
Long-term supply deals: In energy, the West is seeking long-term supply deals from allies rather than relying on spot markets dominated by rivals.
Challenges
Protectionism: The danger is that a reasonable pursuit of security will morph into rampant protectionism, jobs schemes and hundreds of billions of dollars of industrial subsidies.
Long-run inefficiencies: The long-run inefficiency from indiscriminately replicating supply chains would be enormous.
Were you to duplicate a quarter of all multinational activity, the extra annual operating and financial costs involved could exceed 2% of world gdp.
Way forward
Restraint: Because of the above challenges, restraint is crucial.
Diversification: Governments and firms must remember that resilience comes from diversification, not concentration at home.
Diversify in the areas controlled by autocracies: The choke-points autocracies control amount to only about a tenth of global trade, based on their exports of goods in which they have a leading market share of over 10% and for which it is hard to find substitutes.
The answer is to require firms to diversify their suppliers in these areas, and let the market adapt.
Conclusion
Will today’s governments be up to the task? Myopia and insularity abound. But if you are a consumer of global goods and ideas—that is to say, a citizen of the world—you should hope globalisation’s next phase involves the maximum possible degree of openness.
Following are the reforms needed in the various aspects of the higher judiciary
Removing the disparity between retirement ages of HC and SC judges
High Court judges now retire at 62 and Supreme Court judges at 65.
It is high time that we did away with the disparity between the retirement ages of High Court and Supreme Court judges.
There is no good reason for this difference.
Intense pressure and competition: The obvious negative fallout of a differential retirement age simply is intense pressure and competition to make it to the top court and thus get three more years.
If this is done away with, several judges of mettle would prefer to be Chief Justices and senior judges in the High Courts exercising wide power of influence rather than being a junior judge on a Bench of the Supreme Court.
There is good work to be done in the High Courts, and we need good men there.
Create a cadre of public service for retired judges
SeveralSupreme Court judges focus on arbitrations after retirement.
A minority of judges devote themselves to public service; sadly, this is a very small minority.
Another lot are appointed to various constitutional posts and tribunals and commissions.
It would be worthwhile reform to create a cadre of public service for retired judges and from this pool make appointments to the constitutional and statutory posts and special assignments.
Such judges should receive the full pay and the facilities of a judge of the Supreme Court for life.
We should have a culture of public service for senior judges, and those who do not fit in such culture should not be a part of senior ranks.
Reform in the process of appointment of Chief Justice of India
No constitutional basis: It is generally assumed that the seniormost judge of the Supreme Court should be the Chief Justice of India.
The Constitution mandates no such thing.
Article 124 merely states that the President will appoint every judge of the Supreme Court, and this includes the Chief Justice, and each of these judges shall hold office until they attain the age of 65 years.
The requirement about appointing the seniormost judge to be the CJI was devised in the Second Judges case (1993) and the consequent Memorandum of Procedure which is an usurpation of the President’s power.
There is no good reason why any one particular person should have a vested interest in the top job, and we are better served by eliminating such expectation.
Let all serve equally under the constitutional throne for the entire length of their tenure.
But who then shall be the CJI?
As per the Constitution the judges of the High Court, senior advocates and distinguished jurists are eligible for the appointment as the judge of the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice of HC: When a serving CJI retires, his successor should be the best reputed Chief Justice of a High Court who has proved himself worthy both in judicial office as well as administrative leadership and has those qualities of heart and head which mark a good leader.
The same process is followed in the appointment of the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Security of tenure: The appointee should have a clear three-year term.
He should not function as the primus super pares — calling the shots and having their unfettered way.
He should instead function in a true collegiate manner, especially in regard to the roster of allotment of cases, especially the sensitive ones, and appointments to the Supreme Court and High Courts and other important matters of judicial and administrative importance.
Conclusion
Though there are several issues that need reforms in the higher judiciary, the above reforms can serve as the precursor to the other reforms to come.
UPSC has just now released the result for Civil Services or UPSC Prelims examination 2022 which was conducted on June 5th. We’ll soon share name wise list.
We, at Civilsdaily, are extremely happy for everyone who has cleared prelims this time. Thank you for giving us a reason to cheer for you. It’s important to give yourself a pat or two, share the news with your family, eat a sweet, and start working for Mains immediately.
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An engineer and an IIM grad, Anand Malhotra secured AIR 67 in his second attempt. Before this, Anand had a stint with a startup and a tech MNC as well. His optional was Sociology.
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India and Australia, which share common values and interests, must work together with resolve to shape the economic and strategic environment so that it continues to support collective security and prosperity.
India-Australia ties: A background
The ties are a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership full of practical, tangible actions that strengthen ties and benefit the region.
India and Australia are a small group of countries to hold annual leaders’ summits and biennial 2+2 talks involving foreign and defence ministers.
The defence forces of both the countries are undertaking more complex activities together, such as in Exercise Malabar with the US and Japan.
We coordinate closely on maritime domain awareness.
This year both countries deployed P-8 surveillance aircraft to each other’s territories for joint patrols.
Australia has also committed to a package of partnership initiatives in our update to the India Economic Strategy.
Cooperation on climate and sustainability: India and Australia have great potential to cooperate on climate and sustainability.
Why India matters to Australia
Securing supply chain: India’s economy, manufacturing capabilities and talent ensure it will play a key role in securing supply chains and restarting post-pandemic growth.
Balance of power: Its military has the capacity and capability to respond to natural disasters, help stabilise an uncertain region and contribute to an effective balance of power.
Technological and scientific capabilities: Its technological and scientific capabilities are gateways to a cleaner and more sustainable world.
Commitment to democracy: Most of all, India’s people have the optimism, the commitment to democracy, the drive and the goodwill to make our region safer, freer and better.
Vision for open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific region
As the bilateral relationship deepens, both the countries must begin to work more together with others in the region.
Responding to humanitarian crises and natural disasters: There is enormous potential in the Indian and Pacific oceans, where we each have vital interests in combating climate change, illegal fishing and people smuggling and responding to humanitarian crises and natural disasters.
Australia has a vision for an open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific region.
It is a vision for a region that is more integrated rather than divided, where trade and investment flow freely based on agreed rules and treaty commitments, where disputes are resolved through dialogue in accordance with international law, and where a strategic culture that respects the rights of all states, big and small, prevails.
It is a vision that Australia share with partners like ASEAN, and partners like India.
Whether through joint activities with like-minded countries, or the support of regional and multilateral architecture, Australia is ensuring the region has options and balance.
Conclusion
India and Australia’s interests don’t just align, they are inextricably entwined. Expect this relationship to grow and prosper, our cooperation to deepen.
HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?
Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.
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Disaster struck Dima Hasao, central Assam’s hill district, in mid-May after incessant heavy rainfall.
Impacts of the disaster
The 170 km railway line connecting Lumding in the Brahmaputra Valley’s Hojai district and Badarpur in the Barak Valley’s Karimganj district was severely affected.
The Assam government and Railway Ministry’s assessments said the district suffered a loss of more than ₹1,000 crore, but ecologists say the damage could be irreversibly higher.
How severe has the rain been in Assam?
Assam is used to floods, sometimes even four times a year, resultant landslides and erosion.
But the pre-monsoon showers this year have been particularly severe on Dima Hasao, one of three hill districts in the State.
Landslips have claimed four lives and damaged roads.
The impact has been most severe on the arterial railway, which was breached at 58 locations leaving the track hanging in several places.
The disruption of train services, unlikely to be restored soon, has cut off the flood-hit Barak Valley, parts of Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.
Why is the railway in focus post-disaster?
Dima Hasao straddles the Barail, a tertiary mountain range between the Brahmaputra and Barak River basins.
The district is on the Dauki fault (the prone-to-earthquakes geological fractures between two blocks of rocks) straddling Bangladesh and parts of the northeast.
British engineers were said to have factored in the fragility of the hills to build the railway line over 16 years by 1899.
The end result was an engineering marvel 221 km long over several bridges and through 37 tunnels, laid along the safer sections of the hills.
A faulty experiment
A project to convert the metre gauge track to broad gauge was undertaken in 1996 but the work was completed only by March 2015 because of geotechnical constraints and extremist groups.
The broad-gauge track was realigned to be straighter, but a 2009-10 audit report revealed that the project had been undertaken without proper planning and visualisation of the soil strata behaviour.
The report gave the example of the disaster-prone Tunnel 10 on the realigned track that was pegged 8 meters below the bed of a nearby stream.
Is only the railway at fault?
There is a general consensus that other factors have contributed to the situation Dima Hasao is in today.
Roads in the district, specifically the four-lane Saurashtra-Silchar (largest Barak Valley town) East-West Corridor, have been realigned or deviated from the old ones that were planned around rivers and largely weathered the conditions.
The arterial roads build over the past 20 years often cave in and get washed away by floods or blocked by landslides.
Shortened cycles of jhum or shifting cultivation on the hill slopes and unregulated mining have accentuated the “man-made disaster”.
Massive extraction of river stone, illegal mining of coal and smuggling of forest timbe has led to the disaster.
These activities have increased water current besides weakening either side of riverbanks.
How vital are the rail and highway through Dima Hasao?
Meghalaya aside, Dima Hasao is the geographical link to a vast region comprising southern Assam’s Barak Valley, parts of Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.
Moreover, this track is vital for India’s Look East policy that envisages shipping goods to and from Bangladesh’s Chittagong port via Tripura’s border points at Akhaura and Sabroom.
These are the last railway station near the Feni River that serves as the India-Bangladesh border.
