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  • Uniform Civil Code

    uniform civil code

    The expert committee formed by the Uttarakhand government to examine ways for the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has launched a website, seeking public opinion on the plan.

    What is a Uniform Civil Code?

    • A Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is one that would provide for one personal civil law for the entire country.
    • This would be applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.

    Basis for Uniform Civil Code

    • Article 44, one of the Directive Principles of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a UCC for the citizens throughout the territory of India.
    • These, as defined in Article 37, are not justiciable (not enforceable by any court) but the principles laid down therein are fundamental in governance.

    Personal Laws And Uniform Civil Code: Timeline

    # British period
    During the British Raj, Personal laws were first framed mainly for Hindu and Muslims citizens.

    # Start of 20th Century
    In the beginning of the twentieth century, the demand for a uniform civil code was first put forward by the women activists. The objective behind this demand was the women’s rights, equality and secularism.

    # 1940 – The Idea of Uniform Civil Code is born
    The idea of Uniform Civil Code was tabled by the National Planning Commission (NPC) appointed by the Congress. There was a subcommittee who was to examine women’s status and recommends reforms of personal law for gender equality.

    # 1947 – Question of UCC as a Fundamental Right
    UCC was sought to be enshrined in the Constitution of India as a fundamental right by Minoo Masani, Hansa Mehta, Amrit Kaur and Dr. B.R Ambedkar.

    # 1948 – Constitution Assembly debated UCC
    Article 44 of the Indian Constitution i.e. Directive Principles of State Policy sets implementation of uniform civil laws which is the duty of the state under Part IV.

    # 1950 – Reformist Bill passed
    Reformist bills were passed which gave the Hindu women the right to divorce and inherit property. Bigamy and child marriages are outlawed. Such reforms were resisted by Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

    # 1951 – Dr. Ambedkar Resigns
    Dr. Ambedkar resigned from the cabinet in 1951 when his draft of the Hindu Code Bill was stalled by the Parliament.

    # 1985 – Shah Bano Case
    In this case, a divorced Muslim woman was brought within the ambit of Section 125 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 by the Supreme Court in which it was declared by the Apex court that she was entitled for maintenance even after the completion ofiddatperiod.

    # 1995- Sarla Mudgal v. Union of India
    In this case, Justice Kuldip Singh reiterated the need for the Parliament to frame a Uniform Civil Code, which would help the cause of national integration by removing contradictions based on ideologies. Therefore, the responsibility entrusted on the State under Article 44 of the Constitution whereby a Uniform Civil Code must be secured has been urged by the Supreme Court repeatedly as a matter of urgency.

    # 2000 – Supreme Court advocates UCC
    The case of Lily Thomas v. Union of India (2000),where the Supreme Court said it could not direct the centre to introduce a UCC.

    # 2015 – The Debate lives through
    The apex court refused to direct the government to take a decision on having a UCC.

    # 2016 – Triple Talaq Debate
    When PM asked the Law Commission to examine the issue.

    # 2017 – Ruling of the Triple Talaq case
    Triple Talaq (Talaq -e- biddat) was declared unconstitutional on August 22, 2017.

    UCC vs. Right to Freedom of Religion

    1. Article 25 lays down an individual’s fundamental right to religion
    2. Article 26(b) upholds the right of each religious denomination or any section thereof to “manage its own affairs in matters of religion”
    3. Article 29 defines the right to conserve distinctive culture

    Reasonable restrictions on the Freedom of Religion

    • An individual’s freedom of religion under Article 25 is subject to “public order, health, morality” and other provisions relating to FRs, but a group’s freedom under Article 26 has not been subjected to other FRs.
    • In the Constituent Assembly, there was division on the issue of putting UCC in the fundamental rights chapter. The matter was settled by a vote.
    • By a 5:4 majority, the fundamental rights sub-committee headed by Sardar Patel held that the provision was outside the scope of FRs and therefore the UCC was made less important.

    Minority Opinion in the Constituent Assembly

    • Some members sought to immunize Muslim Personal Law from state regulation.
    • Mohammed Ismail, who thrice tried unsuccessfully to get Muslim Personal Law exempted from Article 44, said a secular state should not interfere with the personal law of people.
    • B Pocker Saheb said he had received representations against a common civil code from various organisations, including Hindu organisations.
    • Hussain Imam questioned whether there could ever be uniformity of personal laws in a diverse country like India.
    • B R Ambedkar said “no government can use its provisions in a way that would force the Muslims to revolt”.
    • Alladi Krishnaswami, who was in favour of a UCC, conceded that it would be unwise to enact UCC ignoring strong opposition from any community.
    • Gender justice was never discussed in these debates.

    Enacting and Enforcing UCC

    • Fundamental rights are enforceable in a court of law.
    • While Article 44 uses the words “state shall endeavour”, other Articles in the ‘Directive Principles’ chapter use words such as “in particular strive”; “shall in particular direct its policy”; “shall be obligation of the state” etc.
    • Article 43 mentions “state shall endeavour by suitable legislation” while the phrase “by suitable legislation” is absent in Article 44.
    • All this implies that the duty of the state is greater in other directive principles than in Article 44.

    What are more important — fundamental rights or directive principles?

    • There is no doubt that fundamental rights are more important.
    • The Supreme Court held in Minerva Mills (1980): Indian Constitution is founded on the bed-rock of the balance between Parts III (Fundamental Rights) and IV (Directive Principles).
    • To give absolute primacy to one over the other is to disturb the harmony of the Constitution.
    • Article 31C inserted by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, however, lays down that if a law is made to implement any directive principle, it cannot be challenged on the ground of being violative of the FRs under Articles 14 and 19.

    What about Personal Laws?

    • Citizens belonging to different religions and denominations follow different property and matrimonial laws which are an affront to the nation’s unity.
    • If the framers of the Constitution had intended to have a UCC, they would have given exclusive jurisdiction to Parliament in respect of personal laws, by including this subject in the Union List.
    • “Personal Laws” are mentioned in the Concurrent List.

    Various customary laws

    • All Hindus of the country are not governed by one law, nor are all Muslims or all Christians.
    • Muslims of Kashmir were governed by a customary law, which in many ways was at variance with Muslim Personal Law in the rest of the country and was, in fact, closer to Hindu law.
    • Even on the registration of marriage among Muslims, laws differ from place to place.
    • In the Northeast, there are more than 200 tribes with their own varied customary laws.
    • The Constitution itself protects local customs in Nagaland. Similar protections are enjoyed by Meghalaya and Mizoram.
    • Even reformed Hindu law, in spite of codification, protects customary practices.

     Why need UCC?

    • UCC would provide equal status to all citizens
    • It would promote gender parity in Indian society.
    • UCC would accommodate the aspirations of the young population who imbibe liberal ideology.
    • Its implementation would thus support the national integration.

    Hurdles to UCC implementation

    • There are practical difficulties due to religious and cultural diversity in India.
    • The UCC is often perceived by minorities as an encroachment of religious freedom.
    • It is often regarded as interference of the state in personal matters of the minorities.
    • Experts often argue that the time is not ripe for Indian society to embrace such UCC.

    These questions need to be addressed which are being completely ignored in the present din around UCC.

    1. Firstly, how can uniformity in personal laws are brought without disturbing the distinct essence of each and every component of the society.
    2. Secondly, what makes us believe that practices of one community are backward and unjust?
    3. Thirdly, has other uniformities been able to eradicate inequalities that diminish the status of our society as a whole?

    Way forward

    • It should be the duty of the religious intelligentia to educate the community about its rights and obligations based on modern liberal interpretations.
    • A good environment for the UCC must be prepared by the government by explaining the contents and significance of Article 44 taking all into confidence.
    • Social reforms are not overnight but gradual phenomena. They are often vulnerable to media evils such as fake news and disinformation.
    • Social harmony and the cultural fabric of our nation must be the priority.

     

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  • IIP gives us true health of our economy

    IIPContext

    • India’s statistics ministry generates only one high-frequency gauge of economic activity. And that lone barometer, the index of industrial production (IIP), is completely broken.

    What is IIP?

    • The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an index that indicates the performance of various industrial sectors of the Indian economy. It is a composite indicator of the general level of industrial activity in the economy.

    IIPHow is IIP calculated?

    • IIP is calculated as the weighted average of production relatives of all the industrial activities. In the mathematical calculation Laspeyre’s fixed base formula is used.

    What are the Core Industries in India?

    • The main or the key industries constitute the core sectors of an economy.
    • In India, there are eight sectors that are considered the core sectors.
    • They are electricity, steel, refinery products, crude oil, coal, cement, natural gas and fertilizers.

    Which has highest weightage in IIP?

    • The eight core sector industries in decreasing order of their weightage: Refinery Products> Electricity> Steel> Coal> Crude Oil> Natural Gas> Cement> Fertilizers.

    IIPWhy is IIP important?

    • IIP is the only measure on the physical volume of production. It is used by government agencies including the Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of India, etc. for policy-making purposes. IIP remains extremely relevant for the calculation of the quarterly and advance GDP estimates.

    Who releases IIP data?

    How useful are monthly IIP figures to draw a conclusion about India’s growth?

    • IIP figures are monthly data and as such it keeps going up and down.
    • In fact, the release calls them “quick estimates” because they tend to get revised after a month or two.

    IIP Index Components

    • Mining, manufacturing, and electricity are the three broad sectors in which IIP constituents fall.
    • The relative weights of these three sectors are 77.6% (manufacturing), 14.4% (mining) and 8% (electricity).
    • Electricity, crude oil, coal, cement, steel, refinery products, natural gas, and fertilizers are the eight core industries that comprise about 40 per cent of the weight of items included in the IIP.

    Basket of products

    • Primary Goods (consisting of mining, electricity, fuels and fertilisers)
    • Capital Goods (e.g. machinery items)
    • Intermediate Goods (e.g. yarns, chemicals, semi-finished steel items, etc)
    • Infrastructure Goods (e.g. paints, cement, cables, bricks and tiles, rail materials, etc)
    • Consumer Durables (e.g. garments, telephones, passenger vehicles, etc)
    • Consumer Non-durables (e.g. food items, medicines, toiletries, etc)

    IIP base year change

    • The base year was changed to 2011-12 from 2004-05 in the year 2017.

    Way ahead

    • IIP remains extremely relevant for the calculation of the quarterly and advance GDP (Gross Domestic Product) estimates.

    Mains question

    Q. What do you understand by IIP? How it helps us to understand economic health?

     

     

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  • G20 summit will open pandora of opportunities

    G20 summitContext

    • India is going to be at the centre stage of geopolitical spectrum as India will be hosting G20 summit presidency from December 2022. As Harsh V. Shringla, India’s chief G20 coordinator and former Foreign Secretary, (Amitabh kant is G20 Sherpa of India) recently said, “Our G20 Presidency would place India on the global stage, and provide an opportunity for India to place its priorities and narratives on the global agenda.”

    What is G20 (Group of Twenty)?

    • Composed of most of the world’s largest economies: 19 countries plus European Union, including both industrialized and developing nations. Together, its members represent more than 80% of the world’s GDP, 75% of international trade and 60% of the world’s population.
    • Role: To address major issues related to the global economy such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development.
    • It is an Intergovernmental forum.
    • Strategic role: The G20 holds a strategic role in securing global economic growth and prosperity.

    G20 summitIndia and the presidency of G20 summit

    • In November this year, the 17th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will take place in Bali.
    • After Indonesia, India will assume the presidency of the G20 from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023.
    • By hosting the summit of the G20, India will have the opportunity to assume centre stage in proposing and setting the global agenda and discourse.
    • India can assert its political, economic and intellectual leadership while hosting the G20 presidency.
    • Further it Provides India an opportunity to also champion the causes of developing and least developed countries.
    • India could invite and engage countries from Africa and South America to ensure better and more balanced representation at the G20.

    G20 summitChallenges before India:

             Global

    • World affected by the pandemic: Uneven vaccine availability has been flagged by many countries. Vaccine issue upset some countries.
    • Ukraine conflict: According to external affairs ministers Dr.S.Jaishankar due to Ukraine  conflict world is divided and this poses the challenge for India to bring rival camp on same stage
    • Climate change: Divergent view of developed and developing countries on climate change can be the bone of contention between west and the rest.
    • The rise of an assertive China: To maintain the delicate balance between NATO, G7 on the on hand while Russia and china on the other (as India is part of both QUAD and SCO).

         Domestic

    • Economic challenges: Such as stagflation, unemployment, exchange rate, declining prospects for exports and rising trade deficit.
    • Terrorism: Cross border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

    Indonesia has focused on three key pillars in its presidency of G20 presidency:

    • Global health architecture: president of Indonesia Joko Widodo talked about a global contingency fund for medical supplies, building capacity in developing countries to manufacture vaccines and the creation of global health protocols and standards.
    • Sustainable energy transition: as part of its roadmap to reach net zero by 2060, Indonesia had slashed the coverage area of forest fires sevenfold. The country has restored peatlands and rehabilitated 50,000 hectares of mangrove forests.
    • Digital transformation

    What India can address?

    • Issues of global concern: Terrorism, climate change, stagflation etc.
    • Domestic and regional: economic recovery, trade and investment, unemployment, patent waivers on diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines etc.
    • Greater co-operation and co-ordination: free trade agreements, supply chain resilience mechanism, stressing on green and digital transformations in the economy and its impact on societal well-being.
    • Other important Areas :such as technology transfer, assistance towards green economy, greater access to trade for developing countries, addressing debt distress of countries by offering sustainable aid and loan programmes, tackling food and energy prices/security for vulnerable economies etc.

    Why G20 summit presidency is an opportunity for India?

    • India exchange the G20 presidency with Indonesia and chose 2023 instead of 2022 to host the G20 countries.
    • India wanted to showcase its prowess in its 75th year of independence as cornerstone of new emerging world order. As India is part of Quad and SCO BRICS -the warring factions at world stage, it’s an opportunity in crisis to become the bridge of the divided world.
    • India is hosting the summit in Kashmir. World media will be in the Kashmir. In the direct message to world India will again assert that Kashmir is an integral part of India.

    Way ahead

    • As India will be hosting G20 and SCO summits, India will be central in outlining key priority areas. India can assert its political, economic and intellectual leadership which will have to address issues that help in cement the Fault-line in the world order.
    • India’s leadership could define the coming years and decades of global discourse and avenues of cooperation.

    Other related Information

    SCO (Shanghai Co-operation Organization):

    • The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic and security organization. It is the world’s largest regional organization, 40% of the world population, and more than 30% of global GDP.
    • Members: The Shanghai Five group was created on 26 April 1996; China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

    QUAD:

    • Known as the ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’ (QSD), the Quad is an informal strategic forum comprising four nations, namely – United States of America (USA), India, Australia and Japan.
    • One of the primary objectives of the Quad is to work for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

    G7:

    • The Group of Seven (G7) is an inter-governmental political forum consisting of Canada, France Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. In addition, the European Union is a ‘non-enumerated member.

    Mains Question

    Q. India can take advantage of G20 for its economic growth and security architecture. Discuss.

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  • Cheetah reintroduction

    Cheetah

    Context

    • This is the world’s first intercontinental translocation of a carnivore. It is even more unique because this is the first time cheetahs has reintroduced in an unfenced protected area (PA).
    • The Government is preparing to translocate the first batch from South Africa and Namibia to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

    About Asiatic Cheetah

    • Feature: Cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal was declared extinct in India in 1952.
    • Status: The Asiatic cheetah is classified as a “critically endangered” species by the IUCN Red List, and is believed to survive only in Iran.
    • Reintroduction: It was expected to be re-introduced into the country after the Supreme Court lifted curbs for its re-introduction.
    • Extinction: From 400 in the 1990s, their numbers are estimated to have reached to 50-70 today, because of poaching, hunting of their main prey (gazelles) and encroachment on their habitat.

    Cheetah

    Cheetah

    What caused the extinction of cheetahs in India?

    • Reduced fecundity and high infant mortality in the wild
    • Inability to breed in captivity
    • Sport hunting
    • Bounty killings

    Cheetah

    Why reintroduce Cheetahs?

    • Climate Change Mitigation: It will enhance India’s capacity to sequester carbon through ecosystem restoration activities in cheetah conservation areas and thereby contribute towards the global climate change mitigation goals.
    • Reintroductions of large carnivores have increasingly been recognized as a strategy to conserve threatened species and restore ecosystem functions.
    • The cheetah is the only large carnivore that has been extirpated, mainly by over-hunting in India in historical times.
    • India now has the economic ability to consider restoring its lost natural heritage for ethical as well as ecological reasons.

    Why was Kuno National Park chosen for Cheetah Reintroduction?

    • Both Cheetah and Asiatic Lions share the same habitats semi-arid grasslands and forests that stretch across Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.
    • The rainfall, temperature, and altitude in the Sheopur district, where Kuno is situated, are equivalent to those of South Africa and Namibia.
    • In addition, Kuno contains a diverse population of prey species, including peafowl, wild pigs, gazelle, langurs, chital, sambhar, and nilgai.

    What are the Other Recent Initiatives for Wildlife Conservation in India?

    Legal Framework:

    • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
    • Environment Protection Act, 1986
    • The Biological Diversity Act, 2002

    India’s Collaboration with Global Wildlife Conservation Efforts:

    • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
    • Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)
    • Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
    • Global Tiger Forum (GTF)

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  • [Burning issue] Urban Floods in India

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    floods

    Context

    • Parts of Bengaluru, India’s IT and startup capital faced unprecedented floods last week. This is not the first instance of urban flooding in India.
    • In fact, urban flooding is becoming increasingly common in many parts of the country with this monsoon season itself seeing many such instances in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.
    • In this context, this edition of the burning issue will look at the rising problem of urban flooding in India, its causes and consequences, and finally few solutions to it.

    Some major Urban Flooding incidents

    • There has been an increasing trend of urban flood disasters in India over the past several years whereby major cities in India have been severely affected.
    • The most notable amongst them are Hyderabad in 2000, Ahmedabad in 2001, Delhi in 2002 and 2003, Chennai in 2004, Mumbai in 2005, Surat in 2006, Kolkata in 2007, Jamshedpur in 2008, Delhi in 2009 and Guwahati and Delhi in 2010. The most recent devastating ones were Srinagar in 2014 and Chennai in 2015

    What is urban flooding?

    • Urban flooding is the inundation of property in a built environment, particularly in more densely populated urban areas, caused by heavy rainfall on increased amounts of impervious surfaces and overwhelming the capacity of drainage systems.
    • Urban floods stem from a combination of various meteorological and hydrological extremes, such as extreme precipitation and flow in short spans of time.
    • Thus, flooding in urban areas is caused by intense and/or prolonged rainfall, which overwhelms the capacity of the drainage system.

    Features of Urban Floods

    • Faster Flow times: Consequently, flooding occurs very quickly due to faster flow times, sometimes in a matter of minutes.
    • Catchment destruction: Urban flooding is significantly different from rural flooding as urbanization leads to developed catchments which are the most vulnerable areas.

    Causes of Urban Flooding

    Natural factors:

    • Meteorological Factors: Heavy rainfall, cyclonic storms and thunderstorms cause water to flow quickly through paved urban areas and impound in low-lying areas.
    • Hydrological Factors: Overbank flow channel networks, the occurrence of high tides impeding the drainage in coastal cities.
    • Climate Change: Climate change due to various anthropogenic events has led to extreme weather events.

    Anthropological factors:

    • Unplanned Urbanization: Unplanned Urbanization is the key cause of urban flooding. A major concern is the blocking of natural drainage pathways through construction activity and encroachment on catchment areas, riverbeds and lakebeds.
    • Destruction of lakes: A major issue in Indian cities. Lakes can store excess water and regulate the flow of water. However, pollution of natural urban water bodies and converting them for development purposes has increased the risk of floods.
    • Unauthorized colonies and excess construction: Reduced infiltration due to paving of surfaces which decreases ground absorption and increases the speed and amount of surface flow
    • Poor Solid Waste Management System: Improper waste management system and clogging of storm-water drains because of silting, accumulation of non-biodegradable wastes and construction debris.
    • Drainage System: Old and ill-maintained drainage system is another factor making cities in India vulnerable to flooding.
    • Irresponsible steps: Lack of attention to the natural hydrological system and lack of flood control measures.
    • Human determinism: The fact is that our cities have been built with little to no regard for the natural topography and severely lack holistic action.
    • Weaker laws: We have in place the provisions of rainwater harvesting, sustainable urban drainage systems, etc, in regulatory mechanisms like the EIA notification 2006 but still these are on paper majorly.
    • Weaker Urban bodies capacity: Public bodies’ focus is largely on de-silting of stormwater drains before monsoon and expansion of the over-burdened infrastructure, but at a crawling pace. 

    Lacunae in Urban Planning

    • No mapping of water bodies: The preliminary work of mapping and documentation of the surface water bodies even though mentioned by NDMA under the National Database for Mapping Attributes has not been undertaken.
    • Failed early-warning system: During the floods of Uttarakhand in 2013, there were questions about the role of NDMA, where it failed to implement the early warning systems to inform people about the floods and landslides.
    • Response rather than mitigation: The importance of preparedness for disaster situations like urban floods was realized by the government agencies only after the devastations during Chennai Floods in 2015 and Kerala Floods in 2018.
    • Responsiveness of Local bodies: Sufficient training, equipment, and facilities for immediate response and tackling the disaster situation efficiently are not being carried out by the local governments. More onus of mitigation lies with NDMA/SDMA.
    • Misutilization of Funds: NDRF/SDRF constituted by the government to deal with the disasters, were used for expenses that were not sanctioned for disaster management. There were cases of financial indiscipline in state management of funds.

    Consequences of Urban Floods

    • On the economy: Damage to infrastructure, roads and settlements, industrial production, basic supplies, post-disaster rehabilitation difficulties etc.
    • On human population and wildlife: Trauma, loss of life, injuries and disease outbreak, contamination of water etc.
    • On the environment: Loss of habitat, tree and forest cover, biodiversity loss and large-scale greenery recovery failure.
    • On transport and communication: Increased traffic congestion, disruption in rail services, disruption in communication- on the telephone, internet cables causing massive public inconvenience.
    • Diseases: the stagnation of flood water causes pollution of drinking water and accumulation of waste in dustbins and on the open road, thus acting as a host of several pathogens and resulting in the spread of diseases like Dengue, Malaria etc.
    • Tangible losses: The losses that can be measured physically and can be assigned an economic value. These losses can be direct or indirect. Direct – Structural damage to buildings, property damage and damage to infrastructurewhereas Indirect – Economic losses, Traffic disruption, and emergency costs.
    • Intangible losses: Intangible losses include loss of life, secondary health effects, and infections or damages to the environment which are difficult to assess in monetary terms since they are not traded such as Casualties, health effects, ecological losses, the Post-flood recovery process, mental damage to the people.

    Solutions to Urban Flooding

    • Improved flood warning systems: effective flood warning systems can help take timely action during natural calamities and can save lives. Pre-planning can significantly reduce the effects of floods, giving people time to migrate to safer locations and stock up on essentials.
    • Building flood-resilient housing systems: concrete floors can be very useful during floods. Houses should be waterproofed and electric sockets should be placed at higher levels up the walls to reduce the chances of shocks.
    • Constructing buildings above flood levels: buildings should be constructed a meter above the ground to prevent flood damage and evacuation during floods.
    • Resilience to Climate change: drastic climate changes have increased the frequency of natural disasters in many parts of the world. Governments should bring about environment-friendly policy level changes and eliminate the ones hazardous to the environment to tackle the problem of global warming.
    • Create wetlands and encourage reforestation: creating more and more wetlands can help soak up excessive moisture since wetlands act as sponges. Wooded areas can also slow down heavy water flow, minimizing the effects of floods. Reforesting upstream regions can significantly reduce the effects of flood damage.
    • Installing flood barriers: these are flood gates designed to prevent the area behind the barrier from flooding. They can also be kept around buildings to keep floodwaters outside the boundary created.

    Some international Models of Urban flood control

    (A) To enhance Preventive measures

    • It can learn a lesson or two from cities in Japan, Malaysia and Europe. These cities have well-prepared mapped flood zones.
    • By combining field surveys, historical records, satellite imagery and infrastructure assessment, they have identified vulnerable areas.
    • Such maps and data are shared with citizens, which help them understand the status of their neighborhoods and decide where to move or buy new homes.

    (B) To enhance Mitigation

    • Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo have built extensive water discharge tunnels to divert and store floodwater. This reduces the volume of water that washes the city.
    • Tokyo has one of the largest underground tunnels, running to a length of 6.5 km, and the tank can hold 6,70,000 cubic metres of diverted water, which is later pumped into safe watercourses using turbines.

    (C) To enhance Response measures

    • As cities increasingly face natural hazards and terrorist attacks, they are investing in setting operation centers for early warning and rescue work.
    • For example, Rio de Janeiro has spent $14 million and created a real-time monitoring center of infrastructure and traffic flows.
    • The recent experience clearly shows the need for early warning and dissemination of reliable information about floods and rescue.

    (D) The Dutch Model of Flood Management

    • ‘Live with Water, Built with Nature’ sees cities as ‘waterscape’ and not ‘landscape’ as most of our cities are built along water bodies like river banks or coastal areas. The model proposes nature-based solutions for flood management in cities.

    (E) Yongning River Park model

    • Of China where artificial wetlands are created in and around cities to allow periodic flooding in these parks and act as a buffer for cities and thus preventing flooding.

    Way forward

    • Building Resilience: The rapid transformation in rainfall characteristics and flooding patterns demands building the resilience of people and urban infrastructure.
    • Reconsider projects: Construction projects that impede the movement of water and sediment across the floodplain must be reconsidered.
    • Use of technology: At the same time, climate-imposed exigencies demand new paradigms of early-warning and response systems and securing livelihoods and economies.
    • Climate variability assessment: As the incidence of climate variability and extreme weather events increases, it is inevitable that we look at the issue from a broad-based perspective.
    • Innovation: Water-sensitive urban design and planning techniques — especially in the context of implementation — are of utmost importance. Ex. Sponge Cities.
    • Environmental determinism: Planning must take into consideration the topography, types of surfaces (pervious or impervious), and natural drainage and leave very less impact on the environment.
    • Vulnerability Analysis: Vulnerability analyses and risk assessments should form part and parcel of city master plans.
    • Extending IN-FLOWS flood control systems which have been installed in Chennai and Mumbai to other major cities also.

    Conclusion

    • A June 2020 Ministry of Earth Sciences climate change assessment report noted how the increased frequencies of heavy rainfall had enhanced flood risk all over India, particularly in urban areas. This requires an urgent fix. 
    • Thus, Flooding in India is also all set to increase in magnitude and intensity. The need of the hour is to adopt the Sendai framework’s Disaster risk resilience approach in Urban flood management in India to better cope with urban floods and reduce their impact as much as possible.

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  • 12th September 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1        Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present – significant events, personalities, issues.

    GS-2        Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

    GS-3        Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country, – different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.

    GS-4        Probity in Governance: Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 The Moplah rebellion 1921 was an expression of agrarian and political discontent which got intensified by religious identities. Examine. (10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 Do you think we can eliminate TB by 2025? Discuss the roadmap and mention some affirmative actions taken by government. (15 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 Do you think there is urgent need to extend MSP to horticulture sector also? Discuss what can be done to solve the apple farmer crisis in Himachal Pradesh. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 Effective public service delivery requires a citizen centric system. Citizen’s Charter is seen as an important tool to ensure such a system, but it is not achieving its objectives. Why? Discuss measures to make it more effective? (10 Marks)

     

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  • Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019

    A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) U U Lalit will hear the challenge to the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

    What is Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019?

    • The act is sought to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian illegal migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship of India.
    • In other words, it intends to make it easier for non-Muslim immigrants from India’s three Muslim-majority neighbours to become citizens of India.
    • Under The Citizenship Act, 1955, one of the requirements for citizenship by naturalization is that the applicant must have resided in India during the last 12 months, as well as for 11 of the previous 14 years.
    • The amendment relaxes the second requirement from 11 years to 6 years as a specific condition for applicants belonging to these six religions, and the aforementioned three countries.
    • It exempts the members of the six communities from any criminal case under the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport Act, 1920 if they entered India before December 31, 2014.

    Key feature: Defining illegal migrants

    • Illegal migrants cannot become Indian citizens in accordance with the present laws.
    • Under the CAA, an illegal migrant is a foreigner who: (i) enters the country without valid travel documents like a passport and visa, or (ii) enters with valid documents, but stays beyond the permitted time period.
    • Illegal migrants may be put in jail or deported under the Foreigners Act, 1946 and The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.

    Exceptions

    • The Bill provides that illegal migrants who fulfil four conditions will not be treated as illegal migrants under the Act.  The conditions are:
    1. they are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis or Christians;
    2. they are from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan;
    3. they entered India on or before December 31, 2014;
    4. they are not in certain tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, or Tripura included in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution, or areas under the “Inner Line” permit, i.e., Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland.

    Controversy with the Act

    • Country of Origin: The Act classifies migrants based on their country of origin to include only Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
    • Other religious minorities ignored: It is unclear why illegal migrants from only six specified religious minorities have been included in the Act.
    • Defiance of purpose: India shares a border with Myanmar, which has had a history of persecution of a religious minority, the Rohingya Muslims.
    • Date of Entry: It is also unclear why there is a differential treatment of migrants based on their date of entry into India, i.e., whether they entered India before or after December 31, 2014.
    • Against the spirit of Secularism: Further, granting citizenship on the grounds of religion is seen to be against the secular nature of the Constitution which has been recognised as part of the basic structure that cannot be altered by Parliament.

    Basis of challenging in Supreme Court

    • The challenge rests primarily on the grounds that the law violates Article 14 of the Constitution that guarantees that no person shall be denied the right to equality before law or the equal protection of law in the territory of India.

    The Supreme Court has developed a two-pronged test to examine a law on the grounds of Article 14.

    1. First, any differentiation between groups of persons must be founded on “intelligible differentia”
    2. Second, that differentia must have a rational nexus to the object sought to be achieved by the Act
    • Simply put, for a law to satisfy the conditions under Article 14, it has to first create a “reasonable class” of subjects that it seeks to govern under the law.
    • Even if the classification is reasonable, any person who falls in that category has to be treated alike.

    What happens next?

    • The listing of the CAA challenge indicates that the hearing will be fast-tracked.
    • The court will have to ensure that all pleadings, written submissions are filed and served to the opposite party before it is listed for final hearing.
    • Some petitioners could also seek a referral to a larger Constitution Bench.
    • However, the challenge is to a statute and does not directly involve interpretation of the Constitution.
    • These issues are also likely to be debated before the court allots time for the final hearing.

    Way forward

    • India is a constitutional democracy with a basic structure that assures a secure and spacious home for all Indians.
    • Being partitioned on religious grounds, India has to undertake a balancing act for protecting the religious minorities in its neighbourhood.
    • These minorities are under constant threat of persecution and vandalism.
    • India needs to balance its civilization duties to protect those who are prosecuted in the neighbourhood.

     

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  • Why Cloudbursts forecast in India still remains elusive?

    cloudbursts

    The characteristics of cloud burst events remain elusive, and our efforts in monitoring and forecasting them is at an embryonic stage.

    Cyclones can be predicted about one week in advance. However, cloudburst forecasts still remain elusive.

    What is Cloudbursts?

    • A cloudburst is a localised but intense rainfall activity.
    • Short spells of very heavy rainfall over a small geographical area can cause widespread destruction, especially in hilly regions where this phenomenon is the most common.
    • Not all instances of very heavy rainfall, however, are cloudbursts.
    • A cloudburst has a very specific definition: Rainfall of 10 cm or more in an hour over a roughly 10 km x 10-km area is classified as a cloudburst event.
    • By this definition, 5 cm of rainfall in a half-hour period over the same area would also be categorized as a cloudburst.

    Which clouds do burst?

    • Cloudburst events are often associated with cumulonimbus clouds that cause thunderstorms and occasionally due to monsoon wind surges and other weather phenomena.
    • Cumulonimbus clouds can grow up to 12-15 km in height through the entire troposphere (occasionally up to 21 km) and can hold huge amounts of water.
    • Tall cumulonimbus clouds can develop in about half an hour as the moisture updraft happens rapidly, at a pace of 60 to 120 km/hr.
    • A single-cell cloud may last for an hour and dump all the rain in the last 20 to 30 minutes, while some of these clouds merge to form multi-cell storms and last for several hours.
    • However, cloudbursts are not defined based on cloud characteristics and do not indicate clouds exploding. Cloudbursts are defined by the amount of rainfall.

    How is it different from normal rainfall?

    • According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 100 mm of rain in an hour is called a cloudburst.
    • Usually, cloudbursts occur over a small geographical region of 20 to 30 sq. km.

    When do they occur?

    • In India, cloudbursts often occur during the monsoon season, when the southwesterly monsoon winds bring in copious amounts of moisture inland.
    • The moist air that converges over land gets lifted as they encounter the hills.
    • The moist air reaches an altitude and gets saturated, and the water starts condensing out of the air forming clouds.
    • This is how clouds usually form, but such an orographic lifting together with a strong moisture convergence can lead to intense cumulonimbus clouds taking in huge volumes of moisture that is dumped during cloudbursts.

    How common are cloudbursts?

    • Cloudbursts are not uncommon events, particularly during the monsoon months.
    • Most of these happen in the Himalayan states where the local topology, wind systems, and temperature gradients between the lower and upper atmosphere facilitate the occurrence of such events.
    • However, not every event that is described as a cloudburst is actually, by definition, a cloudburst.
    • That is because these events are highly localized.
    • They take place in very small areas which are often devoid of rainfall measuring instruments.

    Climate change and cloudbursts: How are they related?

    • Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and intensity of cloudbursts worldwide.
    • As the air gets warmer, it can hold more moisture and for a longer time. We call this the Clausius Clapeyron relationship.
    • A 1-degree Celsius rise in temperature may correspond to a 7-10% increase in moisture and rainfall.
    • This increase in rainfall amount does not get spread moderately throughout the season.
    • As the moisture holding capacity of air increases, it results in prolonged dry periods intermittent with short spells of extreme rains.
    • Deeper cumulonimbus clouds will form and the chances of cloudbursts also increase.

    Why are they so destructive?

    • The consequences of these events, however, are not confined to small areas.
    • Because of the nature of terrain, the heavy rainfall events often trigger landslides and flash floods, causing extensive destruction downstream.
    • This is the reason why every sudden downpour that leads to destruction of life and property in the hilly areas gets described as a “cloudburst”, irrespective of whether the amount of rainfall meets the defining criteria.
    • At the same time, it is also possible that actual cloudburst events in remote locations aren’t recorded.

    Detecting cloudbursts

    • Satellites are extensively useful in detecting large-scale monsoon weather systems.
    • However the resolution of the precipitation radars of these satellites can be much smaller than the area of individual cloudburst events, and hence they go undetected.
    • Weather forecast models also face a similar challenge in simulating the clouds at a high resolution.
    • The skillful forecasting of rainfall in hilly regions remains challenging due to the uncertainties in the interaction between the moisture convergence and the hilly terrain.
    • There also involves the cloud microphysics, and the heating-cooling mechanisms at different atmospheric levels.
    • Multiple radars can be a quick measure for providing warnings, but radars are an expensive affair, and installing them across the country may not be practically feasible.

    Solutions to cloudbursts forecast

    • Multiple doppler weather radars can be used to monitor moving cloud droplets and help to provide nowcasts (forecasts for the next three hours).
    • A long-term measure would be mapping the cloudburst-prone regions using automatic rain gauges.
    • If cloudburst-prone regions are co-located with landslide-prone regions, these locations can be designated as hazardous.

     

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  • Sustainable Tourism in India

    TourismContext

    • Ministry of Tourism identified Tourism Industry’s potential as a Sunrise Industry.
    • There is a need for tourism analysts to hold tourism planners accountable.

    What is tourism?

    • Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours.

    Types of tourism

    • Domestic tourism: Refers to activities of a visitor within their country of residence and outside of their home (e.g. a Indian visiting other parts of India)
    • Inbound tourism: Refers to the activities of a visitor from outside of country of residence (e.g. a Spaniard visiting Britain).
    • Outbound tourism: Refers to the activities of a resident visitor outside of their country of residence (e.g. an Indian visiting an overseas country).

    What does sustainable tourism mean?

    • Sustainable tourism is defined by the UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

    TourismWhat is the main importance of tourism?

    • Tourism boosts the revenue of the economy, creates thousands of jobs, develops the infrastructures of a country, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between foreigners and citizens.

    Why tourism is needed?

    • Tourism is not a fad. It is a compulsion driven by the urge to discover new places. Because we have this compulsion to venture into the unknown, we need each other. When humans travel, meet and exchange ideas, civilisation flourishes.

    What should be done to promote tourism?

    • National Tourism Authority: A separate National Tourism Authority (NTA) should be established for executing and operationalizing various tourism related initiatives. Simple, flexible and elegant processes will be laid down to allow for nimbleness.
    • National Tourism Advisory Board: A National Tourism Advisory Board (NTAB) should be set up to provide overall vision, guidance and direction to the Development of Tourism Sector in the country.
    • Creating Synergy in Tourism Eco System: In order to ensure synergy at various levels of Government and with the Private Sector, it is important to have a well-defined framework in place.
    • Quality Tourism Framework: A robust framework for quality certification of products and services across all segments like accommodation providers, tour operators, adventure tour operators, service providers like spa and wellness, guides, restaurants etc. should be laid down.
    • Enhancing the existing luxury tourism products: The existing tourism products such as Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Palace on Wheels etc. should be enhanced and their numbers will also be increased. Haulage charges will be rationalised to make luxury trains viable.
    • Railways can be a game changer: For tourism Railways have presence in most parts of the country. Most of the tourist destinations in the country are connected by rail. Railways is also in the process of connecting more places especially the strategic locations that also are tourist places with limited connectivity at present. Indian Railways is working towards promoting tourism in the country by operating more trains connecting tourists’ destinations and also by providing an array of products starting from luxury tourist trains to budget catering tourist trains

    TourismWhat is MICE tourism of Gujarat?

    • The acronym “MICE” stands for “Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions”, and is essentially a version of business tourism that draws domestic and international tourists to a destination.
    • The policy aims to make Gujarat one of the top five MICE tourism destinations in the country.

    Way forward

    • Enhance the contribution of tourism in Indian economy by increasing the visitation, stay and spend
    • Create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in tourism sector and ensure supply of skilled work force
    • Enhance the competitiveness of tourism sector and attract private sector investment
    • Preserve and enhance the cultural and natural resources of the country
    • To ensure sustainable, responsible and inclusive development of tourism in the country

    Conclusion

    • We know that India has the highest tourism potential of any country. That is because we have every terrain and climate zone, and a range of customs, traditions, cuisines, crafts, art forms and festivals unmatched by any other nation. We should monetize our potential through putting comprehensive National tourism policy in place.

    Mains question

    Q. What should be done to transform our tourist destinations to provide world class visitor experience making India one of the topmost destinations for sustainable and responsible tourism?

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