THE HINDU ANALYSIS NOTES ,02/12/22,BY SANJAY KUMAR SAH
01:-THE BATTLE TO BRING FRESHWATER TURTLES BACK FROM BRINK:-
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• On November 27, West Bengal Police seized 270 kg of turtle calipee (a gelatinous layer found in the lower shells of turtles, believed to be used in traditional Chinese medicine) in Malda district.
The consignment was meant to be smuggled to Bangladesh.
• In a move to curb turtle trafficking, earlier this month, the Conference of the Parties (COP) adopted India’s proposal to transfer two species of freshwater turtles found in the country — the red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur kachuga) and the Leith’s Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia leithii) — to Appendix I (which lists the most endangered species that need the highest level of protection) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES).
• Conservation experts and law enforcement agencies have welcomed CITES (an international treaty to ensure that trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival) upgrade of the two species at a time when illegal trade is threatening their natural habitats.
• India has 29 species of freshwater turtles (24) and tortoises (5). The main difference between the two is that turtles are primarily aquatic whereas tortoises are terrestrial and spend more time on land. More than half of the turtle species are threatened and 11 are protected under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, enjoying the same protection as tigers.
• For the red-crowned roofed turtle, found only within the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary (NCGWS) spread across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, threats have been mounting over the past few decades.
The species recently made it to the list of the 25 most threatened freshwater turtles in the world, along with northern river terrapin (Batagur baska) which is left only in the Sundarbans.
What is CITES?
•CITES is an international agreement between governments — 184 at present — to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.
•The convention entered into force in 1975 and India became the 25th party — a state that voluntarily agrees to be bound by the Convention — in 1976.
•States that have agreed to be bound by the Convention ('joined' CITES) are known as Parties.
•Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words they have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws.
•All import, export and re-export of species covered under CITES must be authorised through a permit system.
•Every two to three years, the Conference of the Parties meets to review the implementation of the Convention.
02:-LAYING THE GROUND TO DELEGITIMISE THE SUPREME COURT:-
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• the Supreme Court has taken up the question of inaction on the part of the Union government in notifying recommendations made by the collegium, which is a flagrant violation of the law settled by the court in two cases in the 1990s.
• In interviews to the media after his retirement, the former CJI, Justice U.U. Lalit, categorised the collegium as the “perfect” system to protect the independence of the judiciary.
• In 2015, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court struck down constitutional amendments that Parliament had effected to create the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC).
03:-SAFAR ROADS FOR GREENS ,MORE SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT :-
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• In addition to ensuring an easier, comfortable, and more secure commute, safer roads also have a positive impact on the environment. In 2021, India reported 4,03,116 crashes, each of which adversely impacted the environment in various ways and in different degrees.
• Most vehicles contain toxic metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium, which are detrimental to the environment. Fuel and fluid leaks are seen at crash sites.
• With the absence of widespread, systematic facilities dedicated to their proper recycling, vehicles after road crashes as well as old end-of-life automobiles are left to rot by the wayside.
• One of the biggest factors for road crashes is speeding.
• several governments globally have reduced speed limits to prevent crashes and lower air pollution.
04:- MIXED BAG:-
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• The latest official GDP estimates show the economy’s expansion decelerated in the July-September period, dragged down by year-on-year and sequential contractions in manufacturing and mining and a broad slowdown in private consumption expenditure and government spending.
• Policymakers can ill-afford to drop their guard as they battle to rein in growth-sapping inflation and must ensure that credit conditions remain supportive of the real economy.
05:-SHOULD THERE BE A PANEL TO APPOINT ELECTION COMMISSIONERS?:-
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Article 324 requires that Parliament will pass an Act about the procedure of appointment and things like that. It has not happened in the last 72 years.
• Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991. Section 4 of that unambiguously says the CEC or an EC shall hold office for a term of six years from the date he or she assumes office.
06:-G-20 PRESIDENCY UNPARALLEL A CRUCIAL RESPONSIBILITY : JAISHANKAR:-
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• India has assumed the Presidency of the grouping at a very challenging time in world politics; it will make citizens understand that India will be ‘more world-ready’ and the ‘world more India-ready’, says External Affairs Minister
• The countrywide spread of the event would help Indian citizens to understand that as a result of the G-20, India would be “more worldready” and the “world more India-ready”.
• Sources said apart from the main event and preparatory conferences, the G-20 summit would also include “side events” and civil societyrelated events and discussions.
• Apart from announcements in public venues and vehicles, the occasion was marked by illumination of world-famous Indian monuments such as Qutab Minar, Fort Vellore in Tamil Nadu and the Golconda Fort in Hyderabad. The Hazarduari palace in Murshidabad and the Ancient Palace in Leh are the other monuments.
07:-IS THERE A COMPELLING REASON FOR G.M.(GENETIC MODIFIED) MUSTARD ; WILL NOT AFFECT ENVIRONMENT ASKS S.C.(SUPREME COURT):-
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The Supreme Court on December 1, 2022 asked the government whether there is a "compelling reason" for it to press forward with the release of GM mustard, asking if the Indian agriculture will be "doomed" if not for GM crops.
Is there a compelling reason to release this hybrid DMH-11 [Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11] now… Can you not take into account bringing more safeguards, safety measures, experimentation, consultation and consider releasing it a later stage after gaining a better understanding of it… Why we are asking you this is it is said the release now would permanently and irreparably affect the environment," Justice B.V. Nagarathna asked Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the government.
The court's question came a day after petitioners argued that the regulatory system under the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) which cleared the environmental release of Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11), a genetically-engineered variant of mustard, was "horrendous" and riddled with conflict of interest.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, for petitioner-activist Aruna Rodrigues, had questioned the need to use GM mustard when India was home to 5,477 varieties of mustard.
'policy decision’
Mr. Venkataramani dismissed the need to look for a "compelling reason" as an argument based on ideology. He said the government had taken a policy decision. A regulatory process had been put in place. The review of the GM crop had been undertaken minutely over a lengthy period of time. There were no shortcuts taken to nudge an environmental clearance.
"After you cross a certain stage when your anxieties and doubts have been by and large resolved, there is no question of a compelling reason," Mr. Venkataramani submitted.
Justice Nagarathna said the court's questions were based on the Indian context.
"Indian farmers are not like western farmers. All said and done, despite the krishi melas and krishi darshans, the literacy and awareness about all these genes and mutations continue to be very low. That is the reality of India… So, that is why we are asking whether in the Indian conditions, you have no option but to release the GM crop… if you don't do it, you are doomed," Justice Nagarathna observed.
Mr. Venkataramani said it would be a "different story if everything is left entirely in the hands of farmers".
He reiterated that the question before the court was not the "compelling reason" behind the GM crop policy but only the process of review and testing involved.
"If there is a problem with the process, then the court will address… To say the government is blind to the Indian context is something very far-fetched," Mr. Venkataramani submitted.
At this, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari pointed out that the Supreme Court's own Technical Expert Committee (TEC) had said GM crops were not meant for agriculture in the Indian context.
Justice Maheswari said the committee had based its reasons on scientific analysis.
"You [the government] are proceeding in divergence with what they have said. The committee's focus was on sustainability and likely socio-economic impact on a major section of the rural economy… When you proceed to do something which is definitely not in conformity with the TEC's recommendation to ban GM mustard, should you not satisfy the court that your divergence is based on rational criteria and scientific methodology?" Justice Maheshwari asked the Attorney General.
08:-MANUFACTURING P.M.I.SIGNALS OUTPUT ,ORDERS AT 3-MTH HIGH:-
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Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)
•It is an index of the prevailing direction of economic trends in the manufacturing and service sectors.
•It is an economic indicator, which is derived after monthly surveys of different companies.
•There are two types of PMI — Manufacturing PMI and Services PMI.
• A combined index is also made using both manufacturing PMI and services PMI.
•Calculation of PMI:
• It is indicated by a number from 0 to 100.
• A print above 50 means expansion while a score below 50 denotes contraction.
• A reading at 50 indicates no change.
• If the previous month PMI is higher than the current month PMI, it represents that the economy is contracting.
09:-CENTRE HALVES WINDFALL PROFIT TAX ON CRUDE ,CUTS DIESEL LEVY:-
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What is a Windfall Tax?
•Windfall taxes are designed to tax the profits a company derives from an external, sometimes unprecedented event — for instance, the energy price-rise as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
•These are profits that cannot be attributed to something the firm actively did, like an investment strategy or an expansion of business.
•The US Congressional Research Service (CRS) defines a windfall as an “unearned, unanticipated gain in income through no additional effort or expense”.
•One area where such taxes have routinely been discussed is oil markets, where price fluctuation leads to volatile or erratic profits for the industry.
10:-TEXT AND CONTEXT
HOW WILL GLOBAL LAYOFFS IMPACT INDIA:-
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• Over the past two months, a slew of U.S. multinational companies including tech giants Amazon, Meta, Intel, Twitter and financial behemoths like Citi and Morgan Stanley, announced massive layoffs, which crossed 60,000 in September and October.
• The Indian IT services firms are among the largest employers in the organised sector and any global economic trend is bound to have an impact on their growth projections.
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