THE POLITY

1. 29 PHONES TESTED FOR PEGASUS SPYWARE: SUPREME COURT

THE CONTEXT: The Supreme Court on Friday gave more time to the technical committee appointed by it to finalise and submit its report with regard to the probe into allegations of Pegasus software’s use for unauthorized surveillance.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Chief Justice of India N V Ramana presiding a three-judge bench said the judge overseeing the inquiry, Justice R V Raveendran (retd), “has submitted an Interim Report requesting therein for extension of time to submit the final report, till 20.06.2022”.
• The CJI pointed out that the committee had informed that 29 mobile devices are being examined and would need time till the end of this month to finalise it. The report would then be submitted to the overseeing judge who would need a few more days to add his comments.
• According to CJI “29 mobile devices are being examined. They have developed their own software. They have also issued notices to agencies, including government and journalists, and invited objections, too…It has prayed for time to submit its report. Now, it is under process. We will give them time,”

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2. THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN TURMOIL, LESSONS FOR INDIA

THE CONTEXT: The impact of the changes on Indian policy will offer New Delhi a better understanding of future domestic challenges.

THE EXPLANATION:

A NEUTRAL POSITION WILL NOT DO

• A silent or “neutral” position cannot mark the present government’s response to the changes in the way it has with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or China’s moves in Hong Kong or the South China Sea region.
• India faces the direct impact of almost every South Asian country in crisis, in terms of the need for aid and loans or a possible influx of refugees, as movements that develop in one neighboring country are often mirrored in another. Therefore, they must be watched more closely.
• The first lesson to be learned is that populism does not pay in the long run. While the potent combination of hyper-nationalism, religious majoritarianism, and a strident anti-elitism can bring “men of the masses” such as Mahinda Rajapaksa, K.P. Oli, and Imran Khan to power (as they promise an alternative to corrupt, dynasty regimes), it does not necessarily keep them there.
• It is a mistake for any government to conflate an electoral win and a mandate for governance with a carte blanche for ruling a country.
• The second is that the popularity of a leader can decline sharply and suddenly for one or a combination of reasons: K.P. Oli won a landslide victory in 2017 where his Left Alliance secured majorities in both houses, and formed governments in six of seven provinces; Imran Khan won all five National Assembly seats he fought in the 2018 elections, and while his party did not win a majority of seats, it won the popular vote; and the Rajapaksa-led Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP) ruling coalition won 150 of 225 parliamentary seats in 2020.
• That these popular mandates could be cast aside in just a few years is a stark reminder that nothing is forever, especially in a democracy.

THE ECONOMY MATTERS

• In Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the defeat of populists has come not so much at the hand of the Opposition parties, but by the slowdown in growth, jobs and rising inflation.
• India had already seen six successive quarters of straight losses in December 2019, and most of the neighborhood was floundering as well, when COVID-19 was first reported. In the years that followed, the COVID-19 pandemic enforced lock downs, and the resultant slowdown in the global economy made GDP figures in the region plummet.
• More recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and sanctions by the West have made food and fuel prices soar.
• In such a situation, the change in power in these three countries took only a small push, from the military, the courts, or from street protests.
• New Delhi must not only study the causes of the economic mismanagement that brought change in the neighborhood but must also survey the impact of new vulnerabilities on smaller neighboring countries that could be exploited by global powers as they seek a more direct influence in the region.
• Given the common challenges the region faces, New Delhi must find newer ways to energise regional groupings such as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Initiative, and even to reconsider SAARC, in order to discuss shared approaches to reviving tourism and exports, supporting South Asian expatriate labour abroad, and building common pools of food and fuel stocks to soften inflationary blows on the South Asian economy.

CONSENSUS NEEDED

• The government need to learn from the lessons in political culture that let down the “alpha leaders” in neighbouring democracies.
• One of the common threads in each of the governments (Rajapaksa, Oli and Khan) was an abhorrence for consensus building. In various ways, each of them turned their opposition into “the enemy”, and froze out the media, non-governmental organisations, and any voting constituency other than their own.
• Nations, especially democracies run on many engines — not just the single monolithic one of the party or people in power.
• As India essays its role as a regional leader, the Government would be wise to not only study the impact of changes in the neighborhood on Indian policy but also to look into the mirror the neighbors hold up to India, for a better understanding of its future challenges within the country.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

3. THE SC RULING THAT GST COUNCIL DECISIONS ARE NOT BINDING ON THE CENTRE OR STATES

THE CONTEXT: The Supreme Court ruled on  May 19 that recommendations of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council only have persuasive value, and cannot be biding on the Centre and States.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The apex court added that the Parliament and state legislatures possess equal powers to legislate on Goods and Services Tax (GST) and it is for the GST Council to advise suitably.
• The Centre along with several importers had been fighting a battle in the apex court over applicability of GST on transportation of imported goods through sea route.
• The SC dismissed an appeal by the Central government against an earlier Gujarat High Court judgement that said that Integrated GST (IGST) on ocean freight is unconstitutional.
• The bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud said that Parliament intended that the recommendations of the GST Council will have persuasive value.
• Reading the operative portion of the ruling in the Government vs Mohit Minerals case, Justice DY Chandrachud said that recommendations of the GST council are a product of collaborative discussion. It is not imperative that federal units must always possess a higher share.
• Justice Chandrachud observed that GST council is an area of political contestations as well and it impacts federalism. “The Union and states have simultaneous powers to legislate on GST and the constitution does not envisage a repugnancy provision and GST council must work in harmonious manner to achieve workable solution,”.
• Citing 246A and 279A of the Constitution, Justice Chandrachud said that 246A treats state and Centre as equal while 279A says that state and Centre cannot act independent of each other. This also points towards competitive federalism.
• This judgement may change the landscape of those provisions under GST which are subject to judicial review. As the court has gone ahead to categorically hold that the GST Council recommendations have only persuasive value, there will be pragmatic approach to the provisions which are subject to judicial review by way of challenge to the constitutionality of such provisions based on GST Council recommendations.
• GST Council is an apex member committee to modify, reconcile or to procure any law or regulation based on the context of GST in India. The council is headed by the Union Finance Minister, who is assisted by all state finance ministers.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

4. HOW TO FIGHT DESERTIFICATION: HERE’S WHAT THE 15TH COP TO UNCCD AGREED ON

THE CONTEXT: The 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), concluded on May 20,2022 in Abidjan with a global pledge to boost drought resilience and invest in land restoration for future prosperity.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The UNCCD COP15 adopted 38 decisions, including on tenure, migration and gender, that highlight the role of land in addressing multiple crises.
• The global leaders representing UN member state agreed to establish an Intergovernmental Working Group on Drought for 2022-2024 to look into possible options, including global policy instruments and regional policy frameworks, to support a shift from reactive to proactive drought management.
• According to the most recent UN estimates, up to 40 percent of our planet’s land is degraded. This will directly affect half of humanity and is a threat to about 50 percent of global GDP or around $44 trillion.
• The world has is slow on restoration of one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030. So, the UN members also agreed and committed to accelerating the restoration of one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030.
• The UN member states will focus on improving data gathering and monitoring to track progress against the achievement of land restoration commitments.They committed to establishing a new partnership model for large-scale integrated landscape investment programmes, according to the UN statement released, May 20, 2022.
• The “Drought in Numbers, 2022” released, May 12, 2022 at the COP15 had called upon the world to prioritise drought preparedness and resilience.
• In this context, another important global consensus emerged on boosting drought resilience by identifying the expansion of dry lands, improving national policies and early warning. For this, mobilising drought finance will be critical.
• The leaders came on board and also committed to prioritise and ensure women’s involvement in land management for effective land restoration.
• Other significant outcomes of the COP 15 included three key declarations: Abidjan Call issued by the Heads of State and Government to boost long-term environmental sustainability, Abidjan Declaration on achieving gender equality for successful land restoration and the COP15 “Land, Life and Legacy” Declaration, which responds to the findings of the UNCCD’s flagship report, Global Land Outlook 2.
• UNCCD’s COP15 is the first Conference of the Parties of the three Rio Conventions taking place in 2022, ahead of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change COP27 and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP15.
• There is a need to ensure greater synergies among the three Rio Conventions, including complementarities in the implementation of these treaties through nature-based solutions and target-setting at the national level, said the leaders representing the UN member states.
• When barely 18 per cent of the Great Green Wall’s objectives for 2030 have been achieved, with just 18 million hectares restored out of a goal of 100 million according to Green wall accelerator programme, regional initiatives too were launched in support of the Africa-led Great Green Wall at COP 15.

5. BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION THROUGH BIOSPHERES

THE CONTEXT: According to the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services released in 2019 by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the main global drivers of biodiversity loss are climate change, invasive species, over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution and urbanization.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Biodiversity is the living fabric of our planet. It underpins human well-being in the present and in the future, and its rapid decline threatens nature and people alike.
• Because of our collective excesses, the ecological carrying capacity of planet earth has largely been exceeded.
• This trend needs to be redressed, with cleaner air, high quality drinking water, and enough food and healthy habitats to ensure that ecosystem services continue to benefit humanity without critically affecting nature’s balance.
• Whether we look at nature from an environmental, from a cultural or even from a religious point of view, it is our responsibility and clearly in our interest to respect the environment.
• In fact, the possibilities exist, and all is not lost. In the last 50 years or so, much has been accomplished for the protection of nature, including the establishment of conservation areas, and a number of international conventions have been signed and ratified.
• One of the best mechanisms that has been created is the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, created in 1971 by UNESCO.
• Biosphere reserves are places where humans live in harmony with nature, and where there is an effective combination of sustainable development and nature conservation. They represent pockets of hope and proof that we are not inexorably headed towards a doomsday ecological scenario, provided we take appropriate action.
• In South Asia, over 30 biosphere reserves have been established. The first one was the Hurulu Biosphere Reserve in Sri Lanka, which was designated in 1977 and comprises 25,500 hectares within the tropical dry evergreen forest.
• In India, the first biosphere reserve was designated by UNESCO in 2000 within the blue mountains of the Nilgiris. It stretches across the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The network has gone from strength to strength, and it now counts 12 sites, with Panna, in the State of Madhya Pradesh, as the latest inscription in 2020. We need many more biosphere reserves and pockets of hope, and the region offers countless options.
• UNESCO Biosphere Reserves have all developed science-based management plans, where local solutions for sustainable human living and nature conservation are being tested and best practices applied. Issues of concern include biodiversity, clean energy, climate, environmental education, and water and waste management, supported by scientific research and monitoring. The aim is to detect changes and find solutions to increase climate resilience.
• All biosphere reserves are internationally recognised sites on land, at the coast, or in the oceans. Governments alone decide which areas to nominate. Before approval by UNESCO, the sites are externally examined. If approved, they will be managed based on an agreed plan, reinforced by routine checks to ensure credibility, but all remain under the sovereignty of their national government.
• Some of the countries in South Asia do not yet have any or enough biosphere reserves. In most if not all cases, the political will is certainly there but there is a lack of know-how and financial resources. Of course, more financial support from richer nations and from the private sector would be desirable for establishing biosphere reserves in these countries.
• Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal are on the priority list of UNESCO, because they do not yet have any biosphere reserves. Their governments are already working on their first nomination files. Our organisation also believes that it would be important to increase the number of biosphere reserves in India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
• The point is that if these pockets of hope can expand, with at least one biosphere reserve per country, and with more and larger sites covering the terrestrial surface, including coastal areas with their offshore islands, it will give the realisation to millions of people that a better future is truly possible, one where we can truly live in harmony with nature.
• On May 22 and on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, let us do what is right. Now is the time to act for biodiversity.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6. NORMS EASED FOR GM CROP RESEARCH

THE CONTEXT: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has issued guidelines easing norms for research into genetically modified (GM) crops and circumventing challenges of using foreign genes to change crops profile.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The ‘Guidelines for Safety Assessment of Genome Edited Plants, 2022’ exempt researchers who use gene-editing technology to modify the genome of the plant from seeking approvals from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), an expert body of the Environment Ministry.
• The GEAC evaluates research into GM plants and recommends, or disapproves, their release into farmer fields. The final call is taken by the Environment Minister as well as States where such plants could be cultivated. The Environment Ministry too has sanctioned this exemption.
• The GM plants that have usually come for such scrutiny are those that involve transgenic technology or introducing a gene from a different species into a plant, for instance, Bt-cotton, where a gene from soil bacterium is used to protect a plant from pest attack.

• The worry around this method is that these genes may spread to neighboring plants, where such effects are not intended and so their applications have been controversial.
• Despite several kinds of transgenic crops having been researched and approved by scientific committees, none, save BT cotton, has made it to fields because of stringent opposition from environmental activists as well as farmer organisations.
• Genome editing involves the use of technologies that allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at particular locations in the genome. Several approaches to genome editing have been developed.
• A well-known one is called CRISPR-Cas9, which is short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9.
• Just as foreign genes can be used to add properties to plants, gene editing too can be used to make plants express properties not native to them.
• The guidelines say that all requirements that researchers must adhere to develop transgenic seeds will apply to gene-edited seeds except clauses that require permission from the GEAC.
• Environmentalist groups have opposed this exception for gene-edited crops. “Gene editing is included in genetic engineering. Therefore, there is no question of giving exemptions to particular kinds of genome-edited plants from the regulatory purview.
• Gene editing techniques, the letter alleges, involve altering the function of genes and can cause “large and unintended consequences” that can change the “toxicity and allergenicity” of plants.
• “Without the necessary regulatory oversight, how will regulators and the public know about such changes? Who will be responsible for the resultant risk implications?” their letter queries. They have demanded that these exemptions be withdrawn.
• There were a great many similarities in the techniques employed in transgenic technology and gene-editing technology. “Gene-editing is getting quite popular in biotechnology labs across the country.
• Gene editing can address some of the fears around the use of ‘foreign genes’ but it can only be used to express genes already present in a plant’s genome that are not manifest.
• But more importantly, it is not about technology but about how plants developed thus are sold or made available to farmers.”

 THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION FOR 21st MAY 2022

Q1. Consider the following statements about Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC):

1. It evaluates research into GM plants and recommends, or disapproves, their release into farmer fields.
2. It is a statutory body.
3. It functions under the Department of Biotechnology.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

           a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR THE 19^th MAY

Answer: B

Explanation:

WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION (WMO)

• It is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 193 Member States and Territories.
• It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), the roots of which were planted at the 1873 Vienna International Meteorological Congress.
• Established by the ratification of the WMO Convention on 23 March 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the United Nations for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology, and related geophysical sciences a year later.
• The Secretariat, headquartered in Geneva, is headed by the Secretary-General.
• Its supreme body is the World Meteorological Congress.

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