1. Three things that prompt us to speak, write & act READ MORE
2. Putting on a show to keep people engaged READ MORE

1. India’s NDC: Why sector-specific targets are needed for reducing emmissions READ MORE
2. Clear signs: 1.5°C warmer world to be catastrophic for India READ MORE

1. Women and Indian society: Deep-rooted conservatism widens gender gaps READ MORE
2. Casteism threatens constitutionalism READ MORE
3. Queer Rights: Sec 377 Is Down, but Urgent Reforms Are Required for Equality and Dignity READ MORE

1. Sop or welfare debate: Steps to limit freebies or to discourage populism should come through Parliament READ MORE
2. Data rules: The Centre must address data breach, surveillance concerns when it redrafts the Personal Data Protection Bill READ MORE
3. The Failed Fraternity Factor READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. CJI Ramana recommends Justice Lalit as successor READ MORE
2. Iran nuclear talks to restart in Vienna with EU mediation READ MORE
3. PMI Price rise driving 8% of GST revenue surge: SBI Research READ MORE
4. Explained: What are rare earth elements, and why is India keen to join a global alliance to ensure their supply? READ MORE
5. UNECA calls for transparent, comparable carbon pricing systems READ MORE
6. Over 1,500 people died in elephant attacks in last 3 years, maximum casualties in Odisha READ MORE
7. South Korean spacecraft launched to the moon, country’s 1^st READ MORE
8. Isro to launch AzaadiSat satellite built by 750 school girls next week READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Women and Indian society: Deep-rooted conservatism widens gender gaps READ MORE
2. Casteism threatens constitutionalism READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Sop or welfare debate: Steps to limit freebies or to discourage populism should come through Parliament READ MORE
2. Data rules: The Centre must address data breach, surveillance concerns when it redrafts the Personal Data Protection Bill READ MORE
3. The Failed Fraternity Factor READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Queer Rights: Sec 377 Is Down, but Urgent Reforms Are Required for Equality and Dignity READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. MALDIVES President SEEKS DEEPER TIEs WITH INDIA READ MORE
2. Balancing acts: Occurrences in Afghanistan and Taiwan demand vigilance READ MORE

 GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Is the declining rupee a crisis or an opportunity? READ MORE
2. What the RBI’s Financial Stability Report reveals about the banking sector READ MORE
3. Why our economic growth has been patchy READ MORE
4. States’ borrowing spree a recipe for disaster READ MORE
5. The state of inequality in India READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. India’s NDC: Why sector-specific targets are needed for reducing emmissions READ MORE
2. Clear signs: 1.5°C warmer world to be catastrophic for India READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Three things that prompt us to speak, write & act READ MORE
2. Putting on a show to keep people engaged READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Economic strength will be a key factor in determining leadership in the emerging world order’. In the light of the statement discuss the need for India to improve trade relations with neighbouring countries.
2. ‘Freebie culture is a political disease and has to be cured politically. There is no need to involve the judiciary in it’. Do you agree with this view? Justify your case.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed.
• High expenditures on interest payments mean fewer resources for countercyclical fiscal policies and social spending in critical areas.
• Only government intervention can ensure that members of the queer communities can access basic services like housing, insurance and health care without obscuring their identities.
• Legislative changes in marital rights are much-debated and controversial, and would require an abundance of community action and legislative pushback.
• India has been moving away from the policy of coddling China. Now it is time for New Delhi to strengthen trade relations with Taiwan and scale up diplomatic relations.
• Economic strength will be a key factor in determining leadership in the emerging world order.
• One can understand the need for subsidies and freebies during the pandemic times, but now these should be carefully targeted to reach only the neediest.
• Since populist governments cannot be stopped from spending recklessly regardless of the demands of constitutional propriety or financial prudence, it is perhaps only for the judiciary to restrain them.
• Freebie culture is a political disease and has to be cured politically. There is no need to involve the judiciary in it.
• The growth of economy is closely connected to education. And it is not enough to turn out technicians.
• The Centre must address data breach, surveillance concerns when it redrafts the Personal Data Protection Bill.
• A general concern over ‘freebies’ pushing the economy to ruin or unviable pre-election promises adversely affecting informed decision-making by voters seems reasonable.

50 WORD TALK

• Supreme Court’s concerns about irrational freebies are valid but it shouldn’t get enmeshed in fractious ‘revdi’ debate. What’s freebie for one can be welfare for another and vice versa. Until voters see its disastrous consequences, judicial or legal remedies will be ineffective. SC has more pressing matters to dispose of.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1.THE CJI PROPOSES JUSTICE U.U. LALIT AS SUCCESSOR

THE CONTEXT: The chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana recommended to the government the name of Justice Uday Umesh Lalit as his successor and the 49th Chief Justice of India.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The ‘Memorandum of Procedure of Appointment of Supreme Court Judges’ says “appointment to the office of the Chief Justice of India should be of the senior most Judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office”.
• The process, according to the Memorandum, begins with the Union Law Minister seeking the recommendation of the outgoing CJI about the next appointment.

Appointment of CJI:
• The Chief Justice of India is traditionally appointed by the outgoing Chief Justice of India on the day of his (or her) retirement.
• By convention, the outgoing Chief Justice of India selects the most senior then-sitting Supreme Court judge.
• Seniority at the apex court is determined not by age, but by:
o The date a judge was appointed to the Supreme Court.
• If two judges are elevated to the Supreme Court on the same day:
o The one who was sworn in first as a judge would trump another.
o If both were sworn in as judges on the same day, the one with more years of high court service would ‘win’ in the seniority stakes.
o An appointment from the bench would ‘trump’ in seniority an appointee from the bar.

Is it a part of the Constitution?
• The Constitution of India does not have any provision for criteria and procedure for appointing the CJI. Article 124(1) of the Indian Constitution says there “shall be a Supreme Court of India consisting of a Chief Justice of India”.
• The closest mention is in Article 126, which deals with the appointment of an acting CJI.
• In the absence of a constitutional provision, the procedure relies on custom and convention.

What is the procedure?
The procedure to appoint the next CJI is laid out in the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) between the government and the judiciary:
• The procedure is initiated by the Law Minister seeking the recommendation of the outgoing CJI at the ‘appropriate time’, which is near to the date of retirement of the incumbent CJI.
• The CJI sends his recommendation to the Law Ministry; and in the case of any qualms, the CJI can consult the collegium regarding the fitness of an SC judge to be elevated to the post.
• After receiving recommendation from the CJI, the law minister forwards it to the Prime Minister who then advises the President on the same.
• The President administers the oath of office to the new CJI.

Appointment of the CJI and the appointment of SC judges- key difference:
• In the former, the government cannot send the recommendation of the CJI (or the collegium) back to them for reconsideration; while in the latter, the government can do so. However, if the collegium reiterates those names, then the government cannot object any further.

2.THE FAMILY COURTS (AMENDMENT) BILL 2022

THE CONTEXT: The Rajya Sabha passed the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill amid disruptions over the Enforcement Directorate’s “actions against Opposition MPs” when the House is in session. The Bill validates family courts in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland with retrospective effect.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The Family Courts (Amendment) Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 18, 2022. The Bill amends the Family Courts Act, 1984. The Act allows state governments to establish Family Courts. The central government is empowered to notify dates for the Act to come into force in different states. The governments of Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland have set up Family Courts in their states under the Act. However, the central government has not extended the application of the Act to these states
• Application of Act in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland: The Bill seeks to extend the application of the Act to the state of Himachal Pradesh, with effect from February 15, 2019, and to the state of Nagaland, with effect from September 12, 2008. The establishment of Family Courts in both the states will be retrospectively valid from these dates. All actions taken under the Act in both the states, including the appointment of judges, and orders and judgments passed by the Family Courts, will also be deemed to be valid from these dates retrospectively.

Family Courts Act, 1984:
• According to the 59th Law Commission Report (1974) and the Committee on the Status of Women (1975), it was recommended that family disputes be treated differently than traditional civil proceedings.
• As a result, the Family Courts Act was passed in 1984, allowing state governments to establish family courts to promote conciliation and ensure that disputes concerning family affairs and marriage are resolved as soon as possible.
• The establishment and operation of family courts is the responsibility of state governments in consultation with their respective high courts, according to the Act.
• The Act requires the state government to establish a family court in every city or town with a population of more than one million people.
• The family court judges are appointed by the state government with the approval of the high court.
• There are 716 Family Courts in operation across the country (February 2022).

Difficulties confronting Indian Family Courts:
• The fundamental goal of the family court was to provide a quick resolution of problems involving marriage and family and to reach an agreement between the parties for reconciliation; however, this goal has yet to be met. Some of the challenges that family courts face are as follows:
o “Family” is not defined in the Act – The term “family” is not defined in the Act.
o Only cases involving marriage, child support, and divorce are heard in family court.
o As a result, the family court does not address issues arising from economic implications that affect the family in a variety of ways.
o Inadequate law enforcement – The Act empowers state governments to create regulations for the operation of family courts in their jurisdictions.
o Nonetheless, most state governments have not used these powers effectively to create rules and set up family courts.
o Complicated law – Because the family court follows the principles of the Code of Civil Procedure in suits and proceedings, the average person finds it difficult to understand the complicated law.

3.ONE WORD A DAY – NALSA

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the 1st First Meeting of the All India District Legal Services Authority, organized by the National Legal Services Authority was inaugurated by the PM.
THE EXPLANATION:
• He said that the time which was chosen for the inauguration of this meet was not only apt but also appropriate from a historical perspective as India was soon going to celebrate its 75th year of Independence.

What is NALSA?
• The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 to provide free Legal Services to the weaker sections of the society.
• It also organizes Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes.
• It monitors and reviews various legal aid programs. It provides rules and principles for legal services under the Act.
• It also distributes funding and grants to state legal services authorities and non-profit organisations to help them execute legal aid systems and initiatives.
• The Chief Justice of India is the Patron-in-Chief. NALSA is housed at Supreme Court of India.

What are SLSA and DLSA?
• In every State, State Legal Services Authority has been constituted to give effect to the policies and directions of the NALSA.
• It aims to give free legal services to the people and conduct Lok Adalats in the State.
• The State Legal Services Authority is headed by Hon’ble the Chief Justice of the respective High Court who is the Patron-in-Chief of the State Legal Services Authority.
• Similarly, in every District, District Legal Services Authority has been constituted to implement Legal Services Programmes in the District.
• The District Legal Services Authority is situated in the District Courts Complex in every District and chaired by the District Judge of the respective district.
• Other than these, there are Taluka/ Sub-Divisional Legal Services Committee (headed by a senior Civil Judge), High Court Legal Services Committee and Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.

What are the objectives of Legal Services Authorities?
• Provide free legal aid and advice.
• Spread legal awareness.
• Organize Lok Adalat’s.
• Promote settlements of disputes through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanisms. Various kinds of ADR mechanisms are Arbitration, Conciliation, Judicial settlement including settlement through Lok Adalat, or Mediation.
• Provide compensation to victims of crime.

What are various Constitutional provisions related to NALSA?
• Article 39A of the Constitution of India: It provides that State shall secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity, and shall in particular, provide free legal aid, by suitable legislation or schemes or in any other way, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disability.
• Articles 14 and 22(1) also make it obligatory for the State to ensure equality before law and a legal system that promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity to all.

What is a brief historical background of NALSA?
• The earliest Legal Aid movement appears to be from the year 1851 when some enactment was introduced in France for providing legal assistance to the indigent.
• In Britain, the history of the organized efforts on the part of the State to provide legal services to the poor and needy dates back to 1944.
• Since 1952, the Govt. of India also started addressing to the question of legal aid for the poor in various conferences of Law Ministers and Law Commissions.
• In different states, legal aid schemes were floated through Legal Aid Boards, Societies and Law Departments.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4.THE COAL MINING PROTESTS IN THE HASDEO ARANYA REGION

THE CONTEXT: Amit protest protests against mining in Hasdeo Aranya region, recently the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a private member resolution urging the Centre to cancel allocation of all coal mining blocks in the ecologically sensitive area.
THE EXPLANATION:
What is the importance of the Hasdeo-Aranya region?
• The Hasdeo Aranya (Aranya means forest) lies in the catchment area of the Hasdeo river and is spread across 1,878 sq km in North-Central Chhattisgarh. The Hasdeo river is a tributary of the Mahanadi river which originates in Chhattisgarh and flows through Odisha into the Bay of Bengal.
• The Hasdeo forests are also the catchment area for the Hasdeo Bango Dam built across the Hasdeo river which irrigates six lakh acres of land, crucial to a State with paddy as its main crop. Besides, the forests are ecologically sensitive due to the rich biodiversity they offer and due to the presence of a large migratory corridor for elephants.

What are the possible consequences of mining in this region?
• According to the studies by the ICFRE and Wildlife Institute of India (WII), mining will
o Affect the biodiversity in the region
o Lead to habitat loss or clearing of forests
o Aggravate the issue of human-elephant conflicts
o Have an impact on the community in form of loss of livelihood, identity, and culture as 90% of the households are dependent on agriculture and forest produce
o Lead to displacement of people
o Further marginalise the adivasis
• But it backed considering mining in four blocks – Tara, Parsa, PEKB and Kente Extension with strict environmental safeguards.

What is the current issue?
• In 2021, a 300-km-long march was undertaken by around 350 people from tribal communities to Raipur alleging illegal land acquisition.
• Local women in Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh started a tree-hugging campaign as trees were being cut for the mining project in Hasdeo Aranya.
• Mining in the region is being continued as the policy for the ‘No-Go Zone’ was not finalised.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES/INITIATIVES IN NEWS

5.ICMR STARTS NEW INITIATIVE IN NORTHEAST

THE CONTEXT: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has inaugurated Foodborne Pathogen Survey Network (ICMR-FoodNet) in the northeastern States of India. It is the beginning of a unique public health initiative in Northeast.

THE EXPLANATION:
This latest initiative is part of the project, started by ICMR, in 2020. The integrated task force coordinates project-based activity campaigns, monitors foodborne enteric disease outbreaks, and conducts intensified systematic laboratory-based surveillance in four North-East Indian states, in collaboration with research and medical institutions and food sectors.

All-inclusive
This project also includes estimation of illness burden, detection of specific pathogens responsible for outbreaks, documenting antimicrobial resistance patterns among enteric bacteria, while additionally acting as an external quality assurance system and maintaining a centralized data bank providing reference services, noted the Council.

VALUE ADDITION:
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
Mandate
• Apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.
• Conduct, coordinate and implement medical research for the benefit of the society.
• Translating medical innovations into products/processes and introducing them into the public health system
Vision
• Translating Research into Action for Improving the Health of the Population.
Mission
• Generate, manage and disseminate new knowledge
• Increase focus on research on the health problems of the vulnerable, the disadvantaged and marginalized sections of the society
• Harness and encourage the use of modern biology tools in addressing health concerns of the country
• Encourage innovations and translation related to diagnostics, treatment, methods/vaccines for prevention
• Inculcate a culture of research in academia especially medical colleges and other health research institutions by strengthening infrastructure and human resource.

6.REVISION SERIES: MISSION VATSALYA SCHEME

Objectives of the Mission:
• Mission Vatsalya Scheme is a roadmap to achieve development and child protection priorities aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It lays emphasis on child rights, advocacy and awareness along with strengthening of the juvenile justice care and protection system with the motto to ‘leave no child behind’.
• The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 provisions and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 form the basic framework for implementation of the Mission. Funds under the Mission Vatsalya Scheme are released according to the requirements and demands made by the States/UTs.

Funding:
• The Scheme is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in partnership with State Governments and UT Administrations to support the States and UTs in universalizing access and improving quality of services across the country. The fund sharing pattern is in the ratio of 60:40 between Centre and State & Union Territories with Legislature respectively.
• The fund sharing pattern between Centre and State is in the ratio of 90:10 for the North-Eastern States viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura and two Himalayan States viz. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and UT of Jammu and Kashmir. For Union Territories without Legislature, it is 100% central share.

Components:

• It will include statutory bodies; service delivery structures; institutional care/services; non-institutional community-based care; emergency outreach services (through Childline or the national helpline 1098 for children); training and capacity building.

Implementation:
• Under the mission, the Government plans to partner with the private sector as well as volunteer groups for its scheme for the protection of vulnerable children such as those abandoned or missing.
• For this, a Vatsalya portal will be developed that will allow volunteers to register so that State and District Authorities can engage them in executing various schemes.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Q. With reference to Mission Vatsalya, consider the following statements:
1. It is 100 percent Central sector scheme.
2. It’s an umbrella scheme for child protection services in the country.
3. It is also known as Integrated Child Protection Scheme.
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) 1 and 2 only
d) 1 and 3 only

ANSWER FOR THE PRACTICE QUESTION

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION:
• Mission Vatsalya Scheme is a roadmap to achieve development and child protection priorities aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It lays emphasis on child rights, advocacy and awareness along with strengthening of the juvenile justice care and protection system with the motto to ‘leave no child behind’.
• The Scheme is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in partnership with State Governments and UT Administrations to support the States and UTs in universalizing access and improving quality of services across the country. The fund sharing pattern is in the ratio of 60:40 between Centre and State & Union Territories with Legislature respectively.
• In 2010, these were merged into a single plan known as the Integrated Child Protection Scheme.
• In 2017, it was renamed “Child Protection Services Scheme,” and again in 2021-22 as Mission Vatsalya.

[WpProQuiz 304]

THE CONTEXT: With climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution exacting a devastating toll on the world’s ocean — critical to food security, economic growth and the environment; the 2022 UN Ocean Conference was held in Lisbon, Portugal from 27 June – 1st July 2022, with a call for a new chapter of ocean action driven by science, technology and innovation.This article presents the complete picture of the present situation and the way forward for healthier oceans.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE:

• The UN (United Nations) Ocean Conference 2022 was held to ensure global cooperation toward the protection and sustenance of the Ocean ecosystem of the world.
• Co-Hosted by: Governments of Kenya and Portugal
• Aim: To propel much-needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action.
• Theme: Scaling up Ocean Action Based on Science and Innovation for the Implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions; in line with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, stresses the critical need for scientific knowledge and marine technology to build ocean resilience.

KEY AGENDA OF THE CONFERENCE

MORATORIUM ON DEEP-SEA MINING

• Push for a moratorium on deep-sea mining of rare metals needed for a boom electric vehicle battery construction.
• The digging and gauging of the ocean floor by machines can alter or destroy deep-sea habitats.

CARBON SEQUESTRATION

• Focus on carbon sequestration to boost the ocean’s capacity to soak up CO2, by either enhancing natural sinks such as mangroves or through geoengineering schemes.

BLUE DEAL

• A “Blue Deal” was promoted to enable the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth.
• It includes global trade, investment and innovation to create a sustainable and resilient ocean economy.
• Focus on blue food to ensure marine harvests from all sources are sustainable and socially responsible.

HIGH SEAS ARE UNREGULATED

• No comprehensive legal framework covers the high seas. Oceans cover some 70% of the earth’s surface and provide food and livelihoods for billions of people.
• Some activists refer to them as the largest unregulated area on the planet.

THREAT TO OCEAN

• Threats to the oceans include global warming, pollution (including plastic pollution), acidification, marine Heatwaves etc.

ABOUT LISBON DECLARATION

At the UN Ocean Conference 2022, all 198 members of the United Nations unanimously adopted the Lisbon Declaration on ocean conservation.

AIM

• To follow science-based and innovative actions on an urgent basis.
• It sends a strong signal to urgently improve the health, sustainable use and resilience of the ocean.

NEED

• It was recognised that developing countries, particularly small island developing states and least developed countries, need assistance with capacity building.

FOCUS AREAS

• Participants at the conference also agreed to work on preventing, reducing and controlling marine pollution. It includes:
  • Nutrient pollution
  • Untreated wastewater
  • Solid waste discharges
  • Hazardous substances
  • Emissions from the maritime sector, including shipping, shipwrecks
  • Anthropogenic underwater noise

SIGNIFICANCE

• Sustainable ocean-based economies: developing and promoting innovative financing solutions to help create sustainable ocean-based economies as well as expanding nature-based solutions to help conserve and preserve coastal communities.
• Restoring harmony with nature through a healthy, productive, sustainable and resilient ocean is critical for our planet, our lives and our future.

OCEANS AND SDG-14

• The ocean covers 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface, is the planet’s largest biosphere, and is home to up to 80 per cent of all life in the world. It generates 50 per cent of the oxygen we need, absorbs 25 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions and captures 90 per cent of the additional heat generated from those emissions. It is not just ‘the lungs of the planet’ but also its largest carbon sink – a vital buffer against the impacts of climate change.
• It nurtures unimaginable biodiversity and produces food, jobs, and mineral and energy resources needed for life on the planet to survive and thrive. There is a great deal we still do not know about the ocean but there are many reasons why we need to manage it sustainably – as set out in the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water.
• The oceans are facing unprecedented threats as a result of human activities. Its health and ability to sustain life will only get worse as the world population grows and human activities increase. If we want to address some of the most defining issues of our time such as climate change, food insecurity, diseases and pandemics, diminishing biodiversity, economic inequality and even conflicts and strife, we must act now to protect the state of our ocean.
• SDGs adopted in 2015 as an integral aspect of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its set of 17 transformative goals, Goal 14 stresses the need to conserve and sustainably use the world’s oceans, seas and marine resources. Advancement of Goal 14 is guided by specific targets that focus on an array of ocean issues, including reducing marine pollution, protecting marine and coastal ecosystems, minimizing acidification, ending illegal and over-fishing, increasing investment in scientific knowledge and marine technology, and respecting international law that calls for the safe and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources.

OTHER INITIATIVES TO ENSURE A SUSTAINABLE OCEAN ECOSYSTEM

DECADE OF OCEAN SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

• The UN has proclaimed a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) to support efforts to reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health and gather ocean stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework that will ensure ocean science can fully support countries in creating improved conditions for sustainable development of the Ocean.

ONE OCEAN SUMMIT

• The goal of the One Ocean Summit (Feb 2022) is to raise the collective level of ambition of the international community on marine issues.
• Commitments will be made toward combating illegal fishing, decarbonising shipping and reducing plastic pollution.
• Will also focus on efforts to improve governance of the high seas and coordinate international scientific research.

WORLD OCEANS DAY

• 8th June is World Oceans Day, the United Nations day for celebrating the role of the oceans in our everyday life and inspiring action to protect the ocean and sustainably use marine resources.

MARINE PROTECTED AREAS

• A Marine Protected Area (MPA) is a marine area that provides protection for all or part of the natural resources it contains.
• Within an MPA, certain activities are limited, or entirely prohibited, to meet specific conservation, habitat protection, ecosystem monitoring or fisheries management objectives.
• MPAs do not necessarily exclude fishing, research or other human activities; in fact, many MPAs are multi-purpose areas.

GLO LITTER PARTNERSHIPS PROJECT

• It is launched by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UNs (FAO) and initial funding from the Government of Norway. It is aimed to prevent and reduce marine plastic litter from shipping and fisheries.

INDIA- NORWAY OCEAN DIALOGUE

• In 2019, the Indian and Norwegian governments agreed to work more closely on oceans by signing an MoU and establishing the India-Norway Ocean Dialogue.

INDIA’S DEEP OCEAN MISSION

• It is a mission mode project to support the Blue Economy Initiatives of the Government of India.

INDIA’S INDO-PACIFIC OCEANS INITIATIVE (IPOI)

• It is an open, non-treaty-based initiative for countries to work together for cooperative and collaborative solutions to common challenges in the region.
• It draws on existing regional architecture and mechanisms to focus on seven pillars:
  • Maritime Security
  • Maritime Ecology
  • Maritime Resources
  • Capacity Building and Resource Sharing
  • Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
  • Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation
  • Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport

SOLUTIONS NECESSARY TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES IN ACHIEVING GOAL 14

INTEGRATED OCEAN MANAGEMENT 

• Planning and decision-making, through improving our understanding of the impact of cumulative human activities on the ocean and anticipating the impacts of planned activities and eliminating or minimizing their negative effects, as well as the effectiveness of adopted measures.

IMPLEMENTING SCIENCE-BASED MANAGEMENT PLANS

• Use of an ecosystem approach to fisheries that protects essential habitats and promotes collaborative processes for decision-making that include all stakeholders, including small-scale and artisanal fisheries, recognizing their role in poverty eradication and ending food insecurity.
• To minimize waste, unwanted by-catch and discards, as well as combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing including through technological tools for monitoring.

SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE

• Mobilizing actions for sustainable fisheries and sustainable aquaculture for sufficient, safe and nutritious food, recognizing the central role of healthy oceans in resilient food systems and achieving the 2030 Agenda.

CONTROLLING MARINE POLLUTION

• Preventing, reducing and controlling marine pollution of all kinds, from:both land- and sea-based  sources, including nutrient pollution, untreated wastewater, solid waste discharges, hazardous substances,
• Emissions from the maritime sector: including shipping, pollution from shipwrecks and anthropogenic underwater noise, through improving our understanding of their sources, pathways and impacts on marine ecosystems.
• Preventing, reducing, and eliminating marine plastic litter, including single-use plastics and microplastics through:
• contributing to comprehensive life-cycle approaches,
• encouraging resource efficiency,
• recycling as well as environmentally sound waste management,
• ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns,
• developing viable alternatives for consumer and industrial uses.

AREA-BASED MANAGEMENT TOOLS

• Effectively planning and implementing area-based management tools, including effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected Marine Protected Areas, and
• Other effective area-based conservation measures, integrated coastal zone management and marine spatial planning.
• by assessing their multiple ecological, socio-economic and cultural value and applying the precautionary and ecosystem-based approach, in accordance with national legislation and international law.

MEASURES TO MITIGATE AND ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE

• Developing and implementing measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and avert, minimize and address loss and damage, reducing disaster risk and enhancing resilience by
  • increasing the use of renewable energy technologies, especially ocean-based technologies,
  • reducing the risk of and preparing for ocean-related extreme weather events,
  • development of multi-hazard early warning systems
  • integrating ecosystem-based approaches for disaster risk reduction at all levels and across all phases of disaster risk reduction and management,
• reducing emissions from maritime transportation, including shipping, and
• implementing nature-based solutions for carbon sequestration and the prevention of coastal erosion

THE ANALYSIS:

• The outcomes of the Ocean Conference 2022 call for a well-deserved applause. Nevertheless, it is important that we build on this extraordinary momentum, to accelerate post-Lisbon-progress towards a healthy, productive and resilient ocean with thriving marine and coastal species, ecosystems and communities and, moreover, the next generation of blue leaders and entrepreneurs.
• Now is the time to be bold, visionary and pragmatic, so that by 2030 we can collectively achieve at least 30% protection and 100% sustainable management of our ocean for the benefit of humankind and our world.
• The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report cautions that we have a “brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all”. Now that the global ocean community has come together in Lisbon, it is even more critical to follow through to ensure that key conventions and processes adopt decisive actions for the Ocean.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• No comprehensive legal framework covers the high seas. Oceans cover some 70% of the earth’s surface and provide food and livelihoods for billions of people. Some activists refer to them as the largest unregulated area on the planet. There shall be a comprehensive legal framework which covers the high seas.
• The conference also adopted a declaration that, though not binding on its signatories, could help implement and facilitate the protection and conservation of oceans and their resources. This calls for moral and ethical commitments by the nations and they shall adhere to them.
• Allocating funds to research on ocean acidification, climate resilience and surveillance.
• Scaling up Science-based and innovative actions to address ocean emergencies.

THE CONCLUSION: Without healthy ocean life, our planet as we know would not exist. We must seek to right the wrongs we have done against our children and grandchildren, turn the tide on our irresponsible stewardship and build momentum for a future where humanity can once again live in harmony with nature. The UN Ocean Conference 2022 is a step in the right direction and we shall build over it and act proactively for the sake of our HOME.

Mains Practice Questions:

1. The ocean is fundamental to life onº our planet and to our future. Elaborate on the commitments made by the nations at the UN Ocean Conference 2022.
2. Science-based innovative actions, international cooperation and partnerships based on science, technology and innovation are much needed to protect our oceans and achieve the targets set under Goal 14 of the SDGs. Elaborate.