POLITY AND CONSTITUTION

1. CJI LALIT RECOMMENDS JUSTICE CHANDRACHUD’S NAME AS HIS SUCCESSOR

THE CONTEXT: Chief Justice of India U U Lalit recommended the second most senior judge of the Supreme Court Justice Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud as his successor.

THE EXPLANATION:

• As per convention, the government writes to the outgoing CJI before his retirement and the CJI recommends the name of the most senior judge as the successor about a month before retirement.
• Once a new name is recommended, the incumbent CJI usually refrains from taking decisions on appointment of judges.

The Collegium system

• The collegium system is the way by which judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are appointed and transferred. The collegium system is not rooted in the Constitution or a specific law promulgated by Parliament; it has evolved through judgments of the Supreme Court.
• The Supreme Court Collegium is a five-member body, which is headed by the incumbent CJI and comprises the four other senior most judges of the court at that time. A High Court collegium is led by the incumbent Chief Justice and four other senior most judges of that court. By its very nature, the composition of the collegium keeps changing.
• Judges of the higher judiciary are appointed only through the collegium system, and the government has a role only after names have been decided by the collegium. Names recommended for appointment by a High Court collegium reach the government only after approval by the CJI and the Supreme Court collegium.
• The role of the government in this entire process is limited to getting an inquiry conducted by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) if a lawyer is to be elevated as a judge in a High Court or the Supreme Court. The government can also raise objections and seek clarifications regarding the collegium’s choices, but if the collegium reiterates the same names, the government is bound to appoint them.
• Critics have pointed out that the system is non-transparent, since it does not involve any official mechanism or secretariat. It is seen as a closed-door affair with no prescribed norms regarding eligibility criteria, or even the selection procedure. There is no public knowledge of how and when a collegium meets, and how it takes its decisions. There are no official minutes of collegium proceedings.

SOCIAL ISSUES

2. ADDRESS STIGMA IN MENTAL HEALTH, SAYS LANCET COMMISSION

THE CONTEXT: On World Mental Health Day, (10^th October) the Lancet released a new report calling for radical action to end stigma and discrimination in mental health, indicating that 90% of people living with mental health conditions feel negatively impacted by stigma and discrimination.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The report was the result of the labours of the new Lancet Commission on Ending Stigma and Discrimination in Mental Health, a grouping of over 50 contributors from across the world, including people with lived experience of a mental health condition.
• According to the data, 80% of surveyed said stigma and discrimination can be worse than the condition itself. Additionally, 90% of those surveyed felt that media could play a major role in reducing stigma.
• The commission reviewed the evidence on effective interventions to reduce stigma and called for immediate action from governments, international organisations, employers, healthcare provider and media organisations, along with active contributions from people with lived experience, to work together to eliminate mental health stigma and discrimination.
• As per the commission, stigma can “cause social exclusion and disempowerment of people with mental health conditions leading to discrimination and human rights violations, including problems in accessing healthcare, challenges in securing employment, and increased likelihood of health complications leading to early death”.
• Also, experts highlighted there is a gradual reduction of stigma in the country, it continues to be a real and present problem.
• The women with a diagnosis of severe mental disorder and their family members do face more stigma which has ramifications for marriage and employment preventing social inclusion. They also made a mention of the Indian visual media that still perpetuate mental illnesses negatively, exacerbating the impact of stigma.
• For instance, it has recommended that all countries take action to decriminalise suicide, therefore reducing the stigma around suicide and leading to fewer occurrences.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

3. INDIA GETS 4TH SET OF SWISS BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS: SIGNIFICANCE

THE CONTEXT: Recently,India has received the fourth set of Swiss bank account details of its nationals and organisations as part of an annual information exchange, under which Switzerland has shared particulars of nearly 34 lakh financial accounts with 101 countries.

THE EXPLANATION:

Significance of India receiving information from Switzerland

• This is the fourth tranche of information that India has received from Switzerland since the two countries entered into an Automatic Exchange Of Information (AEOI) agreement in January 2018. The first such exchange with India took place in 2019.
• In an effort to bring in transparency and restrict money laundering, the Swiss Federal Office has given a detailed account of the massive AEOI 2022 exchange exercise: the country has just concluded its exchange of information with 101 countries; with details of around 3.4 million financial accounts.
• Some countries which have been added to the Swiss AEOI list for the first time are Turkey, Peru and Nigeria. The Swiss Federal Tax Administration office has also informed that with 74 of these 101 countries, the information exchange was reciprocal.

What is the volume, nature of data?

• In 2019, prior to India receiving its first batch of banking information via the AEOI, according to sources, India would be among 73 countries that would be receiving the data and in their (India’s) case “several dispatches” would be required, giving an indication of the large volume of account holders.
• This time, the Federal Tax Administration has informed that the nature of the financial information includes the name, address, country of residence, tax identification number, information concerning the reporting financial institution, and account balance and capital information, giving an insight into the exact nature of the transmitted data.

Guidelines for exchange of such sensitive banking information

• The guidelines and parameters for the AEOI are set by the Paris-based international body, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The annual exercise of AEOI exchange, such as the current Swiss bonanza of banking details, is strictly meant for “tax only” purposes and in India, kept in the custody of and for action by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
• Under the OECD’s guidelines, no details of the quantum of funds or the names of account holders are to be publicized. In 2014, the OECD developed the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) which allows every country to obtain data from Financial Institutions (FIs) and “automatically” exchange it with countries with which AEOI agreements are in order every year.

What is the scope of India’s AEOI network?

• Under the OECD umbrella of AEOI, India presently shares bulk financial and banking information with 78 countries and receives the same from 107 countries, with Switzerland known to be sharing some of the most voluminous data.
• Due primarily to the large volume of FI data coming in from now a 100 countries, the CBDT last year set up a network of Foreign Asset Investigation Units (FAIUs) in 14 of its investigation wings, to which the information of that region which has reached India via the AEOI route is transmitted in a secure manner.

VALUE ADDITION:

OPEC

• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a group of 37 member countries that discuss and develop economic and social policy.
• OECD members are typically democratic countries that support free-market economies.
• The stated goal of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity and well-being for all.
• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was established on Dec. 14, 1960, by 18 European nations, plus the United States and Canada.

4. MULTINATIONAL JATE “ANTI-TERROR EXERCISE 2022”

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Pakistan has been invited to the closing ceremony, of the ongoing Joint Anti-Terror Exercise (JATE) under the ambit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being hosted by India.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The National Security Guard (NSG) is hosting the multinational JATE “Manesar Anti-Terror 2022” under the framework of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), at the NSG Manesar Garrison.
• An Indian delegation had participated in the closing ceremony of the two-week-long JATE-2021 hosted by Pakistan at the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Pabbi, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in September 2021.
• The exercise is aimed at exchanging expertise and best practices and build synergy between the Counter Terrorism Forces of the SCO RATS member countries to enhance capabilities for conducting anti-terrorist operations and countering other security threats collectively.

AIM OF THE EXERCISE

• “JATE is being conducted with a view to practice and master various drills and procedures involved in Counter Terrorism operations including Cordon & Search, Compound Clearance, Close Quarter Battle and medical evacuation.
• The exercise is aimed at enhancing synergy and interoperability among Special Services and Law Enforcement Agencies of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries for combating international terrorism, practice mechanisms to respond to a crisis situation and capacity building of the forces.
• RATS, headquartered in Tashkent, is a permanent organ of the SCO which serves to promote cooperation of member states against terrorism, separatism and extremism.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

5. TOKENISATION FOR CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD TRANSACTIONS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Reserve Bank of India’s card-on-file (CoF) tokenisation norms have kicked in, which aim at improved safety and security of card transactions.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is tokenisation?

Tokenisation refers to the replacement of actual card details with a unique alternate code called the ‘token’, which shall be unique for a combination of card, token requester, (i.e. the entity which accepts requests from the customer for tokenisation of a card and passes it on to the card network to issue a corresponding token) and the device.

How did India decide to carry out tokenisation?

• In September 2021, the RBI prohibited merchants from storing customer card details on their servers with effect from January 1, 2022, and mandated the adoption of card-on-file (CoF) tokenisation as an alternative.
• Following a series of representations from several industry players and digital payment platforms who anticipated disruption in online transactions from January 1, 2022, the RBI extended the implementation date of card-on-file (CoF) tokenisation norms by another six months to June 30, 2022.
• The June 2022 deadline was further extended as the RBI felt that although considerable progress had been made in terms of token creation and transaction processing based on these tokens had also commenced, the concept was yet to gain traction across all categories of merchants. Subsequently, the deadline was extended till September 30, 2022.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6.‘SPACE ECONOMY MAY TOUCH $13 BN BY 2025’

THE CONTEXT: According to a joint report prepared by EY and the Indian Space Association (ISpA), an apex industry association of space and satellite companies in the country stated Indian space economy is set to reach $13 billion by 2025.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The report also said the space launch segment would grow fastest at a CAGR of 13% spurred by growing private participation, latest technology adoption and low cost of launch services.
• On the country’s satellite manufacturing opportunity, it said in 2020 it was $2.1 billion and this would reach $3.2 billion by 2025.
• Launch services, which is the most in-demand commercial service for the global space industry, is expected to see a rise in India with the advent of private companies such as Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos and Bellatrix Aerospace. These services, which will seek to emulate the successes seen by private global entities such as USA’s SpaceX and Rocket Labs, France-based Arianespace and even India’s ISRO, hope to capture a significant share of an increasing demand for launching satellites into orbit.
• Also, by 2025, satellite manufacturing would be the second fastest-growing segment in the Indian space economy. Space parks that are coming up across the country would give a fillip to companies operating across the space value chain, especially manufacturing, found the study.

VALUE ADDITION:

1. The Indian space sector has been globally recognized for building cost-effective satellites, launching lunar probes and taking foreign satellites to space. The global space economy is estimated at ~US$ 423 billion. Currently, India constitutes 2-3% of the global space economy.
2. From 1999 till December 2021, a total of 342 foreign satellites from 34 countries have been successfully launched on board Indian Polar satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on a commercial basis.
3. India is the sixth-largest player in the industry internationally having 3.6% of the world’s space-tech companies (as of 2021). U.S. holds the leader’s spot housing 56.4% of all companies in the space-tech ecosystem. Other major players include U.K. (6.5%), Canada (5.3%), China (4.7%) and Germany (4.1%).
4. India’s space programme has attracted global attention for its accelerated rate of development, with a critical appreciation for the following extraordinary explorations:

• Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan
• Chandrayaan-2 Mission(India’s 2nd mission to the moon)
• AstroSat Mission (India’s 1st observatory mission for astronomy)
• Aditya-L1 Mission (India’s 1st solar observatory in space)

5. ISRO has forged a strong relationship with many industrial enterprises, both in the public and private sector, to implement its space projects.
6. With the ISRO undertaking the development of cutting-edge technologies and interplanetary exploratory missions, there is a tremendous scope in contributions to the realization of operational missions and new areas such as satellite navigation.

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTION

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q1. India is hosting ‘Manesar Anti-Terror 2022’ under the ambit of –

a) SCO

b) SAARC

c) ASEAN

d) QUAD

Answer: A

Explanation:

• India is currently hosting the multilateral anti-terror exercise ‘Manesar Anti-terror 2022’ under the ambit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure scheduled from October 8 to 13.

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