POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS 10% RESERVATIONS FOR ECONOMICALLY WEAKER SECTIONS (EWS)

THE CONTEXT: The Supreme Court, by a majority view of 3:2, upheld the validity of the 103rd amendment to the Constitution providing 10 per cent reservation to people belonging to economically weaker sections (EWS) in education and government jobs.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Majority views

Justice Dinesh Maheshwari stated the there were three main issues in the case :

1. Whether the 103rd Constitution Amendment is violative of basic structure for providing reservation solely on the basis of economic criteria.
2. Whether the amendment is violative of basic structure for excluding the poor among the SC/ST/OBC categories from EWS Quota.
3. Whether the amendment is violative of the basic structure for breaching the 50% ceiling limit.

According to the majority view, the amendment is not violative of the basic structure on any of the above issues.

As per the majority view of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari, Bela M Trivedi and JB Pardiwala, reservation structured singularly on economic criteria does not violate the basic structure of the Constitution. They have also held that breach of 50% ceiling limit by EWS reservation does not violate basic structure.

Dissenting View

• In their dissenting judgment however, Chief Justice of India and Justice S Ravindra Bhat said that reservation on economic criteria is per se not violative. Justice Bhat held that economic criteria can be used to provide reservation in education under Article 15 but not for the purpose of reservation in jobs under Article 16.
• “while the ‘economic criteria’ per se is permissible in relation to access of public goods (under Article 15), the same is not true for Article 16, the goal of which is empowerment, through representation of the community”, Justice Bhat’s judgment stated.
• However, by excluding the poor among SC/ST/OBC from economically backward classes (on the ground that they have enjoyed benefits), the 103rd Amendment practices constitutionally prohibited forms of discrimination.

THE BACKGROUND:

What is the EWS Quota?

• The Central Government put forth the 10 percent reservation quota for candidates in the economically weaker sections (EWS) sections of the society for admissions and government jobs with the 103rd Constitution amendment. The amendment was passed in January 2019 and through it Articles 15(6) and 16(6) were inserted in the Constitution for the reservation.
• The amendment empowers state governments to provide reservations in college admissions and government jobs based on criteria of economic backwardness.

What are the criteria and who can avail of EWS quota benefits?

• Under EWS quota, “Persons belonging to the general category with an annual gross household income of up to Rs 8 lakh are eligible for the reservation, excluding families that own over 5 acres of agricultural land, a house over 1,000 square feet, a plot of over 100-yards in a notified municipal area or over a 200-yards plot in a non-notified municipal area.”

CONNECTING DOTS:

Indra Sawhney case-1992

 

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2. THE BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE

THE CONTEXT: In a move that allayed concerns about yet another disruption to global food supply chains, Russia re-joined the Black Sea Grain deal. The reversal came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow would suspend, but not end, its involvement in the deal.

THE EXPLANATION:

About Black Sea Grain deal:

• Aims to limit food price inflation emanating from supply chain disruptions because of Russian actions in the world’s ‘breadbasket’ by ensuring an adequate supply of grains.
• The deal, brokered by the United Nations (UN) and Turkey, was signed in Istanbul in July 2022.
• Initially stipulated for a period of 120 days, with an option to extend or terminate, the deal was to provide for a safe maritime humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian exports (particularly for food grains) from three of its key ports, namely, Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi.

Features:

• A Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), comprising senior representatives from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN for oversight and coordination.
• All commercial ships are required to register directly with the JCC to ensure appropriate monitoring, inspection and safe passage. Inbound and outbound ships (to the designated corridor) transit as per a schedule accorded by the JCC post-inspection. This is done so as to ensure there is no unauthorised cargo or personnel onboard. Following this, they are allowed to sail onwards to Ukrainian ports for loading through the designated corridor.
• All ships, once inside the Ukrainian territorial waters, are subject to the nation’s authority and responsibility.
• Should there be any requirement for removing explosives, a minesweeper from another country would be required to sweep the approaches to the Ukrainian ports, in other words, accompany the vessel with tugboats.
• Moreover, in order to avoid provocations and untoward incidents, it is mandated that monitoring be done remotely.
• No military ships or unmanned aerial vehicles can approach the corridor closer than a pre-decided distance agreed upon by the JCC. This too would require consultation with the parties and authorisation of the JCC.

Significance:

• Ukraine is among the largest exporters of wheat, maize, rapeseed, sunflower seeds and sunflower oil, globally.
• Its access to the deep-sea ports in the Black Sea enables it to directly approach Russia and Europe along with grain importers from the Middle East and North Africa.
• Russia’s action in the East European country has now disturbed this route, earlier used to ship 75% of its agricultural exports – precisely what the initiative sought to address.
• The initiative has been credited for having made a “huge difference” to the global cost of living crisis.
• The initiative alone cannot address global hunger; it can only avert the chances of the global food crisis spiralling further.
• As per the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, approximately 9.8 million tonnes of grains have been shipped since the initiative was commenced.
• People hoarding the grain in the hope of selling it for a sizeable profit owing to the supply crunch were now obligated to sell.

ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

3. WHAT IS GREEN CESS OR ENVIRONMENT CESS?

THE CONTEXT:The government of India has made a climate pledge to reduce emissions to GDP ratio by 45 per cent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels under the Paris Agreement.

THE EXPLANATION:

About Green Cess:

• A Green cess is a form of tax levied by the government with the purpose of environment conservation.
• The revenue collected through such cess is used to create green energy infrastructure, combating environmental pollution, afforestation and other such purposes which help in conserving the environment.
• In India, many state governments such as Goa and Gujarat have provision of green tax or cess.
• Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had introduced a similar tax called as Green Tax / Eco Tax.

About CEC:

• The Clean Environment Cess (CEC) was a tax introduced in 2010 as a fiscal tool to reduce the use of coal and associated carbon emissions.
• The revenues were earmarked for financing and promoting clean environment initiatives.
• It was levied on the total sales of all types of coal in India.
• To manage the funds accrued under the CEC, the National Clean Energy & Environment Fund (NCEEF) was created in 2010.
• The funds were hypothecated for environmental goals such as rejuvenation of rivers, afforestation, and promotion of renewable energy generation through research and development.
• Despite these intentions of levying the cess, its design and implementation have been inadequate.

Challenges associated with the implementation of the CEC:

The grade factor:

• The design of the CEC, which levies the cess in proportion to only the quantum of coal (at ₹400/tonne), without differentiating by its grade.
• It does not give an incentive to switch to higher quality coal with lower levels of pollution.

Diversion of funds:

• This cess was subsumed into the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation cess in 2017.
• The revenues, which were originally earmarked for environmental conservation, were instead used for compensating States for their loss of revenues.
• Funds designated for clean energy and environment initiatives are now at the discretion of the States to determine where their revenues from the GST compensation cess are being spent.
• This calls for an immediate review and also highlights the inefficiencies of the government’s fiscal operations and the reduced attention given to promoting clean environment schemes.

Under spent funds for intended purpose:

• The data on revenue utilisation indicate that only 18 per cent of the aggregated revenue collected between 2010-11 and 2017-18 was used for its intended purpose.
• This again points out the inefficiency of the government in using the revenue of a cess for its earmarked purposes.

4. NEELAKURINJI FLOWERS THAT BLOOM ONCE IN EVERY 12 YEARS

THE CONTEXT:Neelakurinji flowers have bloomed in the Kodagu district of Karnataka after 12 years. This kind of mass flowering is known as gregarious flowering.

THE EXPLANATION:    

About the flower:

• It is a shrub found in the shola forests of the Western Ghats in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• Locally known as Kurinji, the flowers grow at an altitude of 1,300 to 2,400 metres.
• Nilgiri Hills, which means the blue mountains, got their name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji that bloom only once in 12 years.
• Kurinjimala Sanctuary of Kerala protects the kurinji in approximately 32 km2 core habitat in Kottakamboor and Vattavada villages in the Idukki district.
• Kurinji Andavar temple, located in Kodaikanal of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to Tamil God Murugan and preserves these plants.
• The Paliyan tribal people living in Tamil Nadu used it as a reference to calculate their age.
• Karnataka has around 45 species of Neelakurinji, and each species blooms at intervals of six, nine, 11 or 12 years.
• Besides the Western Ghats, Neelakurinji is also seen in the Shevroy in the Eastern Ghats, Sandur hills of Bellary district in Karnataka.

5. NEW HONEY BEE SPECIES SPOTTED, ENDEMIC TO WESTERN GHATS

THE CONTEXT: A new species of endemic honeybee has been discovered in the Western Ghats. The new species has been named Apiskarinjodianand given the common name Indian black honey bee.

THE EXPLANATION:

About Indian black honey bee

• A new endemic species of honey bee, christened Indian black honey bee (Apiskarinjodian), was discovered in the Western Ghats.
• Its habitat ranges from the central Western Ghats and Nilgiris to the southern Western Ghats, spanning the states of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu.
• The species has been classified as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List.

Honey bee species in India and the world.

• The discovery of new species of honey bee was made in India after more than 200 years. The last time a honey bee species was described in India was Apis indica, which was identified by Fabricius in 1798. It was not considered to be a valid honey bee species until the research team that discovered Apiskarinjodian restored its status based on the new measure for species discrimination in honey bees called Radio-Medial Index.
• With the discovery of the new species Apiskarinjodian and the acceptance of Apis indica, the number of honey bee species in the world has increased to 11.
• The new study provided the first distribution map and key to distinguish the three cavity nesting honey bee species present in the Indian subcontinent. These species are Apis indica, Apis cerana and Apis karinjodian. Cavity nesting honey bees are those used for the commercial production of honey. Till date, only Apis cerana was noted as a uniform population of cavity nesting honey bees in the Indian Subcontinent. It is found across the plains of central and southern India and Sri Lanka.

How does the new species help India’s apiculture industry?

• The new species will provide a major benefit for India’s apiculture industry since it produces higher quantities of honey that is thicker in consistency.
• Currently, the Indian apiculture industry relies on honey obtained from Apis indica that has a moisture content of more than 25 per cent.
• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) does not allow more than 20 per cent moisture in honey.
• To reduce moisture, the honey is heated, leading to a change in the colour, texture and loss of nutrients.
• Since the honey from Apis karinjodian is thicker, this process is not required. Therefore, the natural quality is retained.

PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

6. NAGALAND: TOKHÜ EMONG BIRD COUNT (TEBC)

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Nagaland hosted the first bird documentation event – ‘TokhüEmong Bird Count’ (TEBC). ‘TokhüEmong Bird Count’ is an effort to promote and encourage the conservation of birds in their natural habitat.

THE EXPLANATION:

• ‘TokhüEmong Bird Count’ is being organized in collaboration with the Wokha Forest Division and the Divisional Management Unit, Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP), Wokha, and Bird Count India.
• A public birding event will be conducted and the comprehensive details of birds would be deliberated to generate awareness among the students on bird conservation.
• A bird walk through woodland is also feasible during the event.
• This will prove as a great opportunity to get kids connected to birds and nature.
• Bird lovers outside Nagaland who wish to be part of this event can follow the official guidelines.
• Counts will be more productive early in the morning, with birds generally becoming quiet and inactive during the middle of the day.
• The event has been dubbed after TokhüEmong, a post-harvest festival of the Lotha Nagas.
• TokhüEmong is a festival of thanksgiving, sharing, and reconciliation. The most beautiful aspect of this festival is to forgive the past rancours and develop new ties and bonds of closer intimacy.

PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q1. Consider the following statements about Black Sea Grain Deal:

1. It seeks to tackle escalating food prices emanating from supply chain disruptions caused due to Ukraine-Russia war.
2. It was brokered by United Nations and Turkey.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

Explanation:

Black Sea Grain Initiative

• The Black Sea Grain deal endeavours to tackle escalating food prices emanating from supply chain disruptions because of Russia’s actions in the world’s ‘breadbasket’.
• The deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey, was signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022. Initially stipulated for a period of 120 days, with an option to extend or terminate after November, the deal was to provide for a safe maritime humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian exports (particularly for food grains) from three of its key ports, namely, Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi.

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