TOP 5 TAKKAR NEWS OF THE DAY (26th JULY 2023)

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1. MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME (MGNREGS)

TAG: GS 2: GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

THE CONTEXT: Rural Development Minister, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, informed that names of over five crore workers have been deleted under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the financial year 2022-23.

EXPLANATION:

• The Ministry stated these deletions are a “regular exercise” conducted by State governments. They have listed five reasons for the deletions, including fake job cards, duplicate job cards, not willing to work, the family shifting from gram panchayat permanently, and a single person in job card and the person is expired.
• There has been a hike of 247% in the deletions during 2022-23 as compared to 2021-22. This year, till June 23, 61 lakh registered workers have been deleted.
• Among the 34 States and union territories, between the financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23, West Bengal has reported the largest hike in deletion, a whopping 5,199%.
• The Centre has stopped all payments to the State under the MGNREGS for reportedly not following the programme’s guidelines. It is followed by Telangana (2727%) and Andhra Pradesh (1147%). Uttar Pradesh has reported a deletion of 466% and Uttarakhand 427%.
• As per the statistics maintained by the Rural Development Ministry, there are about 10 reasons listed for deletions of workers and job cards.
• incorrect job card
• fake applicant
• duplicate applicant
• family had been shifted
• person shifted to a new family
• single person in job card and expired
• unwilling to work
• person expired
• non-existent panchayat
• village becomes urban.
• It has been reported that the deletions are spiralling because of the government’s emphasis on linking MGNREGS job cards with Aadhaar cards and making wage payments through the Aadhaar-Based Payments System (ABPS).

About the Scheme:

• The Government of India passed the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 in September 2005.
• The MGNREGA provides a legal guarantee for one hundred days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage.
• The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), Govt of India, is monitoring the entire implementation of this scheme in association with state governments.
• The Act will be applicable to areas notified by the Central Government.
• The objective of the Act is to enhance the livelihood security of the people in the rural areas by generating wage employment through works that develop the infrastructure base of that area.
• Roughly one-third of the stipulated workforce must be women.
• Cost Sharing: Financial assistance shall be provided by Central and State Governments in the ratio of 90:10 respectively.
• The Gram Panchayat registers households after making an enquiry and issues a job card. The job card contains the details of the adult member enrolled and his /her photo.

Implementation of the scheme:

• The programme is implemented through Panchayati Raj Institutions. The Block Programme Officer shall allot fifty percent works in terms of cost to the Gram Panchayat. Gram Sabha shall recommend works, and the Gram Panchayat shall identify/approve the works for implementation.
• The Block Programme Officer will scrutinize the Annual Plan. The Panchayat Samiti will maintain the priority of works indicated by the Gram Panchayat and approve the Block level Plan.
• The Chief Executive Officer is designated as District Programme Coordinator for the implementation of the Act/Scheme in the district. The DPC shall scrutinize the plan proposals of the Panchayat Samitis. The whole exercise shall be completed by DPC before the end of December each year.

MGNREGA Goals

• Strong social safety net for the vulnerable groups by providing a fall-back employment source when other employment alternatives are scarce or inadequate.
• Growth engine for sustainable development of an agricultural economy through the process of providing employment on works that address causes of chronic poverty such as drought, deforestation and soil erosion.
• The act seeks to strengthen the natural resource base of rural livelihood and create durable assets in rural areas.
• It fosters conditions for inclusive growth ranging from basic wage security and recharging rural economy to a transformative empowerment process of democracy.

Aadhaar-Based Payments System (ABPS):

• It is a bank-led model which allows online financial transactions at Point-of-Sale (PoS) and Micro ATMs through the business correspondent of any bank using Aadhaar authentication.
• Banking Services Offered by ABPS includes cash deposit, cash withdrawal, balance inquiry, mini statement, Aadhaar to Aadhaar fund transfer, authentication, and BHIM Aadhaar pay.
• The model removes the need for OTPs, bank account details, and other financial details.
• It allows fund transfers using only the bank name, Aadhaar number, and fingerprint captured during Aadhaar enrolment, according to the National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI).

The only inputs required for a customer to do a transaction under this scenario are:

• Bank Name
• Aadhaar Number
• Fingerprint captured during enrollment.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/parliament-proceedings-names-of-over-five-crore-mgnregs-workers-deleted-in-2022-23-minister-tells-lok-sabha/article67120001.ece

2. LUDWIGIA PERUVIANA

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: An invasion of Ludwigia peruviana over the last decade is suppressing edible forage for elephants, gaurs and other herbivores, increasing the risk of man-animal conflict in the area.

EXPLANATION:

• It is threatening elephant habitats and foraging areas in Valparai, a Tamil Nadu hill station close to the Kerala border, and reviving the risk of human-elephant conflicts in the region.
• It grows fast along water bodies, and has infested the majority of the hill station’s swamps, locally known as vails, where elephants used to find lush grass even in the summer.
• The rapid large-scale spread of this weed, which was probably introduced as an ornamental plant for its tiny yellow flowers, has limited the growth of grass and native plants that are palatable to elephants and other animals, including gaur.
• It mainly spreads along the swamps in the middle of the tea estates and forms thickets. These swamps are known for excellent grass covers, sedges and water sources that are very good for herbivores like gaur and elephant in particular.
• Swamps are unique habitats that support amphibians and otters besides the large herbivores. They act as water storage areas that need to be preserved. If Ludwigia colonises, it completely chokes swamps and does not allow grasses to grow.
• Unlike other invasive plants, Ludwigia poses a unique challenge as it grows in swamps, and there is little scope to use machinery which may further destroy the ecosystem.
• Even if Ludwigia is pulled out manually, the soft plant easily breaks, and it spreads again from the root or broken stems that fall in the swamp.

Ludwigia Peruviana

• It is an aquatic weed native to some countries in Central and South America, including Peru.
• It is deciduous species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family.
• Habitat: It is usually found in warmer temperate, sub-tropical and tropical regions that are usually found in wetlands, swamps, marshes and along the edges of lagoons and slow-moving waterways (sometimes also floating on the water surface).

Environmental impacts:

• The Peruvian primrose-willow forms dense colonies along the shore then creep into the water, where it impedes navigation, damages structures, and competes with native vegetation.
• This species is classified as a category I invasive species by the United States state of Florida, where it clogs numerous lakes and rivers, and as a noxious weed by the government of Australia.
• It also causes more wide-ranging ecological damage through increased sedimentation and accumulation of organic material. This results in the deoxygenation of the water column and can lead to the death of aquatic animals.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/peruvian-weed-threatens-elephant-habitats-in-tamil-nadu/article67109844.ece

3. LAW OF THE SEA

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: Small Island developing states are facing more extreme weather, increasingly acidic oceans, coral bleaching and harm to fisheries. In this regard, the law of the sea can be used to protect small island states from climate change.

EXPLANATION:

• Climate change will wreak havoc on small island developing states in the Pacific and elsewhere. Some will be swamped by rising seas.
• These communities face more extreme weather, increasingly acidic oceans, coral bleaching and harm to fisheries. Food supplies, human health and livelihoods are at risk.
• The international community has certain legal obligations under the law of the sea. So, island states are asking whether obligations to address climate change might be contained in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
• If states do have specific obligations to stop greenhouse gas pollution damaging the marine environment, then legal consequences for breaching these obligations could follow. It is possible small island states could one day be compensated for the damage done.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

• It was adopted in 1982 and lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world’s oceans and seas, establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources.
• It embodies in one instrument traditional rules for the uses of the oceans and, at the same time, introduces new legal concepts and regimes and addresses new concerns.
• The Convention also provides the framework for further development of specific areas of the law of the sea.
• The Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations serves as the secretariat of the Convention on the Law of the Sea
• It provides information, advice and assistance to States with a view to providing a better understanding of the Convention and the related Agreements, their wider acceptance, uniform and consistent application and effective implementation.
• The convention set the limit of various areas, measured from a carefully defined baseline.

 International Tribunal under UNCLOS

• The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is an independent judicial body established by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
• The tribunal has jurisdiction over any dispute concerning the interpretation or application of the convention and certain legal questions requested of it. The answers to these questions are known as advisory opinions.
• Advisory opinions are not legally binding; they are authoritative statements on legal matters. They provide guidance to states and international organisations about the implementation of international law.
• The tribunal has delivered two advisory opinions in the past: on deep seabed mining and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities.
• These proceedings attracted submissions from states, international organisations and non-governmental organisations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Source: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/climate-change/could-the-law-of-the-sea-be-used-to-protect-small-island-states-from-climate-change–90807

4. NIPAH VIRUS

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: An ongoing nationwide survey by the Pune-based Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) has found evidence of the Nipah virus circulation in the bat population across nine states and one Union Territory.

EXPLANATION:

• The presence of Nipah viral antibodies has been found in bats in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya and the Union Territory of Pondicherry.
• The Nipah virus causes a highly fatal respiratory and encephalitic infection in humans. The Pteropus species of fruit bats, commonly called flying foxes, are the known carriers of the virus.
• One of the priority pathogens with a pandemic potential, case fatality is a big concern, and Nipah’s sudden emergence in 2018-19 in Kerala had warranted the need for constant surveillance.

Nipah virus (NiV)

• It is a zoonotic virus, meaning that it can spread between animals and people.
• Fruit bats, also called flying foxes, are the animal reservoir for NiV in nature.The Nipah virus is also known to cause illness in pigs and people.
• Infection with NiV is associated with encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and can cause mild to severe illness and even death.
• Outbreaks occur almost annually in parts of Asia, primarily Bangladesh and India.

Diagnosis

• It can be diagnosed during illness or after recovery. Different tests are available to diagnose NiV infection.
• During the early stages of the illness, laboratory testing can be conducted using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from throat and nasal swabs, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, and blood.
• Later in the course of illness and after recovery, testing for antibodies is conducted using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Transmission

Nipah virus (NiV) can spread to people from:

• Direct contact with infected animals, such as bats or pigs, or their body fluids (such as blood, urine or saliva)
• Consuming food products that have been contaminated by body fluids of infected animals (such as palm sap or fruit contaminated by an infected bat)
• Close contact with a person infected with NiV or their body fluids (including nasal or respiratory droplets, urine, or blood)

Symptoms

• Infection with Nipah virus (NiV) can cause mild to severe disease, including swelling of the brain (encephalitis) and potentially death.
• Symptoms typically appear in 4-14 days following exposure to the virus. The illness initially presents as 3-14 days of fever and headache and often includes signs of respiratory illness, such as cough, sore throat, and difficulty breathing.
• A phase of brain swelling (encephalitis) may follow, where symptoms can include drowsiness, disorientation, and mental confusion, which can rapidly progress to coma within 24-48 hours.
• Death may occur in 40-75% of cases. Long-term side effects in survivors of Nipah virus infection have been noted, including persistent convulsions and personality changes.
• Infections that lead to symptoms and sometimes death much later after exposure (known as dormant or latent infections) have also been reported months and even years after exposure

Prevention:

• Nipah virus infection can be prevented by avoiding exposure to sick pigs and bats in areas where the virus is present and not drinking raw date palm sap which can be contaminated by an infected bat.
• During an outbreak, standard infection control practices can help prevent person-to-person spread in hospital settings.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/icmr-niv-survey-finds-proof-of-nipah-virus-in-bats-across-nine-states-one-ut-8860154/

5. THE DNA TECHNOLOGY (USE AND APPLICATION) REGULATION BILL 2019

TAG:GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the government withdrew The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill 2019 from the Lok Sabha.

EXPLANATION:

• Withdrawing the Bill ended a 20-year effort to build a new regulatory framework for the use of DNA fingerprinting technologyin the criminal justice system.
• It has faced multiple opposition on grounds of the accuracy of DNA technology, potential threats to individual privacy, and the possibility of abuse.
• The present Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in July 2019 and was referred to the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology.
• The committee submitted its report in February 2021, recommending several changes in the draft, but instead of introducing a fresh Bill with changes, the government decided to withdraw it altogether.
• The main provisions of the Bill have already been enacted as part of another law, the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, that was passed by both houses of Parliament 2022.

 THE DNA TECHNOLOGY (USE AND APPLICATION) REGULATION BILL 2019

• The Bill had three primary objectives:
• It sought to set up a DNA profiling board as the regulatory body, one of the functions of which would be to provide accreditation to laboratories authorised to carry out DNA sample tests.
• It provided for the creation of databases DNA Data Banks for storing of DNA information collected from convicts and accused. This database could be indexed and searched for matching samples from crime scenes.
• It sought to facilitate the collection of DNA samples from the convicts and accused.

Criticism of the Bill:

The primary objections were on grounds of privacy, utility and possibility of misuse.

• DNA information can be very intrusive, revealing not just identification traits but also many other features that can be liable for misuse.
• Critics pushed for the inclusion of as many safeguards into the Bill as possible.
• In recent years, apprehensions have been raised about the possibility of this law being used for racial profiling.
• The Parliamentary Standing Committee had objected to the setting up of DNA banks in every state and suggested that one national DNA bank was sufficient.

Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022:

• Unable to get the DNA Bill passed in Parliament, the government in 2022 included several of its provisions in the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill that was brought in to replace the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920.
• The provisions related to collection, storage, access and sharing of DNA information that were part of the DNA Bill have more or less been included in the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill.
• It provides legal sanction to the police to take physical and biological samples of convicts as well as those accused of crimes.
• The police, as per the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973, can collect Data.
• Data that can be collected: Finger-impressions, Palm-Print impressions, Footprint impressions, Photographs, Iris and Retina scan, Physical, Biological samples and their analysis, Behavioural Attributes among others.
• CrPC is the primary legislation regarding the procedural aspects of criminal law.
• Any person convicted, arrested or detained under any preventive detention law will be required to provide “measurements” to a police officer or a prison official.
• National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) will store, preserve, share with any law enforcement agency and destroy the record of measurements at national level. The records can be stored up to a period of 75 years.
• It aims to ensure the unique identification of those involved with crime and to help investigating agencies solve cases.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/what-is-the-dna-bill-8857810/