1. SEETHAKALI FOLK ART
TAG: GS 1: ART AND CULTURE
THE CONTEXT: The Perinad Seethakali Sangham, a 20-member folk dance group is all set to perform Seethakali folk art outside Kerala for the first time.
EXPLANATION:
Origin of the Art
- It is a vibrant and flamboyant folk art which traces its roots from Perinad in Kollam district, Kerala.
- This art form emerged around 150 years ago and was initially performed by Dalit artistes belonging to the Veda and Pulaya communities.
Features of the Art:
- It is a dance drama which presents minuscule episodes of the Ramayana at every homestead and breathes life into mythical characters such as Rama, Seetha, Ravana, and Hanuman.
- Seethakali songs were orally passed on from one generation to the next, the tradition came to a standstill at one point.
- Seethakali was a part of Onam festivities in the past and it is a Dravidian dance form portraying the portions from vanayatra (exile to the forest) to Sita’s andardhanam (descend into the earth).
- It’s a blend of songs, story telling and fast movements while ganjira, manikatta, chiratta and kaimani are among the accompaniments.
Instruments and Attire
- Seethakali performances captivate with their dynamic music, traditional instruments, and spontaneous rhythmic movements.
- Natural materials like bamboo and palm leaves find artistic expression in Seethakali.
- The costumes and makeup are strikingly vibrant and characters like Rama and Laxmana are adorned in green, a color symbolic of gods and goddesses in Kathakali.
2. ESG (ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE) REGULATIONS
TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMY
THE CONTEXT: Analysts stated that new regulations pertaining to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Regulations disclosures issued by market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) are stringent and will help in better regulations.
EXPLANATION:
- SEBI’s new ESG rules have become mandatory for top listed companies from this year.
- These new standards are expected to provide uniformity and transparency in ESG disclosures.
ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Regulations
- ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Regulations refer to the regulatory measures designed to promote sustainable and responsible business practices.
- Environmental factors cover a range of issues related to climate change, pollution, resource depletion, waste management etc.
- Social factors cover issues related to labour practices, human rights, and community impact etc.
- Governance factors cover issues related to business ethics, transparency, board composition and corporate governance etc.
- These factors are increasingly being considered by investors to evaluate the long-term sustainability of companies and also to guide their investment decisions.
- This trend has been driven by recognition of the critical role that long-term sustainability plays in the success and stability of global economy.
ESG Regulations in India and Role of SEBI
- In India, ESG regulations have been gaining traction, driven by growing awareness of ESG risks and opportunities among investors, increasing focus on corporate sustainability, and the regulatory push towards responsible investment practices.
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator of the Indian securities market, has been actively promoting ESG investing in India through various initiatives.
- In 2012, SEBI issued a guidance note on ESG disclosure, which recommended that companies listed on Indian stock exchanges should disclose their ESG performance in their annual reports.
- This guidance note was updated in 2015 to include more detailed reporting requirements, such as reporting on water usage, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. Since then, SEBI has been periodically issuing circulars and guidelines on ESG disclosure, and many companies have started reporting on their ESG performance.
- In 2020, SEBI took a major step towards promoting ESG investing in India by mandating the top 1,000 listed companies to disclose their ESG-related information in their annual reports from the financial year 2021-22 onwards.
- The disclosure requirements cover a range of ESG issues, including carbon emissions, water usage, waste management, diversity and inclusion, employee health and safety, and board composition.
Implications for Companies
- ESG regulations require companies to disclose their ESG performance and risks to investors, which increases transparency and accountability.
- Companies that fail to meet ESG standards may face reputational damage and loss of investor confidence, which can have a significant impact on their bottom line.
- ESG regulations may require companies to change their business practices to align with ESG standards, which would involve significant investments in new technology, processes, and systems.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA (SEBI)
- SEBI is a statutory body and a market regulator, which controls the securities market in India.
- The basic functions of SEBI is to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote and regulate the securities market.
- SEBI is run by its board of members. The board consists of a chairman and several other whole time and part time members. The chairman is nominated by the union government.
- The others include two members from the finance ministry, one member from Reserve Bank of India and five other members are also nominated by the Centre.
- The headquarters of SEBI is situated in Mumbai and the regional offices are located in Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi.
Functions and powers of SEBI
- SEBI controls activities of stock exchanges, safeguards the rights of shareholders and also guarantees the security of their investment.
- It also aims to check fraudulence by harmonising its statutory regulations and self-regulating business.
- The regulator also enables a competitive professional market for intermediaries.
- Apart from the above functions, Sebi provides a marketplace in which the issuers can increase finance properly.
- It also ensures safety and supply of precise and accurate information from the investors. Sebi analyses the trading of stocks and safes the security market from the malpractices.
- It provides education regarding the market to the investors to enhance their knowledge.
3. RECONSTITUTION OF PARLIAMENTARY STANDING COMMITTEES
TAG: GS 2: POLITY
THE CONTEXT: Rajya Sabha Chairman has re-constituted eight Department–related Parliamentary Standing Committees, coming under his administrative jurisdiction.
EXPLANATION:
- The Chairman, Rajya Sabha has, in consultation with the Speaker, Lok Sabha, re-constituted the eight Department–related Parliamentary Standing Committees, coming under the administrative jurisdiction of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha.
- The new Parliamentary Standing Committees will come into effect from September 13, 2023.
- These eight committees include Committee on Commerce; Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports; Committee on Health and Family Welfare; Committee on Home Affairs; Committee on Industry, etc.
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES
- A Parliamentary Committee is a panel of MPs that is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker, and which works under the direction of the Speaker. It presents its report to the House or to the Speaker.
- Parliamentary Committees have their origins in the British Parliament. They draw their authority from Article 118, which gives Parliament authority to make rules to regulate its procedure and conduct of business.
What are the various Committees of Parliament?
- Broadly, Parliamentary Committees can be classified into Financial Committees, Departmentally Related Standing Committees, Other Parliamentary Standing Committees, and Ad hoc Committees.
- The Financial Committees include the Estimates Committee, Public Accounts Committee, and the Committee on Public Undertakings. These committees were constituted in 1950.
- Seventeen Departmentally Related Standing Committees came into being in 1993 to examine budgetary proposals and crucial government policies. The aim was to increase Parliamentary scrutiny, and to give members more time and a wider role in examining important legislation.
- The number of Committees was subsequently increased to 24. Each of these Committees has 31 members — 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.
- Ad hoc Committees are appointed for a specific purpose and they cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report. The principal Ad hoc Committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills etc.
- Apart from the Ad hoc Committees, each House of Parliament has Standing Committees like the Business Advisory Committee, the Committee on Petitions, the Committee of Privileges and the Rules Committee.
How are the Committees constituted, and how are their chairpersons chosen?
- There are 16 Departmentally Related Standing Committees for Lok Sabha and eight for Rajya Sabha; however, every Committee has members from both Houses. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha panels are headed by members of these respective Houses.
- Among the important Lok Sabha panels are: Agriculture; Coal; Defence; External Affairs; Finance; Communications & Information Technology; Labour; Petroleum & Natural Gas; and Railways.
- The important Rajya Sabha panels include Commerce; Education; Health & Family Welfare; Home Affairs; and Environment.
- Presiding Officers use their discretion to refer a matter to a Parliamentary Committee, but this is usually done in consultation with leaders of parties in the House.
- MPs typically have a one-year tenure on Parliamentary Committees. Usually, the composition of a Committee remains more or less the same in terms of representation of the various parties.
How important are the recommendations of the Committees?
- Reports of Departmentally Related Standing Committees are recommendatory in nature. They are not binding on the government, but they do carry significant weight.
- These panels also examine policy issues in their respective Ministries and make suggestions to the government. The government has to report back on whether these recommendations have been accepted.
4. ECHIDNA
TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
THE CONTEXT: Echidnas are even more mysterious and unusual than commonly assumed. They sense electric fields, tolerate snow, and have ‘mating trains.
ABOUT ECHIDNAS:
- They’re ancient egg-laying mammals:
- Short beaked echidnas and long beaked echidnas are two types of echidnas among others.
- Short-beaked echidnas are one of just five species of monotreme surviving in the world, alongside the platypus and three worm-eating long-beaked echidna species found on the island of New Guinea.
- Short-beaked echidnas can weigh up to six kilograms, but the Western long-beaked echidna can be as large as 16 kg.
- These ancient mammals lay eggs through their cloacas (monotreme means one opening) and incubate them in a pouch-like skin fold, nurturing their tiny, jellybean-sized young after hatching.
- Scientists believe echidnas began as platypuses who left the water and evolved spines.
- Bigibila(Gamilaraay) and Yinarlingi (Warlpiri) are the other names of echidnas.
- From deserts to snow, echidnas are remarkably adaptable:
- Echidnas can be found on northern tropical savannah amid intense humidity, on coastal heaths and forests, in arid deserts and even on snowy mountains. There are few other creatures which can tolerate broad climate ranges.
- Subspecies are also markedly different, with variations to hairiness and the length and width of spines.
- Kangaroo Island echidnas have longer, thinner, and paler spines compared to the mainland species.
- Tasmanian echidnas are well adapted to the cold, boasting a lushness of extra hair. Sometimes their spines can’t be seen amidst their hair.
- What do marsupials and monotremes have in common?
- Marsupials bear live young when they’re very small and complete their development in a pouch.
- Despite this key difference with monotremes, there’s a fascinating similarity between Australia’s two most famous mammal families.
- At 17 days after conception, the embryo of the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) hits almost the same developmental milestone as echidna embryos. Both are in the somite stage, where paired blocks of tissue form along the notochord, the temporary precursor to the spinal cord and each have around 20 somites.
- Despite millions of years of evolutionary pressure and change, these very different animals still hit a key embryo milestone at the same time.
- In echidnas, this milestone is tied to egg-laying and the embryo is packaged up in a leathery egg the size of a grape and laid into the mother’s pouch. The baby puggle hatches 10–11 days later. In tammar wallabies, the embryo continues to develop in-utero for another 9–10 days before being born.
5. KAMPALA DECLARATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
THE CONTEXT: 48 African countries have agreed to adopt the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change (KDMECC) to address the nexus of human mobility and climate change in the continent.
EXPLANATION:
- The continental expansion of the KDMECC was discussed at a three-day Conference of States that began August 23, 2023, held at Nairobi, Kenya.
- It was co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Uganda with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
- It also enabled the African States to develop a common position ahead of the Africa Climate Summit and the Conference of Parties (COP 28).
Representatives from 48 African countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for the Conference of States on the continental expansion of the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment, and Climate Change.
The Declaration calls for enhanced cooperation and action to address five areas of concern:
- Progressive desertification and land degradation creating forced mobility of people and livestock.
- Unsustainable use of ecosystems and the impact of frequent and intense extreme weather events on people and livestock
- Unplanned migration of people from rural to urban centres because of climate change and disasters
- Paucity of data and statistics on the impact of climate change on human and livestock mobility in the region
- Limitations of partnerships and financing to respond to the climate crisis adversely affecting the mobility of our people and livestock in the region.
Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment, and Climate Change (KDMECC): –
- It was signed in 2022 at Kampala, Uganda by 15 African States to address the nexus of human mobility and climate change in the continent.
- The declaration is the first comprehensive, action-oriented framework led by Member States to address climate-induced mobility in a practical and effective manner.
