INDIAN POLITY

1. THE DOCTRINE OF PLEASURE

THE CONTEXT: Kerala Governor and the State government have major differences over multiple issues. The latest controversy has arisen after he sought the resignation of several vice-chancellors following a Supreme Court judgment setting aside the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor of a technology university.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is the concept?

• The pleasure doctrine is a concept derived from English common law, under which the crown can dispense with the services of anyone in its employ at any time. In India, Article 310 of the Constitution says every person in the defence or civil service of the Union holds office during the pleasure of the President, and every member of the civil service in the States holds office during the pleasure of the Governor.
• However, Article 311 imposes restrictions on the removal of a civil servant. It provides for civil servants being given a reasonable opportunity for a hearing on the charges against them. There is also a provision to dispense with the inquiry if it is not practicable to hold one, or if it is not expedient to do so in the interest of national security. In practical terms, the pleasure of the President referred to here is that of the Union government, and the Governor’s pleasure is that of the State government.
• Under Article 164, the Chief Minister is appointed by the Governor; and the other Ministers are appointed by the Governor on the CM’s advice. It adds that Ministers hold office during the pleasure of the Governor. In a constitutional scheme in which they are appointed solely on the CM’s advice, the ‘pleasure’ referred to is also taken to mean the right of the Chief Minister to dismiss a Minister, and not that of the Governor.

Role of University Grants Commission:

• Although Education comes under the Concurrent List, but entry 66 of the Union List — “coordination and determination of standards in institutions for higher education or research and scientific and technical institutions” — gives the Centre substantial authority over higher education.
• According to the UGC Regulations, 2018, the “Visitor/Chancellor” — mostly the Governor in states — shall appoint the VC out of the panel of names recommended by search-cum-selection committees.
• Higher educational institutions, particularly those that get UGC funds, are mandated to follow its regulations.
• These are usually followed without friction in the case of central universities but are sometimes resisted by the states in the case of state universities.

About Vice-Chancellor:

• Vice chancellors lead the university’s academic and administrative departments.
• They may serve on several university councils, assist with policy development and academic planning, prepare budgets, and maintain the institution’s positive image.
• As per the University Grants Commission (UGC) Guidelines, the Visitor/Chancellor shall appoint the Vice Chancellor out of the panel of names recommended by the search-cum-selection committee.
• The Governor of the state is the honorary chancellor of all State owned universities.

2. ARE THERE ANTI-SUPERSTITION LAWS IN INDIA?

THE CONTEXT: The recent brutal murders of two women as part of “ritualistic human sacrifices” in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala have left the country in shock. The murders have sparked a debate about the prevalence of superstitious beliefs, black magic and witchcraft in India.

THE EXPLANATION:

How prevalent are superstitious killings in India?

• As per the 2021 report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), six deaths were linked to human sacrifices, while witchcraft was the motive for 68 killings.
• The maximum number of witchcraft cases were reported from Chhattisgarh (20), followed by Madhya Pradesh (18) and Telangana (11).
• In 2020, India saw 88 deaths due to witchcraft and 11 died as part of ‘human sacrifices’, the NCRB report states.

Legal provisions against superstition

• In India, there is no central law that exclusively deals with crimes related to witchcraft, superstition, or occult-inspired activities.
• Article 51A (h) of the Indian Constitution makes it a fundamental duty for Indian citizens to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.
• In the absence of a nationwide legislation, a few States have enacted laws to counter witchcraft and protect women from deadly ‘witch-hunting’.

Precedence set by States

• Bihar was the first State to enact a law to prevent witchcraft, identification of a woman as a witch and eliminate torture, humiliation and killing of women.
• The Prevention of Witch (Daain) Practices Act came into force in October 1999.
• A similar law was passed in Jharkhand in 2001 — the Prevention of Witch (Daain) Practices Act.
• In Maharashtra, the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.
• It was passed after the murder of anti-superstition activist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar.

What about Central Legislation?

• Certain sections of the Indian Penal Code enlist penalties applicable for such incidents.
• Section 302 (punishment for murder) takes cognisance of human sacrifice, but only after the murder is committed.
• Section 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) works to discourage such practices.
• Other provisions under the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act of 1954 also aim to tackle the debilitating impact of various superstitious activities prevalent in India.

HEALTH ISSUES

3. WHAT IS MYOSITIS?

THE CONTEXT: Recently,Samantha Ruth Prabhu- Southern film actress revealed that she has been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called Myositis.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is myositis?

It is a rare condition that causes muscles to become weak, painful and tired. Myo means muscle, itis means inflammation. When muscles are inflamed, they may be swollen and susceptible to pain.

Causes: It is usually caused by a problem with the immune system, where it mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In most cases, the exact cause of myositis is unknown and therefore considered idiopathic.

Prevalence: Around 4-22 cases per one lakh population. Myositis can affect both children and adults. With the exception of one type of myositis, women are more likely to be affected by this disease than men.

Types of myositis:

• Dermatomyositis
• Inclusion-body myositis
• Juvenile myositis
• Polymyositis
• Toxic myositis

Symptoms: The general symptoms may include muscle pain and soreness, fatigue, trouble swallowing, and difficulty breathing.

Treatment: Since there is no one medical treatment that fits all, immunosuppressant drugs are recommended along with physical therapy, exercise, stretching, and yoga which can help keep muscles strong and flexible and prevent muscle atrophy.

ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4. CENTRE’S NOD TO TERAI ELEPHANT RESERVE

THE CONTEXT: The Centre has approved the setting up of the Terai Elephant Reserve (TER) at Dudhwa-Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh. The Terai Elephant Reserve is the 3rd Elephant Reserve in India.

THE EXPLANATION:

About Terai Elephant Reserve

• The Terai Elephant Reserve will be established in Dudhwa-Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh. It will span across 3,049 sq km area. It will be the 33rd elephant reserve to be set up in India. It will be in the joint forest regions of Dudhwa and Piliphit tiger reserves that are involved in the conservation of tiger, Asian elephant, swamp deer and one-horned rhinoceros.
• It is the third elephant reserve to get approval from the Union Environment Ministry in the past three months under Project Elephant, with the other two being Lemru in Chhattisgarh and Agasthymalai in Tamil Nadu.

Why is TER significant?

• The establishment of the new elephant reserve will help conserve the trans-boundary migration of elephant populations. It will help protect the neighbouring villages in the Indo-Nepal border area of Uttar Pradesh.
• It will also help in the management of grassland and elephant corridor in Dudhwa and Piliphit tiger reserves. Tiger reserves’ conservation efforts and the elephant reserve plans will supplement each other, making activities like drinking water management, maintenance and renovation of wildlife corridors, capacity building of forest personnel, mitigation of human-animal conflict and others more economical.
• Due to the absence of financial constraints, forest officials of the tiger reserves can compensate villagers for the damages of crops and houses caused by elephants without requiring state government’s funding. This will ensure the welfare of both the wildlife in protected areas and residents of nearby villages.

VALUE ADDITION:

What is Project Elephant?

• Project Elephant was launched by the Central Government in 1992 to provide financial and technical aid to states for the protection of free-ranging population of wild Asian elephants.
• This centrally sponsored scheme aims to ensure long-term survival of Asian elephants in their natural habitats by protecting them, their habitats and migration corridors.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. A NEW TARGET FOUND TO COMBAT AMR SALMONELLA

THE CONTEXT: Recent studies have found the emergence of multi-drug resistant Salmonella typhimurium DT104 that causes infections in humans and cattle.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The rapid and unselective use of traditional antibiotics gives rise to the emergence of drug resistant phenotype in typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars, which has increased the difficulties in curing Salmonella-induced food-borne illnesses (majorly typhoid or paratyphoid fever, gastroenteritis, and diarrhoea) worldwide.

What is Salmonella typhimurium?

• Salmonella typhimurium ST313, an invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella serovar, causes bloodstream infection in the malnourished and immunocompromised population of sub-Saharan Africa.
• Recent studies have reported the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) phenotype in Salmonella tphimurium DT104, which causes infection in humans and cattle.

Conferring protection

• The MDR phenotype in this pathogen was provided by Salmonella Genomic Island-1 (SGI-1), which confers protection against a wide range of antibiotics, including ampicillin (pse-1), chloramphenicol/florfenicol (floR), streptomycin/spectinomycin (aadA2), sulphonamides (sul1), and tetracycline (tetG) (ACSSuT).
• Further emergence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) S. Typhimurium ST313 (having multi-drug resistant (MDR) and resistance against extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and azithromycin) in Africa posed a significant threat to global health.

Recent studies reported an annual incidence of as many as 360 cases of typhoid fever per 1,00,000 people, with an annual estimate of 4.5 million cases and 8,930 deaths (0.2% fatality rate) in India.

PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

6. KALANAMAK RICE, ‘BUDDHA’S GIFT TO PEOPLE’

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Indian Agriculture Research Institute has successfully tested two new dwarf varieties — Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638 and Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652 — in Uttar Pradesh that give double the yield.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is Kalanamak Rice?

• Kalanamak, a traditional variety of paddy with a black husk and a strong fragrance, which is considered a gift from Lord Buddha to the people of the Sravasti when he visited the region after enlightenment, is all set to get a new look and name. Grown in 11 districts of the Terai region of northeastern Uttar Pradesh and in Nepal, the traditional variety has been prone to lodging, a reason for its low yield.
• The traditional Kalanamak rice is protected under the Geographical Indication (GI) tag system. It’s recorded in the GI application that Lord Budhha gifted Kalanamak paddy to the people of Sravasti so that they remembered him by its fragrance.
• It has also been featured in the book ‘Speciality Rices of the World’ by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

A tall problem

The problem with the traditional variety of Kalanamak paddy is that it’s tall and prone to lodging, which badly impacted grain filling and quality. The yield, as a result, fell drastically, and the market for the rice dwindled, too. The traditional Kalanamak paddy’s yield is barely two to 2.5 tonnes per hectare.

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTION

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q1. ‘Bio-Village 2’ recently seen in news, gives emphasis on –

a) How to minimise the damage caused by natural disasters

b) Use of renewable energy sources in village

c) Use of biogas for cooking purpose in villages

d) Use of biomass in sustainable manner in villages

Answer: A

Explanation:

• In collaboration with the Bio-Technology department, the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Authority (TREDA) has established the country’s first bio-village at Daspara, Tripura.
• Solar power is used to meet the energy needs of 64 Daspara families. The Bio-Technology department has encouraged villagers who were previously solely reliant on agriculture and fishing to establish piggeries and begin goat-rearing.
• Some villages of Tripura have ascended to the level of Bio-Village 2. Bio-Village 2 emphasizes how to minimize the damage caused by natural disasters. In this, full attention is given to improve the quality of life of the people through various measures. There is complete focus on Solar Energy, Biogas, Bee Keeping and Bio Fertilizers. Overall, Bio-Village 2 is going to lend a lot of strength to the campaign against climate change.