08 July 2022

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

08 JULY 2022

1 – Central Vista Project:

GS II

Topic à Indian Parliament 

Context:

• By July 18, the Central Vista Avenue rehabilitation project, which runs from Vijay Chowk to India Gate, will be finished, according to Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs. According to Puri, a few minor repairs are now being made to one or two underpasses and should be finished soon.

Project Central Vista:

• In Lutyens’s Delhi, 86 acres of land will be renovated and developed as part of this project.
• These include Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan, India Gate, North Block and South Block, among other famous government buildings.
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs first proposed this visionary concept to redesign the country’s administrative centre on September 13, 2019.

Three primary sections make up this project:

• a new Parliament building
• A new secretariat facility will house all of the core government ministries.
• The Rajghat’s development and the neighbourhood around it
• Some non-heritage buildings in the neighbourhood will be demolished as part of this project, and new structures will be built in their stead.

Why is this Project needed?

• The creation of a new parliament building is the project’s most important component. There are various causes for the requirement for a new structure.
• Delimitation is required to expand the number of Lok Sabha constituencies due to the rising population, which has nearly quadrupled since independence.
• Similar to this, there aren’t enough seats for MPs from both houses in the central hall of the parliament, where joint sessions are typically held.
• Temporary chairs are set up in the aisles during joint meetings so that everyone can sit down.
• The largest democracy in the world’s parliament should not be witnessing this kind of spectacle.
• The infrastructure of the parliament was also outdated because it was erected at different points as and when it was necessary.
• These factors made the construction of a new parliament building urgently necessary.

The project’s importance:

• Modernizing the facilities of the legislature: The new Parliament building will be India’s first specifically designed legislature, outfitted with cutting-edge infrastructure to handle all requirements of an expanded legislature.
• A highly energy-efficient and sustainable infrastructure will be used to support all government ministries, increasing productivity and efficiency.
• The National Museum will be moved and conceived to present the rich past and accomplishments of the country, strengthening cultural and leisure services.
• Providing cutting-edge and secure infrastructure: It is suggested to house executive offices and amenities in a cutting-edge, secure, and well furnished executive enclave.
• Providing a residence for the PM: To the north of North Block and to the south of South Block, respectively, are proposed modern and secure residences for the vice president and the PM.
• Cultural significance: The Central Vista’s proposed improvements aim to improve public space, safeguard heritage structures, assure environmental sustainability, and extend its axis. They also aim to restore the vista’s architectural character.

Source à The Indian Express

2 – PM CARES Fund:

GS II

Topic à Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• A Central Information Commission (CIC) decision requiring the Income Tax Department to disclose copies of all papers PM CARES Fund provided when requesting an exemption under the Income Tax Act and file notations approving the request was stayed by the Delhi High Court on Thursday.

PM-CARES Fund: What is it?

• To address difficult situations like the COVID-19 epidemic, the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, or PM CARES Fund, was established in March 2020.

• The fund does not get any fiscal support; all donations are voluntary and come from both individuals and organisations.
• Donations can now be used to fulfil a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations and are no longer tax deductible.
• It is also free from the International Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, and it accepts contributions from abroad, despite the fact that the Centre has in the past turned down foreign assistance in the wake of calamities like the Kerala floods.
• The Prime Minister serves as the fund’s formal chairperson and has the authority to recommend three accomplished individuals from related professions to the Board of Trustees.
• As ex-officio Trustees of the Fund, the Ministers of Defense, Home Affairs, and Finance serve.

What problems does the PM-CARES Fund have?

• Disregards other funds, such as the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
• The PM CARES Fund was not established under the Indian Constitution or any other law, which raises concerns about the legitimacy of its usage of the title of Prime Minister, national symbols, the official PMO website (gov.in), tax exemptions through an ordinance, etc.
• It is not audited by CAG because the money it collects does not go to the Consolidated Fund of India, raising questions about accountability and transparency.
• The operation of the trust is not under the direction of the Central Government or any State Government.
• If the PM CARES Fund is not affiliated with the government, it could turn into a for-profit organisation and prevent the prime minister and the three ministers from holding their respective constitutional positions.
• The trustees are required by Section 19 of the Indian Trusts Act to provide beneficiaries with information on the trust property, hence the PM CARES Fund must be available in accordance with Section 2(f) of the RTI Act.
• According to the Thalappalam Service Coop. Bank Ltd. vs. State of Kerala case, the trustees’ substantial influence over the organisation is a test for determining whether it qualifies as a public authority for the purposes of the RTI Act.
• As a public entity, the PMO is required by the RTI to respond to our questions regarding the fund.

Source à The Hindu

3 – Border Dispute between India and China

GS II

Topic à International Relations

Context:

• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi spoke on Thursday outside of the G-20 Foreign Ministers conference in Bali, three months after their initial encounter in New Delhi. Despite the appearance of goodwill during the hour-long meetings, tensions erupted between New Delhi and Beijing over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday wishes to the Dalai Lama and Enforcement Directorate (ED) searches at the Vivo headquarters in India.

China and India’s shared border:

• Relations between India and China go back more than 2,000 years. Economic and cultural relations between the two nations date back to ancient times.
• Border disputes between China and India in the modern era have led to military conflicts such as the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the Chola incident in 1967, the 1987 Sino-Indian war, and the 2020 India-China clash.
• The Line of Actual Control border standoffs have often put India and China’s relations under “extreme stress” during the past ten years.

India and China’s border issue is mostly caused by:

• The root of the problem is a disputed, 3,440 kilometre (2,100 mi) long boundary between the two nations.
• Four states share a border with China: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand (formerly part of UP), Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Union Territories of Ladakh (formerly the state of Jammu & Kashmir).
• Three sectors, known as the Western, Middle, and Eastern sectors, make up the Sino-Indian boundary.

West Sector:

• India and China have a western boundary that is roughly 2152 kilometres long.
• It is situated between the Chinese province of Xinjiang and the union territory of Ladakh, once the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Aksai Chin is the subject of the territorial conflict in the western sector. China believes it is a part of Xinjiang, whereas India claims it is a part of the former region of Kashmir.
• The British empire is blamed for the conflict because it was unable to establish a clear border between the two nations. Two borderlines were proposed during British control in India: Johnson’s line and McDonald line in 1865 and 1893, respectively.
• While the McDonald Line places Aksai Chin under Chinese sovereignty, the Johnson Line reveals it to be in Ladakh and under the control of India. China views the McDonald Line as the proper boundary with India, while India views the Johnson Line as the country’s legal border with China.
• The conflicting claims and conceptions of the LAC have resulted in an area that overlaps, and within that area is a small zone that both sides police, leading to conflicts between the Chinese and Indian armies.
• Line of Actual Control (LAC) currently divides Indian-controlled Ladakh from Aksai Chin. It runs parallel to the Aksai Chin claim line in China.

Middle Sector:

• India and China share around 625 kilometres of border in the middle sector. This is the only area where there is less contention between the two nations. The boundary stretches from Nepal to Ladakh.
• In this region, the borders with Tibet are touched by the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

East Sector:

• India and China share a 1140 km-long border in the east. The McMahon Line, which divides Tibet, India, and Myanmar, begins at the easternmost point of Bhutan and extends to a location close to the Talu Pass.
• China considers much of Arunachal Pradesh’s area to be a part of Southern Tibet.
• China views the McMahon line as unconstitutional. To determine the border between Tibet and China and between Tibet and India, McMahon suggested the line in the Simla Accord in 1914. The agreement was initialled by the Chinese delegates present at the meeting, but they later declined to recognise it.

Areas of contention along the LAC:

• Arunachal and around 90,000 square kilometres of Indian territory in the northeast are claimed by China, although India contends that 38,000 square kilometres of land in Chinese-occupied Aksai Chin belong in Ladakh.
• Along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), there are a number of contested territories, including those in Himachal, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.

Source à The Indian Express

4 – Dragon Fruit Cultivation:

Prelims Specific Topic

Context:

• The Centre has made the decision to support the production of dragon fruit, which is referred to as a “super fruit” for its health advantages. This decision is in line with those of the governments of Gujarat and Haryana. The Center believes that the fruit’s cultivation in India can be increased given its cost-effectiveness and the high demand for it on a worldwide scale due to its nutritional benefits. This exotic fruit is currently grown on 3,000 hectares, but in five years, it will expand to 50,000 hectares.

Introduction:

• The Americas are the original home of the dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus). It belongs to the cactus family.
• It is also referred to globally as “Pitaya,” “Pitahaya,” strawberry pear, noblewoman, and queen of the night. It is also referred to as “Kamalam” in India.
• It thrives in a variety of weather conditions and soil types, notably in the semi-arid and arid parts of India.
• It can withstand certain salts in the soil and favours slightly acidic soil.
• Dragon fruit trees in India flower and bear their fruit during the monsoon season (June to November).

Features:

• Its blooms open at night and are naturally hermaphrodites (contain both male and female organs).
• The plant has a yield that lasts for more than 20 years, is rich in nutraceutical qualities (which have therapeutic effects), and is useful for industries that add value through processing.
• It contains many vitamins and minerals.

Favorability in India:

• In India, the 1990s saw the introduction of the dragon fruit to backyard gardens.
• The farming community in India has been drawn to dragon fruits because to its low care requirements and high profitability.
• This has caused the cultivation of dragon fruit to dramatically rise in various north eastern states as well as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Each year, the nation produces about 12,000 tonnes of the fruit.

Related Concerns:

• High Expenditure: Due of the climber nature of dragon fruit, producers must invest about Rs. 3.5 lakh per acre in infrastructure.
• Drip irrigation increases the original investment’s cost as well.
• Problems with Flowering: In semi-arid and arid areas, sunburn is a common issue that can be controlled by providing 25–30% shade, either by growing shade-producing trees (such moringa, sesbania, and Melia dubia) or by putting in artificial shade netting during the sweltering summer months.

Governmental Programs:

• Through the Mission on Integrated Development of Horticulture, the Maharashtra government has taken the initiative to encourage the cultivation of dragon fruit in various parts of the state by providing high-quality planting materials and financial aid for its growth (MIDH).
• MIDH is a centrally sponsored programme for the comprehensive development of the horticulture industry, which includes the cultivation of bamboo, coconut, cashew, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, and fragrant plants.
• With effect from 2014–15, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will implement MIDH.

Source à The Hindu