14 February 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – Delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir:  GS II – Topic Constitutional Provisions:

 Context:

• The Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission was established to redraw the borders of the new Union Territory, but the Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge to that commission’s establishment.
• The Parliament has the authority to create new States and Union territories under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. As a result, the two new Union territories were created. A statute passed under Article 3 may always call for the Delimitation Commission to modify the constituencies in the newly created States or Union territories. The Delimitation Commission was given authority to carry out this duty by the J&K Reorganisation Act, which established the two new Union territories, in accordance with the Delimitation Act, 2002.

Why was the Commission created?

• Delimitation was required due to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act of 2019, which raised the number of Assembly seats.
• The old J&K state had 111 seats, 24 of which were reserved for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Kashmir had 46 seats, Jammu had 37 seats, and Ladakh had four seats (PoK).
• The state administration at the time employed the Jammu and Kashmir Representation of the People Act of 1957 to define assembly seat borders. The Indian Constitution established the boundaries of the parliamentary districts of the former state.
• 2019 will see the revocation of J&K’s special status, at which point the allocation of Assembly and parliamentary seats will be governed by the Constitution.
• The Delimitation Commission was founded on March 6, 2020.
• Former Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai serves as its chairman, while its other members are J&K’s five MPs, the Chief Election Commissioner, and the Chief Electoral Officer.

Which changes were made?

• Legislative Assembly: The Commission increased seven Assembly seats (for a total of 43 seats), including one in Kashmir and six in Jammu (now 47).
• Additionally, the design of the current Assembly seats has undergone major change.
• Lok Sabha: There are five parliamentary districts in the region. The Delimitation Commission saw the Jammu & Kashmir region as a single Union Territory.
• The Commission has redrawn the boundaries of the Anantnag and Jammu seats.
• Originally part of the Jammu parliamentary seat, the Pir Panjal region of Jammu, which comprises the districts of Poonch and Rajouri, has been added to the Anantnag seat in Kashmir.
• In addition, the Baramulla district now includes a majority-Shia component of the Srinagar parliamentary district.
• Kashmiri Pandits: According to the Commission, the Kashmiri Migrant Community (Kashmiri Hindus) should have at least two representatives in the Legislative Assembly.
• It has also recommended that the Centre consider providing representation in the J&K Legislative Assembly to those Kashmiris who were uprooted from Pakistan-occupied territory and moved to Jammu after Partition.
• Tribes on the Schedule: A total of nine seats have been reserved for Tribes on the Schedule.

Why Is Exercise a Debateable Subject?

• New constituency boundaries are only being established in J&K; they cannot be drawn anywhere else in the nation until 2026.
• The final delimitation exercise in J&K was finished in 1995.
• The J&K administration at the time altered the J&K Representation of the People Act in 2002 in order to freeze the delimitation process until 2026, similar to what had been done in the rest of the country.
• Despite this being contested, the J&K High Court and later the Supreme Court both upheld the freeze.
• Delimitation is normally done primarily on Census population, but the Commission noted that it will also take into account the size, isolation, and border closeness of J&K.

What Does the Change in Assembly Seats Mean?

• Although the seat demarcation was based on the 2011 Census, the revisions result in 44% of the population (Jammu) voting in 48% of the seats and 56% of the population (Kashmir) voting in the remaining 52%.

About delimitation:

• The act of fixing or redacting the boundaries of geographic constituencies (Assembly or Lok Sabha seats) in a country or province with a legislative body is known as delimitation, according to the Election Commission.
• The delimitation procedure is overseen by the Delimitation Commission, a strong, independent body whose rulings are final and cannot be contested in court.
• Over time, it has become common practise to redefine a constituency’s boundaries based on its population (based on the last Census).
• Along with changing the number of representatives in a state, the process can also change the borders of a constituency.
• As part of this process, seats in the Assembly are also reserved for SC and ST in accordance with the Constitution.
• In order to ensure that all political parties or candidates competing in elections have a level playing field in terms of voter turnout, the fundamental goal is to achieve equitable geographic distribution of the population.

What is the delimitation’s legal basis?

• According to Article 82, the Parliament passes a Delimitation Act following each Census.
• After every census, States are also divided into territorial constituencies in accordance with the Delimitation Act, as stated in Article 170.
• After the Act is put into operation, the Union government establishes a Delimitation Commission.
• Following each census, the Parliament approved a Delimitation Act, and in accordance with Article 82, the Delimitation Commission was constituted as a separate body.
• However, the Election Commission worked with the President to carry out the first delimitation exercise in 1950–1951.
• The Delimitation Commission Act was enacted in 1952.
• Delimitation Commissions has been constituted four times, in 1952, 1963, 1972, and 2002, under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972, and 2002.
• Following the 1981 and 1991 Censuses, the distinction was gone.

 Source  The Hindu

2 – ICMR: GS II – Topic Statutory and Non-Statutory Bodies

 Context:

• In contrast to summary ratings like the health star or “NutriScore,” warning labels can discourage consumers from choosing and consuming even moderately unhealthy foods, according to a study by the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) on the acceptability and potential use of various Front-Of-Pack Nutrition Labels (FOPNL) formats in promoting informed food choices.

History of ICMR:

• The Governing Body of the Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA) met for the first time on November 15th, 1911. (at the Plague Laboratory, Bombay, under the Chairmanship of Sir Harcourt Butler). A Scientific Advisory Board was created at the same meeting, and the bylaws of the Association were also discussed.
• An crucial decision was made to start a journal for Indian Medical Research during the Governing Body’s second meeting in 1912, which took place.
• The Indian Journal of Medical Research was established in 1913–1914. (under the authority of the Director-General, Indian Medical Services).

Mandate:

• India’s leading organisation for organising, developing, and doing biomedical research
• Plan, organise, and carry out medical research for the good of society.
• utilising medical innovations to develop products and procedures that are then implemented into the public health system.

Vision:

• Effective Research
• Translation for Improving Population Health

Mission:

• Develop, organise, and disseminate new knowledge.
• Studies on the health problems that marginalised, impoverished, and vulnerable segments of society deal with need to receive more attention.
• Utilize and encourage the use of modern biological tools to address difficulties with national health.
• Encourage innovative research and translation in the fields of diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive practises.
• Build the facilities and staff necessary to promote a research culture in academic institutions, especially medical schools and other organisations that work in the field of health research.

Other details about ICMR:

• The Governing Body of the ICMR is under the control of the Union Health Minister. It receives assistance with scientific and technological issues from a Scientific Advisory Board composed of eminent experts in different biomedical disciplines. By evaluating and supervising the Council’s different research efforts, a multitude of Scientific Advisory Groups, Scientific Advisory Committees, Expert Groups, Task Forces, Steering Committees, etc. help the Board in its work.
• The ICMR has significantly advanced our knowledge of a wide range of illnesses with national significance, including poliomyelitis, filariasis, leprosy, AIDS, kala-azar, tuberculosis, and Japanese encephalitis. The ICMR has made substantial contributions to the study of nutrition, reproductive, maternity, and child health, as well as occupational, environmental, and health system-supporting research. The local health challenges have been addressed with assistance from the regional ICMR medical research institutions and centres.
• The ICMR has made other unique and significant contributions, such as teaching and developing the skills of young researchers, medical and allied health professionals, and providing funding support for research initiatives to researchers around the country.
• Numerous research initiatives are still supported by extramural funding from the ICMR at the council’s institutes as well as at other research facilities, medical schools, and nonprofit organisations. It promotes extramural research through a number of initiatives, such as Centers for Advanced Research in certain fields of study, task forces with clear objectives and a goal-oriented strategy, and grants-in-aid for stand-alone research applications filed from around the country.

 Source  The Hindu

3 – Geological Heritages: GS I – Topic Indian Culture

 Context:

• A draught bill meant to protect the nation’s geological heritage, which includes fossils, sedimentary rocks, and natural formations, has raised concerns in the geosciences and palaeontology communities in India.
• Despite the fact that the Geological Survey of India (GSI), a 180-year-old organisation that is a part of the Ministry of Mines, is given complete authority under the draught Geo-heritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) Bill, 2022, many researchers do not agree that it is essential.

What are the functions of geological structures?

• India’s rocky terrain and topography bear evidence of its chaotic geological past.
• They should be thought of as a piece of our non-cultural legacy.
• The ecological impacts of the loss of geological sites are also a major concern in this era of constantly changing climatic trends.

How vulnerable are these structures?

• Land areas containing fossils and geofaults are irreversibly destroyed as a result of the construction of highways and real estate development.
• India produces more than 30% of the stone used in the globe.
• Without employing science, this industry has been mined and managed.
• Typically, it continues to be unchecked and hidden from public view.
• India’s geography and geological heritage at the risk of being lost forever because to insufficient environmental regulations.
• The Geological Survey of India is the agency in responsibility of protecting geological characteristics.
• More than 26 locations have been particularly selected for preservation.
• On the ground, however, not much has altered.

What should be done?

• A comprehensive inventory of the country’s geological features has to be created by GSI.
• A sustainable protection strategy should be created for our natural geological heritage, just like for biodiversity.
• Geological features that preserve historical records of natural occurrences, such as famous fossil locales, bodies of uncommon rock or mineral types, and landforms, should be recognised as national assets.
• Geo-conservation should be heavily considered while planning how to use the land.
• A rigid legal structure needs to be created in order to support these conservation initiatives.
• Public figures, government officials, and other stakeholders must be included in educational outreach programmes about these assets.

How should individuals be taught?

• Thanks to memorials and museums that preserve collective memory, communities will become aware.
• the initiative of Japan A 150-meter-long section of the fault line that ruptured through the Japanese city of Kobe in 1995 is preserved in the Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park.
• We could adopt this Japanese method to preserve the memory of key geological occurrences.
• Along similar lines, it could be possible to turn the defunct Kolar gold mines into a geological museum with a student outreach programme.

 Source The Hindu

4 – Crypto Currencies: GS III – Topic Indian Economy

 Context:

• Cryptocurrencies are extensively regulated in India, but they are also not completely unregulated. Numerous statements made by government organisations imply that cryptocurrencies are undesirable and might not be formally permitted. An RBI circular from 2018 encouraged banks not to cooperate with or offer services to businesses that trade in virtual currency. However, in Internet and Mobile Association of India v. Reserve Bank of India in 2019, the Supreme Court nullified this circular. Banks were instructed to do due diligence for transactions in virtual currencies in compliance with current legislation regarding anti-money laundering, foreign currency, and fighting terrorism funding.

Why is it so well-liked?

• Money transfers between two parties will be straightforward without the need of a third party, such as a bank or credit/debit card.
• It is a cheaper choice when compared to other online transactions.
• Payments offer a level of anonymity that is unrivalled and are safe and secure.
• Modern cryptocurrency systems only allow access to a user’s “wallet” or account address via a public key and a pirate key.
• The private key is only accessible by the wallet’s owner.
• The processing charges for financial transfers are comparably minimal.

The importance of cryptocurrencies:

• Blocks’ capacity to monitor money transfers and transaction activity on a peer-to-peer network aids in preventing corruption.
• Time-Effective: Because bitcoin transactions are entirely online, have extremely low transaction costs, and execute almost instantly, they can save both senders and receivers a substantial sum of time as well as money.
• Cost-effective: Intermediaries including banks, credit card firms, and payment gateways take about 3% of the $100 trillion yearly output of the global economy as payment for their services.
• Incorporating blockchain technology could result in hundreds of billions of dollars saved in these sectors.

Concerns about cryptocurrencies:

• Consumer risk: There is a government guarantee for cryptocurrencies. They are not recognised as legal tender and have no governmental backing.
• They are extremely volatile on the market due to their speculative character. For instance, the cost of Bitcoin decreased from USD 20,000 in December 2017 to USD 3,800 in November 2018.
• Security risk: Users who lose their private keys are unable to access their cryptocurrencies (unlike traditional digital banking accounts, this password cannot be reset).
• Malware threats: On occasion, technical service providers (such bitcoin exchanges or wallets) may hold these private keys, making them susceptible to malware or hacking.
• Money laundering: The use of cryptocurrency is more likely to be involved in criminal activity and money laundering. They provide greater anonymity than conventional payment methods since the public keys used in a transaction cannot be linked to any personal information.
• Avoiding regulations: A central bank cannot manage the entry of new cryptocurrencies into the market. Its widespread use could jeopardise the nation’s financial stability.
• Power consumption: Transaction validation uses a lot of energy, which could jeopardise the country’s energy security (the total electricity use of bitcoin mining, in 2018, was equivalent to that of mid-sized economies such as Switzerland).

Cryptocurrencies in India:

• In 2018, the RBI issued a circular forbidding all banks from dealing in cryptocurrencies. In May 2020, the Supreme Court declared that this circular was unconstitutional. In order to create a national digital currency and simultaneously criminalise all private cryptocurrencies, the government has said that it will introduce the Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill in 2021.
• Indian blockchain firms have received less than 0.2% of the total funding raised by the global blockchain industry. It is practically hard for blockchain investors and business owners to realise large financial gains given the current perception of cryptocurrencies.

Constraints of forbidding decentralised cryptocurrencies:

• Blanket Ban: The proposed ban is the main component of the Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021. It intends to make all privately held cryptocurrencies illegal in India.
• It is wrong to categorise cryptocurrencies as either public (sponsored by the government) or private (owned by an individual) because they are decentralised but not private.
• Bitcoin and other decentralised cryptocurrencies are not under the authority of any private or public organisation.
• Brain Drain: A limitation on cryptocurrencies is most likely to result in a talent and business exodus from India, much as what transpired after the RBI’s 2018 ban on cryptocurrencies.
• Blockchain experts then moved to countries where cryptocurrencies were regulated, such as Switzerland, Singapore, Estonia, and the US.
• A broad prohibition will put an end to blockchain innovation in India, which has applications in governance, the data economy, and energy.
• Loss of Transformative Technology: If there is a restriction, a transformative technology that is swiftly gaining pace worldwide, including with some of the biggest corporations like Tesla and MasterCard, will not be available to India, its company owners, or its citizens.
• An Ineffective Effort: Banning instead of regulating will only encourage unlawful usage and a parallel economy, which runs counter to the prohibition’s entire purpose.
• Considering that anyone may purchase cryptocurrency online, a ban is not possible.
• Conflicting Policies: The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitYDraft) does not support the outlawing of cryptocurrencies in its National Strategy on Blockchain, 2021, which lauded blockchain technology as a transparent, safe, and effective technology that adds a layer of trust to the internet.

How to Proceed:

• The solution is market regulation. To prevent serious problems, ensure that cryptocurrencies are not misused, and protect inexperienced investors from unreasonable market volatility and potential scams, the market must be regulated.
• The regulation must be clear, understandable, reasonable, and motivated by a broad objective.
• The definition of “cryptocurrency” A legal and regulatory framework must first categorise cryptocurrencies as securities or other financial instruments under the applicable national laws. This framework must also identify the regulatory agency that has this authority.
• Solid KYC Standards: Instead of outright outlawing cryptocurrency trading, the government should strictly enforce KYC standards, reporting obligations, and taxability.
• Making Sure of Transparency Record keeping, inspections, independent audits, investor grievance redress, and dispute resolution may also be taken into consideration to solve issues with transparency, information accessibility, and consumer protection.
• Blockchain engineers, designers, project managers, business analysts, promoters, and marketers could all find employment prospects thanks to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, which have the ability to revive India’s startup ecosystem’s entrepreneurial boom.

 Source The Hindu