[Mission 2022] INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB SUMMARY 11 MARCH 2022

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: Appointments to various constitutional posts.

Context:

Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana has dubbed it “unfortunate” that only 17 of 37 women recommended by the Supreme Court collegium were appointed as judges in high courts while the rest still remain pending with the government.

Suggestions made by the CJI:

• The appointment of women judges should not be reduced to a mere “symbolic” gesture.
• Women judges add rich experience and bring to the table a nuanced understanding of the differing impacts that certain laws may have on both men and women.

Status of women in Indian judiciary:

• In the 71 years of history of the SC, there have been only 11 women judges (Source: Wikipedia) — the first was Justice Fathima Beevi, who was elevated to the bench after a long gap of 39 years from the date of establishment of the SC.
• The 25 high courts in the states have 81 women among 677 judges – five of them do not have a single female judge.

Benefits of diversity and gender representation in Supreme court:

1. Increased Transparency, inclusiveness, and representation.
2. By their mere presence, women judges enhance the legitimacy of courts, sending a powerful signal that they are open and accessible to those who seek recourse to justice.
3. By elucidating how laws and rulings can be based on gender stereotypes, or how they might have a different impact on women and men, a gender perspective enhances the fairness of the adjudication.
4. Women judges bring those lived experiences to their judicial actions, experiences that tend toward a more comprehensive and empathetic perspective.
5. Improving the representation of women could go a long way towards a more balanced and empathetic approach in cases involving sexual violence.

Challenges to women’s entry into judiciary:

The eligibility criteria to take the entrance exams:

• Lawyers need to have seven years of continuous legal practice and be in the age bracket of 35-45.
• This is a disadvantage for women as many are married by this age.

Further, the long and inflexible work hours in law, combined with familial responsibilities, force many women to drop out of practice and they fail to meet the requirement of continuous practice.

Insta Curious:

Did you know that the Supreme Court currently has the highest number of women judges ever in its history? Reference: read this.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. What is collegium?
2. How are Judges of Supreme Court and high courts appointed?
3. Appointment of retired judges.
4. Related constitutional provisions.
5. Powers and functions.

Mains Link:

Discuss the issues associated with collegium system for the appointment of judges.

Sources: the Hindu.

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.

Context:

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is the only big winner apart from the BJP this election, with the party, going by trends, set to form the government in Punjab with a lead in 91 seats and opening its account in Goa with two seats and a vote share of 6%.

Can AAP claim to be a national party?

Not yet. For a party to be recognised as a ‘national party’ it needs to meet one of the three criteria – and the AAP doesn’t meet any of those.

Registration of political parties:

Registration of Political parties is governed by the provisions of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

• A party seeking registration under the said Section with the Election Commission has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days following the date of its formation as per guidelines prescribed by the Election Commission of India in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 324 of the Commission of India and Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

To be eligible for a ‘National Political Party of India:

1. It wins at least two percent seats in the House of the People (i.e., 11 seats in the existing House having 543 members), and these members are elected from at least three different States.
2. Get at least six per cent votes in four states in addition to four Lok Sabha seats.
3. Be recognised as a ‘state party’ in four or more states.

To be eligible for a ‘State Political Party:

1. It must secure six per cent of the votes during the Assembly elections and two Assembly seats; or
2. Six per cent of votes in the Lok Sabha from the state and an MP from the state; or
3. Three per cent of total Assembly seats or three seats (whichever is greater); or
4. One MP from every 25 Lok Sabha seats or eight per cent of total votes in the state during the Lok Sabha election from the state or the Assembly polls.

Benefits:

1. If a party is recognised as a State Party’, it is entitled for exclusive allotment of its reserved symbol to the candidates set up by it in the State in which it is so recognised, and if a party is recognised as a `National Party’ it is entitled for exclusive allotment of its reserved symbol to the candidates set up by it throughout India.
2. Recognised `State’ and `National’ parties need only one proposer for filing the nomination and are also entitled for two sets of electoral rolls free of cost at the time of revision of rolls and their candidates get one copy of electoral roll free of cost during General Elections.
3. They also get broadcast/telecast facilities over Akashvani/Doordarshan during general elections.
4. The travel expenses of star campaigners are not to be accounted for in the election expense accounts of candidates of their party.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. Registration of Political Parties.
2. Recognised vs Unrecognised political parties.
3. State vs National parties.
4. Benefits for recognised political parties.
5. Who is a star campaigner?
6. Article 324 of the Indian Constitution.
7. Section 29A of RPA 1951.

Sources: Indian Express.

GS Paper 3:

Topics Covered: Indian Economy.

Context:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has conducted a $ 5 billion dollar-rupee swap auction as part of its liquidity management initiative, leading to infusion of dollars and sucking out of the rupee from the financial system.

What is a Dollar–Rupee Swap auction?

It’s a forex tool whereby the central bank uses its currency to buy another currency or vice versa.

• In a Dollar–Rupee buy/sell swap, the central bank buys dollars (US dollars or USD) from banks in exchange for Indian Rupees (INR) and immediately gets into an opposite deal with banks promising to sell dollars at a later date.

Why do Central Banks engage in it?

• Forex swaps help in liquidity management.
• It also, in a limited way, helps in keeping the currency rates in check.
• A dollar–rupee buy/sell swap injects INR into the banking system while sucking out the dollars, and the reverse happens in a sell/buy swap.

Why is RBI resorting to it now?

Surplus liquidity in the system is pegged at Rs 7.5 lakh crore, which needs to be curbed to keep a tab on inflation.

• Usually, the central bank will resort to traditional tools such as increasing the repo rate or increasing the cash reserve ratio (CRR), but this can have a negative implication on the economy.
• Therefore, the RBI used a different toolkit – variable rate reverse repo auction (VRRR) last year.

Impacts:

Forex swaps are intended for liquidity management. Therefore, their impact on currency is only incidental.

The RBI resorting to selling USD in two tranches will keep a check on Rupee’s volatility and help curb its depreciation to some extent.

For the bond market, the exercise may have a pronounced impact.

• Bonds yields are already on an incline. Liquidity intervention through swaps indicates the RBI’s plan to use a different toolkit rather than the traditional ones, and this leaves room for the central bank to buy bonds when needed. Consequently, the strategy will contain bond yields.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. What is currency swap?
2. Impacts.
3. RBI Monetary Policy tools.
4. Bond yields.
5. Bond Yield curve.

Mains Link:

Discuss the significance of RBI Currency Swap.

Sources: Indian Express.

GS Paper 3:

Topics Covered: Conservation related issues.

Context:

Every year, the Wildlife Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation, Punjab, conducts waterbirds census exercise in six major and most biodiverse wetlands, which include the Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary, the Ropar Conservation Reserve, the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary, the Kanjli Wetland, the Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve and the Ranjit Sagar Conservation Reserve.

• However, the census could not be done this year on account of dense fog conditions. Instead a “species richness” survey was conducted by the Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation with the support from the WWF-India.

What are waterbirds?

According to Wetlands International (WI), waterbirds are defined as species of birds that are ecologically dependent on wetlands. These birds are considered to be an important health indicator of wetlands of a region.

Highlights of the survey:

• 91 species of waterbirds were recorded from the six protected wetlands.
• The waterbird count was highest in the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary followed by the Keshopur–Miani Community Reserve, Ropar Conservation Reserve and Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Wetlands like Keshopur–Miani and Shallpattan are the only wetlands in Punjab to host the migratory population of common crane and resident population of the Sarus crane.
• The Ropar and Nangal wetlands host the three migratory water species of the family Podicipedidae i.e., black-necked Grebe, Horned Grebe and Greater Crested Grebe along with the resident Little Grebe.
• Eurasian Coot was one of the most common waterbirds spotted in almost all protected wetlands of Punjab during the survey.

The species of high conservation significance recorded during the survey include:

Bonelli’s Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Northern Lapwing, Peregrine Falcon, Steppe Eagle, Western Black-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Ibis, Sarus Crane, Painted Stork, Woolly-necked Stork, Common Pochard, Common Crane, Ferruginous Pochard, Pallid Harrier, River Tern, Indian Spotted Eagle, River Lapwing, Oriental Darter, and Eurasian Curlew.

Central Asian flyway:

Every winter, the birds make their way to India through the central Asian flyway, which covers a large continental area of Europe–Asia between the Arctic and the Indian Oceans.

What is migration? Why is it significant?

Migration is an adaptation mechanism to help birds overcome weather adversities and unavailability of food in colder regions.

• The importance of bird migrations on the health of the ecosystems is well-established.
• Saving migratory birds means saving the wetlands, terrestrial habitats and saving of an ecosystem, benefiting communities dependent on wetlands.

Challenges faced by migratory birds:

1. Accelerated habitat loss globally during the last decade.
2. Decreased area under water bodies, wetlands, natural grasslands and forests.
3. Increased weather variability, and climate change have resulted in loss of biodiversity for the migratory birds.

What is a flyway?

A flyway is a geographical region within which a single or a group of migratory species completes its annual cycle – breeding, moulting, staging and non-breeding.

About the Central Asian Flyway:

• Central Asian Flyway (CAF) covers a large area of Eurasia between the Arctic and Indian Oceans.
• Including India, there are 30 countries under the Central Asian Flyway.
• The CAF comprises several important migration routes of waterbirds, most of which extend from the northernmost breeding grounds in Siberia to the southernmost non-breeding wintering grounds in West Asia, India, the Maldives and the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Why do countries need to protect Flyways?

• Approximately one in five of the world’s 11,000 bird species migrate, some covering enormous distances. Conserving migratory birds requires cooperation and coordination along the entire flyway between countries and across national boundaries.
• Safeguarding flyways means protecting the birds from poachers, rejuvenating wetlands among others. Saving the wetlands, terrestrial habitats help in fulfilling the bigger purpose of saving an ecosystem.

Insta Curious:

Did you know that India has already launched a national action plan for the conservation of migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway? Reference: read this.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About Central Asian Flyway.
2. Migratory birds in India.
3. About the Convention on the conservation of migratory species.

Mains Link:

What is Waterbird Census in India? Discuss.

Sources: the Hindu.

GS Paper 3:

Topics Covered: Conservation related issues.

Context:

Preliminary findings of a study by the Wildlife Institute of India(WII) suggest that the density of tigers in the Sunderbans may have reached the carrying capacity of the mangrove forests, leading to frequent dispersals and a surge in human-wildlife conflict.

• This high density will force tigers to move out of forests in search for new areas. Recently, around eight tigers have entered into villages in Sunderbans and all of them were captured and released into the wild.

Capacity:

• In Terai and Shivalik hills habitat — Corbett tiger reserve, for example — 10-16 tigers can survive in 100 sq km.
• This comes down to 7-11 tigers per 100 sq km in the reserves of north-central Western Ghats such as Bandipur.
• According to the 2018 All-India Tiger report, the carrying capacity in the Sunderbans is at around 4 tigers per 100 sq km.

Factors that determine tiger density:

• Availability of food and space.
• Tolerance levels exhibited by the locals who live around them to policymakers who decide management strategies.

Causes for human wildlife conflict:

Physical (space) and biological (forest productivity) factors have an obvious influence on a reserve’s carrying capacity of tigers. More so when different land uses overlap and a good number of people depend on forest resources for livelihood.

What is the way ahead to avoid conflict in tiger density areas?

• Artificially boosting the prey base in a reserve.
• Tiger corridors: Create safe connectivity among forests and allow tigers to disperse safely to new areas.

Key facts related to tiger population:

1. As per the World Wide Fund for Nature, the number of tigers dropped by 95 per cent over the past 150 years.
2. India is the land of royal tigers and current tiger population stands at 2967 which is 70 per cent of the global tiger population.
3. Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442).
4. Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh is the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot, Bhoorsingh the Barasingha.

Conservation efforts- National and Global:

1. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has launched the M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status), a mobile monitoring system for forest guards.
2. At the Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010, leaders of 13 tiger range countries resolved to do more for the tiger and embarked on efforts to double its number in the wild, with a popular slogan ‘T X 2’.
3. The Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) program of the World Bank, using its presence and convening ability, brought global partners together to strengthen the tiger agenda.
4. Over the years, the initiative has institutionalised itself as a separate entity in the form of the Global Tiger Initiative Council (GTIC), with its two arms –the Global Tiger Forum and the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program.
5. The Project Tiger, launched way back in 1973, has grown to more than 50 reserves amounting to almost 2.2% of the country’s geographical area.

Protection Status:

1. Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.
2. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List: Endangered.
3. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix I.

Insta Curious:

Did you know that the fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018 has entered the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey? How is tiger survey carried out in India? Reference

India’s 14 Tiger Reserves got Global CA/TS recognition for good Tiger Conservation. What does the accreditation of the Global Conservation Assured|Tiger Standards (CA|TS)? Reference

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. Differences between National Parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves.
2. M-STrIPES is related to?
3. What is GTIC?
4. When was project tiger launched?
5. NTCA- composition and functions.
6. Why the fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018 entered Guinness Record book recently?
7. State with highest number of tigers.
8. State with highest tiger density.

Mains Link:

The centrality of tiger agenda is an ecological necessity for the sustainability of our environment. In this context, examine the steps taken by India to conserve tigers?

Sources: Indian Express.