News for Prelims-(2015-2016)- Environment & Climate Change

                                                 

                                           Environment & Climate Change

Breakthrough Energy Coalition
A group of 28 investors from various countries have launched a new global consortium called –
Breakthrough Energy Coalition.
The members of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition include Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, Jack Ma,
Jeff Bezos, Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani etc.The multi-billion dollar group is launched to develop
zero-carbon energy technologies. The group plans to invest in a number of sectors including
electricity generation and storage, transport, industry, agriculture and energy system efficiency.
http://www.breakthroughenergycoalition.com/en/news.html

Inle Lake in Myanmar
Myanmar has launched its first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve – Inle Lake in Shan state. The lake was
designated under the UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme in June 2015. The
wetland ecosystem of this freshwater lake is home to various wetland birds, freshwater fishes, otters
and turtles. The lake is reported to be the nesting place for globally endangered Sarus crane.
http://alittleadrift.com/2012/03/inle-lake-burma-myanmar/

India inks Raptor MoU
The Union Cabinet has given its approval to sign Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) on the
Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia. This MoU is also called as the
‘Raptor MoU’ under the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS). With signing it,
India will become the 54th signatory to the MoU.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/india-inks-pact-for-saving-birds-of-prey/article8333171.ece

Indian Long Term Ecological Observatories (I-LTEO)
To study the effects of climate change, India has launched long term ecological observatories (LTEO)
programme. Under the programme, eight long-term ecological observatories are opened to study the
health of eight different biomes. They will cover the Western Himalayas to Western Ghats, Eastern
Himalayas to Andaman & Nicobar Islands, central India to the Sunderbans, and from Jammu & Kashmir to Rajasthan and Gujarat. The initiative will help India to build capacity in study of impact of climate change on various ecosystems including human systems of agriculture and pastoralism. The development of scientific database in this key area will reduce the country’s dependence on studies done abroad.
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/india-to-have-8-new-observatories-to-study-climate-change/article7960634.ece

International festival on Birds
Uttar Pradesh Government has launched International festival on Birds in a bid to promote state as
an international bird-watching destination. The first-of-its-kind festival was inaugurated by Chief
Minister Akhilesh Yadav at the National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS).
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-in-school/agra-to-host-first-ever-international-bird-fete/article7946131.ece

Transformative Carbon Asset Facility (TCAF)
The World Bank has launched a $500 million Transformative Carbon Asset Facility (TCAF) to help
developing countries pay for emission reductions and combat climate change. The Transformative
Carbon Asset Facility (TCAF) will establish the world’s first programmatic carbon market. The
scheme will reward countries for reducing emissions by paying a fee for each tonne of carbon dioxide
(CO2) reduced. The facility will help countries implement their Intended Nationally Determined
Contributions (INDCs).
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/11/30/new-500-million-initiative-to-boost-large-scale-climate-action-in-developing-countries

Gorewada Zoo and Wildlife Rescue Centre
India’s biggest Wildlife Rescue Centre named as Gorewada Zoo and Wildlife Rescue Centre has been
commissioned at Gorewada near Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is managed by the Forest Development
Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM).
http://www.buzzgk.in/2015/12/indias-biggest-wildlife-rescue-centre.html

Anticipate, Absorb, Reshape
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon along with 13 agencies of the UN system
has launched the new initiative titled “Anticipate, Absorb, Reshape” to build climate resilience in the
world’s most vulnerable countries. The 13 UN organisations participating in the Initiative are FAO,
UNEP, UNFCCC, UN-Habitat, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNOPS, UNISDR, WFP, OCHA,
WHO, and WMO. The initiative has been launched during the United Nations climate change
conference (COP21) in Paris. The initiative will enhance the ability of the countries to anticipate
climate hazards, absorb consequences and reshape development to reduce risks from climate hazards.
The initiative will also work on mobilizing finance and knowledge and to create and operationalize

partnerships to fight against climate change.
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/11/un-secretary-generals-initiative-aims-to-strengthen-climate-resilience-of-the-worlds-most-vulnerable-countries-and-people/

HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE-IYB2016

HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is the apex body for the implementation of various programmes on a national scale in the areas of health and family welfare, prevention and control of major communicable diseases and promotion of traditional and indigenous system of medicines. The Ministry also assists in preventing and controlling the spread of seasonal disease outbreaks and epidemics through technical assistance. Expenditure is incurred by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare either directly under central schemes or by way of grants-in-aids to the autonomous/statutory bodies etc. and NGOs.
• In addition to the centrally sponsored family welfare programmes, the Ministry is implementing several World Bank assisted programmes for control of AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis in designated areas. Besides State Health Systems Development Projects World Bank assistance programmes are also under implementation in various states which are being implemented by the respective State Governments.
The Department of Health and Family Welfare only facilitates the states in availing of external assistance. All these schemes aim at fulfilling the national commitment to improve access to Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities keeping in view the needs of rural areas and where the incidence of disease is high. National Health Policy 2002 The National Health Policy (NHP) 2002 evolved from the National Health Policy of 1983 under the recommendation and guidance of ‘Bhore Committee Report’ of 1946 wherein the main underlying principles for future health development of the country, aiming that "No individual should fail to secure adequate medical care because of inability to pay for it." Concerning the complexity of modern medical practice, the aim is to
provide all the consultant, laboratory and institutional facilities necessary for proper diagnosis and treatment when fully developed.
The National Health Policy, 2002 framework envisages, accelerated achievement of public health goals in the backdrop of the socio-economic circumstances prevailing in the country.
Some of the salient aspects of the NHP 2002, inter alia, include:
i) Making good the deficiencies in availability of health facilities, narrowing the gap between various states,
ii) The gap across the rural-urban divide in attainment of health goals and reducing the uneven access to and benefits from the public health system between the better endowed and the more vulnerable sections of society.

National Health Mission
The main programmatic components include Health System Strengthening in rural and urban areas,
ReproductiveMaternal-Neonatal-Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) and Communicable and Non- Communicable diseases. The NHM envisages achievement of universal access to equitable, affordable and quality healthcare services that are accountable and responsive to people's needs. In terms of major initiatives taken under NHM is More than 8.96 lakh Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) have been appointed across the country and who serve as facilitators, mobilizers and providers of community level care. ASHA is the first port of call in the community especially for marginalized sections of the population, with a focus on women and children

It has two sub-missions:
i. National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)
ii. National Urban Health Mission (NURM)

National Rural Health Mission
The thrust of the mission is on establishing a fully functional, community owned, decentralised health delivery system with inter-sectoral convergence at all levels, to ensure simultaneous action on a wide range of determinants of health such as water, sanitation, education, nutrition, social and gender equality. It seeks to provide affordable, accessible and quality healthcare to the rural population, especially the vulnerable groups. Under NRHM, the
Empowered Action Group (EAG) states as well as North-Eastern States, J & K and Himachal Pradesh have been given special focus.

National Urban Health Mission
National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) approved by the Union Cabinet on May 1, 2013 as a sub-mission of NHM which seeks to improve the health status of the urban population particularly urban poor and other vulnerable sections by facilitating their access to quality primary healthcare. NUHM would cover all state capitals, district headquarters and other cities/towns with a population of 50,000 and above (as per census 2011) in a phased manner. Cities and towns with population below 50,000 will continue to be covered under NRHM. The Centre-State Funding Pattern for special category states have 90:10 whereas rest of the states have 75:25. Rogi Kalyan Samiti, Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram, National Ambulance Services, India Newborn Action plan, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakaram, Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakaram etc. are the components of National Health Mission.

National Commission on Population
Constituted on May, 2000 to review, monitor and give direction for the implementation of the National Population Policy (NPP), 2000 with a view to meeting the goals set out in the policy, to promote inter-sectoral coordination, involve the civil society in planning and implenmentation, gacilitate initiatives to improve performance in the demographically weaker states in the countryand to explore the possibilities of international cooperation in support of the goals set out in the National Population Policy. The NCP has been reconstituted with 40 members. The Prime Minister is the Chairperson of the NCP. The present membership includes the Chief Ministers of the States of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. As per NCP decisions there should be Annual Health Survey (AHS) of all districts which could be published annually so that health indicators at district level are periodically published, monitored and compared against benchmarks.

National Helpline: Aim is to provide reliable information of reproductive health, sexual health, contraception, pregnancy, child health and related issues. It is specifically for adolescents, newly married and about to be married persons from the high focus states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh but anyone of any age can seek help.



Family Planning Programme
The objectives, strategies and activities of the Family Planning division are designed and operated towards achieving the family welfare goals and objectives stated in various policy documents (NPP: National Population Policy 2000; NHP: National Health Policy 2002 and NRHM: National Rural Health Mission) and to honour the commitments of the Government of India (including ICPD: International Conference on Population and Development; MDG: Millennium Development Goals, FP; 2020 Summit and others).


The Child Health Programme
The Child Health Programme under the National Health Mission (NHM) comprehensively integrates
interventions that improve child survival and addresses factors contributing to infant and under 5 mortality. It is now well recognized that child survival cannot be addressed in isolation as it is intricately linked to the health of the mother, which is further determined by mother’s health and development as an adolescent. Therefore, the concept of continuum of care, that emphasizes care during critical life stages in order to improve child survival, has been adopted under the national programme. Another dimension of this approach is to ensure that essential services are made available at home, through community outreach and through health facilities at various levels (primary, first referral units and tertiary health care facilities). The newborn and child health are
now the two key pillars of the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) strategic approach, 2013.


Public Sector Undertakings
Indian Medicine Pharmaceutical Corporation: A Government of India Enterprise having 97.61% shares of Government of India and 2.39% shares of Uttrakhand State Government through Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam Ltd., was in corporated in July 12, 1978. The registered office and factory of the company is at Mohan, District Almora, Uttarakhand. IMPCL comes under the Administrative Control of the Ministry of Ayush, New Delhi. IMPCL is supplying Ayurvedic and Unani medicines all over India. As the automation and 3rd phase modernization is under progress, the plant capacity for Tablets, Vati, Capsules, Churns, Avaleha, etc. will be enhanced at least by 8 to 10 times on completion of modernization work. The sales during the year 2014- 15 were approximately Rs. 32 crore.

• Drug Quality Control
The Drug Control Cell (DCC) in the Ministry of AYUSH deals with regulatory and quality control matters of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs including amendment in the regulations, introduction of new regulations and examination of other drugs related issues.
During 2015-16, the Drug Control Cell has taken a number of steps for regulation and quality control of AYSUH Drugs. Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines for Ayurveda, Siddha Unani Drugs have been finalized and one training programme/workshop in Pharmacopoeial Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM), Ghaziabad was organized for capacity building on regulatory aspects, which was attended by State Drug Inspectors and Licensing Authorities of AYUSH.

Several Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were signed with various countries during
2015. These are:

1. A letter of Intent (LoI) was signed between University of Strasbourg, France and The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Science (CCRAS) during the visit of Indian Prime Minister of India to France in April, 2015;

2. An MoU on Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine between Government of India and Government of Mongolia was signed on May 17, 2015;

3. Cabinet had approved the extension of tenure of the MoU signed with SATCM, China after its expiry for further period of five years up to 2017;

4. The Ministry of AYUSH agreed to provide one Yoga Expert to Yoga College to be established under Yunnan Minzu University, China. An MoU in this regard was signed between Indian Council for Cultural relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the University at China;
5. The Ministry of AYUSH supported by providing Yoga experts and financial assistance for organization of Yoga-Taichi event in China during the visit of Hon'ble Prime Minister of India to China in May, 2015;
6. An MoU was signed between CCRAS and Rangsit University, Thailand on June 29, 2015 for setting up of Ayurveda Chair;
7. The Ministry of AYUSH had set up an AYUSH Information Cell in the premises of Indian Consulate at Dubai, UAE. The Cell was inaugurated on June 21, 2015;
8. The Ministry organised an 'International Conference on Yoga for Holistic Health' on June 21-22, 2015 consequent to the adoption of resolution for observing June 21 as the International Day of Yoga;
9. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of Turkmenistan on Cooperation in Yoga and Traditional Medicine on July 11, 2015 during visit of Hon'ble Prime Minister of India of Turkmenistan. The Centre established under the MoU was inaugurated during visit of Hon'ble Prime Minister of India on July 11, 2015.

ENABLING WOMEN TO EXIT BRIDE-TRADE-Yojana April Summary

1.http://aninews.in/newsdetail2/story253771/enabling-women-to-exit-bride-trade.html

2.http://www.shortindia.com/sify-news/enabling-women-to-exit-bride-trade-135695.html

3.http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/when-women-come-cheaper-than-cattle/story-EJD38cJ4kaTGVn03LJzUkJ.html

Introduction

Zahida, 40 is overcome Zwith sorrow as she recalls with a sense of bitterness, how she was

taken far away from her' home in Assam, forced into a life of extreme humiliation and loss of

dignity. "My own brother for a paltry sum of Rs. 2,000 married me off to Khursheed from a

village in Haryana'' she laments.

There are hundreds of women driven by desperate circumstances who find themselves

caught in a web of promised marriages in areas far, from their own villages, mostly outside

their state. The marriage however is only a cover up for an ugly truth of bride trade or bride

trafficking. The. 'marriage' is nothing short of being; 'sold' to a man for a sum of money, a

transaction that often involves the immediate family members or relatives of the woman, as in

Zahida's case.

Bride trade is akin to trafficking for a sex. Girls and women are 'sourced 'as 'brides' from

states including Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and

Maharashtra. They are then brought to Haryana, Punjab and other 'destination' states to be

'married' rather to be 'sold' as brides and then treated as a sex object, domestic worker and

literally a slave.

NGO: Empower People

According to Shafique Rahman Khan, Founder and Executive Director, Empower People,

a Haryana-based NGO focusing on rescue of victims of bride trafficking and honour crimes

against women, "Each time, a woman to is 'sold' as a bride, she is required to fulfill all the duties

of a wife without being given either the rights or the privileges of a married woman." Says

Khan, the majority of these women have no voice in household matters and are not allowed to

attend festivals. Several women do not even figure on the Electoral Roll.

The organisation began its work in 2006, works not only with victims of trafficking" but

focuses equally on those who are vulnerable to being trafficked. The emphasis is on the creation

of supportive networks and this has led to active engagement with religious/ ethnic leaders,

community members. and other stakeholders.

Social composition of women being trafficked

A study conducted by Empower People in 2012-13 showed that amongst the women,

trafficked majority (79 per cent) were from Muslim families. 17 per cent were from ST and 4 percent from the SC community. The study also showed that even if a woman exits the network,

she is liable to be trafficked again. 56 per cent women have been trafficked twice, 21 per cent

women a have been trafficked three times and 6 per cent women more than thrice. The team at

Empower People,understood that there have to be safeguards to prevent a relapse into trafficking.

A powerful safeguard is to secure their identity proof. Without" this, they remain nameless,

faceless. and without any official identity and even if they have been rescued once but once

again find themselves in vulnerable circumstances that drag them back into the trade.

What NGO do?

The organization stresses on establishing the identity of trafficked brides by registering

them in the Electoral Roll or enabling them to get a ration card. Empower People facilitated the

process of getting an identity proof. They gave her information on the legal aspects of her situation

and then inducted her into a vocational training programme to enable to learn a skill,

earn a living, and live a life of dignity.

Conclusion

Trafficking is a reflection of extreme vulnerability of women and girls, especially from

marginalised communities and is indeed a horrifying aspect of an unequal society that treats

women as 'commodities'. By addressing the mammoth issue of trafficking in a small way, Empower People is enabling hundreds of women such as Zabida to find their way back from its

grip to a more secure, safer, dignified existence that was their right in the first place.

NATIONAL COURT OF APPEAL (NCA) Q & A

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/national-court-of-appeal-the-hindu-explains/article8532094.ece

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/constitution-bench-to-decide-on-national-court-of-appeal/article8357997.ece

1. What is a National Court of Appeal?

The National Court Appeal with regional benches in Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata is meant to act as final court of justice in dealing with appeals from the decisions of the High Courts and tribunals within their region in civil, criminal, labour and revenue matters. In such a scenario, a much-relieved Supreme Court of India situated in Delhi would only hear matters of constitutional law and public law.

2. How will the NCA help ease the apex court’s burden?

The Supreme Court is saddled with civil and criminal appeals that arise out of everyday and even mundane disputes. As a result of entertaining these appeals, the Supreme Court’s real mandate — that of a Constitutional Court, the ultimate arbiter on disputes concerning any interpretation of the Constitution — is not fulfilled. By taking up the Supreme Court’s appeals jurisdiction, the NCA will give the former more time for its primal functions.

3. What is the case backlog in the Supreme Court?

The Supreme Court disposed of 47,424 cases in 2015 compared to 45,042 in 2014 and 40,189 in 2013. In spite of recently accelerated rates of case disposal, the backlog was still a staggering 59,468 cases as of February 2016.

4. What is the Supreme Court’s position on creating an NCA?

The Supreme Court itself, as early as in 1986, had recommended establishment of an NCA with regional Benches at Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata to ease the burden of the Supreme Court and avoid hardship to litigants who have to come all the way to Delhi to fight their cases.

But subsequent Chief Justices of India were not inclined to the idea of bifurcation of judicial powers, and that of forming regional benches of the apex court. A government order in 2014 too rejected the proposal that such a court of appeal is constitutionally impermissible. The outlook changed in February 2016 when the Supreme Court admitted Chennai lawyer V. Vasanthakumar’s petition for setting up an NCA.

5. What is the government’s position on the NCA?

 

In an order dated December 3, 2014 the Centre rejected Mr. Vasanthakumar’s proposal for a National Court of Appeal with regional Benches. The Ministry cited three grounds for rejecting the idea — The Supreme Court always sits in Delhi as per the Constitution; the Chief Justices of India in the past have “consistently opposed” the idea of an NCA or regional benches to the Supreme Court; and the Attorney-General said an NCA would “completely change the constitution of the Supreme Court”.

6. What is the current status of the proposal?

The Supreme Court in March 2016 decided to form a Constitution Bench to debate the idea of an NCA. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur had said it was time to debate if the Supreme Court was too burdened to provide equal justice to all. A verdict in favour of NCA would act as a great influence on Parliament to amend the Constitution itself to make room for NCA.

The government, however, holds that the idea is a “fruitless endeavour” and will not lessen the burden of 2 crore cases pending in trial courts. On April 26, 2016, Attorney-General told the bench, “We will only be adding to lawyers’ pockets. The Supreme Court should not consider this when its own dockets are full.”

229th report of the Law Commission of India

It suggested retaining the New Delhi bench of the Supreme Court as a Constitutional Court and the establishment of Cassation Benchesof the Supreme Court in the four regions at New Delhi, Chennai/Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

The 2009 report pointed out that since Article 130 of the Constitution provides that “the Supreme Court shall sit in Delhi or such other place or places as the Chief Justice of India may with the approval of the President, from time to time, appoint”, the creation of Cassation Benches of the Supreme Court would require no constitutional amendment.

It also pointed out how this basic model with appropriate variations has worked very successfully in countries such as Italy, Egypt, Ireland, the U.S. and Denmark.

The decline of constitution benches

It is undeniable that the Supreme Court’s role as the Constitution’s sheet anchor has been weakened in recent times. This dilution, at least partly, owes to the court’s inability to devote itself substantially to the determination of important public questions.

The number of cases decided by constitution benches — benches comprising five or more judges — has steadily declined right from the Supreme Court’s inception.

1. Between 1950 and 1954, almost 15 per cent of the total cases decided by the Supreme Court were decisions of constitution benches.
2. By the time the 1970s came around, this figure had dipped below one per cent.
3. Between 2005 and 2009, benches comprising five judges or more decided only a worryingly paltry 0.12 per cent of the court’s total decisions.

These numbers tell a tale which is worrisome; the cases unique to the court are not getting heard, including issues of religious freedom, rights of minorities, the right to privacy, governance, and validity of statutes.

This has meant that in spite of the specific precepts of Article 145(3) of the Constitution — which mandates that a minimum of five judges sit for the purpose of deciding any case involving a substantial question of constitutional law — division benches of two judges have increasingly decided important disputes requiring a nuanced interpretation of the Constitution.

E.g.

1. In December 2013, it was a bench of two judges, in Suresh Kumar Koushal v. Naz Foundation, which reversed the Delhi High Court’s momentous judgment declaring Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, insofar as it criminalised homosexuality, as unconstitutional.
2. Similarly, when last year in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India the Supreme Court struck down the pernicious Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, in the process paving the way for a refined thinking on the right to free speech, it was once again a bench of two judges that rendered the verdict.

What we have, therefore, is a quite unusual scheme of constitutionalism where any given pair of two individuals is vested with the enormous power of ruling conclusively on significant matters of public importance which should ideally be decided by Constitutional benches. This phenomenon — still relatively recent — of rulings by two-judge benches in noteworthy cases has coincided with the court’s rising backlogs. What’s clearly evident is that this manner of functioning is far from what the Constitution’s framers envisaged of the Supreme Court.

The apex court’s original mandate

Broadly, the Constitution prescribes to the Supreme Court two types of jurisdiction:

1. An Original jurisdiction — i.e. the power to entertain cases at the first instance — where fundamental rights have been violated, or where a State is involved in a dispute with another State or with the Centre
2. An Appellate jurisdiction – where a case involving a substantial question of law requires adjudication, on appeal.

The court was therefore always seen not merely as an arbiter of constitutional disputes, but also as a plenary body that would settle the law of the land.

However, by all accounts, the Constituent Assembly believed the court would exercise great discretion in choosing its own scope of work. The court was not seen as a forum to argue over ordinary disputes between litigants that had no larger public bearing. It was believed the lower judiciary and the various high courts would be sufficiently equipped to dispense justice in these kinds of cases.

That the Supreme Court has today used the pliability of its power to grant special leave to often interfere in mundane disputes is therefore not a product of any structural problem, but rather of a deliberate decision by the court’s judges. Viewed thus, it is difficult to understand how the creation of an NCA would somehow ease the burden on the Supreme Court, allowing it to eschew its authority to grant special leave; this power was, after all, always meant to be used only in exceptional cases, where a particular interpretation of a law required definite resolution.

Alternate Solution

The focus ought to be not on altering the core structure of the judiciary, but in aiming to make changes that are more pragmatic, that place an emphasis on the strengthening of the base of India’s judicial edifice.

A bottom-up approach needed

• What the NCA is meant to do, therefore, can quite easily be achieved by strengthening the lower judiciary, which generally constitutes the courts of first instance.
• Correspondingly, as was always intended, the high courts can be viewed as the regular — and, in most cases, final — appellate court. No doubt, to achieve this, it is necessary that there is greater rigour involved in choosing our judges. If socially conscious and meritorious women and men, who subscribe to the best constitutional values, are elevated as judges to our subordinate judiciary and the high courts, the idea of viewing the Supreme Court as a routine court of appeal can be renounced altogether. This would allow the Supreme Court to be more discerning in its use of discretion, thus substantially reducing its burden of acting as a corrector of simple errors.
• Moreover, at the same time, at least two constitution benches can be designated to hear cases Monday through Friday, thereby solving problems concerning the inability of the Supreme Court to devote itself to its most important duty.

Were we to tailor our solutions thus, through a bottom-up approach, the purported difficulty of access to the Supreme Court also begins to present itself as a red herring(distraction from main issue).

• That the real issues of accessing justice relate not to the Supreme Court but the lower judiciary becomes even more apparent through a study of the latest figures released by the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG). The data show us that there is only one judge for every 73,000 people in India, a figure that is seven times worse than the United States. And even more staggeringly, at the present rate of functioning, according to the NJDG, civil cases will never get fully disposed of, and it will likely take more than 30 years to clear all the criminal cases presently on the file of India’s lower courts.

Conclusion

To think about making changes even to the basic system of dispensing justice isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But what’s clear from the NJDG data is that our judiciary isn’t broken because of any deficiencies in structure, but rather because of the feeble infrastructure that we have installed to support our justice delivery system. If we work towards establishing a more robust subordinate judiciary, it would not only negate any requirement on the part of most litigants to approach the Supreme Court, but it would also free the court of its shackles, allowing it to possibly regain its constitutionally ordained sense of majesty.

INS Karmuk Corvette

INS Karmuk Corvette Participated In Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT)

• Indian Missile Corvette, INS Karmuk along with a Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft participated in the 22nd Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) on 25 April 2016 in the Andaman Sea.
• India’s indigenously built Missile Corvette is based at the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
• The 22nd edition of the CORPAT
• India and Thailand have traditionally enjoyed a close and friendly relationship covering a wide spectrum of activities and interactions, which have strengthened over the years.
• The 22nd edition of CORPAT would bolster the already strong bilateral relationship between the two nations and contribute significantly to enhancing maritime security in the region.
• It would include participation of one warship and one Maritime Patrol Aircraft of India and Thailand with the closing ceremony being held at Port Blair, Headquarters Andaman and Nicobar Command (HQANC) from 25 April -27 April 2016.

Background

• Maritime interaction between India and Thailand has been growing steadily with frequent port visits, participation in multilateral exercises and training exchanges.
• Under the broad ambit of this strong maritime relationship, the two navies have been carrying out CORPATs along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) twice a year since 2005.
• It was with an aim of keep the vital part of the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping and international trade.
• The CORPAT has also strengthened understanding and interoperability between the navies and facilitated institution of measures to prevent unlawful activities at sea as well as conduct Search and Rescue (SAR) operations.

BREXIT

• The possibility of withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union is being widely referred to as BREXIT. A referendum on the country's membership of the EU will be held on 23 June 2016.
• A European Union Referendum Bill was introduced into the House of Commons on 28 May 2015, approved by the House of Lords on 14 December 2015, and was given the Royal Assent on 17 December 2015 to pass the European Union Referendum Act 2015.
• Under the provisions of the European Union Referendum Act 2015, UK will hold a referendum, not later than 31 December 2017 on whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union (EU).
• On 20 February 2016 it was announced by the Prime Minister David Cameron that the referendum would take place on Thursday, 23 June 2016.

Background Information

• A regional organisation, called the European Economic Community (EEC) was created by the Treaty of Rome in 1957. The aim of this organisation was to bring about economic integration amongst its member states.
• The UK was not a signatory to the Treaty of Rome and subsequently applied to join the organisation in 1963 and 1967. However, both applications were vetoed by the then President of France, Charles de Gaulle.
• Finally, on 01 January 1973, UK gained entry into the EEC, while the Conservative Party was in power under Prime Minister Edward Heath.
• The opposition Labour Party, led by Harold Wilson, contested the October 1974 general elections with a commitment to renegotiate Britain's terms of membership of the EEC and then hold a referendum on whether to remain in the EEC on the new terms.

Referendum of 1975

• The Labour Party after coming into power held a referendum on whether UK must remain a part of EU on 07 June 1975.
• Most of the administrative county in the UK had a majority of "Yes", except the Shetland Islands and the Outer Hebrides.
• Consequently, as an outcome of the vote, the United Kingdom remained a member of the EEC.

Creation of European Union

• The Maastricht Treaty was signed on 07 February 1992, with the aim to integrate Europe by the European Community and came into effect from 01 November 1993.
• Upon the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, the EEC was renamed as the European Community (EC) to indicate that it covered a wider range of aspects, rather than just economic policy.
• The EC existed in this form until it was abolished by the 2009 Treaty of Lisbon, which incorporated the EC's institutions into the EU's wider framework and provided that the EU would "replace and succeed the European Community".

Treaty of Lisbon

• The Treaty of Lisbon was signed by the EU member states on 13 December 2007, and entered into force on 1 December 2009.
• The Treaty of Lisbon amended the Treaty of Maastricht and greatly formalised the functioning of the European Union, to include:

• Creating a more powerful European Parliament, with a bicameral legislature alongside the Council of Ministers.
• Consolidated legal personality for the EU and the creation of a long-term President of the European Council and a High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
• The Treaty also made the Union's bill of rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, legally binding.
• The Treaty for the first time gave member states the explicit legal right to leave the EU and a procedure to do so.
• Opponents of the Treaty of Lisbon (Labour Party of UK) argued that it would overly centralize the EU, and weaken democracy by "moving power away" from national electorates.
• Supporters argue (Conservative Party of UK) that it brings in more checks and balances into the EU system, with stronger powers for the European Parliament and a new role for national parliaments.

Referendum of 2016

• British Prime Minister David Cameron, who belongs to the Conservative Party after coming into power in 2012, had announced that a Conservative government would hold an in-out referendum on EU membership before the end of 2017.
• The provisions to leave the EU have been cited in Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon.
• PM Cameron has said that he would trigger the Article 50 process immediately following a ‘leave vote’. Once the proceedings of Article 50 have been initiated, there is a two-year time period to negotiate the arrangements for exit.
• Process of Referendum
• The referendum will be held across all four countries of the United Kingdom, i.e. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as in the Overseas Territory of Gibraltar on 23 June 2016.
• There are to be 382 local voting areas which are grouped into twelve regional counts and there will be separate declarations for each of the regional counts.
• Only British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens over 18 who are resident in the UK or Gibraltar will be able to vote in the Referendum. British citizens who have lived abroad for less than 15 years will also be eligible to vote.
• The final result of the referendum (combining all 12 regional counts from across the UK and Gibraltar) will be announced in Manchester on 24 June 2016.

Consequences of United Kingdom Exiting European Union - BREXIT

• A report suggests that withdrawal of UK from EU "has the potential to fundamentally change the EU and European integration.
• On the one hand, a withdrawal could tip the EU towards protectionism, worsen existing divisions, or unleash centrifugal forces leading to the EU’s unravelling. Alternatively, the EU could free itself of its most awkward member, making the EU easier to lead and more effective”.
• Britain will have to secure bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with the existing trading partners of the EU. The United States has indicated that it is not keen on pursuing a separate FTA with Britain if it leaves the European Union.
• The leave campaigners argue that a reduction in red tape associated with EU regulations would create more jobs and that small to medium-sized companies who trade domestically would be the biggest beneficiaries. Those arguing to remain in the EU, claim that millions of jobs would be lost.
• In February 2016, half the companies on the FTSE 100 Index, “including Shell, BAE Systems, BT and Rio Tinto" as well as supermarket chains Asda and Marks and Spencer, officially supported staying in the EU.
• The possibility that the UK's constituent countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) could vote to remain within the EU, but find themselves withdrawn from the EU has led to discussion about the risk to the unity of the United Kingdom.
• UK universities rely on the EU for around 16% of their total research funding, and are disproportionately successful at winning EU-awarded research grants. This has raised questions about how such funding would be affected by a British exit.
• The supply of workforce will get adversely affected as the movement of migrant labour from the other European nations will get restricted due to control on free movement within Euro zone.
• Those who propose that UK must remain a part of EU claim that taxes from immigrants boost public funding, while the leave campaigners believe that reduced immigration would ease pressure on public services such as schools and hospitals, as well as giving British workers more jobs and higher wages.
• EU exit is considered to be the 'biggest domestic risk' to the UK economy. In the week following conclusion of the negotiations on the referendum, the pound fell to a seven-year low against the dollar.
• In June 2015, the credit rating agency, Standard & Poors, altered its outlook for the UK economy from 'neutral' to 'negative', saying that the referendum "represents a risk to growth prospects" for the country's economy.

Implications of BREXIT on India

• It is believed that BREXIT, if it happens, may have positive implications for India. Existing from EU will compel UK to develop closer bilateral economic ties and Free Trade Agreements with emerging economies of Asia, like India and China.
• United Kingdom is believed to be relatively more flexible and commercially open when compared with the highly regulated EU. Thus, bilateral trade will have greater scope and lesser encumbrances.

Conclusion

• The opinion polls held in June 2015, showed that those in favour of Britain remaining in the EU were 43%, versus those opposed to it were 36%.
• Analysis of polling suggests that young voters tend to support remaining in the EU, whereas those older tend to support leaving. Also, big businesses are broadly behind remaining in the EU, though the situation among smaller companies is less clearly defined.
• Finally, to my mind, it may be fair to predict that the referendum will go in the favour of United Kingdom remaining as a part of the European Union.

MCQ PART I-ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

1. Synecology deals with
A. ecology of many species 
B. ecology of many populations 
C. ecology of community 
D. none of the above

2. Ecotype is a type of species in which environmentally induced variations are
A. temporary 
B. Genetically xed 
C. genetically not related 
D. none of the above

3. The term \Biocoenosis" was proposed by
A. Transley 
B. Karl Mobius 
C. Warming
D. none of the above

4. Energy flow in an ecosystem is
A. unidirectional 
B. Bidirectional 
C. Multidirectional 
D. Cyclic

5. Flow of materials in an ecosystem is
A. unidirectional 
B. Bidirectional 
C. Multidirectional 
D. Cyclic

6. Trophic levels are formed by
A. only plants 
B. only animals 
C. only carnivorous 
D. organisms linked in food-chain

7. Biotic potential is counteracted by
A. Competition with other organisms 
B. Producer is the largest 
C. Limitation of food supply
D. None of the above

8. De nition of ecosystem is
A. The community of organisms together with the environment in which they live 
B. The abiotic component of a habitat 
C. The part of the earth and its atmosphere which inhibits living organisms 
D. A community of organisms interacting with one another

9. In a food chain of grassland ecosystem the top consumers are-
A. Herbivorous 
B. Carnivorous 
C. Bacteria
D. Either carnivorous or herbivorous.

10. Species that occur in di erent geographical regions separated by special barrier are:
A. Allopatric 
B. Sympatric 
C. Sibling
D. None of the above.

11. Which of the following statement is true about theEcotone?
A. It is meeting place of two di erent eco-systems
B. It is meeting place of two same eco-systems
C. Density of species is very low here 
D. All of the above.

12. Consider the following statements about the estuary:
1. Estuary is place where the river fresh waster meets with ocean water
2. This area is highly productive
3. This area is highly unproductive
4. All of the above

Which of above the statements is/are true?
A. 1 only B. 2 only C. 1 and 2 D. 3 only

13. Which of following statement is incorrect about the Biosphere?
A. Biosphere is combination of lithosphere, hydrosphere and Atmosphere 
B. Biosphere is missing at extreme of north and south pole 
C. Organisms are uniformly present in Biosphere 
D. All of the above

14. In an ecotone, the species which become abundant are called:
A. Edge species 
B. Keystone species 
C. Endemic species 
D. Foster species

15. The pyramid of energy in terrestrial ecosystem is
A. upright 
B. inverted 
C. spindle shaped
D. none of these

16. The pyramid of numbers is inverted in the case of
A. parasitic food chain 
B. forest land ecosystem
C. grassland ecosystem 
D. lake ecosystem

17. Which of the following ecological pyramid is always upright?
A. pyramid of energy 
B. pyramid of number

C. pyramid of biomass 
D. none of these

India gets more voting rights in IMF reforms

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced implementation of its long-pending quota reforms, which will give more voting rights to emerging economies such as India and China in the functioning of the organisation.

Reforms and Effects

• India’s quota in IMF would rise to 2.7 per cent, from the existing 2.44 per cent.
• The voting share of India in IMF would increase to 2.6 per cent from 2.34 per cent.
• For the first time, four emerging market countries — BRIC will be among the 10 largest members of the IMF
• Other top 10 members include the US, Japan, and the four largest European countries (France, Germany, Italy, and the UK)
• For the first time, the IMF’s Executive Board will consist entirely of elected Executive Directors, ending the category of appointed Executive Directors. Currently the members with the five largest quotas appoint an Executive Director, a position that will cease to exist.
• The combined quotas — or the capital countries contribute — doubles to about $659 billion from about $329 billion. The significant resource enhancement will fortify the IMF’s ability to respond to crises more effectively.

What is IMF?

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization of “188 countries working tofoster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.”
• Formed in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference, it came into formal existence in 1945 with 29 member countries and the goal of reconstructing the international payment system.
• Countries contribute funds to a pool through a quota system from which countries experiencing balance of payments difficulties can borrow money. As of 2010, the fund had SDR476.8 billion, about US$755.7 billion at then-current exchange rates.
• Through the fund, and other activities such as statistics-keeping and analysis, surveillance of its members’ economies and the demand for self-correcting policies, the IMF works to improve the economies of its member countries.
• The organization’s objectives stated in the Articles of Agreement are: to promote international monetary cooperation, international trade, high employment, exchange-rate stability, sustainable economic growth, and making resources available to member countries in financial difficulty.

SDR?

• The SDR is an international reserve asset, created by the IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries’ official reserves.
• Its value is currently based on a basket of four major currencies, and the basket will be expanded to include the Chinese Renminbi (RMB) as the fifth currency, effective October 1, 2016.
• SDRs can be exchanged for freely usable currencies.
• The SDR is neither a currency, nor a claim on the IMF. Rather, it is a potential claim on the freely usable currencies of IMF members.
• Holders of SDRs can obtain these currencies in exchange for their SDRs in two ways: first, through the arrangement of voluntary exchanges between members; and second, by the IMF designating members with strong external positions to purchase SDRs from members with weak external positions.
• In addition to its role as a supplementary reserve asset, the SDR serves as the unit of account of the IMF and some other international organizations.