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The Centre conveyed to the Supreme Court its inability to commit to an exact time period within which full Statehood would be restored to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Union government, however, said Jammu and Kashmir was ready to hold elections “any time now”.
Appearing before a Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that the Union Territory status of J&K was only a “temporary phenomenon”.
Complete Statehood may take some time as the State had faced repeated and consistent disturbances for decades together.
Economy grows 7.8%, fastest in 4 quarters (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Growth in India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the Gross Value Added (GVA) in the economy sped to a four-quarter high of 7.8% in the first quarter of this financial year, but economists reckon that a weak monsoon, high inflation and global headwinds could temper the pace of growth through the rest of 2023-24.
Manufacturing GVA grew for the second quarter in a row, after half a year of contraction, with the pace of growth picking up slightly to 4.7% in the first quarter (Q1) of the year, from 4.5% in the previous quarter.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing GVA grew 3.5% between April and June, but it was the services sectors that saw the sharpest surge and lifted the estimates released by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
Editorial
A progressive UCC must protect the child’s best interests (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
At a time when the government may bring in a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) by holding a special session of Parliament on September 18-22, 2023, there is a need to think beyond polygamy and divorce and other such issues.
A UCC cannot confine itself to merely changing the rule of the father being the natural guardian. It must go beyond this and provide for, in unequivocal terms, the ‘best interests of child’ principle in all custody disputes. It must deny absolute rights of biological parents vis-à-vis adoptive parents.
The Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 considers the welfare of the child as the prime consideration in the determination of custody. Section 6 of the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956 declares the father as the natural guardian and ‘after him’ the mother; the mother would ordinarily have custody till the child attains five years of age.
The person would lose custody if she/he ceases to be Hindu. In Githa Hariharan (1999), the Supreme Court of India held that the expression ‘after him’ does not necessarily mean ‘after life-time’ of the father but, instead, ‘in the absence of’.
Interestingly, custody under Islamic law is the right of the child and not of the parents. In fact, the father is at number six in terms of the right to custody after the mother, mother’s mother howsoever high, paternal grandmother, sister, maternal aunt and paternal aunt.
Under the Hanafi school, the mother does not lose custody after she ceases to be a Muslim.
Islamic law gave custody to the mother till a boy attains seven years and a daughter till she is 17, under the Hanafi school. The Shafii and Hanbali schools gave custody to the mother till a daughter is married.
Under the Maliki school, the mother gets custody of even a male child till puberty and female child till her marriage. Thereafter, the child gets the right to make a choice.
Mapping ties (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
A week after the first conversation in many months between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, India and China appear nowhere near coming to any kind of understanding to repair their relations.
On the contrary, relations this week have faced yet another storm, with the two sides clashing over China issuing a new map and reports suggesting that Mr. Xi may skip the G-20 Summit in New Delhi next week.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not confirm those reports, but it also chose not to deny them. Events this week, meanwhile, served a reminder of the currently low levels of trust, with relations arguably at their lowest since the normalisation of ties in the 1980s.
On August 28, China issued what it called a “standard map” for 2023, which showed the entire State of Arunachal Pradesh, the Aksai Chin region and the South China Sea as Chinese territory, drawing protests from India, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Beijing defended the map as “routine” and asked India to not “over-interpret” it, after the Ministry of External Affairs lodged a strong protest.
While it may be true that the map made no new territorial claims and depicted borders as in previous Chinese maps, it is clear that the needless issuing of a new map, amid multiple, live territorial disputes, has only further complicated them.
Opinion
Are natural disasters man-made? (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 3, Disaster Management)
Torrential rains in several parts of north India, particularly Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, damaged highways and buildings, and took hundreds of lives.
While a warming Arctic is said to be a cause for the unusually heavy rains, years of haphazard planning and construction have multiplied the tragedy.
The scale of natural disasters that we now see across the world are definitely man-made. Some sections of the population are more vulnerable to them and more at risk than others.
We need to figure out systems and solutions that can be channelised specifically towards this large pool of people. We need to build stronger systems from the bottom up and learn to do it collectively.
Humans have played an important role in enhancing the risk from climate hazards. The frequency and intensity of hazards have increased, and anthropogenic climate change has played a major role in that.
We have built on floodplains, encroached water bodies, and planned our cities without thinking about sustainability. So, humans are responsible.
Not fully, but we have played a considerable part in increasing the problem. But we should find solutions and learn from our failures.
Text & Context
Decoding the OCCRP’s Adani report (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
In its order dated March 2, on the batch of petitions concerning the Adani-Hindenburg matter, the Supreme Court of India had directed the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to conduct investigations in accordance with specific terms of reference.
The first term was to probe whether there has been a violation of Rule 19A of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules 1957.
Two more terms were set by the apex court related to non-disclosure of related party transactions and the manipulation of stock prices in contravention of existing laws.
In addition, a separate Expert Committee was formed to inter alia examine whether there has been a regulatory failure in dealing with the alleged contravention of laws by the Adani group. Now, a media investigation has brought forth further allegations.
Rule 19A of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules 1957, inserted through an amendment made with effect from June 4, 2010 under “Continuous Listing Requirement”, stipulates that every company listed in the Indian stock market has to maintain at least 25 percent public shareholding.
“Public” is defined in the said Rules as persons other than “the promoter and promoter group” — defined as any spouse of that person, or any parent, brother, sister or child of the person or of the spouse, besides “subsidiaries or associates of the company”.
This 25 per cent minimum threshold for public shareholding vitally ensures that adequate shares of a listed company is available for trading in the stock market to enable price discovery.
Violations of this rule indicate likely stock price manipulation and insider trading, jeopardising the integrity of the equity market.
News
Chinese President Xi yet to confirm presence at G-20 summit in Delhi (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
With just a week to go for the G-20 Summit in Delhi from September 9 to 10, Chinese President Xi Jinping has not confirmed his presence, sources in New Delhi and Beijing said, amid reports that he may skip the high-powered event.
Most other leaders, including U.S. President Joseph Biden and leaders of countries such as the U.K., France, Germany, Canada, Japan, Brazil and Indonesia, have confirmed their presence, and are expected to arrive at various times on September 8.
Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, is likely to be given an exceptional welcome as a state guest, and he will stay on for a bilateral visit on September 11.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have already said they will not be present in New Delhi.
They will instead send Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Mexican Economy Minister Raquel Buenrostro Sanchez.
In case Mr. Xi does not attend, Chinese Premier Li Qiang will replace him at the summit, after attending the East Asia Summit in Jakarta on September 7.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) declined to comment. Asked about the confirmation from leaders, including Mr. Xi, at a briefing earlier this month.
Special Session of Parliament from Sept. 18 to 22; agenda under wraps (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
The Union government announced a Special Session of Parliament from September 18 to 22, shortly after the conclusion of the G-20 Summit here on September 10.
In a post on the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter), Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Special Session would have five sittings, and amid Amrit Kaal (the Prime Minister’s description of the 25 years leading to 100 years of Independence), the government was looking forward to having fruitful discussions and debate in Parliament.
The Opposition said the sudden decision was meant to divert public attention from media reports exposing the Adani Group and the INDIA meeting.
The government has not revealed the agenda of the session, though sources said it could be related to the G-20 Summit and the events held to celebrate 75 years of Independence.
Some say the session will be held in the new Parliament Building inaugurated in May. There is also the thinking that the government may bring in special Bills on long-pending issues such as women’s reservation in Parliament and the Assemblies.
Chandrayaan-3 and India’s goals for Amrit Kaal may be part of the wider discussions during the session, sources said.
A senior Congress leader said the government might do away with the Winter Session and explore early Lok Sabha elections along with the Assembly elections in five States.
The country is staring at a drought-like situation and food inflation has crossed 11%. The government would like to avoid going to elections when food inflation increases further.
Assam-based oncologist Ravi Kannan wins 2023 Ramon Magsaysay award (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
Surgical oncologist R. Ravi Kannan, Director of the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (CCHRC) in Assam, is one of the Ramon Magsaysay award winners for 2023.
He is credited with revolutionising cancer treatment in Assam through people-centric and pro-poor healthcare.
Dr. Kannan hails from Chennai, where he earlier worked at the Cancer Institute, Adyar, before moving to Silchar in 2007. He became the Director of the CCHRC that year.
The citation on the website of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation says that under Dr. Kannan’s leadership, the CCHRC became a full-fledged comprehensive cancer hospital and research centre. From having limited facilities, the hospital now has 28 departments covering oncology, pathology, radiology, microbiology, epidemiology, tumour registry, and palliative care.
The hospital introduced pro-poor initiatives such as free treatment, food and lodging, ad hoc employment for caregivers, and a home-care programme as patients could not continue their treatment due to difficulty in travelling long distances, and cost, with the underlying reason being poverty.
Hospital team members travelled long distances to train family members in pain management and palliative care, and provided free medicines.
World
After India, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia protest China’s map (Page no. 17)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia released separate statements voicing their opposition to China’s new “standard map” for 2023, which has also drawn a strong protest from India.
Beijing on Thursday again defended the issuing of the map on August 28, when asked about the protests from India, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The map showed within China’s borders all of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin, as well as the entire South China Sea.
While these were also displayed on previous versions of China’s official map, the issuing of the new map has been seen by China’s neighbours as complicating territorial disputes that are being negotiated.
The competent authorities of China routinely publish standard maps of various types every year, which aims to make standard maps available to all sectors of society and raise public awareness of the standardised use of maps.
The Philippines Foreign Ministry in a statement said it “rejects” the 2023 version of China’s “standard map” and the inclusion of the so-called nine-dash line.
This latest attempt to legitimise China’s purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The Malaysian government also protested the map, saying it “rejects” the map “which shows unilateral claims to Malaysia’s maritime territory” including parts of the Malaysian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Business
Core sectors grew 8% in July, output shrank 2.2% from June’s level (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
All of India’s eight infrastructure industries logged year-on-year growth for the first time in 14 months in July, with the core sectors’ average output rising 8% after a five-month high surge of 8.3% in June.
Data from the Commerce and Industry Ministry showed crude oil output grew 2.1% in July, clocking an uptick for the first time since May 2022, the last time when all eight infra sectors had witnessed growth to take the overall Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) 19.3% higher.
Despite the healthy YoY growth, in absolute terms, the ICI was at a three-month low in July and 2.2% below June’s level, with five of the eight sectors clocking lower output than in June. The only infrastructure industries to see a sequential rise in output were crude oil, natural gas and fertilisers.
Fiscal deficit touched 33.9% of FY24 target at end-July: CGA data (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The Centre’s fiscal deficit in the first four months of 2023-24 touched 33.9% of the full-year target, government data showed.
In absolute terms, the fiscal deficit — the gap between expenditure and revenue — was ₹6.06 lakh crore as of end-July, according to the data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
The deficit stood at 20.5% of the Budget Estimates (BE) in the corresponding period of FY23.
In the Union Budget, the government projected to bring down the fiscal deficit to 5.9% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in FY24. The deficit stood at 6.40% of the GDP in 2022-23 against the earlier estimate of 6.71%.
Unveiling the revenue- expenditure data of the Centre for the April-July period of FY24, the CGA said the net tax revenue was ₹5.83 lakh crore, or 25% of the BE, for FY24.
Total expenditure in the first four months stood at ₹13.81 lakh crore, or 30.7% of BE. The expenditure touched 28.6% of BE in the year-earlier period.