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Over the last one year, the Tamil Nadu Forest department has successfully reunited three elephant calves that got separated from their herds in the Nilgiris district.
Officials and staff who worked on these “complicated” operations said multiple factors dictated whether these efforts to reunite the lost calves were successful. Also, these efforts were helping them to better understand elephant behaviour and their complex social structures.
In October 2021, a young calf, that got stuck inside an illegal gold mine in Devala, was rescued by the staff, who walked with the animal to find the herd from which it got separated.
This year, a calf that got separated from its mother when the Sigurhalla river was in spate due to heavy rains was reunited after a mammoth, three-day effort by the Forest department, while earlier this week, another calf was reunited with its mother in the Gudalur division.
There are multiple factors which dictate whether an operation to reunite a calf with its mother turns out to be a success,” said N. Kalaivanan, former wildlife veterinarian and currently a veterinary assistant surgeon in Theni.
If a calf is separated from its mother accidentally, be it due to a flood, or while escaping from a predator, then there is a
The seasoned veterinarian, who has assisted the Forest department in many such operations in the past, including the most recent effort in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), said adult elephants could communicate over large distances using chemical signals from dung and urine left behind by members of the group, and using infrasonic communication. Adult elephants can communicate for anywhere between 4 and 5 kilometres using infrasonic sound waves. However, as the sensory organs of young calves are much less developed, the mother elephant comes to rely on visual and auditory cues to try and find its lost calf, so they need to be quite close if there is to be any chance of success.
Forest officials also said that among adult elephants, a single herd can sometimes split into multiple groups during times of food scarcity, and reunite with each other when conditions become more favourable.
Some elephants also have better motherly instincts than others, said the staff at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp in the MTR. For instance, one elephant calf, now called ‘Bomman’, was around 18-month-old when it was abandoned by its herd.
Though forest officials had noticed that the animal had been abandoned, they did not want to interfere and decided to let nature take its own course with the animal.
States
Corruption case: Supreme Court stays Lokayukta probe against ex-CM Yediyurappa (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
The Supreme Court on September 23, 2022 stayed a Lokayukta probe against former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappaon the basis of a private complaint levelling graft allegations against him.
A Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud issued notice to the respondent, Abraham T.J., an activist and president of the Karnataka Anti-Graft and Environmental Forum, who had filed a complaint that Mr. Yediyurappa received ₹12.5 crore as bribe from a construction company in connection with a housing project of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).
The Special Court had refused to order an investigation for want of sanction even though it had found that “there are some material to refer the complaint for investigation.
However, the Karnataka High Court had restored the corruption complaint, following which, Mr. Yediyurappa had moved the Supreme Court in a special leave petition.
Senior advocates MukulRohatgi and Siddharth Dave, for Mr. Yediyurappa, said the High Court could not have restored the case without obtaining prior sanction. The allegations refer to acts done in the course of official duties.
The opposite side countered that no prior sanction was required for a special court to order a probe on the basis of a private complaint.
The bar for enquiry, inquiry or investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, without previous approval is only a fetter on the power of the police authorities. Wherever the court itself is in seisin of a private complaint and proceeds to order for investigation by the authorities pursuant to order under Section 156(3) of Cr.P.C., such a bar under Section 17A of the P.C. Act would not be an embargo on the court’s power,” the Karnataka High Court had said.
Editorial
The Global South’s assertion in geopolitics (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, International Relations)
The international system is witnessing geopolitical changes and a push for competitive great power hegemony. The United States leads with its goal for primacy in the international system.
The U.S.’s national security documents advocate curbing China’s rise, weakening Russia’s capabilities, securing Europe behind U.S. leadership and building satellite alliances with countries which conform to U.S. interests and values. But other players have different agendas and the Global South matters more than before.
China is the ‘near peer’, but in reality is no match to the U.S. militarily. Given its phenomenal economic reach that widened during globalisation, China began building counter institutions.
It looked for accommodation with the U.S. in its ‘peaceful rise’ project. As the U.S. found this unacceptable, China turned from partner to competitor to threat.
Russia, with its vast natural resources and military capability, has shown capacity to assert its will in global geopolitics. The Russian aggression in Ukraine confirms the view of U.S. strategists who would like to weaken Russian capabilities.
Further, they see Russia especially when in alliance with China or any other country as dangerous to U.S. geopolitics. Russian aggression against Ukraine and the terrible war of attrition have been a geopolitical watershed.
The U.S. is using this conjuncture for global primacy. Europe is now firmly behind the U.S.’s strategic plans and is re-militarising. The developing Sino-Russian strategic partnership ‘without limits’ is the clearly defined enemy other for the West. So, the only speed breaker is the Global South.
Countries of the Global South, especially India, China and others, are being blamed for the failing sanctions against Russia in the context of the Ukraine war.
The truth is that the Global South, with a few exceptions (except seven), wants a quick and negotiated end to this terrible war; all oppose the sanctions regime and all advocate neutrality.
The reasons for neutrality include: the needs for regime survival especially because many in the South are dependent on Russian energy, fuel, fertilizers, wheat, commodities and defence equipment.
They have memories of colonialism and recent interventions such as Iraq (2003), Lebanon (1982, 2006), Libya (2011), Afghanistan (2001-21), Yemen (2010-on) Syria (supporting Jordan), Mali, etc.
Recent experiences such as the refusal by the West to grant a one-time exception for patents for the COVID-19 vaccine have not helped either.
News
SC to take up petitions on J&K special status removal after Oct. 10 (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit on September 23, 2022 indicated that the court may take up the challenge to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which deprived Jammu and Kashmir of its special privileges and led to the bifurcation of the State in 2019.Responding to an oral mentioning, the CJI said the case would be listed after October 10.
The Article 370 case has been pending in the Supreme Court for over two years even as a separate challenge has been filed against the Centre’s decision to appoint a Delimitation Commission to redraw Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The case had not come up after a five-judge Bench refused to refer the petitions to a larger Bench in March 2020. The case had since been mentioned several times for early hearing.
The petitions have challenged a Presidential Order of August 5, 2019 which blunted Article 370. The Article had accorded special rights and privileges to the people of Jammu and Kashmir since 1954 in accordance with the Instrument of Accession.
The special status was bestowed on Jammu and Kashmir by incorporating Article 35A in the Constitution. Article 35A was incorporated by an order of President Rajendra Prasad in 1954 on the advice of the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet.
The Parliament was not consulted when the President incorporated Article 35A into the Constitution through a Presidential Order issued under Article 370.
Following the abrogation, the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act of 2019 came into force and bifurcated the State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
In a day, Jammu and Kashmir had lost its full Statehood and became a Union Territory of the Central government. The move had been preceded by a state of lockdown in the Valley.
The various petitions have challenged the Centre's "unilateral" move to impose curfew and unravel the unique federal structure of India by dividing Jammu and Kashmir "without taking consent from the people".
They have questioned the Centre's sudden move to "unilaterally unravel the unique federal scheme, under cover of President’s Rule, while undermining crucial elements of due process and the rule of law".
Separate petitions have contended that the August 5 Order and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019 were arbitrary. They have also challenged the proclamation of President's Rule in the State in December 2018.
G4 countries highlight ‘urgent need’ for reform in UN Security Council (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, International Relations)
Reform of the United Nations has been a central theme of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to the United Nations this week, and he met with his counterparts from Germany, Brazil and Japan under The Group of Four (G4) banner following the BRICS meeting.
The group is primarily focused on U.N. Security Council (UNSC) reform, and permanent membership of the body for G4 members, among others. On Thursday, they reiterated their commitment to pushing forward reform and expressed dissatisfaction at the lack of progress in this regard.
Reiterated our joint commitment to work towards text based negotiations that leads to Reformed Multilateralism. Will continue our cooperation towards this goal,” Mr. Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting. India is currently a non-permanent member of the Council, with its two year term ending on December 31 this year.
In addition to reiterating their support for each other’s bids to become permanent members of the UNSC, the G4 also reiterated its support for African countries being represented in a permanent and non-permanent capacity on a reformed Council.
The G4 felt that the U.N. decision making bodies needed to be urgently reformed as global issues were increasingly complex and interconnected, a joint press statement from the group said.
The “inability” of the UNSC to “effectively” address these problems “vividly demonstrate[s] the urgent need” for UNSC reform, the statement said.
U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized U.S. support for expanding permanent and non-permanent seats on the Council, during his UNGA address on Wednesday. However, State Department spokesperson Ned Price had said in August 2021 that the U.S. supports expansion of body provided it “does not alter or expand the veto”.
The G4 ministers expressed concern that the 76 th Session of the U.N. General Assembly (i.e., the year-long session that just concluded) did not make “meaningful progress” in the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN), which, according to the G4, was constrained by a lack of transparency.
The G4 Ministers welcomed the recommendation of the President of the 76 th General Assembly to “gradually move the process towards text based negotiations”, and hoped this principle would be followed in the 77th General Assembly Session.
Quad signs agreement for disaster relief and assistance (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, International Relations)
Foreign Ministers of the Quad group of countries – India, the U.S., Australia, and Japan – met on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to sign a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) partnership into effect.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the world was going through a difficult period – listing the Ukraine conflict and climate events, and said that it was especially important for the Quad to further the “constructive agenda” it had set for itself and work together to deliver public goods.
The Quad’s origins have their roots in a HADR partnership in 2004 in the wake of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami. The HADR partnership was finalised, according to Mr. Jaishankar, at the Quad summit in Tokyo in May.
Mr. Jaishankar said that other initiatives were in the works and highlighted several programs that have been previously announced: a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fellowship, an economic framework with other partners (presumably a reference to the Indo Pacific Economic Framework), and a maritime domain awareness initiative which was announced in Tokyo.
Significantly, Mr. Jaishankar brought up reform of the U.N. system, which has been a longstanding objective of India but has been given added emphasis at this year’s U.N. High Level Week.
Today, I think this is also an opportunity for us, together, to discuss how to strengthen the UN-led multilateral system,” Mr. Jaishankar said. Earlier on Friday, Mr. Jaishankar had attended a high-level breakfast, ‘Reinvigorating Multilateralism and Achieving Comprehensive Reform of the Security Council’ that included Ministers from approximately 30 countries, an official said, including South Africa, Brazil, Nicaragua, Maldives and Bhutan.
“I think our meeting today - including the document we are about to sign - is evidence that the Quad is strong and getting stronger,” Mr. Blinken said, adding that he hoped the ministerial on the fringes of UNGA would become a regular feature.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong, said the Quad was about bringing tangible benefits to the region and ensuring the region is “peaceful, stable, prosperous and in which sovereignty is respected”.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, said the world was witnessing “direct attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force” and that the international order based on the rule of law was under threat. He highlighted the significance of the meeting – a demonstration of the commitment to the UN Charter and a “free and open Indo Pacific”.
Maharaja’s birthday celebrated with fervour in Jammu (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
After 75 years, Jammu and Kashmir observed a holiday on the birth anniversary of Dogra monarch Maharaja Hari Singh and was marked by cake-cutting and street celebrations in parts of the Jammu region.
The Lieutenant Governor’s (L-G) administration earlier this week announced a holiday on the birth anniversary of the Maharaja, who signed the Instrument of Accession with India in 1947 and later shifted outside J&K in 1949 after the popular government saw a rise of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.
Several groups from Jammu had been demanding holiday to acknowledge the work of the Maharaja for many years.
Senior leaders and activists of Jammu-based Yuva Rajput Sabha (YRS) and BJP held street celebrations night to welcome the decision of the L-G administration. Leaders of the YRS cut cakes in front the statue installed in Jammu city. Sweets were distributed by the BJP in the Jammu city at mid-night.
The holiday is a befitting tribute to the Maharaja. This is a day of joy for the Duggar society. All should celebrate it like Diwali.
The BJP also distributed around 127 kilos of ‘ladoos’ on the occasion. BJP activists raised slogans like “Maharaja Hari Singh Ji Amar Rahe” (Long live Maharaja) and “Jai Duggar Jai Dogra” (Victory to Duggar society).
“This is Maharaja’s 127th birth anniversary. Entire J&K has participated in the celebrations,” BJP State president Ravinder Raina, who danced on the occasion, said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also paid tributes to the Maharaja. “I bow to the symbol of nationalism Maharaja Hari Singh ji on his birth anniversary.
The Prime Minister has paid a true tribute by declaring his birth anniversary as a state holiday to commemorate his efforts to make J&K an integral part of India and to keep the country’s integrity intact,” Mr. Shah said in a tweet.
The L-G’s move to declare a holiday in J&K has neither been opposed nor welcomed by the regional parties like the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
NC spokesmanTanvirSadiq, however, accused the L-G administration of being “partisan” by dropping the name of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah from the official calendar after August 5, 2019 and including the Maharaja in it.
In Odisha’s Nayagarh, a data-driven solution to child marriage (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 1/2, Social Issues/(Polity and Governance)
With the aim of eradicating child marriage, Nayagarh, a tiny Odisha district, has adopted a unique initiative by scrupulously recording information on all adolescent girls in the district.
From birth registration date to Aadhaar number and from family details to skill training, information of 48,642 adolescent girls can be found in registers named – Aliva.
Nayagarh, with a population of 9,62,789 has a skewed sex ratio at 855. Child marriages in isolated locations of the district are still considered a part of their social life.
Observing that child marriages are solemnised in the age group of 14-19 and dropouts among girls’ students continued to be high, the district administration launched the Aliva programme in January this year.
Anganwadi workers had been asked to identify every adolescent girl in their jurisdiction and keep tabs on them. There are 1,584 registers available in 1,584 Anganwadi centres of the district.
The 100-page register maintains a record of the girl along with the name of her father. From the third page onwards, each page contains data of the adolescent girl including, address, education status, birth registration date, Aadhaar Card Number, contact details and family details.
The age of the girl is approved by the local school head master, father, supervisor and child marriage prohibition officer (CMPO).
Towards the end of the register, information about child marriage, educational progress, skill training status and health issues of the adolescent girls. Nayagarh district has decided to maintain the record for a period of 10 years - 2020 to 2030. As per Odisha’s child marriage prevention strategy, the State aims to eradicate child marriage by 2030.
As of now, the district has registered information of 48,642 adolescent girls while Ranapur block alone has about 9,421 girls aged between 10 and 19.
The lowest 2,092 has been registered in the Gania block. The register has been useful for law enforcement agencies, as parents attempt to lie about the age of their girls to escape punishment.
Ambedkar tourist circuit only aids nationalistic narrative (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The Central government has announced a special tourist circuit encompassing five key sites associated with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, including his birthplace Mhow, Delhi where he died, and London where he studied.
Dalit scholars and Ambedkarites, however, argue that the five spots or the “Panchateerths” do not do justice to Ambedkar’s “real legacy” and have been chosen to just fit into a “localised and nationalistic” narrative of the government.
According to Ambedkar scholars, there are a host of other sites like Raigarh district of Maharashtra where Dr. Ambedkar led the Mahad Satyagraha, Pune where he held the first negotiations with Mahatma Gandhi in Yerwada jail on a separate electorate for depressed classes, and Sri Lanka where he attended a Buddhist conclave that is said to have influenced him to convert to Buddhism.
This is a local and nationalistic perspective. They want people to see their version, Founder and Chairperson of NACDOR (National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations).
People who have not read Dr. Ambedkar and his work have made this concept (of the tourist circuit) in a hurry. They should have consulted organisations and people who are thorough with his work and life.
The five cities in the tourist circuit as announced by the government are Mhow (his birthplace), London (where he resided and studied), Nagpur (also studied here), Delhi (where he passed away) and finally Mumbai (where he was cremated).
These sites are already visited by Dalits as pilgrimage spots; the idea is to attract members of the public from outside the Dalit community.
According to Chandrabhan Prasad, Dalit ideologue and affiliated scholar with the George Mason University United States, “This is mere symbolism. It is a bid to subvert and distort Dalit historical landmarks”.
Mahad Satyagraha was a satyagraha led by Dr. Ambedkar on March 20, 1927 to allow untouchables to use water in a public tank in Mahad, currently in Raigarh district of Maharashtra.
Pune is another landmark place for Dalit and Ambedkar history, where negotiations were held in the Yerwada jail between Dr. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi on a separate electorate for depressed classes in the legislature of British India in 1932.
The result was the Poona Pact signed by Dr. Ambedkar on behalf of the depressed classes and by Madan Mohan Malviya on behalf of upper caste Hindus.
India gets its first avalanche monitoring radar in Sikkim (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 1/3, Geography Disaster Management)
An avalanche monitoring radar, the first of its kind in India, has been installed in North Sikkim by the Army and Defence Geoinformatics and Research Establishment (DGRE).
It has the capability to detect avalanches within three seconds of its trigger and will assist in saving lives of troops and reducing damage to property in super high altitude areas.
The radar was inaugurated by Lt. Gen. Tarun Kumar Aich, General Officer Commanding of Sukna-based 33 Corps, on September 20 at one of the forward posts of the Army at an altitude of 15,000 feet in North Sikkim.
The radar was made operational by DGRE, a laboratory under the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), which is involved in forecasting and mitigation of avalanche hazards faced by the Army in the Himalayan region.
Explaining its functioning, the officer said the radar uses a series of short micro wave pulses, which are scattered at the target and can detect an avalanche in under three seconds.
The radar can permanently scan the targeted slope for avalanche release and track the path of the avalanche and its size in case it is triggered.
The radar can see through snow, fog as well as in the night, making it an all weather solution. It covers an area of two sq.km, obviating the requirement to place additional instruments in dangerous avalanche-prone areas, the officer elaborated.
The radar is also linked to an alarm system, enabling automatic control and warning measures in case an avalanche is triggered.
Images and videos of the event are automatically recorded for future analysis by experts. Besides being used for detection of avalanches, this radar can also be employed to detect landslides, the officer added.
Business
Industry urges duty remission revamp in Foreign Trade Policy (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Industry is hoping for concrete measures from the new foreign trade policy to give a fillip to India’s exports amid slowing global demand, including an overhaul of the duty remission scheme introduced last year and the levy of GST on global trade intermediaries.
The Commerce and Industry Ministry is expected to unveil the new policy next week as the 2015 policy, currently in operation, expires on September 30 after being extended for two and a half years.
The Remission of Duties and Taxes on Export Products (RoDTEP) scheme was supposed to take care of various duties and taxes outside GST that add to the cost of exports, but is unable to do so because of various anomalies, restrictions and very low rates, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Pradeep Multani said on Friday.
The industry chamber has urged the government to consider tweaking the scheme so that exporters are specifically reimbursed on the basis of actual taxes and duties paid by them on outbound shipments.
Mr. Multani also pointed out that buying agents and consultants hired by foreign buyers are key intermediaries who facilitate exports of over a billion-plus dollars for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), but their services are being taxed at 18% under the GST Act.
We expect removal of this GST levy as it is akin to “Export of Taxes” which is against the basic premise of the GST law as well as against the international trade practices.
Last week, the Federation of Indian Exporters’ Organisations (FIEO) sought a review of the Interest equalisation benefits for exporters that were pared when interest rates were coming down, along with other measures to boost exports.
“With a complete change in the situation, there is an urgent need to restore the interest equalisation benefit of 5% to manufacturers in the MSME segment and 3% to all tariff lines (instead of 410 tariff lines) as cost of credit is equally adversely impacting all exporters,” FIEO president A Sakthivel had said, emphasising that credit costs for smaller players are now about 10%-11%.