In news

The head of the UN General Assembly recently hailed India's significant contributions to the organization and called it a "source of pride" not only for South Asia but for all democracies that value peace.

Key Takeaways from the Meeting

• Pharmacy of the World
  • India proved to be the "pharmacy of the world" during COVID-19, helping various nations in the most remote regions of the world.
• Source of Pride
  • India gathered praise for its significant contributions to the UN, particularly the UN Security Council, calling it a "source of pride for not only South Asia but for all peace-loving democracies”.

India’s Contribution to the UN

• Founding Members: India is one of the founding members of the UN. India signed the United Nations Declaration in Washington, D.C., in 1944, even before it gained its independence.
  • India also took part in the UN Conference on International Organization in San Francisco in 1945.
• Since the UN's founding, India has participated actively.
• Fight against Apartheid and Colonization:
  • India was the first nation to bring up the subject of racism and apartheid in South Africa at a UN conference in 1946.
  • India was among the earliest signatories of the Convention on Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination.
  • India was the co-sponsor of the Declaration on Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and People.
• Representation in UN Bodies and Human Rights: India contributed significantly to the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and Vijayalakshmi Pandit, an Indian, served as the first female president of the UNGA in 1953.
  • India has been elected to several UN bodies including UNSC, Human Right Council, Economic and Social Council, International Court of Justice etc,.
• Peacekeeping: India has contributed significantly to UN peacekeeping operations around the world.
  • India has deployed more than a quarter of a million troops over the years in as many as 49 UN Peacekeeping Missions.
• India has dispatched peacekeeping forces to a number of countries, including South Sudan, Egypt, Congo, Haiti, Angola, Somalia, and Liberia.
  • India recently provided COVID-19 vaccines for UN Peacekeeping personnel worldwide.
  • We are the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to the UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia.
• Terrorism: India took the initiative to pilot a draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
• Development and Economic issues: India was instrumental in the setting up of UNCTAD in 1964.
  • India has emphasized the need for enhanced flows of official development assistance (ODA) to developing countries.
  • We have also raised issues on the transfer of technology to developing countries, more equitable terms of trade, and accelerating industrialization.
• The ideas of the UN are well aligned with Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent aspirations. Gandhi's birthday, October 2, was designated as the "International Day of Nonviolence" by the UN in 2007.
• International Yoga Day was established by the UNGA in 2014, and it falls on June 21st.
• Reform & Restructuring of UN: India is collaborating with G-4 (India, Brazil, Germany and Japan) and L.69 (Group of like-minded countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America) on reform and expansion of the UN Security Council.

Thus, we must realise that India's inclination toward morality is valued and must be kept up to keep its excellent reputation.

Content Source link: 

• https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/national/unga-president-lauds-indias-role-at-united-nations-1140496.html, 
• https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-worlds-pharmacy-unga-president-8119737/,

Image Link:

• https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1821747

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In news

The government is developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) to handle chemical catastrophes like the Bhopal gas disaster of 1984.

About the News:

• SOPs for chemical disasters are a mandatory requirement as per International Health Regulation (IHR) to which India is a signatory.
  • IHR which was adopted by World Health Assembly in 2005 requires countries to build the capacity to detect and report potential public health emergencies
• India produces and stores more than 3,000 hazardous chemicals.

Why do we need SOPs?

• The frequency and severity of chemical disasters have increased due to the rapid development of chemical and petrochemical industries and the increase in the size of plants, storage and carriers, specifically in densely populated areas.

• Lack of coordination and communication: Multiple agencies work independently.
• Unavailability of information: Lack of robust inventory of all chemicals used in industrial processes in India.
• Presence of factories in the unorganized sector dealing with hazardous materials
• Lack of infrastructure and support

Key Points

• Authorised Bodies
  • In accordance with the demands of the states where factories handling toxic chemicals are located, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), National Disaster Management Authority, Defence Research and Development Organization, fire departments, and the health ministry are developing a mechanism to deal with such accidents.
• Basic Requirements in SOPs
  • Building capacity both offsite and onsite is necessary to handle chemical catastrophes.
  • In states/UTs where such chemicals are employed in factories and industries, there is a need for a combined proactive reaction and unambiguous SoP.
  • According to the International Health Regulation, which India has signed, this is a necessary criterion.
• Production
  • India produces and stores more than 3,000 hazardous chemicals but still lacks competency in addressing such chemical emergencies.
• Data Related to Chemical Accidents in India
  • 259 people died and 563 people were injured in Visakhapatnam, the Delhi NCR region, and Baroda as a result of 130 more serious chemical mishaps that were reported in India over the course of the last 20 years, according to NDRF.

Safeguards available against Chemical Disasters

• The Bhopal Gas Leak (Processing of Claims) Act of 1985 grants the federal government authority to settle claims relating to the Bhopal gas disaster. The provisions of this Act provide that such claims are dealt with speedily and equitably.

• The Environment Protection Act of 1986 gives the federal government the authority to set standards, monitor industrial facilities, and take action to improve the environment.
• The Public Liability Insurance Act of 1991, established insurance to aid those harmed by mishaps involving hazardous materials. 
• The National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997 allows the Authority to hear appeals regarding the restriction of areas in which any industries, operations, or processes shall not be conducted or shall be conducted subject to certain safeguards under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• National Green Tribunal, 2010 establishes a National Green Tribunal to handle cases involving environmental protection and the preservation of forests in an efficient and timely manner. Any incident resembling the Bhopal gas tragedy will be heard by the National Green Tribunal, most likely in accordance with the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act,
• Recently, the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals signed MoU with ILO on International Chemical safety cards, and data sheets to provide essential safety and health information on chemicals.

Way Forward

• It is important to educate medical professionals working at all levels about the effects of acute chemical accidents and how to manage their public health effects.
  • For instance, agencies should be aware of the sulphuric acid antidote if there is a sulfuric acid plant nearby.
  • In order for them to treat their patients right away in the event of an accident, local doctors should be aware that the plant uses these specific chemicals.
• Given the rising frequency of natural disasters that hit India, infrastructure resilience needs to be improved.
  • For instance, the 2001 Bhuj earthquake damaged a containment system for phosphoric acid sludge, while the 1991 super-cyclone in Odisha caused an ammonia gas leak from a fertilizer plant.

Content Source link:

• https://www.livemint.com/news/india/sops-for-chemical-disasters-on-agenda/amp-11661790317736.html

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In News:

There have been recent protests in Tamil Nadu calling for community certificates designating tribes as Denotified

About the News:

• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJ&E) has recently revealed that only 402 online applications from across the country have been received to avail of benefits under SEED programme.
• The Scheme for Economic Empowerment of Denotified/Nomadic/SemiNomadic(SEED) is a scheme meant for the upliftment of Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs/NTs/SNTs).
• According to government estimates, more than 10 crore Indians from 1,400 communities belong to these groups.
• The process has been marred with multiple exercises to bring all DNT, NT and SNT communities under SC, ST, and OBC categories.
• The scheme has been launched based on the recommendations of the Bhiku Ramji Idate Commission which called for a separate schedule to be created for these communities so that they can avail benefits meant for them.

SEED Programme:

• About: The SEED scheme was launched in 2022 with the aim to provide free competitive exam coaching to community students, health insurance to families, uplift clusters of these communities through livelihood initiatives, and provide financial assistance for housing.
• Corpus: The Ministry has allocated ₹200 crores for this scheme - to be spent over five years from FY 2021-2022 to FY 2025-2026.

• Recognition: The scheme will be implemented through an online portal that will issue a unique ID to each applicant so they can apply and track the status of their application online.
• Designation: There has been the creation of a list of DNTs/NTs/SNTs enumerated by the commission led by Bhiku Ramji Idate, which has listed 1,262 such communities and categorised them under SC/ST or OBC and others.
• Need for recognition: Categorisation of DNTs/NTs/SNTs is essential for the implementation of welfare programmes as there is no schedule in the Constitution providing for their reservation.

Major issues with the scheme:

• Administrative apathy: The Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC) has not yet begun sifting through the applications as they are still being reviewed at the State and district levels.
• Cascading tapism: The involvement of multiple officials in the implementation of the scheme is holding up the process of accurate categorisation of DNTs/NTs/SNTs under the list of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
• List mismatch: Inconsistencies have been hindering the processing of SEED applications of those communities which are already in the classified list of 1,262 communities. For instance, Banjara people were under the SC list in Delhi, the ST list in Rajasthan and the OBC list in Uttar Pradesh.
• Slow process: Idate commission has also added 267 communities to the list which is now being studied by the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) and Tribal Research Institutes to classify them under either SC, ST, or OBC.
• Different designations: Different generations of the same community had been issued different community certificates.
• Dialect mismatches: Differences in the spelling of communities based on local dialects have prevented many of them from getting a community certificate.

Source:

• https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/denotified-nomadic-semi-nomadic-tribes-402-seed-registrations-so-far-online-none-approved-yet/article65827103.ece/amp/

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• Context: Solomon Islands has decided to temporarily ban all foreign navy ships after a U.S. vessel was denied entry.
• The Solomon Islandsis a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
• It consists of a double chain of volcanic islands and coral atolls in Melanesia.

• It is Situated east of Papua New Guinea and to the north of Vanuatu and New Caledonia (France).
• Its capital is
• Geographical features associated include:
  • Highest point: Mount Popomanaseu
  • Major rivers: Waikoto (longest), Lunga, Tenaru, Matanikau etc.
  • Major lake: Tegano (largest lake in the insular Pacific).
• The Solomon Islands has had a tense relationship with the U.S. and its allies since it struck a security pact with China this year.
• The decision, to suspend visits from all foreign navies, citing a need to review approval processes, comes amid concerns over the Solomons' growing ties with China in recent years.

Sources:

• https://www.dw.com/en/solomon-islands-to-ban-foreign-navy-ships-following-china-pact/a-62966621

Image source:

• https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/solomon-islands-suspends-all-naval-visits/article65830319.ece

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• Context: The Supreme Court has recently dismissed a writ petition challenging  the provisions of the Special Marriage Act (SMA), 1954  requiring couples to give a notice declaring their intent to marry 30 days before their marriage.

• Marriages in India can be registered under the respective personal lawssuch as the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, Muslim Marriage Act, 1954, or the Special Marriage Act, 1954.

• It is the duty of the Judiciary to ensure that the rightsof both the husband and wife are protected.
• TheSpecial Marriage Act, 1954 is an Act of the Parliament of India with provision for civil marriage for people of India and all Indian nationals in foreign countries, irrespective of religion or faith followed by either party.

• When a person solemnises marriage under this law, then the marriage isnot governed by personal laws but by the Special Marriage Act.
• The Act allows people from two different religious backgrounds to come together in the bond of marriage.
• It lays down theprocedure for both solemnization and registration of marriage, where either of the husband or wife or both are not Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, or Sikhs.
• It is a secular Act and it plays a key role in liberating individuals from the traditional requirements of marriage.
• As perSection 5 of the Act Couples have to serve a notice with the relevant documents to the Marriage Officer 30 days before the intended date of marriage.

Source:

• https://www.indiatoday.in/information/story/what-is-special-marriage-act-all-you-need-to-know-1776395-2021-03-06

Image source:

• https://www.requestlegalservice.in/the-special-marriage-act-1954/

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• Context: A Constitution Bench has recently impleaded the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the National Commission of Women (NCW) and the National Commission of Minorities as parties in a batch of petitions challenging the Muslim Personal Law practices such as polygamy and nikah halala.
• The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act was passed in 1937 with the aim to formulate an Islamic law code for Indian Muslims.
• The British who were at this point in time governing India were trying to ensure that Indians be ruled according to their own cultural norms.
• Since 1937 the Shariat Application Act mandates aspects of Muslim social life such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and family relations.
• The Act lays out that in matters of a personal dispute the state shall not interfere.
• The applicability of the Shariat Act has been controversial over the years. There have been previous instances when the issue of protection of women’s rights as part of the broader fundamental rights came into conflict with religious rights.
• The most well-known among these is the Shah Bano case in which, a 62-year-old woman filed a lawsuit, seeking alimony from her former husband.
• The Supreme Court, in this case, had held up her right to alimony, but the judgment was vehemently opposed triggering a controversy regarding the extent to which courts can interfere into personal/religious laws.
• Article 14 of the Indian Constitution grants “equal protection of the law” to all its citizens. But when it comes to personal issues (marriage, divorce, inheritance, custody of children, etc), Muslims in India are governed by the Muslim Personal Law which came into force in 1937.

Sources:

• https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/supreme-court-issues-notices-on-pleas-challenging-validity-of-polygamy-nikah-halala-in-muslim-personal-law/article65829181.ece

Image Source:

• https://www.shoneekapoor.com/muslim_divorce_post_triple_talaq_judgment/

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• Context: The Middle East and the North African Nations have embarked on a race to develop chemicals and techniques that they hope will enable them to get raindrops from clouds.
• This deliberate introduction of chemicals or other materials into clouds to induce precipitation is called cloud seeding.
• These materials act as condensation nuclei.

• Cloud seeding material, including salt particles (sodium chloride), silver iodide, dry ice (carbon dioxide), potassium iodide, propane etc., bond to the water vapour particles to make up a cloud.
• Combined particles (Seeding material and water vapour) are a little bigger and in turn attract more water vapour particles until they form droplets, which eventually become heavy enough to fall as rain.
• Significance of cloud seeding: It I used for enhancing winter snowfall, supplementing natural water supply, improving air quality etc.
• However, the issues and challenges associated with it include: Silver iodide is toxic to aquatic life. Not all clouds have the potential to produce rain. Sometimes the production of too much rain or snow, shifting of clouds away from other areas etc prove to be fatal.

Source:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/28/world/middleeast/cloud-seeding-mideast-water-emirates.html

Image source:

• https://www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/in-focus/article/what-is-artificial-rain-will-it-solve-delhis-air-pollution-woes/317375

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Essence – The editorial emphasizes the importance of language in assimilating the LGBTQIA+ community into the mainstream society. To support this argument, it mentions the recent release of a glossary of terms to address the LGBTQIA+ community by the TN government. It highlights by citing various judgements that social sanction is essential beyond legal sanction for creating a real inclusive society.

In the end, it mentions that the glossary of words for this marginalized community in the common parlance will enable them to be addressed with dignity along with guarding their Self-respect.

Why should you read this editorial?

• To know about various judgements regarding the LGBTQIA community.
• To know about the importance of linguistics in developing an inclusive society.

Source:

• https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/rainbow-of-hope-the-hindu-editorial-on-tamil-nadus-glossary-of-terms-to-address-lgbtqia-community/article65810545.ece/amp/

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Essence - The Tamil Nadu government in a recent move notified the rules of the Prohibition of the Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. The act prohibits manual scavenging but allows manual cleaning in circumstances in which machines cannot be employed or require mandatory human intervention. The act also makes it compulsory for the employer to ensure that safety gear and life-saving kits are available to the worker.

The article views the case with the necessary prism of the concept of dignity of labour and calls for proper implementation of the act and compensation to the family members of those who have died, and to provide them with a way out of the profession- if they wish so.

Why should you read this editorial?

• The article highlights the need for stringent state laws to ensure the dignity of labour for all sewerage cleaners.
• The article is a must-read to understand the issues related to manual scavenging of sewerage in Indian society.

Source:

• https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/murder-in-the-sewer-on-deaths-during-manual-cleaning-of-sewage/article65815201.ece/amp/

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Background  

Pakistan’s top climate and environmental experts have warned that the devastating floods in the country are just the beginning and weather changes will be harsher and more extreme in the coming years. 

About Pakistan Flood

• Monsoon rains have caused devastating floods in Pakistan, leaving millions homeless, destroying buildings, bridges and roads and leaving vast swathes of the country under water.
• Flash floods and landslides along the Indus and Kabul rivers have left more than 1,000 dead and 1,600 injured.
• More than a third of the country has been completely submerged by the heaviest recorded monsoon rains in a decade.
  • Sindh region reported 1,288 millimetres of rain in August, compared with the monthly average of 46mm.
• Factors that are attributed to Floods include:
  • The scientists attribute intense heat waves during summer months to Climate Change, and the flash floods now are a result of an overheating world that has a warmer atmosphere that holds more water.
  • Also, Pakistan also has the largest number of glaciers outside of the polar regions and higher temperatures have led to more water from melting ice in the Himalayas.
  • Other factors include long-term deforestation and government failures to make adaptive changes since the last major flooding event in 2010.

• • The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (Enso) appears to be in its La Niña phase, as it was in 2010. “La Niña is behaving very strongly in some metrics and is a significant factor for enhancing monsoonal rains, according to Meteorologists.
• Reasons for high causalities include:
  • vulnerability of poor citizens
  • steep mountainous slopes in some regions
  • unexpected destruction of embankments and dams
  • natural climate variation.
• The present condition has resulted in the cash-strapped Pakistan government appealing for aid to deal with the crisis, which has displaced 33 million or one-seventh of the country’s population.

Source:

• Pakistan floods: Map and satellite photos show extent of devastation

Image source:

• https://twitter.com/salahkhawaja/status/1564134365118042113/photo/1

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