Withholding of Presidential Assent of State Bills

Context

• Kerala challenging President’s withholding assent to Kerala University Bills.

Governor’s Power

• Article 200: Four options for Governor upon receiving a Bill.
  • Grant assent.
  • Withhold assent (Bill fails).
  • Return Bill for reconsideration (if not a Money Bill).
  • Reserve Bill for President’s consideration.

Reservation for President

• Mandatory reservation: Bill endangering state high court’s position.
• Discretionary reservation:
  • Ultra-vires the Constitution.
  • Opposed to Directive Principles.
  • Against national interest.
  • Grave national importance.
  • Compulsory property acquisition.

Sarkaria Commission Recommendations

• Reservation of Bills a discretionary power, used rarely for unconstitutionality.
• Governor to act on ministerial advice (except reservation).
• President to dispose of Bills within six months.
• Reasons for withholding assent to be communicated to state government.

Way Forward

• Governor’s power to reserve Bills is crucial for constitutional compliance.
• Misuse of gubernatorial discretion needs to be checked.
• Amend Constitution or seek Supreme Court verdict.

 

Elections in India

About Elections in India

• Universal adult franchise: Every Indian of 18 years and above can vote.
• Frequent elections: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Assemblies, Vidhan Parishad, President, Vice-President, local bodies.
• Election Commission of India (ECI): Three-member autonomous body responsible for conducting elections.

Election Procedure

1. Notification:Election Commission recommends, President/Governor issues notification.
2. Nomination:Filing nomination papers, security deposit.
3. Scrutiny and Withdrawal:Scrutiny by Returning Officer, candidates can withdraw.
4. Campaigning:Period for candidates to persuade voters.
5. Model Code of Conduct:Guidelines for fair campaigning by ECI.
6. Polling and Counting:Polling booths, counting of votes, declaration of results.

Electoral Reforms

• Voting age lowered from 21 to 18 years.
• Increased security deposit.
• Photo identity cards.
• Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Challenges and Way Forward

• Stricter control over money in elections.
• Barring candidates with criminal cases.
• Complete ban on caste/religious appeals.
• Increased voter vigilance and participation.

 

 

National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAP-SE)

Snakebite Envenoming

• Classified by WHO as a high-priority neglected tropical disease.
• 8-2.7 million envenomings worldwide annually.

Snakebites in India

• “Big four” cause 90% of bites: common krait, cobra, Russell’s viper, saw-scaled viper.
• 3-4 million snakebites annually, 50,000 deaths (half of global deaths).

NAP-SE

• Vision: Halve deaths and disabilities from snakebites by 2030.
• Aims: Reduce envenoming risk, ensure anti-venom availability, build capacity, improve referral mechanisms, and educate the public.
• “One Health” approach: Collaboration between sectors for solutions.

Anti-Venom Strategy

• Antivenoms are WHO Essential Medicines.
• Made from antibodies produced by horses injected with small venom doses.
• Antibodies collected and used to treat snakebite victims.

 

 Gender Inequality Index 2022

About the Index

• Gender Inequality Index (GII) by UNDP measures gender inequality across three dimensions:
  • Reproductive health
  • Empowerment
  • Labor market

Findings

• Denmark ranked first, followed by Norway, Switzerland, and Sweden.
• India improved 14 ranks to 108th with a score of 0.437.
  • Improvements in life expectancy, education, and GNI per capita.
  • Adolescent birth rate decreased.
• Largest gender gap remains in labor force participation (47.8% difference).

India’s Initiatives

• Code on Social Security, 2020: Social security provisions for women.
• Mission Shakti: Empowers women through self-help groups.
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, etc.

 

 

 

News in Short

LAMITIYE-2024 

• Joint Military Exercise between Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF).
• Biennial training event conducted in Seychelles since 2001.
• Focuses on interoperability in Sub-conventional Operations.

 

ETHANOL 100 

• New automotive fuel launched by Ministry of Petroleum.
• 92-94% ethanol, 4-5% motor spirit, and 1.5% Co-solvent.
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves engine performance.
• India targets 20% ethanol blending by 2025-26.

 

India’s First Integrated Oil Palm Processing Unit 

• Located in Arunachal Pradesh, aligns with Mission Palm Oil.
• Aims to increase domestic production of edible oils and reduce dependence on imports.
• National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) provides financial subsidies to farmers.
• Targets to increase area under oil palm cultivation from 3.5 lakh ha to 10 lakh ha by 2025-26.

 

 Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024 

• Aims to streamline film certification process for the digital age.
• Introduces age-based indicators within the ‘UA’ category (UA 7+, 13+, 16+).
• Requires at least one-third women representation in the Certification Board.
• Eliminates role of third parties in the certification process.
• Applications can only be submitted online.
• Certificates granted by CBFC will have perpetual validity.
• Guidelines for accessibility features for hearing and visually impaired introduced.

 

 

IceCube: Neutrino Detector 

• Located at the South Pole, detects subatomic particles called neutrinos.
• Neutrinos come in different types: electron, muon, and tau.
• IceCube is the world’s biggest ‘neutrino telescope’ with sensors buried deep in ice.
• Detects neutrinos by observing the radiation produced when they interact with ice.

 

Scalable Instructable Multiworld Agent (SIMA) 

• Developed by Google DeepMind, it’s an AI Agent, not an AI model.
• Learns and adapts through interactions with the user.
• Follows natural language instructions to perform tasks across video game environments.

 

 HbA1C Test 

• Used to diagnose pre-diabetes and diabetes (both type 1 and type 2).
• Measures the percentage of red blood cells with sugar-coated hemoglobin.
• HbA1C below 5.7% is considered normal, 5.7-6.4% indicates pre-diabetes, and 6.5% or higher indicates diabetes.

 

Lisus and Singphos Communities 

• Lisu community: Tibeto-Burman family inhabiting Arunachal Pradesh, China, Myanmar, and Thailand.
• Children named based on birth order with numbers incorporated (e.g., Ana for eldest daughter).
• Singpho community: Ethnic group inhabiting 27 countries, including India’s Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.