04 SEPTEMBER 2023

Topic 1: Pirola

Why in news: Rise of Covid-19 infections has been noted in multiple countries, driven by a new Coronavirus variant called BA.2.86.

Key details:

• It is informally being termed as ‘Pirola’.
• The high number of mutations is a point of concern here.
• This was similar to the number of mutations that differed between Delta variant.

How do viruses mutate?

• It is natural for all viruses to mutate over time and such changes are particularly common in viruses that have RNA as their genetic material, as in the case of coronaviruses and influenza viruses.
• Once a virus enters the human body, its genetic material, RNA or DNA enters the cells and starts making copies of itself which can infect the other cells.
• Whenever an error occurs during this copying process, it triggers a mutation.
• Occasionally, a mutation comes along when the genetic mistakes that are introduced while copying prove to be advantageous for the virus.
  • These help the virus copy itself or enter human cells more easily.
• Whenever a virus is widely circulating in a population, the more it spreads and replicates, its chances of mutating increases.

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Topic 2: Autonomous District Council

Why in news: To solve the ongoing conflict in Manipur and assuage Kukis, the state has proposed to the Centre that the existing autonomous hill councils be give more autonomy.

About autonomous hill (or district) councils

• Pre-Independence:
  • When the British took over the-then Assam, their imposition of formal laws on the land was resisted ferociously by tribal populations living in the hills, who had their own customary laws.
  • To avoid confrontation, the British divided the hill regions of Assam into “excluded” and “partially excluded” areas through the Government of India Act, 1935.
  • In these areas, federal or provincial laws would not apply until the governor felt they were needed for peace and development.
  • The ostensible aim of the provision was to allow tribal populations to govern themselves.
• Post- independence:
  • When India became independent, this provision was adopted with improvements into the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
  • It was based on recommendations made by a committee under then Assam premier Gopinath Bordoloi.
    • It had recommended creation of autonomous district councils (ADCs) in the six hill districts of Assam so that the tribal people could protect their identity and resources:
      • United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District,
      • Garo Hills District,
      • Lushai Hills District,
      • Naga Hills District,
      • North Cachar Hills District, and
      • Mikir Hills District.
  • Some of these hill districts later became states:
    • Khasi-Garo districts became Meghalaya,
    • Naga Hills District became Nagaland,
    • Lushai Hills became Mizoram.
  • The existing ADCs were either subsumed, were renamed, or new ones were created.
  • Tripura was added to the list in 1986.
  • Currently, there are 10 ADCs under the Sixth Schedule in the North East:
    • three each in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram, and
    • one in Tripura
  • Manipur has six ADCs, but these came into existence in 1971 under an act of Parliament.

Functioning of  ADCs

• Under the Sixth Schedule, the ADCs and Regional Councils have the authority to create laws, receive funding from the Consolidated Fund of India, and develop the region in the fields of health care, education, roads, and regulations. 
• Parliamentary laws either do not apply to autonomous districts and regions, or have varying degrees of application.
• ADCs have up to 30 members and a five-year term.
  • The Bodoland Territorial Council in Assam is an exception to this with more than 40 members.
• Each autonomous district and regional council consists of not more than 30 members, of which four are nominated by the governor and the rest via elections.
• The members remain in power for a term of five years.

Powers of ADCs

• Judicial powers:
  • The ADCs are empowered with civil and judicial powers, can constitute village courts within their jurisdiction to hear trial of cases involving the tribes.
  • Governors of states that fall under the Sixth Schedule specifies the jurisdiction of high courts for each of these cases.
  • ADCs also have powers to form courts to hear cases where both parties are members of Scheduled Tribes and the maximum sentence is less than 5 years in prison.
• Legislative powers:
  • The councils are also empowered to make legislative laws on matters like land, forests, fisheries, social security, entertainment, public health, etc. with due approval from the governor.
• Limited role of parliament and state legislatures:
  • The roles of the central and state governments are restricted from the territorial jurisdiction of these autonomous regions.
  • Acts passed by Parliament and state legislatures may or may not be levied in these regions unless the President and the governor gives her or his approval, with or without modifications in the laws for the autonomous regions.

Sixth ScheduleAccording to Article 244 of the Constitution, the Sixth Schedule was enacted in 1949 in order to protect indigenous groups through the establishment of autonomous administrative divisions known as Autonomous District Councils (ADCs).The Sixth Schedule contains provisions that grant indigenous tribes significant autonomy, and it currently applies to the Northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram (three Councils each), and Tripura (one Council).Assam has the Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, and Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council;Meghalaya has the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council, and Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council;Tripura has the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council; andMizoram has the Chakma Autonomous District Council, Lai Autonomous District Council and the Mara Autonomous District Council.Ladakh currently has the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC).They are only executive powers that allow the LAHDC to function as an administrator to manage development, as specified in the LAHDC Act of 1997.While the LAHDC has jurisdiction over land, it cannot enact regulations restricting the use or transfer of any land.It can only assign and stipulate how government land should be used.

How are Manipur ADCs different from Sixth Schedule ADCs?

• Constitutional status:
  • Other ADCs draw their power from the Constitution
  • The Manipur ADCs are dependent on the state Assembly due to the provisions of the Act.
• Legislative powers:
  • ADCs under the Sixth Schedule have far wider legislative powers spanning several matters of governance.
  • Those in Manipur are limited to personal matters of marriage, divorce and social customs.
  • Sixth schedule ADCs only need the assent of the Governor for their proposals to become laws.
  • Manipur ADCs have to route them through Hill Area Committees (comprising MLAs from the hills) and present it to the state Assembly.
  • Unlike Sixth Schedule ADCs, Manipur ADCs are subservient to the Deputy Commissioner, who is appointed by the state government.
    • In almost all matters, the DC’s decision is final unless overruled by the Governor.
    • The DC can even dissolve the ADCs with the assent of the Governor.
• Financial powers:
  • Sixth schedule ADCs gets central grants through the state.
  • Manipur ADCs are dependent on the state government for financial devolution.

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Topic 3: Kumkis

Why in news: Operation Gaja in Tamil Nadu shines spotlight on Chittoor’s kumkis.

About the Kumkis:

• Kumkis are elephants trained to capture and tame wild elephants.
• Elephant calves that are separated from the herd in the forest and captured wild elephants are tamed and trained to become Kumki elephants.
• The training period is three years.
• After training, the elephants join the ‘Kumki service’ and are government servants until the age of 60.
• After retiring at 60 years, the elephants can relax at any elephant sanctuary.
• Kumki elephants are usually used to chase the wild elephants that stray into human habitats, back into the forest.
• The services of Kumki elephants are also utilised to rescue wounded elephants, and to lend support to the wild elephants that have difficulty standing.
• The Kumki elephants also turn up as the saviours of tuskers that get stuck in a ditch or a swamp.
• The Kumki elephants are also the ‘caretakers’ of wild elephants that are tranquilised.

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Topic 4: Preeclampsia

Why in news: As per a study, a liquid-biopsy approach that measures DNA-methylation levels in the blood may improve the detection of pregnancies at risk of developing preeclampsia at early stages.

About Preeclampsia:

• Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy.
• Preeclampsia is a serious condition that can happen after the 20th week of pregnancy or after giving birth (called postpartum preeclampsia).
• It can cause:
  • high blood pressure, 
  • high levels of protein in urine that indicate kidney damage (proteinuria), or
  • other signs of organ damage.
• Between 10 to 15 percent of maternal deaths worldwide are caused by preeclampsia and associated complications, such as eclampsia.

Treatments:

• Use of Aspirin:
  • Low-dose aspirin at early stages of the disease (before 16 weeks of gestation) can reduce the risk of developing preeclampsia.
  • Early identification of the disease is needed to initiate this intervention.
• Liquid biopsy:
  • Liquid biopsy is a promising emerging tool for non-invasive diagnostics, and it is increasingly being used to detect disease and monitor progression and treatment response.
  • Cell-free DNA methylation profiling is a promising tool for presymptomatic PE risk assessment, and has the potential to improve treatment and follow-up in the obstetric clinic.

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Topic 5: Quote: The destiny of India is now being shaped in her classrooms

Full quote: The government’s Kothari Commission report (1964-66), said “The destiny of India is now being shaped in her classrooms. This, We believe, is no mere rhetoric. In a world based on science and technology, it is education that determines the level of prosperity, welfare and security of the people.”

Where is the quote from?

• The Kothari Commission, headed by former University Grants Commission chief DK Kothari, was set up to advise the Government on the national pattern of education and on the general principles and policies for the development of education at all stages and in all aspects.
• It was to recommend a comprehensive Education Policy to the government.

Meaning of the quote:

• Classrooms and schools are part of the everyday lives of millions of students in schools and colleges.
• The quote suggests that attaining an education is not just an individualistic action.
• A person’s ability to get educated and a person’s choice to send their children to school does not just promise a better future for their own economic prospects.
  • For instance, it was found in the latest Annual Status of Education Report (Rural), ASER 2022, that children whose parents have attended schools themselves are more likely to send their children to school.
• The Kothari Commission’s report also called education an “Instrument of Change”.
• However this emphasis on the social purposes of education as a tool for the realization of national aspirations or for meeting national challenges, does not imply any underestimation of values for the individual.
• In a democracy, the individual is an end in himself and the primary purpose of education is to provide him with the widest opportunity to develop his potentialities to the full.
• Education should ideally not be limited to securing marks in examinations or getting a job, though those are important goals nonetheless.
• Education should be the means to learn more about oneself, the diverse world around oneself and be a tool to develop oneself in all spheres of life.

Role of teachers in education

• The quality, competence and character of teachers are undoubtedly the most significant.
• Teachers can act not just as people who give instructions from a pedestal but people who can directly influence a student’s level of interest and understanding when it comes to a subject.
• They can guide students towards the path that could help them in the future.
• Therefore, it was paramount to attract sufficiently high-quality recruits to the teaching profession.
• This would mean the provision of adequate remuneration, opportunities for professional advancement and favourable conditions of service and work.

Need for reforms in education sector:

• The commission’s report further said that the system of education at the time was designed to meet the needs of all imperial administration within the limitations set by a feudal and traditional society.
• Hence it will need radical changes if it is to meet the purposes of a modern democratic and socialistic society.
• Since then, several changes and policies have been made in the field:
  • Free school education from ages six to 14 was made mandatory after the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act), 2009, came into force in 2010 under the 86th Amendment to the Constitution of India (2002).
  • Programmes such as the Midday Meal Scheme further aided poor children in attending schools, becoming an incentive for parents to enroll their children in formal education.
• The literacy rate of India is now around 74 per cent (based on the 2011 Census data).
• There has been a steady decline in the school dropout rate and an increase in enrolment both in school and higher education, according to the Economic Survey for 2022-23.
• There are still significant gaps that need to be addressed:
  • The definition of literacy is wide – referring to a person aged seven and above, who can both read and write with understanding in any language.
    • Within this, while the literacy rate was 82.14 for males, it was at 65.46 for females.
  • There are also wide regional variations:
    • Kerala had a 93.91 per cent literacy rate while Bihar stood at 63.82 per cent.
• Vast infrastructural gaps – such as having toilets in schools – continue to exist to date.
• Teacher vacancies would have to be addressed, as would the trust issues arising in the process of recruiting public teachers.
• From the classroom side, teacher absenteeism would have to be tackled, by understanding what prompts such actions and whether surveillance of teachers is necessarily the way to resolve this issue.
• Whether students have the freedom to freely question and debate ideas in a classroom, yet be gently guided by a mentor in how such discussions can be held in a sensitive manner, is also a point of concern today.

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Topic 6: Cartesian coordinates

About a coordinate system:

• A coordinate system is a set of numbers that allows you to specify the location of a point in some space.

About Cartesian coordinates:

• The Cartesian coordinates is one such system, which uses a set of three numbers to specify the distance of a point from three perpendicular planes.
• In general, this system uses N numbers if there are N perpendicular planes, including in higher dimensions.
• On a plane, Cartesian coordinates use a pair of numbers – one on the x-axis, one on the y-axis – that can be used to locate a specific point on the plane.
• In three dimensions, the point’s location can be fixed by adding one more number, e.g. the floor of the building you are on.
• Founder:
  • The French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes created this system in the 17th century.
  • His invention bridged the gap between algebra and geometry and created analytic geometry.
• Application:
  • astronomy,
  • engineering,
  • other disciplines that involve geometry,
  • representing spatial data in computer graphics and computer-aided geometric design.

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Topic 7: Status of the Right to Information Act

Why in news: In recent years, activists worry that the system of Right to Information is being made less and less effective, shutting off a crucial means to hold public officials accountable.

Background of RTI:

• The first central legislation dealing with the right to information in India, namely, the Freedom of Information Act, 2002, but was not notified.
• In 2004, a National Advisory Council (NAC) had recommended some changes in the Freedom of Information Act, 2002.
• The amended act was passed which was known as The Right to Information Act, 2005.

Objectives of the Act:

• To provide for a practical framework that allows the citizens to access the information under the control of public authorities.
• To promote transparency and accountability in the working of governments and their instrumentalities.
• To provide for the constitution of Information Commissions at state and national level for discharging the functions and exercising the powers under the Act.
• To develop an informed citizenry.
• To contain corruption.
• To lay down the exemptions to disclosure of information when such disclosure is likely to conflict with other public interests and to harmonise these conflicting interests while preserving the paramountcy of the democratic ideal.

Need for RTI:

• Before the advent of the RTI act, the disclosure of information in India was restricted by the Official Secrets Act and some other special laws.
• The RTI Act relaxed many such laws in the country.
• The Government of India has implemented the RTI in order to see that the Indian citizens are enabled to exercise their rights to ask some pertinent questions to the Government and different public utility service providers in a practical way.
• The objective of this act was to help the citizens avail of quicker services from the government agencies.

Mandate of the RTI Act

• The RTI Act mandates that any Indian citizen is free to seek any information from any public or government authority.
• The authority is under liability to respond to such a request within a period of 30 days from the date of receiving such an application.
• Exceptions:
  • The information sought must not be related to defense, national security, or personal details.
• The RTI act has also made it mandatory for computerizing the records for the purpose of wide spread relay so that any information sought by the public can be processed quickly aided by the information categorization.

Amendment to RTI Act:

• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023:
  • The RTI Act it prohibits the personal data disclosure of citizens by the government, unless there is an overriding public interest in doing so.
  • The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, amended this qualified prohibition into a total prohibition.
  • Concerns:
    • It would make ‘social audits’ in ration distributionimpossible to carry out.
      • In social audits, a community member gets a list of ration beneficiaries through an RTI request, and individually verifies that the beneficiaries got what they appear to have received on paper.
    • There are also concerns that powerful public officials would evade accountability by invoking this blanket ban on disclosing personal information.
• Right to Information (Amendment) Act, 2019:
  • The Right to Information (Amendment) Act, 2019 gave the Union Government unilateral power in deciding how long information commissioners, who hear appeals against unsatisfactory or absent RTI responses, can serve, and what their salaries are.

Issues and Challenges:

• Demand side challenges:
  • Low Public Awareness:
    • The Act lays down that the appropriate government may organize educational programmes to advance the understanding of the public, especially the disadvantaged communities regarding how to exercise their rights contemplated under the Act.
    • But the authorities have not undertaken any substantial steps to promote the RTI Act.
  • Constraints faced in filing applications:
    • There has been non-availability of user guides.
      • Lack of user guide results in undue hardship to information seekers to gather knowledge about the process for submitting a RTI request.
    • Inadequate efforts have been made to receive RTI applications through electronic means.
  • Inconvenient payment channels:
    • While it is desirable for the State Government to collect fee from any mode but the majority Public Information Officers (PIOs) require the applicant to deposit the fee via cash or Demand Draft which causes inconvenience to the applicants.
  • Poor Quality of Information:
    • Due to lack of infrastructure and adequate processes to comply with the RTI Act, the quality of information provided is very low.
    • The information provided is either incomplete or lacks the substantial data.
    • The quality of response provided can be a direct consequence of the transparency in its processes or record management practices.
  • Constraints faced in inspection of records:
    • Under the Act, the information is to be provided in the form requested unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority.
    • There is inadequate awareness of this provision of the RTI Act.
• Supply side challenges:
  • Delay in flow of information:
    • The Information Commission gets to know about the failure of the Public Authority in providing information within 30-45 days once the complaint is filed due to inadequate measures and processes for an Information Commission to view adherence level to important provisions of the Act.
  • Lack of Behavioral Training:
    • RTI is an evolving act, resulting in new dimensions being added routinely.
    • Hence, RTI refresher training or a central knowledge repository needs to be available to the PIOs.
    • The training provided to the PIOs must not be restricted to the RTI Act.
    • There is a need for an external agency to impart training to the PIOs and APIOs of various states and districts.
  • Obsolete Record Management Guidelines:
    • Ineffective record management practices and collection of information from field offices leads to delay in processing of RTI applications.
    • Recordkeeping is a problem in Central and State government ministries due to lack of infrastructural facilities (internet connectivity, photocopies, soft copies).
    • Even if records are stored retrieval of intelligible information cannot be made.
  • Lack of monitoring and review mechanism:
    • There is no centralized database of RTI applicants.
    • A centralized database of applicants with their information requests and responses from information providers will enable the PIOs to send an accurate and timely compilation.
  • Issues faced at the Information Commissions:
    • Under the Act, the Information Commissions at the Central/State level are required to take steps to secure the compliance with the provisions of the Act.
    • However, there have been inadequate processes and records available with the Information Commissions to monitor and review the working of the various Public Authorities and initiate steps to make them comply with the spirit of the Act.
  • Tardy appointments to information commissions:
    • Tardy appointments have also undermined confidence in the RTI framework, as appeals can take months or even years to be heard.
      • For example, the Jharkhand SIC has had no commissioners to hear appeals since May 2020, essentially suspending the ability to appeal ineffective administration of the RTI Act in the State.

Online RTIs

• Allowing RTI applications to be filed online largely removes some barriers such as instead of obtaining uncommon financial instruments, citizens can simply file a request online and pay with UPI.
• However, many States do not have an online RTI portal, and even if they do, it is common for many State Government bodies to simply not be registered on the portal.
• While many public authorities under the Union Government are on the RTI portal, filing applications on it has become harder.
• Now, the facility to create an account has disappeared, and the site forces all users to enter their particulars afresh each time they file an application.
• Past data of applicants has been stuttering in and out of the portal.

Way forward:

• The RTI applications must be disposed off within the statutory time limit provided under the Act with complete and comprehensive information.
• Unless and until the pendency is kept at the manageable level the objective of the Act would not be met.
• The Public Information Commissioners must be given adequate training to be cooperative enough towards the Information seekers.
• Maintenance of information must be automated and efficient.
• The State Government has to play a facilitative role by issuing rules/procedures to mandate the compliance of the Act.
• The role of Information Commissions must not be limited to hearing of appeals but they must also be a watchdog over the public authorities.