DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS 17 JULY

Rajasthan to bring law against mob lynching 

News Important for: GS - 2 I Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States.

Context

Rajasthan government to bring law against mob lynching’s and honour killing.

About

●       The announcement came during the state assembly debate on the state budget.

●       Rajasthan has been in the news for mob lynchings.

Cases of mob lynching in Rajasthan

●       A mob thrashed 28-year-old Rakbar Khan to death on suspicion of cow smuggling in Alwar district in July last year.

●       In April 2017, Pehlu Khan, a cattle farmer, was also lynched in Alwar as he was returning home from a market with two cows and two calves.

●       A Police head constable investigating a land dispute in Padmela village was beaten to death allegedly by a mob.

Note:  India's rank has slipped five places to 141 among 163 countries on the Global Peace Index 2019.

Government Measure

●       The The National Campaign against Mob Lynching's (NCAML) draft Protection from Lynching Act, 2017 for the first time the terms ‘lynching’, ‘mob’ and ‘victim’ of mob lynching.

●       The draft call for making lynching a non-bailable offence.

●       The draft will ensure a speedy trial and witness.

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/rajasthan-to-bring-law-against-mob-lynching/article28494585.ece

Rajya Sabha clears Bill on airport tariffs

News Important for: GS - 3 I Infrastructure: Airports 

Context

The Rajya Sabha passed the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

About

●       The bill seeks to raise the threshold for an airport to qualify as 'major airport' and hence reducing the tariff-fixing power of airport regulator to a fewer airports.

●       Currently, major airports with an annual capacity to handle one-and-a-half million

●       Currently, an airport with annual passenger traffic of 15 lakh passengers come under the purview of Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA).

●       Once the Bill becomes an Act, fees such as landing and parking charges would be determined by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

●       The amendment also empowers the Aviation Ministry to bid out airport projects on the basis of predetermined tariff.

●       If the amendment is passed by Parliament, the definition of major airports would be changed to any aerodrome which has or is designated to have annual passenger capacity of three-and-a-half million.

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rajya-sabha-passes-aera-amendment-bill/article28486541.ece

Centre, Assam move SC for sample re-verification of NRC

News Important for: GS - 2 I Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States.

Context

The Centre and the Assam government have moved to Supreme Court to make an urgent mention of the deadline for the final publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Analysis

●       According to the Assam government, many original inhabitants of the state found their names excluded as they lacked documents and did not even apply for inclusion in NRC

●       Both the centre and the state have urged the Supreme Court for more time to conduct a “sample re-verification process” of the names included in the draft NRC published.

●       They said a sample re-verification of the names should be conducted in districts bordering Bangladesh and other remaining districts.

National Registry of Citizens

●       The National Register of Citizens, 1951 is a register prepared after the conduct of the Census of 1951 in respect of each village, showing the houses or holdings in a serial order and indicating against each house or holding the number and names of persons staying therein.

●       The NRC was published only once in 1951.

●       The provisions governing NRC update in Assam are The Citizenship Act, 1955, and The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules,2003.

●       An updated NRC is likely to put an end to speculation about the actual number of illegal migrants in Assam in particular and the country in general.

●       It will provide a verified dataset to carry out meaningful debates and implement calibrated policy measures.

Source link:

 https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/centre-assam-move-sc-for-sample-re-verification-of-nrc/article28494424.ece

Farmers’ group wants drought norms revised 

News Important for: GS - 3 I Issues related to farmers

Context

The All India Kisan Sabha has demanded to scrap the manual for Drought management, 2016.

Analysis

●       The group raised concerns over the stringent norms of the manual to declare an area drought prone.

●       The manual has lead to distress of farmers with no relief and disaster management measures.

Manual for drought management, 2016

●       It was issued by the ministry of agriculture in 2016.

●       It inculcates stringent new parameters.

●       States are required to assess conditions using five indicators: rainfall, agriculture, soil moisture, and hydrology and crop health.

●       The Manual allows States to request for support from the National Disaster Response Fund if a drought is declared as “severe”.

●       This can only happen if three impact indicators (apart from rainfall) fall into the “severe” category.

Condition of monsoon in the country

●       Latest data from the India Meteorological Department show over half the country’s land area still faces rainfall deficits of more than 20% this monsoon season.

●       Saurashtra and Kutch are the worst affected region, with a 60% deficit followed by Gangetic West Bengal, parts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Kerala.

●       Across the Deccan peninsula in Marathwada, Vidarbha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu the deficits hover in the 30-35% range.

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/farmers-group-wants-drought-norms-revised/article28492870.ece

Monitor biomedical waste management: NGT 

News Important for: GS - 3 I Environment and waste management, Regulation

Context

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed guideline on disposal of biomedical waste.

About

●       The National Green Tribunal has directed the District Magistrates in all the states to monitor compliance of Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules twice every month.

●       The NGT said that it is necessary to have a District Environment Plan to be operated by a District Committee with representatives from Panchayats, Local Bodies, Regional Officers, and state pollution control boards (SPCB)

●       The plan can be operated by district committees comprising representatives from the respective panchayats, local bodies, regional officers and State pollution control boards.

●       It also gave a timeline of 2 months to the state those have failed to constitute advisory committee.

●       If states fail to align to the rules a penalty of 1 crore a month will be charged till the non-compliance continues.

Source link:

 https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/monitor-biomedical-waste-management-ngt/article28492834.ece

Schools turn nutrition gardens in Mizoram’s most backward district

News Important for: GS - 3 I Environment

Context

The Lawngtlai district in Mizoram under the program “My School, My Farm” has turned the schools into self sufficient in vegetables and fruits.

About

●       The step was taken as the district falls in the outskirts away from city.

●       The time taken for trucks to travel deteriorated the vegetables and fruits in between.

●       The local vendors sold products at a higher price unaffordable by people of the village.

●       The village also has deprived health indicators as stunting, malnutrition, underweight and poverty.

My School, My Farm program

●       Under this program the schools, Anganwadi centres, Child care institutions and hostels are turned self sufficient in vegetables and fruits etc by growing it in the premises itself.

●       The strategy is under Centre’s Poshan Abhiyan with regular activities of departments such as Agriculture and Horticulture.

●       The Education Department has been asked to identify at least 100 sq ft in every school and the headmaster is responsible for involving the children in gardening.

●       The children will be served food from the nutrition gardens in their mid day meals.

●       The batches of children will be prepared to ensure that every child gets at least an hour a week time in the nutrition garden.

Source link:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/schools-turn-nutrition-gardens-in-mizoram-district/article28494153.ece