3 September 2024, The Indian Express
SC questions bulldozer justice, will lay down ‘pan-India’ norms for due process
Page no- 1
GS2- Due process of law
- Pointing to concerns over bulldozers being used to demolish the houses of people accused of some crime in some states, the Supreme Court on Monday said it would lay down “pan-India” guidelines on the issue.
- “It is a position of law. How can anybody’s house be demolished only because he is an accused? Even if he is a convict, it can’t be done without following the procedure as prescribed by law,” remarked Justice B R Gavai.
CCS approves buying 240 aero engines from HAL for Rs. 26,000 cr
Page no- 5
Prelims Syllabus- Current Affairs
- The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) Monday approved a proposal to procure 240 aero-engines for the Su-30 MKI aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of over Rs 26,000 crore, the Defence Ministry said.
- The engines (AL-31FP) will be procured under ‘Buy (Indian)’ category from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), it said in a statement. The delivery of these aero-engines will start after a year and be completed over eight years.
India, Singapore pacts on semiconductor, health likely, says MEA ahead of PM visit
Page no- 9
GS2- India and its bilateral relations
- As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is headed to Brunei and Singapore on Tuesday, India and Singapore are looking at a number of “new, forward-looking futuristic areas of cooperation” in semiconductors, digitisation, skill, health, advance manufacturing and connectivity, and are likely to sign pacts in these areas, officials said on Monday.
- PM Modi is slated to visit Singapore on September 4-5 at the invitation of his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong.
Monsoon Comfort
Page no- 10
GS3- Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country
- A good southwest monsoon — India has received 7.5 per cent above-long period average rainfall in the current season from June, with 9 per cent and 15.3 per cent surplus for July and August respectively — has led the Narendra Modi government to loosen anti-inflationary restrictions on food commodities.
- On August 29, the ban on sugar mills to produce ethanol directly from cane juice, syrup or intermediate-stage “B-heavy” molasses, imposed last December, was lifted. Mills/distilleries have also been allowed to use up to 2.3 million tonnes (mt) of rice from the Food Corporation of India’s stocks for ethanol production, after they were barred, since July 2023, from purchasing these in the latter’s open market sale auctions.
- The moves reflect the government’s comfort vis-à-vis the domestic availability of sugar and rice for human consumption as well as bio-fuel production. This comes amid expectations of bountiful monsoon-enabled bumper crops of paddy and sugarcane to be marketed/crushed from October-November.
To do justice
Page no- 10
GS2- Structure, organization and functioning of the Judiciary
- On August 20, 32 years after a case of blackmail and sexual abuse of hundreds of girls came to light in Ajmer, a POCSO court in Ajmer convicted and sentenced six persons to life imprisonment.
- On August 29, Delhi High Court allowed a complainant to withdraw a case after she spoke of the burden of repeatedly having to miss work due to court appearances — a situation the Bench described as “litigation fatigue”.
- These two cases, in two different courts, illustrate the problem that President Droupadi Murmu sought to highlight in her address at the two-day National Conference of the District Judiciary. Calling it the “Black Coat Syndrome” she spoke of “poor people of the villages” being reluctant to go to court, fearing the financial and mental strain of a prolonged judicial process.
- She said, “How many days can it take? Thirty-two years, 12 years, 20 years, two years… One should think deeply about this.”
Ten half-truths of caste census
Page no- 11
GS1- Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India
- Karl Mannheim, the Hungarian sociologist who founded the sub-discipline of sociology of knowledge, used the word ideology in a peculiar way. For him, “ideology” refers to false beliefs or mental fictions that serve to veil the true nature of a society.
- His usage of the word, or his quest to reduce ideas to their social base, did not become popular outside a tiny professional circle. But if you are looking for one example that would fit Mannheim’s description, our current debate on caste census would be a good candidate.
- Every encounter with otherwise liberal and even progressive educated Indians on this issue leaves me shocked. I hate to trace people’s beliefs to their accident of birth, but the staggering display of ignorance, prejudice and arrogance on this issue forces me to remember that the opinion-making class in our country is still largely upper caste.
- This kind of “ideological” opposition to the caste census takes the form of many self-serving half-truths. Each contains a grain of truth, but they are presented in a way that masks the real truth.
Beyond the headline number
Page no- 11
GS3- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development
- GDP growth in the first quarter fell short of the RBI’s expectations. At 6.7 per cent, growth is still higher than the decadal average of 6.4 per cent for the first quarter. Economic activities were clearly influenced by seasonal factors and the general elections during that period.
- Despite the low number, the Q1FY25 throws up more positive trends than what the headline estimate suggests.
- Demand shows a largely positive picture with all heads except valuables showing positive growth. Private consumption grew by a robust 12.4 per cent in current prices.
- Robust consumption data reaffirms that the rural rebound remains strong. An uptick in agricultural growth in subsequent quarters on the back of a better monsoon will provide a strong impetus.
- Investments also registered a healthy growth of 9.1 per cent in current prices with investment rate at 31 per cent. Government expenditure registered a growth of 4.1 per cent, which was slower but it must be kept in mind that the general election was held in the first quarter.
- For example, government spending fell by close to 20 per cent quarter-on-quarter. Spending is, however, likely to have revived in the second quarter.
It takes a forest
Page no- 11
GS3- Environment Conservation
- If you had to choose between living in a thriving forest full of organisms, including apex predators, or in a desert with barely any life, where would you choose to live? Your chances of survival would be higher in the forest.
- It provides the ideal conditions for life, with shade from the scorching sun, and easy access to water and food. But of course, you would have to overcome your fears.
- Forests are complex ecosystems of diverse organisms that interact with each other. At an individual level, all living organisms in the forest are motivated to survive and reproduce. Yet, they are all connected and play a critical role in maintaining a fine balance in the larger ecosystem.
Plan for the farms
Page no- 12
GS3- e-technology in the aid of farmers
- The Union Cabinet on Monday (September 2) approved the Rs 2,817-crore Digital Agriculture Mission for the creation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in the farm sector.
- What is the Mission, and what impact will it have on farmers and the farm sector?
- The mission to create Digital Public Infrastructure in the agriculture sector is similar to the government’s flagship e-governance initiatives in other sectors, which have over the years resulted in digital solutions such as the Aadhaar unique ID, the DigiLocker document folder, the eSign electronic signature service, the unified payments interface (UPI) instant money transfer protocol, and electronic health records.
Why Brazil’s Supreme Court has taken down X in the country
Page no- 12
Prelims Syllabus- International relations
- A five-member panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court judges on Monday (September 2) upheld a decision by one of the judges to shut down the social media platform X, for not following an order to appoint a local legal representative as required by the law.
- Elon Musk, the owner of X, has been in a months-long feud with the judge, Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Starlink, Musk’s satellite Internet service, told Brazil’s national telecommunications agency on Sunday that it would not comply with the order to block the platform, The New York Times reported.
Investors sell 54% of shares allotted in IPO in a week from listing
Page no- 13
GS3- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development
- Indicating the “flipping behaviour” of investors, about 54 per cent of IPO (initial public offering) shares (in value terms) allotted to investors (excluding anchor investors) were sold within a week from listing, according to Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) study.
- Individual investors sold 50.2 per cent shares (in value terms) allotted to them within a week from listing, the regulator said. Non-institutional investors (NIIs) sold 63.3 per cent shares by value while retail investors sold 42.7 per cent shares by value, the study said.
