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The Delhi High Court allowed a 26-year-old woman to medically terminate her pregnancy after she moved the court claiming “cerebral abnormality” of the foetus, saying her mental and physical health and the child’s wellbeing tilted “its mind in favour” of her plea.
In a 33-page judgment, a single judge bench of Justice Pratibha Singh said, “The Court has clearly been able to gauge the mental trauma affecting the parents, their economic and social conditions, as also, the fact that the Petitioner is taking a cautious and well-informed decision, while seeking termination of pregnancy. She has understood as to what termination of pregnancy entails at such an advanced stage.”
“The ultimate decision in such cases ought to recognise the choice of the mother, as also, the possibility of a dignified life for the unborn child,” the court held after considering the provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971, interactions with the woman and senior doctors of the LNJP Hospital, who gave their opinion in the medical report, and perusing the report of the hospital’s medical board.
“Keeping in mind these two factors, the Court comes to the conclusion that the mother’s choice is being made in a completely bona fide manner.
There is considerable doubt and risk involved in the unborn child’s chances of leading a dignified and self-sustaining life, based on the medical evidence and reports. Considering this position, this Court holds that the medical termination of pregnancy ought to be permitted in the present case.
The court permitted the woman to undergo the termination procedure “immediately” at the “LNJP Hospital, or the GTB Hospital, or an approved medical facility of her choice” as per the MTP Act under the “supervision of a properly constituted medical team”.
It said before the woman undergoes the procedure she will be once again “informed of the procedure being undertaken”, and her “informed consent” will be obtained. The woman “shall undergo the said medical termination of pregnancy, at her own risk, as to the consequences of the same”.
In India update, World Bank lifts GDP growth forecast to 6.9% (Page no. 3)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The World Bank raised its gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for India during the current financial year (FY23) to 6.9 per cent from 6.5 per cent, citing the economy’s relative resilience to external headwinds, and “a strong out-turn” in the second quarter of the current financial year.
This revision in its FY23 GDP forecast comes two months after the Bank had cut India’s FY23 GDP forecast to 6.5 per cent from 7.5 per cent in an October update, which came in the wake of a series of growth downgrades by rating agencies, investment banks and other multilateral institutions.
“India’s economy has been remarkably resilient to the deteriorating external environment, and strong macroeconomic fundamentals have placed it in good stead compared to other emerging market economies,” Auguste Tano Kouame, World Bank’s country director in India, said in the agency’s latest India Development Update, “considering a strong out-turn in India in the second quarter (July-September) of the 2022-23 financial year”.
The report forecasts that the economy will grow at a slightly lower rate of 6.6 per cent in fiscal FY24 from the earlier projected 7 per cent.
A challenging external environment will affect India’s economic outlook through different channels, the update said. It noted that rapid monetary policy tightening in advanced economies has already resulted in large portfolio outflows and depreciation of the Indian Rupee, while high global commodity prices have led to a widening of the current account deficit.
It argued that India’s economy is “relatively insulated from global spillovers compared to other emerging markets”, partly because the country has a large domestic market and is relatively less exposed to international trade flows.
It noted that India’s external position “has also improved considerably over the past decade” and that the current-account deficit is “adequately financed by improving foreign direct investment inflows and a solid cushion of foreign exchange reserves”. “However, continued vigilance is required as adverse global developments persist.
Express Network
Over 50% landfill sites in 5 states, no remedial plans (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
Five states account for more than half of the 1,080 “legacy landfill sites” for which authorities are yet to propose remediation plans under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, which aims to clear all legacy dump sites by 2026, according to Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry’s SBM-U dashboard.
Old waste at landfill sites that has remained dumped for more than three months is considered “legacy” dump sites.Launched last year, the second iteration of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban has the targets of creating “garbage-free cities” and 100% remediation of all legacy landfills by the end of the mission’s five-year cycle.
The dashboard, which officials said went live on November 28, is being updated as and when action plans are submitted by cities through the respective state governments to the ministry. As of 4.30 pm on December 6, the dashboard showed that 1,854 sites across the country, spread over 47,456.66 acres and with 18.67 crore tonnes of waste, were yet to be remediated. Of 1,080 sites for which remediation was yet to be proposed, 591 were in five states: Karnataka (136), Rajasthan (128), Andhra Pradesh (115), Madhya Pradesh (111), and Telangana (101).
Maharashtra had 91 sites for which remediation was yet to be proposed, the dashboard showed.Delhi, where the three legacy landfills at Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla became a topic of debate during last week’s elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, has action plans approved for all three sites. About 84% of the 2.80 crore tonnes of legacy waste is yet to be remediated, according to the dashboard.
A ministry official said the government has increased the funding for Delhi to clear its legacy landfills from Rs 436 crore to Rs 1,180 crore. The amount has been transferred to the MCD.
Under the mission, municipalities are required to submit action plans for bio-remediation of legacy landfills. Depending on the composition, the waste is divided into refused derived fuel (RDF) for waste-to-energy plants, construction and demolition (C&D) waste for recycling by C&D plants and bio-soil that can be used to fill gaps in road construction.
Express Network
Financing lifeblood of terrorism, countering it is a priority: Ajit Doval (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 2, International Relations)
National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval said that financing is the “lifeblood” of terrorism and countering it should be a priority, as he hosted his counterparts from Central Asian countries in New Delhi to discuss terrorism, situation in Afghanistan, and other regional issues.
Speaking at the first meeting of the NSAs of India and Central Asian countries, Doval focused on the challenge of terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan and the importance of regional connectivity projects.
The NSAs of India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting. Turkmenistan was represented by its ambassador in New Delhi. Doval chaired the meeting.
A joint communique issued after the meeting said that the NSAs of India and the Central Asia countries discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the security and stability of the region, reiterating strong support for a “peaceful, stable and secure” Afghanistan.
The security officials also emphasised that the territory of Afghanistan should not be used for “sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist acts”.
Earlier, Doval said, “Financing of terrorism is its lifeblood and countering terror financing should be an equal priority for all of us.
We should also call on all UN members to fulfil obligations enshrined in relevant counter-terror conventions and protocols, and refrain from providing any form of support to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts.
The communique said the officials agreed that the expansion of terrorist propaganda, recruitment and fund-raising efforts have serious security implications for the region, and therefore, a collective and coordinated response is essential.
The Editorial Page
Babasaheb of the Bahujan (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 1, Significant Personalities)
“Why is Ambedkar not like Phule who educated his wife and together with her started schools for girls?” we are asked. In mainstream parlance, Ambedkar is often presented as a stern, preaching man who expected sacrifices from his wife and contributed little to the women’s cause.
In Madness of Manu, feminist sociologist Sharmila Rege argues that mainstream feminism falls short in understanding the difference between the lives of Phule and Ambedkar as members of OBC and Dalit communities.
Phule belonged to the Mali (gardener) caste and Ambedkar was a Mahar. The entitlements, access to resources and spaces, poverty and humiliation are distinct for those who are destined to live outside of village boundaries and treated as beasts of burden.
So, when we say that Ambedkar did not envisage a public life for his wife, we have to understand their household and its role in the anti-caste struggle.
When Ambedkar went away to Columbia, he was already dedicated to the cause of eradicating untouchability. In his absence, his wife ran the household.
She took wage jobs and faced starvation at times. What she performed was not merely a wifely duty, but it was her contribution to her community and a partnership in social change.
Ramabai Ambedkar is referred to as “Ramai”. Rama plus “aai” (mother in Marathi) with Ambedkar as Baba — father. She is the representative of the tough mother that working-class families know.
When she got angry, she reprimanded everyone, including her celebrity husband. When he returned to Bombay, Ambedkar started teaching at Elphinstone College. Once Ramabai was mad at him for buying too many books.
The Ideas Page
Husband,Wife,Spouse (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
The battle to legalise same-sex marriage has taken a new turn with petitions being filed in the Supreme Court. The Court has issued notice in these petitions and there is significant excitement about their outcome.
Several petitions have been filed in the Kerala and Delhi High Courts since 2020 and these too are pending decision. It is likely that the petitions from the HCs will be transferred to the top court and will be heard together.
Why were petitions filed in the Supreme Court when cases were pending in the HCs? While there could be many arguments for this, it was clear that these cases would eventually go to the apex court, and hence filing the new petitions in the SC would quicken this journey.
The recent petitions have been filed by two gay couples, seeking relief under Article 32 of the Constitution to enforce their fundamental rights and recognise same-sex marriage under the Special Marriages Act 1954 (“SMA”).
This has been done by asking the Court to recognise that under the SMA “marriage between any two persons” should be interpreted to include same-sex marriages, or in the alternative to hold the SMA as unconstitutional to the extent that it does not allow for marriages between same-sex couples.
I would argue that legal recognition for same sex marriage is a little more complex. The SMA under Section 4 lays down the conditions relating to the solemnisation of special marriages.
While Section 4 refers to the solemnisation of marriages between any two persons [emphasis added], it lays down one of the conditions that “the male has completed the age of 21 years and the female the age of 18 years”. In addition to this, throughout the legislation, there are references to “husband” and “wife” in the provisions relating to registration of marriages, restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, divorce and alimony.
If same-sex marriages are to be recognised under the SMA, then the Supreme Court would need to interpret or read into every reference to “husband” and “wife” under the present statute to include the word “spouse” so that it is not only marriage that is recognised, but all related reliefs under SMA are equally available to non-heterosexual couples.
Explained
The GM mustard debate (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 3, Biotechnology)
The debate over the use of genetically modified crops is raging again, with familiar arguments and objections being made. A few weeks ago, the government had cleared the ‘environmental release’ of a genetically modified (GM) variety of mustard, DMH-11, developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP) at Delhi University.
‘Environmental release’, involving seed production and field testing, is the final step before the crop can be cultivated by farmers.
The government decision was met with expected opposition from activists who oppose any use of GM technology in agriculture. Predictably, the matter has reached the courts. On previous occasions, this has ended with the decision being put on indefinite hold.
In fact, DMH-11 had reached quite close to being approved for environmental release in 2017 as well, but then had to be stopped under pressure from activists and NGOs.
The decision to revisit this issue has come in the wake of steadily rising import bills on edible oils. The availability of mustard, a commonly used affordable cooking oil, has emerged, more than ever before, as a food security issue.
Increased yields of mustard can reduce the dependence on other countries for a critical food item, as well as save foreign currency worth tens of billions of dollars every year.
In fact, the government is treating mustard as a special case among all the GM crops awaiting approval. It has maintained that approving the mustard variety would not mean opening the floodgates for all other transgenic crops.
In the case of mustard, there is a compelling economic and food security argument, which puts it in a separate category. There has been no movement, for example, on Bt brinjal, which, like DMH-11, has passed all the safety tests and regulatory processes, but whose release has been on hold since 2010.
Activists, however, not just dispute the ability of GM mustard to increase yield, but question biosafety data and claim that it will harm human and soil health, cause environmental damage, and threaten the existence of other species, like honeybees. These arguments are in line with the opposition to genetically modified crops in general.
Why west $60 cap may not hurt Russia oil earning (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 2, International Relations)
Oil prices surged higher on Tuesday, after a Group of Seven (G7), European Union and Australian proposal imposing a price cap on Russian seaborne oil came into effect.
Both the global oil benchmarks – Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude – rose 60-70 cents a barrel in early trade on Tuesday, according to Reuters data.
Starting December 5, the European Union said it would implement a plan originally floated way back in May, with the G7 and Australia also signing up on the plan to impose the price cap on Russian crude oil shipments, pegged at $60 to a barrel for now.
The price cap is essentially aimed at preventing firms in signatory nations from extending shipping, insurance, brokering and other services to Russian crude oil shipments that are sold at any value above the designated per-barrel price, i.e. $60 for now. Since it came into effect on December 5, the cap will only apply to shipments that are “loaded” onto vessels after the date and not apply to shipments in transit.
The fact that it took nearly six months for the EU and the US to come to an agreement on the cap reflects the complexity of this proposal and the internal wrangling with the groupings for arriving upon a figure. The problems are on two counts:
As a solution, the price cap seeks to balance two contrasting objectives – how to cut Russia’s oil and gas earnings without simultaneously crimping the global supply of oil, which could stoke runaway inflation further? That’s where the problem lies.
In May, when the EU first proposed the ban, the inference was that this would deal a major blow to Russia’s oil cash flows. And what gave it further teeth is the fact that European shipping liners and insurers have long had a stranglehold on global energy markets.
But the hurdle here is that while a ban is intended to squeeze Russia, it cannot concomitantly be allowed to end up as a chokehold on Russian crude: because if Russian oil does not make its way into the global oil market, then crude prices could potentially spike, impacting consumers in the EU and the US, alongside those in the rest of the world. The concern of an inflationary spike is very real. So, the floor price formula was decided on.
Goblin Mode (Page no. 15)
(Miscellaneous)
Have there been times when you have felt loath to put your best foot forward and chosen instead to give in to sloth and slovenliness? Turns out, you have only just gone into “goblin mode”, Oxford’s word of the year.
The first Oxford word of the year to be chosen by public vote is a “slang term” that stands for “a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”.
More than 3000,000 English speakers voted over two weeks for a choice among three words, screened by editors at Oxford University Press. Goblin mode won by 318,956 votes. “Metaverse” came second with 14,484 votes, followed by “#IStandWith” with 8,639 votes.
On Tiktok, the #goblinmode hashtag is often used as a contrast to the idealised manifestations of being one’s best version. The term also featured on Reddit as a description of a person acting like a goblin.
This has been demonstrated by the dramatic rise of platforms like BeReal where users share images of their unedited selves, often capturing self-indulgent moments in goblin mode. People are embracing their inner goblin, and voters choosing ‘goblin mode’ as the Word of the Year tells us the concept is likely here to stay.”
In the year that saw a gradual relaxation in COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, “goblin mode” appeared to be an apt representation of people’s sentiments, who rejected the curated aesthetics of perfection on display across social media, choosing instead a more accurate description of life in the new normal, full of anxieties and, in some cases, a refusal to return to older ways of living.
At the launch event to announce the word of the year, Ben Zimmer, American linguist and lexicographer, said, “Goblin Mode really does speak to the times and the zeitgeist, and it is certainly a 2022 expression.
People are looking at social norms in new ways. It gives people the license to ditch social norms and embrace new ones.” Previous Oxford words of the year include “vax” (2021), “climate emergency” (2019) and “toxic” (2018).
Economy
Google launches campaign to misinformation in India (Page no. 17)
(GS Paper 3, Internal Security)
Google's (GOOGL.O) Jigsaw subsidiary is launching a new anti-misinformation project in India, aimed at preventing misleading information that has been blamed for inciting violence.
The initiative will use "prebunking" videos – designed to counter false claims before they become widespread – circulated on the company's YouTube platform and other social media sites.
Google's efforts to challenge the spread of misinformation mark a contrast with rival Twitter which is cutting its trust and safety teams, despite new owner Elon Musk saying it will not become a "free-for-all hellscape".
Google recently conducted an experiment in Europe where it sought to counter anti-refugee narratives online in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The experiment in India will be bigger in scope as it will deal with multiple local languages -- Bengali, Hindi and Marathi -- and cover diverse sections of a country populated by over a billion people.