daily current affairs - 31 Oct 2022

1. 31 OCTOBER, 2022 www.iasscore.in GS ANALYST CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY NEWS HEADLINE •International conference on ‘Role, Framework & Capacity’ of Election Management Bodies •SC agrees to hear plea challenging first amendment to the Constitution •What is the doctrine of pleasure? •Increasing cases of Breast Cancer in India •Kalanamak rice, ‘Buddha’s gift to people’, is now small, strong •RBI fell behind on containing inflation for three-consecutive Quarters •The Emissions Gap Report 2022 and Concerns regarding Climate Change EDITORIAL United against Terror

3. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ‘ROLE, FRAMEWORK & CAPACITY’ OF ELECTION MANAGEMENT BODIES CONTEXT: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is going to conduct an International Conference on ‘Role, Framework & Capacity of Election Management Bodies (EMBs)’ in New Delhi starting from 31 October, 2022. ⦿ABOUT Key Highlights of the event: oIt is going to be a two-day conference and will be inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar. oThe countries like Greece, Mauritius and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has been invited as co-leads. oThe Election Commission (EC) has also invited the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), apart from EMBs and governmental counterparts dealing with the conduct of elections worldwide, for the event. oObjective: As part of the ‘Summit for Democracy’ Year of Action, India, through the EC, is leading the Cohort on Election Integrity aimed at sharing its knowledge, technical expertise and experiences with other democracies round the world. oParticipants: There are nearly 50 participants from 11 EMBs from nations including Armenia, Mauritius, Nepal, Cabo Verde, Australia, Chile, and Federal States of Micronesia, Greece, Philippines, São Tomé & Príncipe. •Points to be discussed: ➤The first two sessions will have discussions on the current and future challenges for EMBs with respect to their role and framework to ensure ‘election integrity’ while the session on the following day will focus on the ‘Capacity of EMBs’. What are Election Management Bodies (EMBs)? oAn EMB is an organization or body that has the sole purpose of, and is legally responsible for, managing some or all of the elements that are essential for the conduct of elections and direct democracy instruments—such as referendums, citizens’ initiatives and recall votes—if those are part of the legal framework. Need of EMBs: oThe complexity and specialist skills necessary for electoral management require that an institution or institutions be responsible for electoral activities. oSuch bodies have a variety of shapes and sizes, with a wide range of titles to match, such as Election Commission, Department of Elections, Electoral Council, Election Unit or Electoral Board. oThe term electoral management body (EMB) has been coined to refer to’ the body or bodies responsible for electoral management, regardless of the wider institutional framework in place’. www.iasscore.in 3

4. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 These essential (or core) elements include: oDetermining who is eligible to vote; oReceiving and validating the nominations of electoral participants (for elections, political parties and/or candidates); oConducting polling; oCounting the votes; and oTabulating the votes. Few Other Roles: oIn addition to these essential elements, an EMB may undertake other tasks that assist in the conduct of elections and direct democracy instruments, such as voter registration, boundary delimitation, voter education and information, media monitoring and electoral dispute resolution. Who can be said as Election Management Bodies? oA body that has no electoral responsibilities other than, for example, boundary delimitation (such as a boundary delimitation commission), electoral dispute resolution (such as an electoral court), election media monitoring (such as a media monitoring commission), or the conduct of voter education and information (such as a civic education commission) is not considered an EMB because it is not managing any of the essential elements identified above. oSimilarly, a national population or statistics bureau that produces electoral registers as part of the general process of population registration is not considered to be an EMB. SC AGREES TO HEAR PLEA CHALLENGING FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION CONTEXT: Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has agreed to view the plea challenging the ‘Constitutionality’ of First amendment Act, 1951 which had put the reasonable restrictions under clause(2) of Article 19 (a) of Freedom of Speech and Expression. ⦿ABOUT Reasons behind Amendment: oTo remove certain practical difficulties created by the court’s decision in several cases such as Kameshwar Singh Case, Romesh Thapar Case, etc. freedom of speech, acquisition of the Zamindari land, State oIssues involved in the cases included monopoly of trade, etc. The 1ST Amendment Act, 1951: oEmpowered the state to make special provisions for the advancement of socially and economically backward classes. oProvided for the saving of laws providing for acquisition of estates, etc. 4 www.iasscore.in

5. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 oAdded Ninth Schedule to protect the land reforms and other laws included in it from the judicial review. After Article 31, Articles 31A and 31B were inserted. oAdded three more grounds of restrictions on freedom of speech and expression: public order, friendly relations with foreign states and incitement to an offence. Also, it made the restrictions ‘reasonable’ and thus, justiciable in nature. oProvided that state trading and nationalisation of any trade or business by the state is not to be invalid on the ground of violation of the right to trade or business. Amendments in response to issues against Freedom of Speech: oThe Amendment included Clause (2) under Article 19, dealing with reasonable restrictions on the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a). oThe citizen’s right to practise any profession or to carry on any occupation, trade or business conferred by article 19(1)(g) is subject to reasonable restrictions which the laws of the State may impose “in the interests of general public”. What are the arguments against this Amendment? oAccording to the petitioners, it contains “two objectionable insertions” allowing restrictions also “in the interest of public order” and “in relation to incitement to an offence”. oThe new Clause (2) also omitted the expression “tends to overthrow the State” as appearing in the original Clause (2). oThese two insertions protect Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code and hence are unconstitutional. oThe amendment also neglects national security by dropping the expression ‘tends to overthrow the State’ which raises grave concern in the context of the dangers posed to the concept of secular democratic republic by radicalism, terrorism and religious fundamentalism. WHAT IS THE DOCTRINE OF PLEASURE? CONTEXT: Recently, the Kerala has seen debates over using the ‘Doctrine of Pleasure’ for appointment and dismissal of Vice- Chancellor of Universities by the Governor of the State as Chancellor of all the State Universities. What is Doctrine of Pleasure? oThe pleasure doctrine is a concept derived from English common law, under which the crown can dispense with the services of anyone in its employ at any time. oIn England, the moral rule is that a civil servant of the Crown holds office during the pleasure of the Crown. This means his services can be terminated at any time by the Crown, without assigning any reason. www.iasscore.in 5

6. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 Provisions in India for Appointment and dismissal of Civil servants: oIn India, Article 310 of the Constitution says every person in the defence or civil service of the Union holds office during the pleasure of the President, and every member of the civil service in the States holds office during thepleasure of the Governor. oHowever, Article 311 imposes restrictions on the removal of a civil servant. It provides for civil servants being given a reasonable opportunity for a hearing on the charges against them. oThere is also a provision to dispense with the inquiry if it is not practicable to hold one, or if it is not expedient to do so in the interest of national security. oIn practical terms, the pleasure of the President referred to here is that of the Union government, and the Governor’s pleasure is that of the State government. What did the Supreme Court say on one Vice-Chancellor’s appointment? oAgainst the UGC norms: In a case challenging the appointment of Dr. M.S. Rajasree as V-C of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, Thiruvananthapuram, the Supreme Court held that her appointment was contrary to the regulations of the University Grants Commission (UGC). ➤According to the Search Committee, they had identifiedonly one candidate and recommended the name to the Chancellor for appointment. ➤However, under UGC regulations, a panel of three to five names should be recommended so that the Chancellor has a number of options to choose from. oState Governments’ stand: The court rejected the State government’s argument that it had not specifically adopted the UGC regulations, holding that the regulations framed under a Central law will override the State government’s relevant rules. Does Governor have Power to use this doctrine? oUnder Article 164, the Chief Minister is appointed by the Governor; and the other Ministers are appointed by the Governor on the CM’s advice. It adds that Ministers hold office during the pleasure of the Governor. oIn a constitutional scheme in which they are appointed solely on the CM’s advice, the ‘pleasure’ referred to is also taken to mean the right of the Chief Minister to dismiss a Minister, and not that of the Governor. oIn short, the Governor of an Indian State cannot remove a Minister on his own. INCREASING CASES OF BREAST CANCER IN INDIA CONTEXT: As the Month of October is observed as ‘the International Breast Cancer awareness month’, which highlights the instances of increasing cases of Breast Cancer in India. ⦿BACKGROUND oAccording to the highlights given by the Lok Sabha in July 2022, on National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), Registry Program report, in 2020, which state that more than two lakh women were estimated to have been diagnosed with breast cancer and there were an estimated 76,000 deaths in the country. 6 www.iasscore.in

7. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 oThis data had become a cause of concern amongst the policy makers regarding increasing health issues related to Women. oIt said that. the estimated breast cancer cases per one lakh women in 2020 in Telangana was 40.2, way above the Indian average of 31.3. oTelangana is ranked fifth after Kerala, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, among the States with incidence of breast cancers, as per the data revealed in the Lok Sabha. oThere have been several awareness campaigns against ‘BreastCancer’, as part of the International Breast Cancer awareness month – October. About the breast cancer: oBreast cancer is a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control. oThere are different kinds of breast cancer. The kind of breast cancer depends on which cells in the breast turn into cancer. oBreast cancer can begin in different parts of the breast. oA breast is made up of three main parts: lobules, ducts, and connective tissue. oBreast cancer can spread outside the breast through blood vessels and lymph vessels. When breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it is said to have metastasized. The most common kinds of breast cancer are - •Invasive ductal carcinoma: The cancer cells begin in the ducts and then grow outside the ducts into other parts of the breast tissue. Invasive cancer cells can also spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body. •Invasive lobular carcinoma: Cancer cells begin in the lobules and then spread from the lobules to the breast tissues that are close by. These invasive cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body. oSymptoms of breast cancer include a lump in the breast, bloody discharge from the nipple and changes in the shape or texture of the nipple or breast. oA healthy lifestyle, nutritious food, regular exercise, and preventive medical checks after a certain age keep breast cancer at bay. It can also be curable by chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, and surgery. Recent Government Interventions oNational Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS): Under NPCDCS, NCD Cells are being established at National, State and District levels for programme management, and NCD Clinics are being set up at District and CHC levels, to provide services for early diagnosis, treatment and follow-up for common NCDs. oProvision has been made under the programme to provide free diagnostic facilities and drugs for patients attending the NCD clinics. www.iasscore.in 7

8. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 Facts: National Cancer Awareness Day: Cancer awareness day is observed on 7th November. This happens to be birthday of Madame Curie, Nobel Prize laureate for the discovery of radium. KALANAMAK RICE, ‘BUDDHA’S GIFT TO PEOPLE’, IS NOW SMALL, STRONG CONTEXT: Indian Agriculture Research Institute has successfully tested two new dwarf varieties of Kalanamak rice (Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638 and Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652) in Uttar Pradesh that give double the yield. ⦿ABOUT The Kalanamak rice: oKalanamak is a traditional variety of paddy with black husk and strong fragrance. oIt has high salt content and overshadows basmati due to its agronomic potential. 8 www.iasscore.in

9. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 oTwo dwarf varieties of Kalanamak rice are named; ➤Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638 ➤Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652 oThe yield of the new varieties is double that of the traditional variety. The length of the old variety plant is 140 centimetre, and the new variety is between 95- 100 centimetre. oIt is grown in 11 districts of the Terai region of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh and in Nepal. oThe traditional variety of the rice has been prone to ‘lodging’ which resulted in low yield and poor quality. Lodging is a condition in which the top of the plant becomes heavy because of grain formation, the stem becomes weak, and the plant falls on the ground. oTo overcome the problem of lodging, the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) has successfully developed two dwarf varieties of Kalanamak rice. oThis rare rice has been awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2013 which recognised Siddharthnagar and the adjacent districts for the tag. oUnder the One District One Product (ODOP) Scheme, it has earned the Prime Minister’s award for Excellence in Public Administration 2021. oIt was featured in the book ‘Speciality Rices of the World’by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Significance: oThe traditional Kalanamak rice is protected under the Geographical Indication (GI) tag system. oThe traditional paddy variety Kalanamak, which has a black husk and a potent scent, is thought to have been a gift from Lord Buddha to the Sravasti people when he visited the area after attaining enlightenment. RBI FELL BEHIND ON CONTAINING INFLATION FOR THREE-CONSECUTIVE QUARTERS CONTEXT: Recently, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was convene to formulate its response to the Government of India regarding the on-going high rate of inflation for three-consecutive quarters in the country. Background oThe current obtained Retail inflation for September 2022 was 7.4 per cent, which means the price level for retail consumers last month was 7.4 per cent higher than what it was in September 2021. oThis also means that retail inflation— which is calculated using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) — has been outside the RBI’s comfort zone for three consecutive quarters beginning from January, 2022. www.iasscore.in 9

10. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 ⦿ABOUT The Monetary Policy Committee: •Composition: The MPC has six members including; ➤The RBI Governor ➤Three each nominated by the RBI and the government. oMeetings: The MPC meets every two months — that is, six times a year — in February, April, June, August, October, and December to evaluate the current status and outlook for inflation and economic growth. oFunctions: Based on the assessment, it regulates the repo rate, which is the interest rate at which the RBI loans money to the banking system. ➤It is for this reason that movements in the repo rate influence the overall interest rates in the economy. ➤When the MPC wants to contain inflation, it raises the repo rate. ➤Such a “dear money” policy makes all types of borrowing — both for consumers (say, car loans) and producers (say, fresh business investments) costlier and effectively slows down economic activity in the Country. Dear Money Policy: Dear money policy refers to a monetary policy by the central bank where the central bank sets high interest rates so that credit is not easily available to the general public in order to decrease the rate of inflation in the economy by curbing demand. Reasons behind Failure to curb inflation: oIndia had been witnessing high headline inflation since late 2019. While there was some relief on the headline inflation front inthe first half of2021, core inflation became a concern by October. oIt underscored India’s vulnerability to sudden spikes in inflation if either food or fuel prices went up. However, the RBI kept the repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent. 10 www.iasscore.in

11. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 oBy this time, headline and core inflation were converging at the 6 per cent level. But the MPC still refused to raise interest rates, stating that “inflation is likely to moderate” between December 2021 and September 2022. What happens if inflation targets by the Banks did not achieved? Under the RBI Act, 1934, if the central bank fails to meet the inflation target for three consecutive quarters, it is required to provide the following information to the government: Reasons for the failure to achieve the inflation target; Remedial actions proposed to be taken; and oAn estimate of the time period within which the inflation target shall be achieved pursuant to timely implementation of the proposed remedial actions. o o THE EMISSIONS GAP REPORT 2022 AND CONCERNS REGARDING CLIMATE CHANGE CONTEXT: Recently, the Emissions Gap Report 2022, was released, which has highlighted on the need for countries to take significant steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2022 (UNFCCC COP 27) going to held in Egypt. ⦿ABOUT Key Highlights of the Report: oThe Report was titled as ‘The Closing Window – Climate crisis calls for rapid transformation of societies’for the year 2022. oObjective: ➤The annual report assesses the gap between the pledges taken by different countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the estimated reduction required to maintain the average global temperature rise to below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C, by the end of this century. ➤The flagship report is managed by the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre. The UNEP: UNEP's mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. ➤It serves as a scientifically authoritative source of timely and policy-relevant information to key decision- makers, guiding the UNFCCC process and implementing the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement, adopted by 196 countries in 2015 at COP 21, was aimed at limiting global warming and maintaining the average global temperature rise, ideally, to below 1.5°C. oAccording to the 2022 report, the national pledges taken by countries since last year only make a “negligible difference” to predicted 2030 emissions. www.iasscore.in 11

12. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 oThese pledges or the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), only reduce the emissions by 1 per cent by the end of the decade. oWith the current policies, the global temperature is expected to rise by 2.8°C by the end of this century, and emissions should be cut down by 45 per cent globally to maintain the goal temperatures. oIt also emphasised transformative solutions across sectors, including food systems. What are the factors associated contributing in Global Emissions? •The Livestock emissions: ➤Emissions from livestock mainly include carbon dioxide (from urea), nitrous oxide (from livestock dung and urine), and methane (from belching) among others. ➤They contribute towards the greenhouse effect as due to these gases, heat gets trapped around the surface of the earth and causes global warming. Do you know? The Global Warming Potential (GWP) of gases is a metric that helps measure ‘the radiative effect (determined by the ability to absorb energy) of each unit of gas’ over a specific period of time such as 100 years, as expressed relative to the radiative effect of carbon dioxide. •The Agriculture industry: ➤The process of cow belching releases more methane into the environment due to enteric fermentation, a digestive process where complex sugars are converted into simpler molecules to be absorbed into the bloodstream, producing methane as a by-product. Whenever a farm animal digests food, methane is released into the atmosphere. ➤The cultivation of paddy, which floods the fields, prevents oxygen from penetrating the soil and creates suitable conditions for methane-emitting bacteria. This accounts for roughly 8 per cent of human-linked emissions. ********** 12 www.iasscore.in

13. CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY OCTOBER, 2022 EDITORIAL UNITED AGAINST TERROR CONTEXT: With the on-going UNSC’s Counter-terrorism Committee meeting (CTC) which shows the stand of India against terrorism, also puts an obligation for India to persuade others that terrorism is a threat to humanity. Briefings of the Meeting: oHeld in Mumbai: India aims to bring UN officials, and ministers and diplomats from all members of the Security Council (UNSC), to discuss challenges to the global counter-terrorism architecture. In Mumbai, the spotlight was on the 26/11 attacks. oEfforts to Combat against Terrorism and related source countries: Despite the global nature of the terror targets, India has had an uphill battle since 2008 in international cooperation to pursue the case, and in bringing the surviving attacker of 26/11 through a full trial and execution. oFocusing on several Terror groups: There exist several terror groups which target India for their illegal activities and destructions needs to be highlighted and countries supporting them too. India’s Roles: •India has a chance with the help of CTC to highlight its objectives and take a stance on issues associated with terrorism via: ➤Using its UNSC presidency as a facilitator for its stance: While India has only two months left in its current elected tenure at the UNSC, the Government appears to be making efforts to keep up the momentum from the CTC meet. ➤Taking action against Instances of Terrorism related activities: The CTC focus was on online radicalisation and terror recruitment, terror financing through crypto-currency and virtual assets, and unmanned aerial system use including drones for terror strikes, transporting drugs and arms. oSummits and Cooperation: India will host an international “No Money for Terror” conference (November 18-19) and a UNSC special briefing on challenges to global counter-terrorism efforts (December 15-16) in 2022. ********** www.iasscore.in 13