UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 12th December 2022 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Context

Oil companies are threatening two of Africa’s most iconic biodiversity hotspots in an effort to drill for oil that will ultimately make its way to a global elite and won’t benefit Africans, a recent report by a German non-profit has highlighted.

• The impact of the oil exploration projects being pursued in both locations could ring the death-knell for wildlife and render communities living there homeless.
• ReconAfrica, a Canadian company, has been drilling for oil in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Nature Conservation Area (KAZA).

Okavango delta:

• The Okavango delta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• It is in southern Africa.
• It is homeland of indigenous people like the San.
• It is formed by the Okavango river – originates in the highlands of Angola.
• The river flows into the Kalahari desert of southern Africa and spreads out, forming what is called a ‘fan’.
• It is one of the very few major interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea.
• This delta comprises permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded plains.

Importance of Okavango delta:

• The Okavango’s waters make the otherwise dry area a waterlogged wetland that provides vital water resources for animals, plants and over one million people.
• It is home to Africa’s Big Five wildlife species: Savanna elephants, Cape buffaloes, rhinos, lions and leopards.
• There are also giraffes, zebras, antelopes, pangolins, 400 bird species and over 1,000 plant species.
• More than 200,000 people live in the area that falls under ReconAfrica’s exploration licenses.

Threats to Okavango delta:

• oil spill could pollute the Okavango River and the Okavango delta.
• noise, infrastructure construction, toxic chemicals

Murchison Falls:

• It is Uganda’s oldest and largest national park,
• It is home to iconic African wildlife species.
• It is situated on the northern shore of Lake Albert, one of the Rift Valley Great Lakes that lies on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• The Victoria Nile flows through the park and elephants, hippos, Nile crocodiles, buffaloes and marabou storks can regularly be seen on its banks.
• It harbours 556 bird species and 188 mammal species

Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Nature Conservation Area (KAZA):

• KAZA is the second-largest nature and landscape conservation area in the world.
• It is spread across the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

About Botswana: 

• Capital – Gaborone
• It is a landlocked country in Southern Africa.
• Its 70% territory is covered by Kalahari Desert.
• Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population, estimated to be around 130,000.
• It is Africa’s oldest continuous democracy.

Source: DTE

GS-II

Context

 The government has approved the implementation of the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP), one of the links under the Peninsular Rivers Component, in December 2021 with an estimated cost of ₹44,605 crores with central support of ₹39,317 crores through a special purpose vehicle – Ken Betwa Link Project Authority.

About Interlinking of Projects:

• The National River Linking Project (NRLP) formally known as the National Perspective Plan, envisages the transfer of water from water surplus basins where there is flooding to water-deficit basins where there is drought and scarcity, through inter-basin water transfer projects.
• The project is being managed by India’s National Water Development Agency (NWDA), under its Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The two components of the project are:

Himalayan Component has 14 projects in the pipeline:

• Storage dams to be constructed on the rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra and their tributaries.
• Linking of ganga and Yamuna
• Connecting Brahmaputra and ganga basins to the Mahanadi basin.
• Connecting eastern tributaries of the Ganga with the Sabarmati and Chambal river systems.

Peninsular Component projects linking of 16 rivers in southern India:

• Surplus water from Mahanadi and Godavari will be transferred to Krishna, Kaveri, Pennar, and Vaigai rivers.
• Linking Mahanadi and Godavari river basins to Kaveri, Krishna, and Vaigai river systems.
• Ken to Betwa river, and Parbati and Kalisindh rivers to Chambal river.
• West flowing rivers to the south of Tapi to the north of Mumba.

Benefits of National river linking project (NRLP):

• Water crisis: The project envisages resolving the water shortage issues by diverting excess water from plains to deficit regions.
• Hydropower generation: The building of dams and reservoirs can generate about 34000 MW of electricity from this project.
• Weather flow augmentation: In dry weather, surplus water stored in reservoirs can be released to rivers to maintain minimum water flow in rivers.
• Agriculture: The Farming sector in India is very much monsoon-dependent, hence the project aims to solve the lack of irrigation facilities in water deficit regions.
• Inland waterways: The transport and connectivity through inland waterways will benefit commercially.
• Reduce dependence on Monsoon: As Indian agriculture is ‘Gambling with monsoons’, the major benefit will be taken by the farmers who need not depend on the untimely rains for agricultural processes.

The overall implementation of the Interlinking of Rivers program under the National Perspective Plan would give benefits of 35 million hectares of irrigation, raising the ultimate irrigation potential from 140 million hectares to 175 million hectares and generation of 34000 megawatts of hydropower, apart from the incidental benefits of flood control, navigation, water supply, fisheries, salinity and pollution control, etc.

Challenges arising out of Interlinking of Rivers:

• Deforestation: Creation of canals would need large areas of land resulting in large-scale deforestation in certain areas.
• Topography: For the interlinking of the rivers, canals will be built, and that will change the topography of the region.
• Areas getting submerged: Possibility of new dams comes with the threat of large otherwise habitable or reserved land getting submerged under water or surface water.
  • For instance, the Ken-Betwa River Interlinking (KBRIL) Project will lead to the submergence of a major portion of the core area of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
• Aqua life: Several leading environmentalists are of the opinion that the project could be an ecological disaster.
  • There would be a decrease in downstream flows resulting in a reduction of freshwater inflows into the seas seriously jeopardizing aquatic life.
• Displacement of people: As large strips of land might have to be converted to canals, a considerable population living in these areas must need to be rehabilitated to new areas.
• International issues: There is a lack of an international legal framework for the projects India is proposing.
  • In at least some inter-link projects, neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh may be affected, and international concerns for the project must be negotiated.
• Inter-state disputes: River water has no boundary and flows across different states. Hence River water remains a matter of dispute between the states normally.
  • Interlinking of those already disputed rivers can further worsen the situation between the states.
• Dirtying of clean water: As the rivers interlink, rivers with dirty water will get connected to rivers with clean water, hence dirtying the clean water.

Way Forward:

The interlinking of rivers project is a major challenge and an opportunity to deal with water-related problems such as drought, floods, climate change, and so on. The long-term strategy for the water deficit problem lies in making the interlinking of rivers challenging by building a network of dams, reservoirs, barrages, hydropower structures, and canals throughout the geographical regions of the country.

However, the interlinking of rivers is a good solution for the shortage of water, but interlinking has to take place after a survey and detailed study to overcome the possible challenges in its implementation.

About National Water Development Agency:

• It was set up in July 1982 as an autonomous society under the Societies Registration act 1860 under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• It was established to carry out the water balance and other studies on a scientific and realistic basis for optimum utilization of water resources of the Peninsular River system for preparation of feasibility reports and thus to give concrete shape to the Peninsular River development component of the National perspective plan.
• NWDA explores the feasibility of intra-states links and takes up the work for the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) of river link proposals under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) and DPRs of intra-State links.

Source: The Hindu 

Context

Justice Dipankar Dutta recently took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court. With the appointment of Justice Dutta, the Supreme Court will have 28 judges out of the strength of 34 judges.

Context

Recently the International Anti-Corruption Day-2022 was organised by the CBI on ‘Anti-Corruption efforts – A sine qua non for Development and Security.

About the Corruption:

• Corruption refers to misusing public power for personal gain. It can be done by an elected politician, civil servant, journalist, administrator of a school, or anyone in authority.
• Apart from public corruption, we also have private corruption between individuals and businesses.
• Thus, the corruption definition applies to different forms.

Global surveys and indices:

• India has the highest rate of bribery and use of personal links to access public services such as healthcare and education in Asia, according to a survey released by global civil society Transparency International.
• India is in the 85th position among 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index, 2021.

Causes of corruption:

• Legacy issues: Rampant poverty and empty coffers of the government at the dawn of independence leading to chronic low salaries of the government officials
  • Pre liberalization license permit raj catered by Monopolies and restrictive trade practices facilitated the corruption.
  • The lack of economic freedom led to abuse of the system.
  • Necessities of development overshadowed vigilance procedures.
• Political system: Use of black money in elections to win at any cost creates the need for the recovery of that cost through malpractices.
  • Election funding is not transparent making it prone to the usage of black money and funding based on quid pro quo.
  • It leads to crony capitalism, an unholy nexus between politicians and corporates.
  • Criminalization of politics- when the rule-breakers become rule makers, the casualty is the rule of law.
• Economic structure: Low levels of formalization (merely 10%) of the economy breed black money.
  • Stringent compliance rules for entry and exit for businesses result in bribery.
  • Unequal distribution of wealth – Transparency International data suggests that corruption is directly proportionate to the economic gap in a nation.
• Legal lacunae: Archaic laws like IPC 1860 don’t capture the complexities of administration and lead to the escape of wrongdoers.
  • Lacunae in the Lokpal act and delays in the appointments both at the state and central levels
  • Dilution of the RTI act and political misuse of CBI and other agencies.
• Administrative lacunae: Loopholes give discretionary powers to the officials making working prone to corruption.
  • Lack of resources, funding, infrastructure and manpower in the vigilance institutions.
  • Lack of incorporation of standard practices by organizations like Banks, sports organizations which results in multi-billion-rupee scams.
  • g. Punjab National Bank scam, commonwealth scam.
• Judicial delays: Lack of protection to good Samaritans
  • Targeting of upright and non-corrupt officials and rewards to corrupt officials
  • Near non-existent whistleblowers protection
• Social problems: The mindset of the citizenry that doesn’t look at the problems seriously and even accepts it as a necessary part of the system.
  • Increasing consumerism in the new middle class that is ready to bribe to get things done.
  • Failure of social morality, education system to inculcate the values

Impacts of corruption:

• Hindrances to developmental process: Loss of wealth due to corruption and siphoning away of taxpayers’ money leave little to spend in the social sector.
• Corruption in the social sectors like PDS, health and education schemes lead to demographic disadvantage.
• Economic loss: Undermines ease of doing business.
  • Corruption in the public services sector carries high risks for conducting good businesses.
  • Companies are likely to unwanted red tapes, petty corruption, bribes for finalizing any procedures or deals.
  • Wrong allocation policies result in undervaluation of resources like Coal blocks, Hydrocarbon projects, Spectrum allocation. Eg. 2G scam, Coalgate.
  • This mismanagement of resources leads to environmental degradation and exploitation.
  • Corruption of financial sector officials like Banks, the stock market erodes the strength of the economy. E.g. PNB scam, PMC scam, Harshad Mehta scandal
• Social sector losses: Corruption in government projects targeting poor and vulnerable section of the society increases the economic gap between the rich and the poor
• The corrupt system denies the poor a chance to improve their status rendering them eternally poor

Legal Framework for Fighting Corruption:

• Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 provides for penalties in relation to corruption by public servants and also for those who are involved in the abetment of an act of corruption.
  • Amendment of 2018 criminalised both bribe-taking by public servants as well as bribe giving by any person.
• The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 aims to prevent instances of money laundering and prohibits use of the ‘proceeds of crime’ in India.
• The Companies Act, 2013 provides for corporate governance and prevention of corruption and fraud in the corporate sector.
  • The term ‘fraud’ has been given a broad definition and is a criminal offence under the Companies Act.
• The Indian Penal Code, 1860 sets out provisions which can be interpreted to cover bribery and fraud matters, including offences relating to criminal breach of trust and cheating.
• The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 regulates the acceptance and use of foreign contributions and hospitality by individuals and corporations.

Regulatory Framework:

• The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 provides for an establishment of an ombudsman for the central and state governments (Lokpal and Lokayuktas, respectively).
• These bodies are required to act independently from the government and have been empowered to investigate allegations of corruption against public servants, which include the prime minister and other ministers.
• The Central Vigilance Commission is mandate is to oversee the vigilance administration and to advise and assist the executive in matters relating to corruption.

Suggestive Measures:

• Education: Education is one of the most critical steps. It can help in reinforcing the correct business practices.
  • Mandatory education courses like anti-money laundering must be introduced.
• Accountability: Accountability mechanisms can also help in curbing corruption.
• Efficient Reporting: Furthermore, it can be easier to reduce corruption if reporting it becomes simple.
• Leading by the best practices: The senior employees in the management department must lead by example and cultivate an open and transparent culture.
• Encouraging ethical culture: Similarly, rewards and incentives must be granted to encourage people to cultivate an ethical culture.
• Need for innovative anti-corruption solutions: There is the need for real-time information sharing between law enforcement agencies.

There is a need for windfall reforms in each and every section of the system to fight the menace. Every aspect of governance must be improved for efficiency, economy, and effectiveness.

About International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD):

• It has been observed annually, on 9 December, since the passage of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption on 31 October 2003

Significance of 2022 IACD:

• The 2022 IACD also marks the beginning of the twentieth anniversary of the UN Convention Against Corruption – UNCAC.
• This is reflected by the theme of this year’s international day, ‘UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption.’
• It seeks to highlight the crucial link between anti-corruption and peace, security, and development.

Source: Indian Express

GS-III

Context

An indigenous community called Malampadandram tribe collective is helping the authorities keep the forest roads clean at Sabarimala forests.

About Malampadandram Tribe:

• This is the name of a small, nomadic community living in the remote forest.
• Fishing and collecting fruits and other edibles from the forest are the main occupations of this community that depends on the forest for all their needs.
• The Malai Pandaram or otherwise termed as Hill Pandaram is a scheduled tribe.
• They are mainly distributed in the high range areas of Kollam and Pathanamthitta Districts. The 2011 Census recorded their population as 2,422.
• In the Travancore region they have a patios referred by others as Pandaram Basha. With others they converse in Malayalam and educated use the Malayalam script for writing.
• The major traditional occupation is hunting and gathering.
• They continue to be engaged in their traditional occupation of making and selling of rudrakshamala, tulasimala, glass beads necklace and bangles.
• Some of them have traditional knowledge in herbal medicines.
• The medicinal herbs are collected from forests of Sabarimalai, Irali (Idukki) and Wayanad.

Source:  The Hindu

Context

Delegates from 196 countries — Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) — are meeting in Montreal, Canada from December 7-21 with the aim to hammer out a new global agreement on halting environmental loss.

About Aichi Targets:

• The Aichi Targets, adopted during the 2010 CBD summit in Nagoya, located in Japan’s Aichi prefecture, included goals such as reducing deforestation by at least half during the coming decade and curbing pollution so that it no longer harmed ecosystems.
• according to a September 2020 UN assessment, No single country met all 20 Aichi Targets within its own borders.
• India is also a party to the Convention.
• The convention is legally binding on its signatories.
• Only two member states of the United Nations are not Parties to the CBD, namely: the USA and the Vatican.
• The most notable Aichi objective and one of the few to include a numerical goal — aimed to protect or conserve 17% of all land and inland waters and 10% of the ocean by the end of the decade.
• Today about 15% of the world’s land and 8% of ocean territories are under some form of protection, though the level of protection varies.
• The Global Environment Facility, the primary source of financing for international biodiversity protection, has collected around $5 billion from 29 countries for the funding period from 2022 to 2026.
• The Aichi Targets also failed to garner buy-in from governments beyond the environmental ministers who brokered the deal.

About Global Environment Facility (GEF):

• The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance in developing countries for projects related to:
  • biodiversity and climate change,
  • international waters,
  • land degradation,
  • persistent organic pollutants (POPs),
  • mercury,
  • sustainable forest management,
  • food security, and
  • sustainable cities.
• It is the largest source of multilateral funding for biodiversity globally.
• It was established ahead of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
• In addition to funding projects, the GEF also serves as financial mechanism for the following conventions:
  • Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
  • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
  • United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
  • Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
  • Minamata Convention on Mercury
• It also supports implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Source:  Indian Express

Recently, the Rajya Sabha passed the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2022 which seeks to give effect to India’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (‘CITES’).

About Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972:

• The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 provides a legal framework for the protection of various species of wild animals and plants, management of their habitats, regulation and control of trade in wild animals, plants and products made from them.
• The act also lists schedules of plants and animals that are afforded various degrees of protection and monitoring by the government.

Proposed Amendments in the Bill:

• This amendment proposed a new schedule for species listed in the Appendices under CITES.
• Section 6 has been amended to constitute Standing Committee to exercise such powers and duties as may be delegated to it by the State Board for Wildlife.
• Section 43 of the act amended which permitted the use of elephants for ‘religious or any other purposes’.
• To enable the Central government to appoint a Management Authority Section 49E has been inserted.
• The Bill also enhances the penalties prescribed for violation of provisions of the Act.
  • For ‘General violations’, maximum fine is increased from 25,000 to 1 lakh.
  • In case of Specially protected animals, the minimum fine of Rs. 10,000 has been enhanced to Rs. 25,000.
• To allow the Central Government to appoint a Scientific Authority to provide guidance on matters relating to the impact on the survival of the specimens on being traded.
• The Bill also empowers Central government to regulate and stop the import, trade or possession of invasive plant or animal alien species.

Concerns Associated with the Bill:

• Phrase “any other purpose” is vague and has potential of encouraging commercial trade of elephants.
• Some important issues regarding Human-Wildlife conflict, Eco-sensitive zone rule, etc., has not been addressed.
• According to the report provided by the Parliamentary Standing Committee, species listed in all three schedules of the Bill are incomplete.
• The scientists, botanists, biologists are short in number and needed greater inclusion of them to accelerate the process of listing all existing species of wildlife.

Regulations regarding Elephants Translocation:

• The Forest Act enacted in 1927 listed elephants as Cattle, whereas WLPA, 1972 considers elephants, donkeys, mules, camels, and horses as “vehicles”.
• Though the elephant is being given the highest legal protection in 1977, the elephant is the only animal in the Wildlife Protection Act Schedule-1 which could be legally owned by means of inheritance or gift.
• One among the several amendments in WLPA, 1972 prohibits trade in captive wildlife and any transfer across state boundaries without the permission of respective chief wildlife warden which made elephant trade underground as elephant traders fixed fake commercial deeds to present elephants as gifts for inter-state transfer.
• The WLPA amendment Bill 2021 proposed an exception to Section 43: “This section shall not apply to the transfer or transport of any live elephant by a person having a certificate of ownership, where such person has obtained prior permission from the State Government on fulfilment of such conditions as may be prescribed by the Central Government.”

Conflict of Vermin:

• The damage to the national economy due to crop depredation by wild animals has never been computed. Since 1972, the WLPA has identified a few species — fruit bats, common crows, and rats — as vermin.
  • Killing animals outside this list was allowed under two circumstances: *Under Section 62 of WLPA, given sufficient reasons, any species other than those accorded the highest legal protection (such as tigers and elephants but not wild boars or nilgais) can be declared vermin at a certain place for a certain time.
• Under Section 62 of WLPA, given sufficient reasons, any species other than those accorded the highest legal protection (such as tigers and elephants but not wild boars or nilgais) can be declared vermin at a certain place for a certain time.
• Under Section 11 of WLPA, the chief wildlife warden of a state can allow the killing of an animal, irrespective of its status in the Schedules, if it becomes “dangerous to human life”.
• In recent years, however, the Centre has started using its powers under Section 62 to issue sweeping orders declaring species as vermin at even state levels, often without any credible scientific assessment.
  • For example, nilgais were declared as vermin across 20 districts in Bihar for a year in 2015.
  • The Centre cited “large-scale destruction of agriculture” as the ground for declaring monkeys (Rhesus macaque) vermin in Shimla municipality in 2019.
• The issue has since entered the realm of centre-state politics. Since last year, Kerala’s requests for declaring wild boars as vermin have been turned down repeatedly by the Environment ministry.

Source: Indian Express