UPSC Key- March 7, 2023: Know about Court-martial, International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and Migrants

Court martial in J&K killing of 3: Life term for Army officer

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-AN ARMY court has recommended life imprisonment for a Captain over the killing of three men at Amshipora in J&K’s Shopian district in 2020, Army sources said Monday. The sentence, however, will be finalised only after higher Army authorities confirm it, they said. Captain Bhoopendra Singh, alias Major Bashir Khan, was court-martialled after a Court of Inquiry and a subsequent summary of evidence found that troops under his command exceeded their powers under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in the incident.

• What is court-martial?

• Why is it called court-martial?

• The Amshipora case-What happened exactly?

• Quick Recall-On July 18, 2020, Imtiyaz Ahmed (20), Abrar Ahmed (25) and Mohammed Abrar (16), all labourers hailing from Jammu’s Rajouri district, were shot and branded as terrorists by troops under the officer’s command in Shopian district. The J&K Police set up a Special Investigation Team, which filed a chargesheet against three persons, including Captain Singh, for “staging” the encounter.

• How is Indian Army court-martial done?

• What is the process in the military?

• Is there any legal recourse available for accused?

• Do You Know-Under section 164 of the Army Act, the accused can file a pre-confirmation petition as well as one post- confirmation. A pre-confirmation petition will go to the Army Commander, who may look into its merits. The accused can also file a post-confirmation petition, but this must be filed with the government since the officer is cashiered his ranks are removed and he is dismissed from service — after confirmation of the sentence by the Army commander. After these options have been exhausted, the accused can approach the Armed Forces Tribunal, which can suspend the sentence.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍J&K court martial: How armed forces punish their personnel for crime

EXPRESS NETWORK

PM to open national disaster risk reduction meet in Delhi

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-From land subsidence in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath to the earthquake in Turkey, the recent experiences in disaster management would be discussed at the the third session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) conference to be held in Delhi on March 10-11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the conference where all stakeholders will share their knowledge and experiences and discuss the latest developments in disaster risk reduction.

• Disaster Management in India-Know Standard of Procedure

• What is National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction?

• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)-Know in detail

• What is the story behind the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)?

• For Your Information- International debate and discussion on disaster response and preparedness peaked in the middle of the 1990s and continued for the next ten years. The UN’s adoption of the Yokohama Strategy Plan (1994) and the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005) were two of the more noteworthy and significant ones. India saw some of its worst natural disasters during that time, including the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the Gujarat Earthquake, and the Orissa Super Cyclone (1999). (2004). The need for an extensive disaster management plan was highlighted by this series of events and the global context. This resulted in the Disaster Management Act being passed on December 26th, 2005. To establish the policies, plans, and procedures for disaster management, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was established.

• What are the objectives of NDMA?

• What is the role and mandate of NDRF?

• What are the pre disaster measures taken to manage earthquake disaster?

• What is post-disaster management of earthquakes?

• How disaster management is done in the landslide and subsidence-hit zone?

• How do the Centre and state government ensure the safety and rehabilitation of residents in disaster prone areas?

• What is quantitative risk assessment?

• What are the basic components of disaster management?

• What are the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in disaster management?

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📍UPSC Essentials: One word a day – NDMA, the statutory body

EXPRESS NETWORK

India to launch global alliance for big cats, invest $100 mn

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-INDIA HAS proposed to launch a mega global alliance under its leadership to protect big cats and assured support over five years with guaranteed funding of $100 million (over Rs 800 crore), according to records reviewed by The Indian Express.

• International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)-What exactly is the proposal?

• For Your Information-The proposed International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) will work towards the protection and conservation of the seven major big cats — tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah. Membership to the alliance will be open to 97 “range” countries, which contain the natural habitat of these big cats, as well as other interested nations, international organisations, etc.

• Who are potential IBCA member nations?

• Map Work-potential IBCA member nations

• Know the big five

• Do You Know-The IBCA’s governance structure will comprise a General Assembly consisting of all member countries, a council of at least seven but not more than 15 member countries elected by the General Assembly for a term of 5 years, and a Secretariat. Upon the recommendation of the Council, the General Assembly will appoint the IBCA Secretary General for a specific term.
After the first five years, which will be supported by India’s “total grant assistance” of $100 million, the IBCA is expected to sustain itself through membership fees, and contributions from bilateral and multilateral institutions and the private sector. However, the proposed move has invited criticism, too.

• Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India-Important Highlights

• National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)-Role, Area of Work and Chairman

• Wildlife Institute of India-Under which Ministry?

• Cheetah in India- Background

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Cheetahs and others: know the 7 big cats

CEA regulations violate SC rules, pose threat to endangered species: petitioners

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has issued Draft Central Electricity Authority (Construction of Electric Lines in Great Indian Bustard Area) Regulations, 2023, according to which all electric lines of 33 kV and below passing through the ‘Great Indian Bustard Area’ will be underground, while those above 33KV will be overhead lines installed with bird flight diverters. The regulations, issued on February 1, came in light of a case in the Supreme Court on the issue of threat to the endangered Great Indian Bustards. The petitioners in the Supreme Court case have objected to the regulations, saying they are in direct violation of the court’s directives and a threat to the endangered species.

• Great Indian Bustard-Know in detail

• Do You Know-The Great Indian Bustard is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world and has disappeared from 90% of its habitat except in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has categorised the species as ‘critically endangered’. According to the petitioners, overhead power lines are the biggest threat to the birds.

• What is the Great Indian Bustard?

• Great Indian Bustards and their habitats-Mark on Map

• Why is the Great Indian Bustard endangered?

• Why is the Great Indian Bustard is on the brink of extinction?

• Great Indian Bustard-Know the Conservation efforts

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍The Great Indian Bustards of Kutch: Their habitats, existential threat

📍SC floats idea of ‘Project GIB’:What is this endangered bird

THE WORLD

Taiwan cautions over China’s ‘sudden entry’ in areas close to island

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Main Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng warned on Monday the island has to be on alert this year for a “sudden entry” by the Chinese military into areas close to its territory amid rising military tensions across the Taiwan Strait. China has stepped up its military activities around Taiwan in recent years, including almost daily air force incursions into the island’s air defence identification zone.

• Why “sudden entry” by the Chinese military into areas close to Taiwan’s territory?

• “The United States is Taiwan’s most important international arms supplier and the increasing US support for the democratic island has added to tension in already strained US-Sino relations”-Analyse China-Taiwan relationship in the backdrop of the given statement

• Taiwan and China-Know the Background

• China-Taiwan tensions-Know in detail

• How does the world, and US, view Taiwan?

• How does the India view Taiwan?

• “Many East Asian and South East Asian countries economic and commercial interests are bound ever tighter with the large and growing Chinese economy”-How far you agree with this?

• “Taiwan can be next Ukraine”-How far you agree with this statement?

• Map Work-Taiwan

• What is “porcupine doctrine”?

• Why there is need for such a strategy?

• What is Taiwan’s strategy to fight back in case China attempts to occupy it by force?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Taiwan military to get $619-mn US arms boost amid China incursions

EXPLAINED

India’s migrant numbers

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Manufacturers in Tamil Nadu have expressed concern over the possibility of North Indian workers leaving the state after videos — rejected as fake by the government — purportedly showing Hindi-speaking men being assaulted, created panic among migrants. Almost a million migrants are estimated to work in Tamil Nadu, and industry bodies fear the state’s industrial and manufacturing sector would be severely impacted by an exodus. The large scale reverse migration of workers to their home states during the Covid-19 lockdown three years ago had seriously disrupted economic activity.

• Who are migrants?

• What data on migration says?

• Human Migration-know in detail

• Do You Know-The 2011 census reported the number of internal migrants in India at 45.36 crore, making up 37% of the country’s population. This number included both inter-state migrants and migrants within each state. The annual net migrant flows amounted to about 1 per cent of the working age population. As per the 2011 census, India’s workforce was 48.2 crore strong. This figure is estimated to have exceeded 50 crore in 2016 — the Economic Survey that year pegged the size of the migrant workforce at roughly 20 per cent of the population, or more than 10 crore individuals.

• What is the difference between inter and intra migration?

• What are the Push and Pull factors of migration?

• Migration-know its significance

• Migration-What are the challenges?

• What does the term “domestic migrant” mean

• How the International Organization for Migration (The UN) defines a migrant?

• For Your Information-District-wise migration data in the Economic Survey for 2016-17 showed that the highest influx of migrants within the country was in city-districts such as Gurugram, Delhi, and Mumbai; along with Gautam Budh Nagar (Uttar Pradesh); Indore and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh); Bengaluru (Karnataka); and Thiruvallur, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Erode, and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu). The highest outward movement of migrant workers was from Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur, Kaushambi, Faizabad, and 33 other districts of Uttar Pradesh; Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudra Prayag, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora, and Champawat in Uttarakhand; Churu, Jhunjhunu, and Pali in Rajasthan; Darbhanga, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Sheikhpura, Bhojpur, Buxar, and Jehanabad in Bihar; Dhanbad, Lohardaga, and Gumla in Jharkhand; and Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra.

• “Relatively less developed states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have high net out-migration. Relatively more developed states take positive CMM (Cohort-based Migration Metric) values reflecting net immigration”-Elaborate

• For Your Extra Information-A report, ‘Migration in India 2020-21’, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in June 2022 had collated some numbers for temporary visitors and migrants. As per the report, 0.7 per cent of the country’s population was recorded as a ‘temporary visitor’ across households during the July 2020-June 2021 period after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Don’t panic, people of Tamil Nadu are friendly, Guv Ravi tells migrant workers

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