UPSC Key | Tungabhadra dam, Western Ghats, UNESCO Kalinga Prize and more

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Explained

How Tungabhadra dam gate was swept away, why farmers are fearful

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-I, III: Geography, Disaster Management

What’s the ongoing story- A flood alert has been sounded downstream of the Tungabhadra dam in Karnataka’s Koppal district after one of the 33 crest gates of the massive stone masonry dam across the Tungabhadra river was washed away late on Saturday evening (August 10).

Prerequisites:

— Location of Tungabhadra dam

— What are the purpose of Dams?

Key takeaways: 

— The Tungabhadra, which is formed at the confluence near Shimoga of two streams, Tunga and Bhadra, that rise in the Western Ghats, flows into the Krishna at Sangamaleshwaram in Andhra Pradesh. The river, which forms part of the boundary between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, has a total catchment area of almost 70,000 sq km.

— The Tungabhadra reservoir sprawls over an area of 378 sq km primarily in Karnataka’s Vijayanagar district. It is one of the major reservoirs in South India that supplies water for irrigation and industrial use, as well as drinking water to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

— The dam was first conceived of in 1860 to mitigate the impact of recurrent famine in Rayalaseema. Construction was begun by the erstwhile governments of Hyderabad and Madras in 1945, and the project was completed in 1953.

— The Tungabhadra Board was established by a presidential order in 1953. The Board currently has a chairman appointed by the Union government, and four members, representing the Union government and the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

Points to Ponder: 

— What are the challenges associated with Dams in India?

— What is the dam Safety Act?

— What are the key Dams in India?

Post Read Question:

(1) Match the following:

Dams	Rivers
1. Tehri Dam	Bhagirathi
2. Indira Sagar Dam	Krishna
3. Nagajuna Sagar Dam	Narmada
4. Hirakud Dam	Mahanadi

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Flood threat in Karnataka as Tungabhadra dam’s crest gate washed away

Hindenburg-Adani-Buch saga

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-III: Economy

What’s the ongoing story- A year and a half after its January 2023 report on the Adani Group, US-based short seller Hindenburg Research has levelled allegations against the chairperson of India’s capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). Hindenburg alleged on Saturday that Sebi chief Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband, Dhaval Buch, had stakes in offshore funds used in the alleged Adani money siphoning scandal.

Prerequisites:

— What is the role of SEBI?

— What is the siphoning of funds?

— What is the conflict of interests?

— What is short selling?

Key takeaways: 

— The Buchs have denied the allegation and Sebi has said that it has adequate internal mechanisms for addressing issues relating to conflict of interest, including a disclosure framework and provisions for recusal.

— In a 106-page report released on January 25, 2023, Hindenburg accused Gautam Adani’s Adani Group of “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades”.

— On March 2, 2023, the Supreme Court set up a six-member expert committee to investigate whether there was regulatory failure in dealing with the alleged contravention of laws by the Adani Group or other companies.

— In November 2023, the court said it had no reason to discredit Sebi, and that it did not have to treat the contents of the Hindenburg report as the “true state of affairs”.

— Hindenburg has now alleged that “it suspects Sebi’s unwillingness to take meaningful action against suspect offshore shareholders in the Adani Group may stem from Sebi Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch’s complicity in using the exact same funds used by Vinod Adani, brother of Gautam Adani”.

For Your Information:

From the Editorial- Institution and Individual

— P Vaidyanathan Iyer writes: The latest revelations by US-headquartered Hindenburg Research on the investments by Sebi Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband Dhaval Buch in a certain global offshore fund linked to the Adani Group puts to test the balance between institutional autonomy and accountability that such positions demand.

— The confidence of common investors in the securities market rests squarely on Sebi’s professional competence and institutional credibility as much as it does on the integrity of the person helming the regulatory body. And the regulator must not only be of impeccable integrity but also be seen to be above board.

— This then begs a question: Did she and her husband have “constructive knowledge” about the deployment of funds?

— To whom could she have disclosed this? First, to the Supreme Court. Would the Court have dismissed a plea to set up a court-monitored team to probe the allegations against the Adani Group, if it had knowledge about the Sebi chief’s conflict of interest? Would it not have asked Sebi or the government to recuse her from the investigation to ascertain the real economic ownership of 13 overseas entities — which the regulator has been struggling to find out since October 2020?

— Second, to the six-member expert committee set up by the SC in March 2023. This committee was set up to examine if there was regulatory failure in dealing with the alleged contravention of laws pertaining to the securities market in relation with the Adani Group or other companies. If she did make this disclosure to the committee, it was incumbent upon it to inform the Supreme Court.

— A voluntary disclosure about investments to the Sebi board alone may not suffice when it comes to the head of a market regulator.

Points to Ponder: 

— How does SEBI control the securities market?

— What are the concerns related to SEBI?

— What is the role of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC)?

Post Read Question:

(2) Consider the following statements:

1. SEBI is a non-constitutional body which was established in 1995.

2. Madhabi Puri Buch became the first women Chairperson of SEBI.

3. The main purpose of SEBI is to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote and regulate the securities market.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Hindenburg’s new allegations: How SEBI board is supposed to address conflicts of interest

As Sebi chief Madhabi Buch digs heels in, key query: Did she disclose fund linked to Adani?

 

Express Network

Naveen urges Centre to continue support to UNESCO Kalinga Prize

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-I, GS-II: Indian Heritage and Culture, Important International Institutions.

What’s the ongoing story- The Science and Technology Ministry has withdrawn its contribution to the prestigious UNESCO Kalinga Prize for Popularisation of Science, UNESCO’s oldest award, instituted through a donation by Odisha’s former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik way back in 1951.

Prerequisites:

— Know in details about the UNESCO Kalinga Prize.

— Organisation to look for: UNESCO 

Key takeaways: 

— Official sources said the decision to withdraw the Department of Science and Technology’s annual contribution to the award was part of the recent decision to ‘rationalise’ all science awards. The government has, last year, instituted a new set of science awards, called Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar, to replace all the earlier awards, including the coveted Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards. The inaugural set of Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskars were announced last week.

— Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, however, has protested the government’s decision and written to Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh to ensure that the support is restored.

— The Science Ministry has been supporting this award since 2001. The award carries a cash prize of US$ 40,000. The winner also receives a Kalinga Chair established by the DST which also carries a cash component of US$ 5,000. Besides, the winner is invited to travel to India for two to four weeks and interact with scientists and science communicators. The expenses of this are also borne out by the DST. Besides DST, the Kalinga Foundation and the state government of Odisha also contribute to the main award money.

— The winner of this award is selected by the Director-General of UNESCO upon the recommendation of a jury of five members. It is the Science Analysis and Policies Division of the UNESCO which administers this award. The award ceremony is scheduled during the celebration of the World Science Day in Budapest as the guest of UNESCO and India in the alternate years.

For Your Information:

— Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar awardees: The RVP comprises four awards — Vigyan Ratna for lifetime achievement, Vigyan Shri for scientists of all ages, Vigyan Yuva for scientists under 45 years, and Vigyan Team for collaborative research work.

— The award ceremony will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre on August 23, the first National Space Day.

— These new awards were instituted last year after disbanding all existing science awards, including the coveted Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize. Vigyan Yuva is a replacement for the Bhatnagar Prize, which too used to be given to outstanding scientists below 45 years old.

Points to Ponder: 

— What is Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar?

— What are the UNESCO World Heritage sites in India?

— What initiatives have been taken by the government with regard to the science, technology, and innovation ecosystem?

Post Read Question:

(3) Which one of the following was the latest inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO? (UPSC 2024)

(a) Chhau dance

(b) Durga puja

(c) Garba dance

(d) Kumbh mela

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar awardees

Western Ghats: States’ submission on ESAs to Centre’s committee based on old surveys

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-III: Environment

What’s the ongoing story- The Centre’s expert panel — tasked with finalising the extent of eco-sensitive areas (ESA) in the Western Ghats — has received submissions broadly based on old ground truthing surveys carried out by states governments, The Indian Express has learnt.

Prerequisites:

— What are eco-sensitive areas (ESAs)?

— What is the Kasturirangan Committee Report?

— What is the purpose of demarcating the ESAs?

Key takeaways: 

— New mining projects, thermal power plants, sand mining, quarrying, township constructions are banned in villages proposed as ESAs. 

— Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu carried out the surveys between 2013 and 2018 to physically verify the extent of villages declared as ESA by Centre in a draft notification based on the K Kasturirangan panel’s report.

— It is learnt that the expert panel is being assisted by the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun to verify the green cover and extent of villages marked as ESA and weed out survey errors.

— It is learnt that most states, except Gujarat — where the spread of ESA proposed (449 sq km) is the smallest — have sought reductions in the area under ESA. There has been negligible headway made with Karnataka as they have rejected implementation of the Kasturirangan panel’s recommendations.

For Your Information:

— A landslide in Karnataka’s Wayanad district that has claimed more than 300 lives has brought back into focus the 2011 Dr. Madhav Gadgil report and the K. Kasturirangan report on the conservation of the Western Ghats.

— In 2010, then Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh appointed the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), to be chaired by ecologist Dr Madhav Gadgil. The commission submitted its 552-page report to the Centre in August 2011.

— The report recommended classifying 64 percent of the Western Ghats, spread over six states, into Ecologically Sensitive Zones called ESZ 1, ESZ 2 and ESZ 3. It also recommended designating the entire region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).

— A major recommendation was a ban on growing single commercial crops like tea, coffee, cardamom, rubber, banana and pineapple, which have led to “fragmentation of forest, soil erosion, degradation of river ecosystems and toxic contamination of the environment”.

— The Western Ghats are a 1,600-km-long mountain chain running the western coast of the country covering six states — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. It has been accorded the World Heritage status by UNESCO.

— In August 2012, then Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan constituted a High-Level Working Group on Western Ghats under former Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chief Dr K Kasturirangan.

— While the Gadgil panel recommended 64 percent area in the Western Ghats, a report by a panel led by Dr K Kasturirangan notified only 37 percent of the area as ecologically sensitive.

Points to Ponder: 

— Why western ghats are vulnerable to landslides?

— How far anthropogenic activities are responsible for disasters?

— What are landslides-prone areas in India?

Post Read Question:

(4) ‘Gadgil Committee Report’ and ‘Kasturirangan Committee Report’, sometimes seen in the news, are related to (UPSC CSE 2016)

(a) constitutional reforms

(b) Ganga Action Plan

(c) linking of rivers

(d) protection of Western Ghats

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

UPSC Issue at a Glance | Landslides : 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

 

The Editorial Page

The Court is a shield

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance- Constitution, Rights Issues

Mains Examination: GS-II: Indian polity 

What’s the ongoing story- Rekha Sharma writes—“On August 9, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment in Manish Sisodia’s case holding that a speedy trial is a fundamental right within the broad scope of Article 21 of the Constitution, which includes the right to live with dignity.”

Prerequisites:

— What are the fundamental rights provided in the Constitution of India?

— What is bail and its types.

— Know about the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

— What are the bail provisions under PMLA?

Key takeaways: 

— “The judgment not only sets Manish Sisodia free but also holds hope for lakhs of prisoners who are languishing in jail without trial or on account of the slow pace of trials. Although the SC has said nothing new, this verdict goes beyond salutary words. It has acted on its stated position.”

— “More importantly, it has held that the right to speedy trial should be read in Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which says that no person shall be released on bail unless the court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he is not guilty of such offence, and that he is not likely to commit any offence while on bail.”

— “In other words, the PMLA puts the burden of proving innocence on the accused — a departure from normal criminal jurisprudence where the burden of proving guilt lies on the prosecution. Notwithstanding this draconian provision that virtually makes it impossible for an accused to obtain bail, the Court has held that Section 45 of the PMLA will not come in the way of granting bail to an accused if he is suffering long incarceration without trial or due to a slow trial.”

For Your Information:

— Bail is not the rule but the exception under PMLA and both trial and constitutional courts are required to apply a ‘triple test’ to grant bail.

— These three conditions are: (i) that there are “reasonable grounds for believing that (the accused) is not guilty of such offence”; (ii) that “he is not likely to commit any offence while on bail”; and (iii) that the accused is not a flight risk.

Points to Ponder: 

— How is anticipatory bail different from regular bail or interim bail?

— How can Speedy Trial become an effective tool to address overcrowding in jails?

— What are the issues and challenges faced by the judiciary in India?

— What are the criticisms of the PMLA?

Post Read Question:

(5) ‘Right to Privacy’ is protected under which Article of the Constitution of India?

(a) Article 15

(b) Article 19

(c) Article 21

(d) Article 29

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

How anti-money laundering law came to have a vast scope, granting police powers to ED

Speedy trial can become effective tool to address overcrowding in jails, says SC panel on prison reforms

 

The Ideas Page

Relook at Dhaka

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

What’s the ongoing story- Ramanathan Kumar writes— “The ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a mass upsurge of “people’s power”, and the assumption of power in Dhaka by an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is, doubtless, a watershed moment in Bangladesh’s tumultuous history.”

Prerequisites:

— What is the ongoing conflict in Bangladesh?

— What is the history of India-Bangladesh bilateral relations?

— Read about India’s Neighbourhood First policy.

— Map work: Location of Bangladesh and Indian states sharing boundaries with Bangladesh.

Key takeaways: 

— “For the last decade and a half, Bangladesh and India have, by and large, lived peacefully as neighbours, unburdened by the rancour and recrimination that was a defining characteristic of their relationship for much of the past. The outcome has been the healthy blossoming of ties in a multitude of areas, ranging from security to multi-modal connectivity to trade and commerce to infrastructure development and people-to-people contact.”

— “Cooperation in the power and energy sector, once unthinkable, has become an important pillar of the bilateral relationship, with Bangladesh currently importing as much as 1,160 MW of power from India. The potential for further progress in all these areas — and more — is nothing less than immense.”

— “India has made every effort to reciprocate Bangladesh’s contribution towards alleviating its security concerns, but dismay persists among sections of Bangladeshi civil society over the issue of the killing of Bangladeshi nationals at the borders by Indian security forces, despite India’s effort to bring down the number of such casualties.”

— “The matter of equitable sharing of river waters, which assumes overarching priority for Bangladesh, defies easy resolution, not least on account of India’s burgeoning needs. Finding lasting solutions to these complex problems remains a work in progress, but given political will and perseverance, they can and will be resolved to the satisfaction of both sides. Mutual recrimination and whipping up negative sentiment over contentious issues cannot be the answer.”

— “Endemic poverty, mass unemployment among youth, runaway inflation, climate change, environmental degradation and the spread of infectious diseases are some of the all-pervasive enemies that respect no borders and stalk the people of both countries. It goes without saying that these common challenges can only be addressed in a spirit of mutual cooperation rather than one of hostility and mistrust.”

— “India and Bangladesh must face the future with renewed hope and confidence, eschewing the perils and embracing the promise of the fundamental reset that has taken place in Bangladesh. A reversion to the nay-saying and finger-pointing of yesteryears is not an option.”

Points to Ponder: 

— What is the significance of Bangladesh for India?

— What are the areas of cooperation and conflict between India and Bangladesh?

Post Read Question:

Analyze internal security threats and transborder crimes along Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan borders including Line of Control (LoC). Also discuss the role played by various security forces in this regard. (UPSC CSE 2018)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Why Sheikh Hasina had to flee Bangladesh — and the lesson from her ouster

After Olympics, a question

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions

What’s the ongoing story- Sanjay Srivastava writes: Apart from the unfortunate news surrounding Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from her wrestling event at the Olympics, there has been another news item that did the rounds in several international newspapers. This concerned the Ambani family and their “quest” to improve India’s standing in elite sporting events such as the Olympics.

Prerequisites:

— How does the government allocate the budget to athletes? 

Key takeaways: 

— “There is a difference between promoting physical activity among the general population and sponsoring elite sporting activity. The former improves public health, while the latter is mainly concerned with adding to private profits and feelings of (frequently middle-class) nationalism.”

— “How should we define the role of the state: Should its limited resources be devoted to increasing public welfare or enhancing private profit and the ephemeral buzz of nationalist feeling?”

— “There does not appear to be any evidence that the state’s involvement in sponsoring Olympic participation has had any public welfare effects. First, it does not translate into any concrete benefits in terms of improved health because audiences for global sporting events are inspired to adopt better lifestyle activities.”

— “Second, even if we were to grant that nationalism-fuelled exultation over medals adds to some form of emotional well-being, the fact that over the years, India has won under 45 medals altogether makes a weak case for publicly funding what is clearly very poor returns on investment.”

— “There is, on the other hand, a clear relationship between national wealth and medals acquisition. At just over 3,000 medals, the US has the largest number, followed, as expected, by countries such as Germany and the UK.”

— “Historically, there has been a close relationship between parties in power and their patronage activities…  Their primary significance and role is to further the aims of party politics rather than nurture sporting talent. Sport is politics and since the politics of sport reflects the nature of the state, sporting success cannot be an outcome of state sponsorship.”

— “On the other hand, those who genuinely believe in both greater sporting success as well as improved public welfare might consider that greater private involvement might bring about both. First, private investment is subject to the most significant rule of business: Profits… The state’s involvement, on the other hand, does not entail any “shareholder” scrutiny of this kind.”

— “We need to ask if state involvement in elite sports is the best way of using public money and who benefits from it. If elite sport is primarily about selling goods and commodities (no necessary evil in itself) and bolstering middle-class nationalism, should public funds be deployed for it? Can the private sector do it better – perhaps even create systems that are currently lacking – and should we aim at a society where public funds are expended in increasing the welfare of the majority?”

Points to Ponder: 

— Do you think private investment in sports would be beneficial for a nation like India?

— What are the challenges faced by Indian athletes?

— How is the government promoting sports among youth?

Post Read Question:

(6) What is the rank of India in the Paris Olympics 2024?

(a) 56

(b) 59

(c) 67

(d) 71

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

From Neeraj Chopra to Vinesh Phogat: How much money has Sports Ministry spent on India’s Paris Olympic-bound athletes

 

The City Page

Even a woman can be booked as a perpetrator of child sexual abuse: HC in POCSO case ruling 

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:  Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: GS-II: Constitution and Polity

What’s the ongoing story- Holding that the law cannot be given a “restrictive meaning,” the Delhi High Court in a significant ruling held that even a woman can be booked as the perpetrator of child sexual abuse.

Prerequisites:

— What is the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act?

— Who is regarded as a child as per the provisions of the POCSO Act, 2012?

— What are the provisions concerning the rights of children in the Constitution of India? 

Key takeaways: 

— Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhan, in an August 9 judgment on a revision plea filed by a woman accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, held that the accused must face trial under the Act.

— “The word “he” appearing in Section 3 of the POCSO Act cannot be given a restrictive meaning, to say that it refers only to a “male”; but must be given its intended meaning, namely that it includes within its ambit any offender irrespective of their gender,” the ruling stated.

— The accused had argued that the offence of aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the POCSO Act “can never be made out against a woman” since the Act repeatedly uses the pronoun ‘he’. The lawyers of the accused argued that the interpretation of Indian Penal Code provisions on rape, which only criminalises actions of a man, is similar to the definition of penetrative sexual assault in Section 3 of the POCSO Act.

Points to Ponder: 

— What are the challenges associated with child sexual abuse?

— What are the Initiatives, legislations and laws taken by the Government of India in this direction?

— What the 22nd Law Commission of India said on POCSO?

Post Read Question:

Examine the main provisions of the National Child Policy and throw light on the status of its implementation. (UPSC CSE 2016)