The Law Commission, in its 22nd report, has urged that the sedition law needs to be retained but certain amendments should be made for greater clarity regarding its usage.

Details -

Ø  The Law Commission, in its 22nd report, has urged that the sedition law needs to be retained but certain amendments should be made for greater clarity regarding its usage.

Ø  The commission said sedition being a “colonial legacy” is not a valid ground for its repeal.

Ø  However, the commission, in view of the misuse of Section 124A, has recommended that the Centre issue model guidelines to curb any misuse.

Ø  The report said that in the absence of a provision like Section 124A of IPC, any expression that incites violence against the government would invariably be tried under the special laws and counter-terror legislation, which contain much more stringent provisions to deal with the accused.

Ø  Any alleged misuse of Section 124A of IPC should be reined in by laying down adequate procedural safeguards.

Ø  However, repealing the provision altogether can have “serious adverse ramifications for the security and integrity of the country, with the subversive forces getting a free hand to further their sinister agenda as a consequence”.

What is Sedition Law?

Ø  The penal law on sedition was drafted by British historian-politician Thomas Babington Macaulay in 1837.

Ø  In the provisions of the law, sedition was defined as an act by “whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in India”.

Ø  The colonial British government primarily used the sedition charge, which was included in Section 124A of the Indian penal code in 1870, to suppress the writings and speeches of Indian nationalists and freedom fighters to crush dissent.

Section 124A of IPC -

Ø  Under section 124A of IPC, sedition is a non-bailable offence, punishable with imprisonment from three years up to life, along with a fine.

Ø  If a person is charged under section 124A of IPC, they are barred from all kinds of government jobs and their passport is seized by the government.

Ø  Ironically, the British government abolished the controversial law in United Kingdom in 2010.

Law Commission’s stance on Sedition Law -

The Law Commission of India in its report in 2018 opined that section 124A should be invoked only in cases where the intention behind any act is to disrupt public order or to overthrow the government with violence and illegal means.

Further, it was suggested by the Commission that section 124A of IPC (sedition) must remain;

however, it should be scrutinised whether the word ‘sedition’ could be substituted suitably with another word.

As Cauvery water is scheduled to be released from the Mettur dam soon, farmers in the district are undertaking preparatory measures to commence kuruvai cultivation as soon as the river water reaches their fields.

About Mettur Dam -

It is one of the largest dams in India, built in 1934.

Location —

Ø  Mettur, Salem District, Tamil Nadu.

Ø  It was constructed in a gorge where the Kaveri River enters the plains.

Ø  It provides irrigation facilities to parts of Salem, the length of Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchirappali and Thanjavur districts for 271,000 acres (110,000 ha) of farmland.

Features —

Ø  The total length of the dam is 1700 m with a maximum level of 120 feet and a capacity of 93.4 tmc ft.

Ø  The dam creates Stanley Reservoir.

Ø  Set at the foot of the dam in 1937 is the Mettur hydroelectric and thermal power plant, with a hydro-power generation of 32 MW.

Ø  There is a park adjoining the Dam on the opposite side with lawns and fountains, and also has the Muniappan/Aiyanar statue in the vicinity.

About Kaveri River -

Ø  Kaveri, also spelled Cauvery, is a sacred river of southern India. It is known as the Ganga of South India.

Ø  Origin: It rises on Brahmagiri Hill of the Western Ghats in southwestern Karnataka state.

Ø  It flows in a southeasterly direction for 765 km through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and descends the Eastern Ghats in a series of great falls.

Ø  The Cauvery basin extends over the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Ø  The river drains into the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu.

Ø  Major left bank tributaries — Harangi, the Hemavati, the Shimsha and the Arkavati.

Ø  Major right bank tributaries — Lakshmantirtha, the Kabbani, the Suvarnavati, the Bhavani, the Noyil and the Amaravati.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Prime Minister of Nepal is on an official visit to India from 31 May 2023 to 03 June 2023. This is the first bilateral visit abroad by the PM of Nepal after assuming office in December 2022.

India Nepal bilateral relations -

Ø  As close neighbours, India and Nepal share a unique relationship of friendship and cooperation characterised by open borders and deep-rooted people-to-people contacts of kinship and culture.

Ø  The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations that exist between India and Nepal.

Ø  Under this Treaty, the Nepalese citizens enjoy unparalleled advantages in India, availing facilities and opportunities at par with Indian citizens.

Ø  Nearly 6 million Nepali citizens live and work in India.

Earthquake 2015 -

Ø  A devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on 25 April 2015.

Ø  India was the first country to respond by dispatching National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and special aircrafts with rescue and relief materials to Nepal.

Ø  The total Indian relief assistance to Nepal amounted to over US$ 67 million. Later, India announced a post-earthquake reconstruction package of US$ 1 billion.

Economic relations -

Ø  India is the largest trading partner of Nepal. Nepal is also India’s 11th largest export destination, up from 28th position in 2014.

Ø  Total bilateral trade in 2021-22 reached US$ 11,005.10 million. In 2021-22, while Nepal’s exports to India stood at US$ 1,371.04 million, India’s exports to Nepal were US$ 9,634.06 million.

Indian Investment in Nepal -

Ø  India is the largest source of investment into Nepal, accounting for more than 32% of the total FDI stock of Nepal, which is worth nearly USD 520 million, as per NRB data until mid-2020.

Connectivity and development partnership -

Ø  India’s development assistance to Nepal is a broad-based programme focusing on creation of infrastructure at the grass-roots level.

Ø  Various projects have been implemented in the areas of infrastructure, health, water resources, education and rural & community development.

Ø  The total economic assistance earmarked under ‘Aid to Nepal’ budget in FY 2022-23 was Rs 6.8 billion.

Cooperation in the power sector and energy -

Ø  Nepal exports more than 450 MW of electricity to India.

Ø  India has built several hydroelectric projects, like Pokhara (1 MW), Trisuli (21 MW), Western Gandak (15 MW), and Devighat (14.1 MW) etc.

Ø  The first high-capacity 400 kV Muzaffarpur (India) — Dhalkebar (Nepal) cross-border power transmission line was completed in 2016 with Indian funding.

Ø  Two additional 132 kV cross-border transmission lines between Kataiya (India) – Kusaha (Nepal) and Raxaul (India) - Parwanipur (Nepal), built with GoI grant assistance, were completed in 2017.

Ø  South Asia’s first cross-border petroleum products pipeline, constructed and funded by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., connecting Motihari in India to Amlekhgunj in Nepal was inaugurated in September 2019.

Defence Cooperation -

A number of defence personnel from Nepal Army attend training courses in various Indian Army training institutions.

The Joint Military Exercise SURYA KIRAN is conducted alternately in India and in Nepal.

Since 1950, India and Nepal have been awarding each other’s Army Chief with the honorary rank of General in recognition of the mutual harmonious relationship between the two armies.

The Gorkha regiments of the Indian Army are raised partly by recruitment from hill districts of Nepal.

According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), India’s GDP recorded a higher-than-expected growth rate of 6.1% in January-March 2023 pushing up the growth estimate for full year 2022-23 to 7.2%. This is higher than NSO’s advance estimates of 7% for 2022-23.

Latest GDP Figures -

Ø  Contrary to market perception, GDP growth came in higher at 7.2 per cent in 2022-23.

Ø  The largest revisions happened in the fourth quarter estimates, with growth recorded at 6.1 per cent, and gross value added (GVA) at 6.5 per cent.

Factors Contributing to High Growth Rate -

The Agriculture Sector — It grew at a robust 5.5 per cent in the fourth quarter, with growth for the full year estimated at 4 per cent. 

Manufacturing —

Ø  During the last financial year, manufacturing exhibited muted growth of 1.3 per cent. It has picked up pace in the fourth quarter, growing at 4.5 per cent.

Ø  Analysts have attributed this pick up to an improvement in both volumes and corporate margins.

Construction —

Ø  Another labour-intensive sector, has also registered a healthy performance, with growth for the full year being estimated at 10 per cent.

Ø  The healthy order book position of the sector (around Rs 7 trillion for 9 construction players) reflects the medium-term revenue visibility and improvement in rural employment.

Ø  In 2022-23, basic chemicals, roadways and real estate accounted for 53 per cent of new investment announcements.

Ø  Within services, hotels, transport, and communications sector has maintained its growth momentum.

Ø  The financial, and professional services sector has seen a sustained pickup over the year.

Ø  Credit growth of scheduled commercial banks remained strong at 15.5 per cent.

Ø  The sector-wise credit data for April indicates that credit is 2.8 times higher than in April last year.

Ø  The credit-to-GDP gap has narrowed, reflecting improved credit demand in the economy in the face of rising capacity utilisation.

Areas of Concern -

Share of Consumption in GDP —

Ø  Private consumption grew by only 2.8 per cent in the fourth quarter, marginally higher than 2.2 per cent in the third quarter, reflecting in part the subdued performance of the consumer durables segment in the index of industrial production.

Ø  Government consumption has also remained weak. It registered a growth of 0.1 per cent.

Ø  Sales of domestic two-wheeler and diesel consumption have been showing traction in recent months, while tractor and fertiliser sales have moderated.

Reason of less total consumption –

Ø  Lagged response of rural consumption to the opening of the economy.

Ø  Rural consumption affected due to elevated inflation.

Ø  Rising interest rates and higher borrowing costs.

Potential challenges to India’s growth prospects -

Ø  Slowing Global Economy — As per the IMF’s World Economic Outlook released in April 2023, the global growth for 2023 is expected to be 2.8 per cent.

Ø  Rising debt levels; especially in low and middle-income countries.

Ø  Banking sector collapses in the US and Europe could affect the global financial system.

Ø  The onset of a potential El Nino event leading to a possibility of deficient rainfalls during the South West Monsoon season proves to be a threat to kharif crop production, which can impact India’s growth prospects.

Possible respite -

Ø  Slight moderation in monetary policy tightening by central banks globally opens the possibility of easing pressure on non-dollar currencies.

Ø  The recent reduction in global commodity and food prices and easing of pass-through from high input cost pressures also serves as a positive sign, especially for the manufacturing sector.

Ø  Inflation is likely to moderate significantly in the ongoing year, and a sub 5 per cent reading will now be the norm till at least October.

Ø  The correction in core inflation will ensure that non-food, non-energy items feeding into manufacturing through input prices become less of a concern.

Ø  The wedge between the correction in CPI and WPI inflation will determine pricing power over the year.

Ø  Domestic measures such as business-friendly policy reforms (such as the Foreign Trade Policy of March 2023), as well as an increase in government capital expenditure, are expected to attract private investment and boost India’s growth prospects in the coming years.

Why the big picture seems bright?

Ø  The Strength of Indian Economy is Intact — The latest robust growth numbers are indicative of the Indian economy’s resilience despite global uncertainties, and provide a positive outlook.

Ø  The rebalancing of demand from private consumption to investments will spur growth once consumption picks up.

Ø  Private investment activity looks robust and domestic monetary conditions remain supportive of growth in 2023-24.

Some additional factors —

Ø  The number of GST registrations is about 1.4 crore, whereas the current MSME units registered under Udyam have reached 1.87 crore.

Ø  The gap between the two indicates the extent of further formalisation. As these enterprises are brought into the formal system, this could lead to a credit boom for these smaller firms.

Ø  This indicates that growth is likely to overshoot RBI’s estimate of 6.5 per cent.

Conclusion -

The World Meteorological Congress has approved a new greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring initiative called Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (GGGW). 

Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (GGGW)

Ø  The Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (GGGW) is an initiative of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) focused on monitoring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Ø  GGGW aims to address information gaps by providing an integrated and operational framework that brings together space-based and surface-based observing systems, as well as modeling and data assimilation capabilities.

Ø  This initiative builds upon the WMO’s expertise in coordinating international collaboration for weather prediction and climate analysis, leveraging its long-standing activities in GHG monitoring and research under the guidance of the Global Atmosphere Watch, established in 1989.

Ø  GGGW takes a top-down approach to flux evaluation, utilizing existing capabilities in surface- and space-based observations and modeling to ensure the timely exchange of all observations and data.

Main components of GGGW include:

Ø  Comprehensive and sustained global observations of CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide concentrations, partial column amounts, total column amounts, vertical profiles, and fluxes. These observations support the monitoring of oceanic, meteorological, and terrestrial variables and are exchanged internationally as quickly as possible.

Ø  Prior estimates of GHG emissions based on activity data and process-based models.

Ø  Global high-resolution Earth system models that represent GHG cycles.

Ø  Data assimilation systems that combine observations with model calculations to generate more accurate products.

World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)

Ø  The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) responsible for meteorology, climate, operational hydrology, and related geophysical sciences.

Ø  It serves as the authoritative voice within the UN system regarding the state and behavior of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, climate patterns, and the distribution of water resources.

Ø  WMO plays a vital role in coordinating international efforts to monitor and assess atmospheric and climate systems, promoting research, facilitating data exchange, and providing weather and climate information for sustainable development.

History:

Ø  The origins of WMO can be traced back to the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), established in 1873.

Ø  In 1950, WMO was officially established as the specialized agency of the UN for meteorology, operational hydrology, and related geophysical sciences.

Ø  Building upon the foundation laid by the IMO, WMO has expanded its scope and activities to address the evolving challenges in meteorology and climate science.

Headquarters and Membership:

Ø  The headquarters of WMO is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ø  Currently, WMO has a membership of 193 countries and territories, representing virtually all nations across the globe. The membership reflects the global recognition of the importance of international cooperation in meteorology, climate, and hydrology.

Governance Structure:

The governance structure of WMO comprises several key bodies responsible for policy-making, decision-making, and the day-to-day operations of the organization: 

World Meteorological Congress:

Ø  The World Meteorological Congress is the supreme body of WMO.

Ø  It convenes at least every four years and brings together representatives from all member countries.

Ø  The Congress establishes general policies, adopts regulations, and provides strategic guidance to WMO.

Executive Council:

Ø  The Executive Council consists of 37 members, including the President and Vice-Presidents.

Ø  It meets annually to implement policies and decisions made by the World Meteorological Congress.

Ø  The Executive Council oversees the day-to-day operations and management of WMO.

Technical Commissions and Regional Associations:

Ø  WMO operates through a network of technical commissions and regional associations.

Ø  Technical commissions focus on specific areas of meteorology, hydrology, and related disciplines.

Ø  Regional associations facilitate regional cooperation and the exchange of meteorological and hydrological information.

Secretariat:

Ø  The Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General, is responsible for the coordination and administration of WMO activities.

Ø  It supports the implementation of policies and decisions made by the World Meteorological Congress and Executive Council.

Ø  The Secretariat serves as the central hub for data exchange, research coordination, and capacity building initiatives.