Read Current Affairs
- Why in News?
- The Supreme Court’s call for the Union government to frame guidelines on regulating social media speech risks strengthening an executive already prone to weaponising speech laws.
- Key Provisions:-
- Responding to a plea on derogatory remarks against disabled persons, the Court’s directive continues a troubling pattern of urging state intervention in legal grey zones, eroding constitutionally protected freedoms. Offensive humour, while distasteful, is best countered socially, not through expanded state censorship. Such powers invariably fall into partisan hands, chilling art, journalism, and political discourse.
- The IT Rules, 2021, and subsequent amendments have already tightened state control over online speech, with provisions enabling action against platforms for user content flagged by the government.
- Hate speech and incitement to violence are criminalised, offering legal remedies without overreach. Further empowering an executive with a track record of suppressing dissent undermines the judiciary’s primary role — safeguarding rights within the constitutional framework, not enabling unchecked state dominance.
- Why in News?
- The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has reaffirmed that Community Forest Resource (CFR) Gram Sabhas, through their CFR Management Committees, have exclusive authority to prepare Community Forest Resource Management Plans (CFRMPs) under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
- Key Provisions:-
- The clarification follows a Chhattisgarh forest department directive naming itself the nodal agency for CFR implementation, contrary to FRA provisions. Enacted to address historical injustices to forest-dwelling communities, the FRA safeguards their livelihood, food security, and cultural heritage. CFRMPs promote environmental justice by engaging marginalised groups, including women and tribal youth, in participatory governance and local economic activity. Plans are designed to reflect each community’s ecological, socio-economic, and cultural realities. This decentralised approach contrasts sharply with top-down management, positioning Gram Sabhas as key custodians of forests and livelihoods. To support this, the Centre launched the Dharti Aba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyaan in 2023, enabling States to empanel NGOs to assist Gram Sabhas in CFRMP preparation.
- Why in News?
- If approved, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RGI) will conduct an independent enumeration of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the 2027 Census.
- Key Provisions:-
- This move addresses a long-standing gap — nearly half of the 75 PVTGs were distinctly counted in 2011, while others, often sub-groups of larger Scheduled Tribes, were overlooked. Separate data is crucial for designing targeted interventions like the PM-JANMAN programme, aimed at reducing socio-economic disparities in over 200 districts. Recognised by the Dhebar Commission in the 1960s, PVTGs are defined by pre-agricultural technology, low literacy, economic backwardness, and stagnant or declining populations. They number 45.56 lakh nationwide, with the largest populations in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. Established in 1949 under the Home Ministry, the RGI oversees the Census, Civil Registration System, Sample Registration System, National Population Register, and Mother Tongue Survey, providing vital demographic and socio-economic data for national planning.