The Hindu News Paper Analysis | 14th July’ 2022 | PDF Download

Cannot impose ‘omnibus’ ban on demolitions: SC

• Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the U.P. government, objected to Mr. Dave’s submission that the demolitions targeted a certain community. On June 16, the court told the government that demolitions could happen only in accordance with the law and could not be retaliatory.

India ranks 135 out of 146 in Gender Gap Index

• India ranks 135 among a total of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index, 2022, released by the World Economic Forum on Wednesday.
• The country is the worst performer in the world in the “health and survival” sub-index in which it is ranked 146.
• India ranks poorly among its neighbours and is behind Bangladesh (71), Nepal (96), Sri Lanka (110), Maldives (117) and Bhutan (126). Only the performance of Iran (143), Pakistan (145) and Afghanistan (146) was worse than India in South Asia. In 2021, India ranked 140 out of 156 nations.
• The Global Gender Gap Index benchmarks gender parity across four key dimensions or sub-indices — economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
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Staying watchful

The President is not a mere rubber stamp

• Nevertheless, in the prevailing political atmosphere, the question ‘what kind of President does India need?’ assumes great significance. It is true that the nominee of the ruling alliance is going to be the next President.
• The main question debated therein was whether India should have a directly elected President or an indirectly elected one. The Assembly opted for an indirectly elected President.
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said: “Our President is merely a nominal figurehead. He has no discretion; he has no powers of administration at all.”
• Article 53 of the Constitution says that “the executive power of the Union shall be vested in the President and shall be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with this Constitution.”
• Under Article 54, the President is elected by an electoral college consisting of only the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the State and Union Territory Assemblies.
• The oath contains two solemn promises. First, the President shall preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Second, the President shall devote himself or herself to the service and the well-being of the people of India.

The Sputnik V conundrum

• The Supreme Court recently dismissed a plea seeking modification of the Indian government’s COVID-19 policy to allow voluntary re-vaccination of persons who have been vaccinated with Sputnik V.
• The petitioner, a recipient of Sputnik V, is unable to go overseas since the World Health Organization (WHO) had not yet certified Sputnik V in its approved list of vaccines.
• In Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978), the Supreme Court said “personal liberty” in Article 21 is “of the widest amplitude” covering “a variety of rights which go to constitute the personal liberty of man”.
• Earlier, in Satwant Singh Sawhney v. D. Ramarathnam Assistant Passport Officer (1967), the right to travel abroad was read as an intrinsic part of Article 21.

Assessing juvenility a ‘delicate task’: SC

• Section 15 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015 requires a “preliminary assessment” to be done of the mental and physical capacity of juveniles, aged between 16 and 18, who are involved in serious crimes.
• If the Juvenile Justice Board is of the opinion that the juvenile should not be treated as an adult, it would not pass on the case to the children’s court and hear the case itself. In that case, if the child is found guilty, he would be sent to juvenile care for three years.
• On the other hand, if the Board decides to refer the case to the children’s court for trial as an adult, the juvenile, if guilty, would even face life imprisonment.

‘India has achieved clean energy targets 9 years before deadline’

• India has achieved clean energy targets nine years ahead of schedule, Union Power Minister R.K. Singh said at the Sydney Energy Forum in Sydney on Wednesday.
• India has installed 162 GW (1 GW is 1,000 MW) of renewable energy capacity, which is 41% of the 402 GW of electricity installed.
• “We reached this target on November 2021 and what our Prime Minister did was ask us to raise our ambition and so in Glasgow (at the UN COP-21) our Prime Minister committed to installing 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, which would then be 50% of the installed capacity.
• In 2015, India committed to ensuring that 40% of its energy would be from renewable sources by 2030 as part of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

I2U2 can become a regional feature like Quad: Sullivan

• 
• The U.S. believes that ‘I2U2’, a group comprising India, Israel, the U.S., and the UAE, can become “a feature” of the West Asian region, just like the Quad is for the Indo-Pacific.

James Webb Space Telescope

• JWST is a joint venture between the US (Nasa), European (Esa) and Canadian space agencies (CSA).
• It is an orbiting infrared observatory that will complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope, with longer wavelength coverage and greatly improved sensitivity.
• Webb was formerly known as the “Next Generation Space Telescope” (NGST) and it was renamed in 2002 after a former NASA administrator, James Webb.
• It will be a large infrared telescope with an approximately 6.5 meter primary mirror.

Sources: The Hindu paper 

Daily Prelims question

Consider the following statement regarding Directive Principles of State Policy :

1. The Directive Principles along with the Fundamental Rights contain the philosophy of the Constitution and is the soul of the Constitution.
2. The framers of the Constitution borrowed Directive Principles of State Policy from the Irish Constitution of 1937.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q.) Consider the following statement regarding amendments to Directive Principles of state policy

1. The 86th Amendment Act of 2002 changed the subject-matter of Article 45.
2. The 97th Amendment Act of 2011 added a new Directive Principle relating to cooperative societies.

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

 

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