The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 22 June 2023

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis for UPSC

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 21 June 2023

• About Mahadayi river:
• Origin: Mahadayi river rises in the Western Ghats, from the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Khanapur taluk of Karnataka’s Belagavi district.
• The river travels 35 km in Karnataka; 82 km in Goa before joining the Arabian Sea at Panji (North-Goa).
• Also called Mandovi in Goa, Mahadayi is a rain-fed river that is shared between Karnataka and Goa for their water needs.
• The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is located on the island of Chorao in the Mandovi river.
• Major Tributaries: Kalasa Nala, Banduri Nala, Surla Nala, Haltar Nala, Poti Nala, Mahadayi Nala, Pansheer Nala, Bail Nala, Andher Nala.

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• What is the Kalasa-Banduri project?
• The project involves the construction of dams and a canal system to divert water from the Mahadayi River, located in Goa, to the Malaprabha River (a tributary of Krishna river) basin in Karnataka.
• The main goal of the project is to meet the drinking water needs of the districts of Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot, and Gadag in Karnataka.
• The project was proposed by the Karnataka Government in the 1980s, but faced opposition from the state of Goa.

• For years, there have been statements about cooperation in the hydropower sector, but, gradually, things are looking up. Nepal is endowed with an economically viable potential of 50,000 MW of hydropower, but till a decade ago, had an installed capacity of barely 1,200 MW, making it dependent on electricity imports from India.
• The fact that both sides successfully avoided controversial issues and public disagreements went a long way in keeping the focus on economic ties and ensuring that the Prachanda visit was successful. Of the three difficult issues, two are of recent origin and the third is a legacy issue.
• The legacy issue is the India–Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950.

• According to National Health Mission estimates, 6%-7% of India’s population suffers from mental disorders — i.e., one in four families is likely to have at least one member with a behavioural or mental health disorder. The situation worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic as long periods of isolation, the fear of losing loved ones, financial difficulty, and uncertainty about the future increased stress levels across social segments.
• Most of these cases remain untreated due to ignorance and social stigma.
• Over 90% of psychiatric patients in India live with their families.
• The National Mental Health Programme and the decentralised District Mental Health Programme remain focused on the patient but neglect the caregiver.

• India has 43 State-run mental health institutions with 3,800 psychiatrists and 900 clinical psychologists — i.e., one psychiatrist and psychologist for every four lakh and 16 lakh citizens, respectively.
• Though private mental health institutions provide some fillip, their services are expensive and beyond reach for many. Mental illnesses are excluded from the list of ailments covered by leading medical insurers in India.
• The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 provided a corrective step with the mandate to treat mental disorders on a par with physical disorders for insurance coverage.

• In the brutal heatwave beating down on Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, one district in U.P., Ballia, reported the most deaths.
• Heat’s deadliness depends on an individual’s general well-being, acclimatisation, physical exertion, comorbidities, location, relative humidity, and extent of heat exposure.

• The Law Commission of India in its 279th report, released in April 2023, has recommended to retain one of the most controversial sections of recent times i.e., Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on ‘sedition’.
• The Supreme Court of India, in S.G. Vombatkere v. Union of India on May 11, 2022, had directed all State governments and the central government to keep in abeyance all pending trials, appeals, and proceedings with regard to Section 124A IPC, as prima facie it felt that this Section was not in tune with the current social milieu.
• The Sedition Law in India:
• Section 124A of the IPC:
• It deals with Sedition – a non-bailable offence and was drafted by TB Macaulay and included in the IPC in 1870.
• Whoever (by words/signs/visible representation) brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in India shall be punished.
• Punishment under Section 124A: Punishment under the law varies from imprisonment up to three years to a life term and fine.
• Need of Section 124A: To effectively combat anti-national, secessionist and terrorist elements.
• Criticism of Section 124A:
• It is designed to suppress the liberty of the citizens (Gandhiji).
• It is highly objectionable and the sooner we get rid of it, the better it is (Jawaharlal Nehru).
• Not in tune with the current social milieu, and was intended for a colonial regime.
• Often misused to muzzle dissent.
• Low conviction rate.
• In SC’s view:
• In Kedar Nath Singh v State of Bihar (1962), the top court upheld the validity of Section 124A, but also attempted to restrict the colonial-era law’s scope for misuse.
• Invoking the sedition clause requires the existence of a harmful intent to promote violence and the penal provision cannot be utilised to restrict free speech.
• The government could not put citizens behind bars simply because they chose to disagree with the state policies.
• Views, which are dissent and different from the opinion of the government cannot be termed seditious.

• About Nato Plus:
• It is a grouping of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and five countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, and South Korea.
• The group works toward boosting global defence cooperation.
• Advantages for India by becoming a member of NATO Plus:
• India would gain access to seamless intelligence sharing between these countries.
• India would get access to the latest military technology without much of a time lag.
• It would further strengthen India’s defence partnership with the United States.
• What is North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?
• It is a transatlantic alliance of 31 like-minded North American and European countries.
• It was established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) on April 4, 1949.
• Aim: To protect peace and to guarantee the territorial integrity, political independence and security of the member states.
• Article Five of the treaty: If an armed attack occurs against one of the member states, it should be considered an attack against all members, and other members shall assist the attacked member, with armed forces if necessary.
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

• India was ranked 127 among 146 countries in gender parity — up eight places from last year’s place — in the Gender Gap Report, 2023 of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
• India was ranked 135 in 2022. The country had improved by 1.4 percentage points from then, marking a partial recovery towards its 2020 parity level, the report said.
• India had closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap, the report said. However, it underlined that India had reached only 36.7% parity in economic participation and opportunity. The country had attained parity in enrolment across all levels of education, it said.
• The index ranked Pakistan at 142, Bangladesh at 59, China at 107, Nepal at 116, Sri Lanka at 115 and Bhutan at 103. Iceland is the most gender-equal country for the 14th consecutive year and the only one to have closed more than 90% of its gender gap, the report said.

• What is the NCQG?
• A commitment of ‘$100 billion per year till 2020’ to developing nations from developed countries was a target set at the Conference of Parties (COP) in 2009. But estimates since then show addressing climate change may cost billions, and even, trillions of dollars.
• Therefore, the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement agreed on setting a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCGQ) for climate financing prior to 2025 — a reference point which accounts for the needs and priorities of developing nations.
• Why do we need a new finance goal?
• Out of the promised $100 billion per year, developed countries provided $83.3 billion in 2020, as per a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
• These figures may be misleading and inflated by as much as 225%, an Oxfam analysis found, as “there is too much dishonest and shady reporting”.
• Moreover, the $100 billion target set in 2009 was seen more as a political goal, since there was no effort to clarify the definition or source of ‘climate finance’.

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