Daily Current Affairs : 10th and 11th November 2022

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE

Topics Covered

1. Governor’s Role as Chancellor
2. Methane Alert Response System
3. UNHRC & Periodic Review
4. Rupee Rouble Mechanism
5. New Guidelines for Tv Channels
6. CBDR-C

1 . Governor’s Role as Chancellor

Context : In the latest escalation of its running battle with Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, the Kerala government on Wednesday decided to remove him as Chancellor of State universities, seeking to replace him with “renowned academic experts”.

What is the role of the Chancellor in public universities? 

• State public universities are established through laws passed by state legislatures.  In most laws the Governor has been designated as the Chancellor of these universities.  
• The Chancellor functions as the head of public universities, and appoints the Vice-Chancellor of the university.  Further, the Chancellor can declare invalid, any university proceeding which is not as per existing laws.  
• In some states (such as Bihar, Gujarat, and Jharkhand), the Chancellor has the power to conduct inspections in the university.  The Chancellor also presides over the convocation of the university, and confirms proposals for conferring honorary degrees.  
• The Chancellor presides over the meetings of various university bodies (such as the Court/Senate of the university).  The Court/Senate decides on matters of general policy related to the development of the university, such as: (i) establishing new university departments, (ii) conferring and withdrawing degrees and titles, and (iii) instituting fellowships.  

Does the Governor have discretion in his capacity as Chancellor?

• In 1997, the Supreme Court held that the Governor was not bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, while discharging duties of a separate statutory office (such as the Chancellor).   
• The Sarkaria and Puunchi Commission also dealt with the role of the Governor in educational institutions.   Both Commissions concurred that while discharging statutory functions, the Governor is not legally bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.  However, it may be advantageous for the Governor to consult the concerned Minister.  
• The Sarkaria Commission recommended that state legislatures should avoid conferring statutory powers on the Governor, which were not envisaged by the Constitution.   The Puunchi Commission observed that the role of Governor as the Chancellor may expose the office to controversies or public criticism.  
• Hence, the role of the Governor should be restricted to constitutional provisions only.  

2 . Methane Alert Response System

Context : UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory launched the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) at COP27

About MARS

• MARS will accelerate implementation of the Global Methane Pledge by transparently scaling up global efforts to detect and act on major methane emissions sources. MARS will start with a focus on very large point sources from the energy sector.
• In implementing MARS, IMEO will collaborate with a range of institutional partners, including the International Energy Agency and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
• In addition, member companies of the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 will actively collaborate with MARS in this initial phase.
• Initial financial support for MARS is provided by the European Commission, the U.S. Government, the Global Methane Hub, and the Bezos Earth Fund.
• By COP28, IMEO will report on the results of this initial phase. The experiences from this phase, plus substantial additional observation capacity due to come on-line, will allow for an expansion of MARS to include point sources with lower emissions and area sources, including from agriculture and waste.

MARS has four components:

• Component 1: Detect & Attribute: IMEO will coordinate with the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites and work with existing global mapping satellites (ESA TROPOMI) to identify very large methane plumes and methane hot spots and conduct further analysis using other satellites (e.g. ASI PRISMA; ESA Sentinel-2; NASA Landsat; DLR EnMAP) and datasets to enable attribution of the event to a specific source.
• Component 2: Notify & Engage: IMEO will work directly and through partners to notify relevant governments and companies to large emission events happening in or near their jurisdictions or operations and will continue this engagement as more information becomes available.
• Component 3: Stakeholders Take Abatement Action: It will be up to the notified stakeholders to determine how best to respond to the notified emissions and share their actions with MARS to show initiative. As appropriate, MARS partners will be available to provide support services at this stage, e.g. assistance with assessing mitigation opportunities and support for mitigation actions.
• Component 4: Track, Learn, Collaborate, Improve: IMEO will continue to monitor the event location for future emissions as mitigation efforts proceed. Once the MARS system is fully operational, IMEO and partners will make data and analysis publicly available between 45 and 75 days post detection. IMEO will foster collaboration across the MARS ecosystem to draw lessons from these notified events that can be applied to improve MARS and methane action in general.

3 . UNHRC Periodic Review

Context – India’s report outlining its steps towards the promotion and protection of human rights is being taken up for review in Greece as part of a mechanism under which UN member states review the human rights performance of fellow states. 

 About News – 

• The 41st Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group is being held from November 7-18, 2022, at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. 
• During this session, India’s National Report for the 4th UPR Cycle was reviewed by member states. 
• Greece, the Netherlands and Vatican City called upon the Government of India to ensure freedom of religion and end discrimination against human rights defenders and religious minorities. 
• India’s countered that it appreciates the role of human rights defenders, journalists and activists in the democratic system but the activities of these groups and individuals should be in conformity with the law of the land. 

 About UNHRC –  

• The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. 
• The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 2006. It replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights. 
• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) serves as the Secretariat of the Human Rights Council. OHCHR is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. 
• It is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly (UNGA). 
• Members of the Council serve for a period of three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms. 

• India was elected to the Council for a period of three years beginning 1st January 2019. 

About Universal Periodic Review –  

• The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a process through which all UN Member States are provided the opportunity to review the human rights records of all other Member States. 
• Each State under review can report on human rights conditions within their own borders, including actions that have been taken to address concerns detailed by other States. 
• The UPR was established when the Human Rights Council was created on 15 March 2006 by the UN General Assembly. 

• The reviews are conducted by the UPR Working Group which consists of the 47 members of the Council; however, any UN Member State can take part in the discussion/dialogue with the reviewed States 
• Individual countries are scheduled for review every four and a half years 

4 . Rupee – Rouble Mechanism

Context- Indian External Affairs Minister and his Russian counterpart discussed ways to facilitate rupee rouble mechanism especially larger transactions.  

About Rupee Rouble Mechanism- 

• The Rupee-Rouble trade arrangement is an alternative payment mechanism to settle dues in rupees instead of Dollars or Euros.  
• The idea was first conceived in 1953 under the Indo-Soviet trade agreement. 
• Under Article VI of the Indo-Soviet agreement: All payments between India and the then Soviet Republic USSR may be made in Indian Rupees. 

Rupee Rouble Trade Procedure- 

• Under this arrangement, the State Bank of Russia (erstwhile U.S.S.R.) will maintain one or more accounts with one or more commercial banks in India while an Indian bank will open its account in Russia. 
• Both the countries will agree to hold a specified amount in the local currencies in the two accounts. 
• For example, if the amount agreed is $100 million, the Indian bank’s account in Russia will have rouble worth the amount, while the Russian bank in India will hold rupee worth the amount. 
• Both the countries will have to agree on the exchange value and have a notional value of equivalence, most likely in dollar or euro, to which the value of the Indian and Russian currencies will be pegged. 
• Once the payment mechanism is in place, the Indian exporter can be paid in rupee from the Russian bank’s account in India and imports from Russia can be paid for with roubles from the Indian bank’s account in Russia. 

Need for this mechanism- 

• Over 40 U.S. and European allies have imposed economic sanctions against Russian banks and entities and blocked them from accessing the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) in the wake of Ukraine-Russia war. 
• The sanctions have affected India’s external trade with Russia which in total is worth RS 68.98 lakh crores — 1.28% share of India’s trade. 
• India is a net importer of Russian goods, mainly defence and energy. 
• Rising inflation in India due to rise in global oil prices necessitated such a mechanism to facilitate import of Russian crude oil to India. 

• In addition, several new deals are in the pipeline including 12 Su-30MKI aircraft and 21 MiG-29 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force which would benefit from this mechanism. 

Challenges– 

• It is difficult to decide a fair exchange rate between the rupee and the rouble. 
• The fluctuation in the value of rouble could make it difficult to implement the rupee-rouble payment mechanism. 
  • If the value of the rouble continues falling sharply, then the rouble in the Indian bank’s Russian account will lose value impacting the trade. 
• If the western sanctions turn product-specific, then it may be difficult for India to use this arrangement. 

5 . New Guidelines for Tv Channels

Context-   The Union Cabinet has approved new guidelines for uplinking and downlinking of television channels in India, under which all the stations holding permission — except for foreign channels and where it may not be feasible — will have to broadcast content on issues of national importance and social relevance for at least 30 minutes every day. 

Why the new guidelines? 

• The provision has been introduced as “airwaves/frequencies are public property and need to be used in the best interest of society”.  

Which ‘socially relevant’ issues can be broadcasted?  

• The eight listed themes include education and spread of literacy; agriculture and rural development; health and family welfare; science and technology; welfare of women; welfare of the weaker sections of society; protection of environment and of cultural heritage; and national integration. 

Exemptions to the norms- 

• The consolidated guidelines exempt the channels including those related to sports, where it would not be feasible to broadcast such content. As and when required, the Centre would issue general advisories to the channels in this regard. 

Benefits 

•  New guidelines would ease the issue of permission to the companies and limited liability partnership (LLP) firms [which have been allowed for the first time] registered in India.  
• The requirement to seek permission for live telecast of events had been done away with, only prior registration of events would be necessary for live telecast.  
• Prior permission would not be needed for change of language or conversion of mode of transmission, from Standard Definition to High Definition or vice versa; only prior intimation would suffice.  
• LLPs/companies would be allowed to uplink foreign channels from Indian teleports which would create employment opportunities and make India a teleport-hub for other countries. 
  • A news agency could now get permission for a five-year period as against one year at present. 
• The guidelines have broadened the possibility of allowing the transfer of TV channel/teleport to a company/LLP, as permissible under the Companies Act or the Limited Liability Act. 

6 . Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities 

About CBDR – RC 

• The principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) outlined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), recognises that countries (known as Parties) have different duties and abilities to address the negative impact of climate change, but all countries have an obligation to address the climate change. 
• It establishes the common responsibility of states for the protection of the global environment. In addition it also lays down different standards of conduct for developed and developing nations. 
• The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDRRC) has, from the inception of the climate dialogue, underpinned the efforts of the international community to address climate change. 
• At the Second World Climate Conference, 1990, countries recognized that the ‘principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibility of countries should be the basis of any global response to climate change. 

• At the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, the CBDR-RC was officially enshrined in the UNFCCC treaty on Climate Change 

How is it applied? 

• Provisions requires developed countries to take the lead in combating climate change it does not spell out their primary responsibility for changes in the climate system. 
• The CBDRRC is applied by dividing parties into different groups. 
• But only the UNFCCC preamble (noting that the largest share of historical and current global emissions of greenhouse gases has originated in developed countries, that per capita emissions in developing countries are still relatively low and will grow) contains a broad reference to the responsibility for greenhouse gas emission. 

CBDRRC Status 

• CBDR is not unanimously accepted among developed countries. 
• At the Rio negotiations it was rejected by the United States, which has since conditioned its participation in any restrictive scheme on a specific commitment from developing countries to participate as well (the 1997 Byrd-Hagel Resolution). 
• As a result of this lack of consensus, CBDR has been relatively sidelined in environmental governance debates. 
• The content of the CBDRRC principle and its application remain deeply contested. 

• Its legal status as well as its ability to guide the design of a future climate regime have been subject to significant academic and political debate. 
• The economic development of some developing nations such as India, China or Brazil has also led to calls from industrialised countries to gradually align the obligations of developed and developing country parties. 

India’s stand 

• India firmly believes that the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities form the bedrock of parties’ efforts to address climate change.