Daily Current Affairs : 19th and 20th November 2020

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE

Topics Covered

1. National Population Register
2. Armenia – Azerbaijan Ceasefire deal
3. Deemed Forest
4. Issues with MGNREGA
5. India – Luxembourg Relationship
6. Office of Profit
7. Fact for Prelims

1 . National Population Register

Context : The office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) has said the schedule or the questionnaire of the National Population Register (NPR) is “being finalised” and the information about the expected date of first phase of Census 2021 is “not available.”

Background

• The exercise was postponed indefinitely until further orders on March 25 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The NPR update and the first phase of Census-House listing & Housing Census were to be conducted simultaneously from April-September.

What is the National Population Register (NPR)?

• The NPR is a database containing a list of all usual residents of the country. Its objective is to have a comprehensive identity database of people residing in the country. 
• It is generated through house­ to­ house enumeration during the “house­listing” phase of the census, which is held once in 10 years.
• A usual resident for the purposes of NPR is a person who has resided in a place for six months or more, and intends to reside there for another six months or more

Difference between Census & NPR

• The census involves a detailed questionnaire — there were 29 items to be filled up in the 2011 census — aimed at eliciting the particulars of every person, including age, sex, marital status, children, occupation, birthplace, mother tongue, religion, disability and whether they belonged to any Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. 
• NPR collects basic demographic data and biometric particulars. Once the basic details of the head of the family are taken by the enumerator, an acknowledgement slip will be issued. This slip may be required for enrolment in NPR, whenever that process begins. And, once the details are recorded in every local (village or ward), sub­district (tehsil or taluk), district and State level, there will be a population register at each of these levels. Together, they constitute the National Population Register.
• The census is legally backed by the Census Act, 1948 while the NPR is a mechanism outlined in a set of rules framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955.

Conflict between NPR & Aadhaar

• There is a possibility of conflict as both involves gathering of personal particulars, including biometric data. So,it was agreed that the databases of NPR & UIDAI will exist with different objectives, and that each will use the other’s biometric data. 
• Those already enrolled for Aadhaar need not give their biometric details again during NPR. At the same time, data captured for NPR would be sent to UIDAI for de­duplication.
• In case of discrepancy between Aadhaar and NPR data, the latter would prevail. 

Legal basis for the NPR

• While the census is legally backed by the Census Act, 1948, the NPR is a mechanism outlined in a set of rules framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
• Section 14A was inserted in the Citizenship Act, 1955, in 2004, providing for the compulsory registration of every citizen of India and the issue of a “national identity card” to him or her. It also said the Central government may maintain a “National Register of Indian Citizens”.
• The Registrar General India shall act as the “National Registration Authority” (and will function as the Registrar General of Citizen Registration). Incidentally, the Registrar General is also the country’s Census Commissioner.

What will happen after the NPR is compiled?

• Government proposes to create a database of citizens of India out of the NPR. Thus, the National Register of Indian Citizens(NRIC) is a sub­set of the NPR. 
• The NRIC will be prepared at the local, sub­district, district and State levels after verifying the citizenship status of the residents.
• The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003 spells out the rules for operationalising the idea of registering all citizens and issuing national identity cards to them. However, so far, there has been no decision on introducing a national identity card.
• The rules say the particulars of every family and individual found in the Population Register “shall be verified and scrutinized by the Local Registra
• In the process, details of those “whose citizenship is doubtful” will be entered with a comment suggesting further inquiry. The family or individual will be informed about it and given an opportunity of being heard by the Sub-district or Taluk Registrar of Citizen Registration before a final decision is made on excluding them from the NRIC. The decision should be made within 90 days.
• A draft of the Local Register of Indian Citizens shall be published to invite objections or claims for inclusion or corrections.
• Any objection or request for inclusion must be made within 30 days of the publication of the draft. The sub-district or taluk registrar shall summarily dispose of the objections within 90 days. Thereafter, the entries in the Local Register will be transferred to the National Registrar.
• Any person aggrieved by an exclusion order can appeal to the District Registrar within 30 days, and the appeal should be disposed of within 90 days. In case, the appeal succeeds, the names of those concerned would be added to the NRIC.

Challenges

• As many as 13 States and Union Territories have opposed the update of the NPR due to its link with the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
• According to the Citizenship Rules framed in 2003, the NPR is the first step towards compilation of the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) or NRC.
• The NPR was first collected in 2010 and then updated in 2015. Some States such as West Bengal and Rajasthan have objected to additional questions to be asked in the fresh NPR such as “date and place of birth of father and mother, last place of residence and mother tongue”.

Can states refuse to implement NRIC

• In practical terms, it may not be possible for the process to be undertaken without the State government’s cooperation at the local level.
• House to­ house enumeration is a part of the Census operation, it is unlikely that the NPR process can go ahead without State governments agreeing to deploy their staff for the purpose. 
• The legal position [Section 4A of the Census Act & Rule 5 of the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003] is that while the Centre is in charge of the census, the State governments are expected to provide staff whenever required.
• Rule 5 of the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003, lays down that “Every official of the Central Government, State Government, local bodies or their undertakings shall assist the Registrar General of Citizen Registration or any person authorized by him in this behalf, in preparation of the database relating to each family and every person, and in implementing the provisions of these rules.”
• In any case, it is compulsory on the part of every citizen to assist in the preparation of the National Register of Citizens, the rules say.

2 . Armenia – Azerbaijan Ceasefire deal

Context : After six weeks of fierce fighting, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to end military operations in and around Nagorno-Karabakh in a ceasefire brokered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What led to the war?

• In 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed, the newly independent Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been an autonomous region within Azerbaijan during the Soviet years. Armenians have made historical claims over the enclave, which is largely populated by ethnic Armenians. By the time the all-out war came to an end in 1994, Armenia had captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azeri forces, which amounted to some 13% of Azerbaijan’s territory.
• In September, Azerbaijan President Aliyev launched the offensive vowing to take back Nagorno-Karabakh and other Armenian-occupied districts. In six weeks of fighting, Azeri forces, backed by Turkey-supplied armed drones and other equipment, cut through Armenian defences and retook territories, including some 40% of Nagorno-Karabakh itself.

How the ceasefire was achieved?

• Russia, which has a security agreement with Armenia, remained neutral in the early days of the war when Turkey threw its weight behind Azerbaijan. Russia brokered a ceasefire two weeks into the conflict, but it didn’t hold.
• When Azerbaijan defeated Armenian troops and captured territories, Armenian Prime Minister sought Russian help. But Mr. Putin said the security guarantee is for Armenia, not for the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. But Russia was apparently concerned about the rapid change in the status quo and the more assertive security role Turkey was playing in its backyard.
• By the third week of October, Russia established small military outposts along the Armenian border, apparently to prevent the conflict spilling into mainland Armenia and also to send a message to Baku. In the same week, Russia conducted a massive air strike in Syria’s Idlib against Turkish-backed militants, killing dozens of them, which is seen as Moscow’s warning against Turkey. Mr. Putin accepted Azerbaijan’s victory (as the ceasefire allows Azeri troops to control the territories they have seized) but prevented a total defeat of Armenia. Under pressure from a decisive Moscow, both sides agreed to cease the operations.

What are the terms of the ceasefire?

• According to the ceasefire, Armenia agreed to withdraw its troops from much of the territories around Nagorno-Karabakh. The core of the enclave with ethnic Armenians and Stepanakert as its capital would remain outside the control of Azerbaijan.
• Baku will build a road linking the newly captured territories to Nakhchivan, an autonomous republic of Azerbaijan which had been geographically separated from the mainland. As the broker of the truce, Russia would send some 2,000 peacekeepers to the region, who would patrol between the Azeri troops and Nagorno-Karabakh, including the Lachin corridor, which connects the enclave with Armenia.
• In sum, Azerbaijan gained territories, but not the whole of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia lost territories it controlled since the 1990s but avoided a total defeat as much of Nagorno-Karabakh would remain independent of Azeri control. And Russia gained a bigger foothold in the region with its troops being deployed within Azerbaijan.

Did Russia get what it wanted?

• It’s complicated. That Russia could enforce the ceasefire and keep Turkey and western countries out of the final talks shows that Moscow remains a dominant power in the South Caucasus. Moscow had also wanted to send peacekeepers to the region (the Lavrov Plan), but both Armenia and Azerbaijan were not open to the idea earlier. Now, Russia can do that . But the war also showed that the Russian dominance in the region could be challenged.
• Turkey backed Azerbaijan throughout the war against Moscow’s wishes and made sure that the Azeri side prevailed.
• Turkish Parliament approved sending troops to the region to join an observation post despite the ceasefire mandating only Russians to deploy peacekeepers. If Turkey continues to play an assertive role in the region through its ally Azerbaijan, a reluctant Moscow would face a new rival in its backyard.

Is the conflict over?

• It’s not. The war has altered the balance of power in favour of Azerbaijan. It stopped short of taking the entire Nagorno-Karabakh for now, but it doesn’t mean that it won’t go for it again. The status of Nagorno-Karabakh remains unsettled, which means the conflict has only been postponed, not resolved.

3 . Issues with MGNREGA wages

Context : According to a study by LibTech India released on Wednesday, many of the MGNREGA workers are forced to make multiple trips to the bank, adding travel costs and income losses, and face repeated rejections of payment, biometric errors and wrong information, just to get their hands on their wages.

Key Findings of the Study

• The study found that almost 40% of the workers must make multiple trips to the bank branch to withdraw their money.
• It costs an average of ₹53 a trip, and as the branch is usually at the block headquarters a significant distance from her home village, and the time spent at the bank is three to four hours, a worker will also lose the day’s wages while she attempts to withdraw her money. Paying ₹100 for travel for two trips, plus ₹342 for lost wages, plus about ₹25 for food, the worker may spend ₹392, effectively shelling out a third of her weekly wage just to withdraw it.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation is exacerbated as transport becomes harder, and there is no question of physical distancing at a rural bank
• The study found that only one in 10 workers get an SMS message that their wages have been credited. A third of workers must visit the bank branch just to find out whether their wages have been credited. Another quarter of respondents said despite being informed that their wages had been credited, they found that the money was not in the accounts.
• 40% of workers reported facing biometric authentication failures at least once in their last five transactions at such agencies, and 7% reported that all five of their last transactions had failed due to biometric authentication issues.
• Almost 13% of workers had rejected payments, which are transactions that are stuck due to technical errors of the payment system, bank account problems or data entry errors. About 77% of them had no idea why their payments had been rejected, which means that rectification is not possible and all future MGNREGS payments to these individuals will also be rejected. In fact, government data show that about ₹4,639 crore worth of payments were rejected in the last five years, and about ₹1,236 crore is still pending to be paid to workers.

4 . Deemed Forest

Context : On September 25, Karnataka Forest Minister Anand Singh announced in the Assembly that the state government would soon declassify 6.64 lakh hectares of the 9.94 lakh hectares of deemed forests in the state (nearly 67%) and hand it over to Revenue authorities. The issue of deemed forests is a contentious one in Karnataka, with legislators across party lines often alleging that large amounts of agriculture and non-forest land are “unscientifically” classified as such.

What are deemed forests?

• While the concept of deemed forests has not been clearly defined in any law including the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, the Supreme Court in the case of T N Godavarman Thirumalpad (1996) accepted a wide definition of forests under the Act.
• “The word ‘forest’ must be understood according to its dictionary meaning. This description covers all statutorily recognised forests, whether designated as reserved, protected or otherwise for the purpose of Section 2 (1) of the Forest Conservation Act,” the Supreme Court said in its December 12, 1996 order.
• “The term ‘forest land’ occurring in Section 2 will not only include ‘forest’ as understood in the dictionary sense, but also any areas recorded as forest in the government record irrespective of the ownership. The provisions enacted in the Forest Conservation Act 1980 for the conservation of forest and the matters connected therewith must apply clearly to all forest so understood irrespective of the ownership or classification thereof,” the court said.
• An expert committee constituted by the Karnataka government after the Supreme Court order identified ‘deemed forests’ as “land having the characteristic of forests irrespective of the ownership’”.
• Thickly wooded areas of the Revenue Department not handed over to the Forest Department; thickly wooded areas recommended to be handed over to the Forest Department; thickly wooded land distributed to grantees but not cultivated; and thickly wooded plantations of the Forest Department could all be ‘deemed forests’, the committee said in a report in 2002.

How much land in Karnataka is protected under the Forest Act?

• Reports by expert committees in 1997 and 2002 identified 43.18 lakh hectares of forest land for conservation in Karnataka, which included 33.23 lakh hectares notified forest area as per forest records and 9.94 lakh hectares ‘deemed forests’.

About the issue

• A deemed forest fits “dictionary meaning” of a forest, “irrespective of ownership”. Amidst claims that the move hit farmers, as well as barred large tracts from mining, the state has been arguing that the classification was done without taking into account needs of people.

Why does the Karnataka government want to release 6.64 lakh hectares of deemed forests?

• In 2014, the then Congress government decided to have a relook at the categorisation of forests. It said some of the ‘statutory forests’ had been wrongly classified as ‘deemed forest’ by the expert committee constituted after the Supreme Court order.
• The government also said that where the dictionary definition of forests was applied to identify thickly wooded areas as deemed forests, a well-defined scientific, verifiable criteria was not used, resulting in a subjective classification of areas as deemed forests. The subjective classification in turn resulted in conflicts between the Forest Department and other departments like Revenue, Irrigation, Public Works and Energy, the government argued. Ministers have also argued that land was randomly classified as deemed forest by officials, causing hardship to farmers in some areas. There is also a commercial demand for mining in some regions designated as deemed forests.
• Committees constituted during the Congress regime identified 5.18 lakh hectares of deemed forest land that could be released from the 9.94 lakh hectares total deemed forest. An affidavit was filed in the Supreme Court in 2019 following a Cabinet decision. After the BJP came to power in 2019, the amount of deemed forest land to be released was revised from to 6.64 lakh hectares.

After the Forest Minister’s announcement, what now?

• Preservation of forest areas in India under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 has been continuously monitored by the Supreme Court since the Godavarman case judgment in 1996.
• The state government must obtain clearances from the Supreme Court for affecting changes to land classified as deemed forests since the verdict, said officials of the Forest, Ecology and Environment department in Karnataka. They have sought legal opinion on the matter.
• In 2019, the state had filed an interim application in the Supreme Court for exclusion of 5.18 lakh hectares from the deemed forest category.
• The SC has not passed an order on the application. A fresh application showing the extent of land to be released from the deemed forest category as 6.64 lakh hectares must be filed, officials said

5 . India – Luxembourg Relationship

Context : Asserting that there was a huge potential to further ramp up economic engagement between India and Luxembourg, the third largest source of Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPI), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday pitched for strengthening ties in areas such as financial and digital technologies.

About Luxembourg

• Luxembourg is a small European landlocked country, surrounded by Belgium, France and Germany
• Luxembourg is one of the most important financial centres globally.
• Several Indian companies have raised capital by issuing Global Depositary Receipts at the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Luxembourg-based investment funds hold substantial banking and asset management market share in portfolio investments in India.

Possible cooperation

• Possible cooperation in dealing with the economic and health challenges posed by the pandemic, and India also invited Luxembourg to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

6 . Office of Profit

Context : The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Office of Profit deliberated on whether a Parliamentarian can continue to teach at University and if this draws the provisions of “Office of Profit” rules.

What is ‘office of profit’?

• The word ‘office’ has not been defined in the Constitution or the Representation of the People Act of 1951.
• But different courts have interpreted it to mean a position with certain duties that are more or less of public character.
• However, a legislator cannot be disqualified from either the Parliament or state Assembly for holding any office. It can be done for holding: a) An office; b) An office of profit; c) An office under the union or state government; d) An office exempt by law from purview of disqualificatory provisions. All four conditions have to be satisfied before an MP and MLA can be disqualified.
• The origin of this term can be found in the English Act of Settlement, 1701. Under this law, “no person who has an office or place of profit under the King, or receives a pension from the Crown, shall be capable of serving as a member of the House of Commons.” This was instituted so that there wouldn’t be any undue influence from the royal household in administrative affairs.

Constitutional Provision

• Under the provisions of Article 102 (1) and Article 191 (1) of the Constitution, an MP or an MLA (or an MLC) is barred from holding any office of profit under the Central or State government.
• The argument is that the lawmakers who hold the government accountable should not be susceptible to government influence by way of holding any post where they get salary or allowances from the government.
• This law seeks to enforce a basic feature of the Constitution — the principle of separation of power between the legislature and the executive.

Why should an MLA or an MP not hold an office of profit?

• According to Articles 102(1)(a) and 191(1)(a) of the Constitution, an MP or MLA is barred from holding an office of profit as it can put them in a position to gain a financial benefit. “A person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of either House of Parliament, (a) if he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State, other than an office declared by Parliament by law not to disqualify its holder,” says the law.
• Under the Representation of People Act too, holding an office of profit is grounds for disqualification.

7 . Facts for Prelims

‘Wards of COVID Warriors

• Government decided to introduce a new category called ‘Wards of COVID Warriors’ in the guidelines for selection and nomination of candidates against Central pool MBBS seats for 2020-21.
• The Health Ministry has approved a new category for selection and nomination of candidates from ‘Wards of COVID Warriors’ under Central pool MBBS/BDS seats for the academic year 2020-21.
• Five Central pool MBBS seats have been reserved for this category for the year 2020-21

Willow Warbler

• Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), one of the longest migrating small birds that breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic, has been sighted for the first time in the country at Punchakkari
• 17 species of warblers have been recorded from Kerala and the Willow Warbler forms the 18th warbler and 533rd species of bird to be recorded from the State.
• The Vellayani-Punchakkari paddy fields are a birding hotspot on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram. It is known to harbour more than 213 species of birds that include both resident and migratory ones. As many as seven species of warblers have been recorded from the Vellayani-Punchakkari fields.

Community Cord Blood Banking

• Community Cord Blood Banking allows sharing of preserved umbilical cord stem cells from a common pool amongst the members of the community.
• The model offers greater and easier access to donor stem cells, unlimited retrievals at the cost of one enrolment, and a higher probability for finding a close match for potentially life-saving treatments.
• This facility ensures complete protection to the child, siblings, parents, and maternal and paternal grandparents from more than 80 disorders treatable by stem cells.

Modern habitats