Daily Current Affairs : 26th and 27th October 2022

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Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE

Topics Covered

  1. Governor’s power wrt Ministers
  2. GM Mustard
  3. NaVic
  4. Facts for Prelims

1 . Governor’s power wrt Ministers

Context: Kerala Governor, who is locked in a standoff with the elected government on a range of issues including appointments to the state-run Kerala University, threatened to sack ministers who “lowered the dignity” of his office.

What role does the Governor play in the parliamentary system?

  • The position, role, powers, and conditions of office of the Governor are described in Articles 153-161 of the Constitution.
  • The position of Governor is similar to that of the President at the Union.
  • He is at the head of the state’s executive power, and barring some matters, acts on the advice of the council of ministers, which is responsible, in accordance with the parliamentary system, to the state legislature.
  • Appointment: The Governor is appointed by the President (on the advice of the central government) and, therefore, acts as the vital link between the Union and the state governments.
  • Power:
    • Giving or withholding assent to a Bill passed by the state legislature
    • Determining the time needed for a party to prove its majority — or which party must be called first to do so, generally after in a hung Assembly.

Can Governor sack a minister?

  • Article 164(1) says state “Ministers shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor”.
  • Article 164(1) deals with the appointment of the Chief Minister and other ministers.
  • While the Governor does not have to seek anyone’s advice while appointing the Chief Minister, he can appoint a minister only on the recommendation of the Chief Minister.
  • The Governor has no power to pick anyone he chooses to make a minister. He can appoint a minister only on the advice of the Chief Minister.

Supreme Court judgements

  • In Shamsher Singh & Anr vs State Of Punjab (1974), a seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court declared that the President and Governor exercise their formal constitutional powers only upon and in accordance with the advice of their Ministers save in a few well-known exceptional situations.
    • These situations could arise if
      • Prime Minister or Chief Minister cease to command majority in the House
      • The government loses majority but refuses to quit office, and
      • For “the dissolution of the House where an appeal to the country is necessitous”.
        • But even in the third scenario, the Head of State (President or Governor) should avoid getting involved in politics and must be advised by his Prime Minister (Chief Minister) who will eventually take the responsibility for the step.
  • In Nabam Rebia and Etc. vs Deputy Speaker and Ors (2016) the Supreme Court cited the observations of B R Ambedkar:
    • The Governor under the Constitution has no function which he can discharge by himself.

What does the “pleasure” of the Governor mean?

  • Pleasure of the Governoe does not mean the Governor has the right to dismiss the Chief Minister or ministers at will.
  • The Governor can have his pleasure as long as the government enjoys a majority in the House.
  • The Governor can withdraw his pleasure only when the government loses majority but refuses to quit. Then he withdraws the pleasure and dismisses it.
  • Without the advice of the Chief Minister, a Governor can neither appoint nor dismiss a minister. That’s the constitutional position.

Attempts to address concerns over the alleged partisan role played by Governors

  • The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution:
    • It was appointed in 2000.
    • It recommended significant changes in the selection of Governors.
    • It suggested that the Governor of a State should be appointed by the President, after consultation with the Chief Minister of that State.
    • Normally the five-year term should be adhered to, and removal or transfer of the Governor should be by following a similar procedure as for appointment i.e., after consultation with the Chief Minister of the state concerned.
  • Sarkaria Commission:
    • It was set up in 1983 to look into Centre-state relations.
    • It proposed that the Vice President of India and Speaker of Lok Sabha should be consulted by the Prime Minister in the selection of Governors.
  • Punchhi Committee:
    • It was constituted in 2007 on Centre-state relations.
    • It proposed in that a committee comprising the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Vice President, Speaker, and the concerned Chief Minister should choose the Governor.
    • It recommended deleting the “Doctrine of Pleasure” from the Constitution but backed the right of the Governor to sanction the prosecution of ministers against the advice of the state government.
    • It also argued for a provision for impeachment of the Governor by the state legislature.

2 . GM Mustard

Context: The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change recommended the “environmental release” of the transgenic hybrid mustard DMH-11 for seed production and conduct of field demonstration studies.

What is hybrid mustard?

  • Hybridisation involves crossing two genetically dissimilar plant varieties that can even be from the same species.
  • The first-generation (F1) offspring from such crosses tend to have higher yields than what either parent can individually give.
  • Such hybridisation isn’t easy in mustard, as its flowers have both female (pistil) and male (stamen) reproductive organs, making the plants largely self-pollinating.
  • Since the eggs of one plant cannot be fertilised by the pollen grains from another, it limits the scope for developing hybrids — unlike in cotton, maize or tomato, where this can be done through simple emasculation or physical removal of anthers.

How has hybridisation been achieved in mustard?

  • By genetic modification (GM), Scientists at Delhi University’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP) have developed the hybrid mustard DMH-11 containing two alien genes isolated from a soil bacterium called Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.
  • The first gene (‘barnase’) codes for a protein that impairs pollen production and renders the plant into which it is incorporated male-sterile.
  • This plant is then crossed with a fertile parental line containing, in turn, the second ‘barstar’ gene that blocks the action of the barnase gene.
  • The resultant F1 progeny is both high-yielding and capable of producing seed/ grain, thanks to the barstar gene in the second fertile line.
  • The CGMCP scientists have deployed the barnase-barstar GM technology to create what they say is a robust and viable hybridisation system in mustard.
  • This system was used to develop DMH-11 by crossing a popular Indian mustard variety ‘Varuna’ (the barnase line) with an East European ‘Early Heera-2’ mutant (barstar).
  • DMH-11 is claimed to have shown an average 28% yield increase over Varuna in contained field trials carried out by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

What has GEAC now done?

  • GEAC is a body responsible for appraisal of proposals relating to the “release” of GM organisms and products (ordinarily considered hazardous) into the environment.
  • In this case, it has given the green signal for commercial cultivation by farmers, with production of seed material being the first step.
  • GEAC has also recommended the environmental release of DMH-11’s parental lines (carrying the barnase and barstar genes) for them to be used to develop new hybrids.
    • Such hybrids could give even higher yields than DHM-11.
  • Mustard varieties in India have a narrow genetic base.
    • The barnase-barstar system enables breeding of hybrids from a wider range of mustards, including those of East European origin such as ‘Heera’ and ‘Donskaja’.

Major concerns and way ahead

  • The first is the presence of a third ‘bar’ gene, which makes GM mustard plants tolerant to the spraying of glufosinate ammonium, a chemical used for killing weeds. This, the opponents allege, will cause displacement of manual labour engaged in weeding by promoting use of chemical herbicides.
    • The DMH-11 developers, however, say that bar is only a marker gene. It is used to identify those plants that have been genetically modified and necessary for large-scale seed production.
    • The GEAC has recommended the usage of any formulation of herbicide exclusively for hybrid seed production, while not permitting the same “for cultivation in the farmer’s field under any situation”.
  • The second concern is over GM mustard threatening or undermining the population of honeybees. Mustard flowers are a source of nectar for honeybees and many other pollinator insects.
    • GEAC has cited the report of an expert committee which stated that it seems unlikely that the bar, barnase and barstar system will pose an adverse impact on honeybees and other pollinators.

3 . NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation)

Context: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on a series of improvements to NavIC, or India’s equivalent of the Global Positioning System (GPS), so that more people are motivated to install and use it.

Key Highlights

  • NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), is a constellation of seven satellites akin to the U.S. GPS, the European Galileo and the Russian GLONASS, and can be used to track location.
  • Though available for use in mainland India and within 1,500 km around it, the system is not in wide regular use in India primarily because mobile phones have not been made compatible to process its signals.
  • The Indian government has been pressing manufacturers to add compatibility and has set a deadline of January 2023.
  • Adding the L1 band into NavIC would be a major change. This bandwidth is part of the GPS and is the most used for civilian navigational use.
    • Currently NavIC is only compatible with the L5 and S bands and hasn’t easily penetrated into the civilian sector. Currently (NavIC) only provides short code. This has to become Long Code for the use of the strategic sector.
      • This prevents the signal from being breached.
  • There are five more satellites in the offing to replace defunct NavIC satellites that will be launched in the coming months.
  • To make NavIC truly “global”, more satellites would need to be placed in an orbit closer to earth than the current constellation.

About NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation)

  • NavIC, or Navigation with Indian Constellation, is an independent stand-alone navigation satellite system developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
  • NavIC or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is designed with a constellation of 7 satellites and a network of ground stations operating 24×7.
    • There are a total of eight satellites, however only seven remain active.
    • Three satellites in geostationary orbit and four satellites in geosynchronous orbit.
  • NavIC was originally approved in 2006 at a cost of $174 million. It was expected to be completed by late 2011, but only became operational in 2018.
  • NavIC covers the whole of India’s landmass and up to 1,500 km (930 miles) from its boundaries.
  • Currently, its use is limited.
    • It is being used in public vehicle tracking in India, for providing emergency warning alerts to fishermen venturing into the deep sea where there is no terrestrial network connectivity, and for tracking and providing information related to natural disasters.
  • Enabling it in smartphones is the next step India is pushing for.

Difference between NavIc and GPS

  • GPS uses a satellite that does not have a fixed location and covers an area across the globe, whereas NavIc has a stationary satellite and covers only India and a few other regions near it.
  • NavIc can reach an accuracy of about 5-10 meters whereas GPS is usually deemed to have an accuracy of about 20 meters which gives NavIc better accuracy in the region.
  • Like GPS, there are three more navigation systems that have global coverage –
    • Galileo from the European Union
    • Russia-owned GLONASS and
    • China’s Beidou.
    • QZSS, operated by Japan, is another regional navigation system covering Asia-Oceania region, with a focus on Japan.

4 . Facts for Prelims

No money for terrorism conference

  • Ahead of United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) two-day meeting in India on counter-terrorism on October 28 and 29 in Mumbai and New Delhi, India’s foreign ministry claimed that terrorism in all forms of manifestation remain to constitute one of the most serious threats to international peace and security with the growing prevalence of technology and the rapid rise in digitisation.
  • The two-day session will be discussing ‘The use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes and will have three sub-themes- countering terrorist exploitation of information and communication technologies, countering terrorism financing online- threads and opportunities related to new payment technologies and fundraising methods, and threads pose by terrorists- use of unmanned aircraft’s systems’.
  • Moreover, the special meeting, hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, will be focusing specifically on the rapid development and increasing threat for youth for terrorist purposes of three significant technologies- the internet, including social media, new payment technologies and fundraising methods and unmanned aerial systems.
  • In this context, the special meeting will serve to reflect on recent developments and the latest evidence-based research regarding the threats, posed by the use of these technologies for terrorist purposes as well as global efforts to counter these threats while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.
  • On November 18 and 19 India will also be hosting the third ministerial conference on ‘No money for terror’ in New Delhi.
  • Meanwhile, Leading experts from UN operational partners – specialised agencies also be addressing this panel discussion. It is expected that the outcome of the UNCTC meeting would feed into India’s UNSC presidency in December.

Rishi Sunak

  • United Kingdom got its first-ever non-white Prime Minister in Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Britain’s youngest Prime Minister in recent times.
  • Mr. Sunak, aged 42, is of Indian descent and was born to parents who migrated to Britain from East Africa.
    • Mr. Sunak, whose parents — retired doctor Yashvir and pharmacist Usha Sunak — are of Indian descent, tracing their migration route from Kenya to the U.K. in the 1960s.
    • His grandparents originated from British India, but their birthplace Gujranwala lies in modern day Pakistan’s Punjab province.
  • The former investment banker and hedge fund manager will have the daunting task of trying to get the British economy back on the rails while attempting to unite the Conservative Party, which has produced three Prime Ministers in under two months.
  • Mr. Sunak is married to an Indian citizen, Akshata Murty.
  • He was chosen by his fellow Conservative MPs to lead the party and country, following former Prime Minister Liz Truss’s announcement that she was resigning, having lost the support of her fellow MPs after a failed ‘mini budget’ that deeply rattled markets.
  • Rishi Sunak has been crowned by Tory MPs.
  • Mr. Sunak’s historic milestone as the country’s first non-white Prime Minister is being widely celebrated as a sign of the diversity of modern-day Britain.
  • The devout Hindu former minister, who swore his oath of allegiance on being elected MP in the House of Commons on the ‘Bhagavad Gita’, also found time for darshan at the famous Bhaktivedanta Manor ISKCON temple during the long campaign and had members of the Indian diaspora praying for his success.

Roadmap 2030

  • The Roadmap 2030 was launched on May 4, 2021 during the India-U.K. virtual summit led by Mr. Modi and Mr. Johnson.
  • One of the main focus areas of the Roadmap 2030 was the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries that received further boost during UK PM’s visit to India in April this year.
    • He had announced that the deal would be ready by Deepavali.
    • However, both sides had reconciled to the possibility of missing that deadline last week when British media reported that the deal was “put on hold”.
  • As part of the ‘Roadmap 2030’, they agreed to work closely together in support of India’s indigenous development of the Light Combat Aircraft Mark 2.
  • They also discussed the potential for further industrial collaboration in areas such as maritime propulsion, space and cyber, marking the start of a promising new era of UK-India research, capability and industrial collaboration on Indian combat air and beyond.
  • The ‘Roadmap 2030’ will provide a framework for UK-India relations across health, climate, trade, education, science and technology, and defence.
    • This will expand the UK-India health partnership to enhance global health security and pandemic resilience. This includes firming up international supply chains to ensure critical medicines, vaccines and other medical products reach those who need them most.

Kamchatka peninsula

  • The Kamchatka Peninsula is a 1,250-kilometre-long (777 mi) peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about 270,000 km2 (104,248 sq mi).
  • The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula’s eastern and western coastlines, respectively.
  • Immediately offshore along the Pacific coast of the peninsula runs the 10,500-metre-deep (34,449 ft) Kuril–Kamchatka Trench.
  • The Kamchatka Peninsula, the Commander Islands, and the Karaginsky Island, constitute the Kamchatka Krai of the Russian Federation.
  • The vast majority of the 322,079 inhabitants are ethnic Russians, although about 13,000 are Koryaks.
  • The Kamchatka peninsula contains the volcanoes of Kamchatka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Khangkui Mangsur

  • The Khangkhui, locally called Khangkhui Mangsor, is a natural limestone cave about 15 km from Ukhrul, the headquarters of Ukhrul district in Mnaipur.
  • Excavations carried out by Manipur’s archaeologists had revealed the cave was home to Stone Age communities.
  • The cave was also used as a shelter by the local people during the Second World War after the Japanese forces advanced to Manipur and the adjoining Nagaland.
  • More importantly for conservationists, the cave housed large roosting populations of bats belonging to the Rhinolophidae and Hipposideridae families.
    • A study published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa by researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) cited that the bats were killed and evicted from the Khangkhui cave after 2016-17 purportedly to make it “more tourist-friendly”.

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