Daily Current Affairs : 7th and 8th August 2022

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE

Topics Covered

1. Vice President of India
2. Genomic Surveillance
3. Cooperative Federalism
4. Economic Census
5. Facts for Prelims

1 . Vice President of India 

Context: The Election Commission on Sunday signed the certificate of election of Jagdeep Dhankhar as Vice-President, completing the poll process that began in June.  

The Office of the Vice-President- Article 63 

• The Vice-President of India is the second highest constitutional office in the country.
• He serves for a five-year term, but can continue to be in office, irrespective of the expiry of the term, until the successor assumes office. 
• The Constitution is silent on who performs the duties of the Vice-President, when a vacancy occurs in the office of the Vice-President of India, before the expiry of his term, or when the Vice-President acts as the President of India.  
• The only provision in the Constitution is with regard to the Vice-President’s function as the Chairperson of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), which is performed, during the period of such vacancy, by the Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, or any other member of the Rajya Sabha authorised by the President of India. 

Vice President – Election 

• The Vice-President is elected indirectly. He is elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of the members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. System of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote and the voting done by secret ballot. 
• Electoral college of the Vice-President-  
  • Elected and nominated members from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha only.  
  • It does not include the members of the state legislative assemblies. 
• Any disputes related to the election of the Vice-President are inquired into and decided by the supreme court whose decision is final. 
• Election to the office of the Vice-President is conducted by the Election Commission of India
• The election of the next Vice-President is to be held within 60 days of the expiry of the term of office of the outgoing Vice-President. 

Minimum Qualification 

• He should be a citizen of India. 
• He should be minimum 35 years of age. 
• He should have qualified for the election as a member of the Rajya Sabha. 
• He should not hold any office of profit under the Union government or any state government or any local authority or any other public authority. 
• For the nomination for election to the office of Vice-President, a candidate must be subscribed by at least 20 electors from Members of Parliament as proposers and 20 electors as seconders. 

Power And Functions Of The Vice-president 

• The Vice-President as Chairperson (ex-officio) of the Rajya Sabha- Article 64 
  • The Vice-President is the ex-officio Chairperson of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha ) and does not hold any other office of profit.  
  • During any period when the Vice-President acts as, or discharges the functions of the President, he does not perform the duties of the office of the Chairperson of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and, is not entitled to any salary or allowances payable to the Chairperson, Rajya Sabha. 
•  The Vice-President as Acting President – Article 65 
  • The Vice-President acts as President, during casual vacancy in the office of the President by reason of death, resignation or removal or otherwise, until a new President is elected as soon as practicable and, in no case, later than six months from the date of occurrence of the vacancy. When the President is unable to discharge his functions owing to absence, illness or any other cause, the Vice-President discharges those functions till the President resumes office. During this period, the Vice-President has all the powers, immunities and privileges of the President and receives emoluments and allowances payable to the President. 

Removal 

• The Vice-President may resign his office by submitting his resignation to the President of India.  The resignation becomes effective from the day it is accepted. 
• The Vice-President can be removed from office by a resolution of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), passed by a majority of its members at that time and agreed to by the House of the People (Lok Sabha).  
• A resolution for this purpose may be moved only after a notice of at least a minimum of 14 days has been given of such an intention. 

2 . Genomic Surveillance  

Context: A recent study revealed that the rate of genetic changes in the monkeypox virus was higher than expected. The study underlines the importance of genomic surveillance

About Genomic Surveillance

• Genomic surveillance involves sequencing the genetic material of pathogens and identifying changes linked to the origins or characteristics of a disease.
• Genomic surveillance works on the basis that everything with a genome (humans, animals, plants, bacteria, viruses…) needs to replicate their genetic material in order to reproduce, and this results in changes known as mutations.
• The rate and scope of mutations will vary from species to species, but they always happen and can be tracked.
• The ever-changing nature of the genome lies at the heart of our ability to perform genomic surveillance. 
• Put most simply, this is the monitoring of genetic changes in pathogens by sequencing the infectious agents afflicting different people.
• Knowing the genome of a particular pathogen is helpful on its own, but the true power of surveillance lies in sequencing many examples of the same type of pathogen – for example, SARS-CoV-2. This allows us to start building a picture of how a pathogen is changing and evolving.

Importance of Genomic Surveillance

• It allows us to identify new variants and helps inform the actions of those charged with responding to an outbreak.
• Genomic surveillance is particularly interesting when changes in the genome stay and start to spread. When this happens, you can have a new variant whose characteristics might be different to the one which is already common.
• New variants might be more infectious, or more deadly – or less infectious or less deadly.
• By knowing who has what variant, doctors begin to see how the disease caused by a new variant differs from that in people with older variants. The power of this approach has been clear in the covid-19 pandemic.

What is Genome Sequencing? 

• Genome sequence is the unique code of genetic material of any organism, and determines the characteristic of any organism.
• Whole genome sequencing is the process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism’s genome at a single time. 
• Every organism has a unique genome sequence. The gene composition of novel coronavirus, for instance, is different from that of the influenza virus.  
• Laboratories in various countries have been isolating and sharing the genome sequences of the virus on an international platform. 

3 . Cooperative federalism 

Context: Indian Prime Minister said that the collective efforts of all the States in the spirit of cooperative federalism helped India emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Cooperative federalism – Meaning  

• Federalism is derived from the Latin word foedus, which means ‘agreement’ or ‘treaty’.  Thus, a federation is a new state (political system) that is formed through a treaty or an agreement between the various units. It is a philosophy or ideology of political organization that involves a combination of the principles of centralization, non-centralization, and power-sharing. 
• Cooperative federalism is the horizontal relationship between union and states and shows neither is above the other.  
• In a country like India, the spirit of co-operative federalism should guide the relations between the Centre and the States on the one hand, among different States and between the States and the Panchayati Raj Institutions and the Urban Local Bodies.  

Indian Constitution and Cooperative Federalism 

• When the Constitution was adopted in the year 1950, Sardar Patel strongly advocated the federal system and played a crucial role in crafting a federal constitution. 
• Indian constitution has incorporated instruments to ensure co-operation between the center and states to ensure that cooperation is necessary for the proper growth of the country.  

• 7 th schedule 
  • It demarcates central, state, and concurrent lists based on the principle of subsidiarity.  
  • Residuary power has been kept with the center.  
  • Article 249 provides authority to the parliament to make on those subjects which are under state jurisdiction if the resolution passes in-state council with a two-thirds majority. 

• All India Services 
  • An integrated judicial system has been established to enforce both states as well as central laws.  
  • All India services provide another uniting factor in cooperative federalism. 
  • This provision is enshrined in article 312 of the Indian constitution. 
  • Inter-state Council Under article 263 of the constitution has been established to discuss and investigate the subject of common interest between the center and the states.  

• Full Faith and Credit Clause 
  • Article 261 of the Constitution of India provides that full faith and credit shall be given throughout the territory of India to all the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of the Union and every State.  
  • This is a step to promote cooperation and faith between the center and the states. 

• Zonal council 
  • These are statutory bodies established under the State reorganization act of 1956 to ensure coordination. It provided for 5 zonal councils, one for each north, south, east, west, central. The northeastern council has been created under a separate act. 

Cooperative Federalism in Recent Policies 

• NITI AYOG 
  • NITI AYOG’ or the National Institution for Transforming India is a Government of India policy think-tank was established to replace the Planning Commission.  
  • The main emphasis of NITI AYOG is to bring the effect over center and state relationship.  
  • NITI Aayog provides relevant strategic technical advice at the center and state levels, dissemination of best practices within the country as well as from other nations, infusion of new policy ideas, it ensures that India is an active player on the global commons, etc.  
  • In this way, it will function in close cooperation, consultation, and coordination with the Ministries of the Central Government and State governments.  
  • It will provide critical directional and strategic input to the development process, focusing on deliverables and outcomes. 
• GST 
  • GST is a single tax on the supply of goods and services, right from the manufacturer to the consumer.  
  • The main agenda behind the whole concept of GST is ‘ONE TAX ONE NATION’. 
  • The free movement of goods and services will give a fillip to employment opportunities and give consumers a wider choice and better prices. This economic integration will not only boost economic growth but also bind the nation better.  
• Policies Tackling COVID-19 
  • Through a combination of various laws, regulations, guidelines, and orders, a nation-wide lockdown was enforced to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.  
  • Among these, the Disaster Management Act, 2005 was invoked to impose a blanket lockdown to ensure consistency in the application and implementation of various measures across the country.  
  • Several State Governments had used their powers under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to deal with this outbreak. 
  • Although public order and public health are subjects of the States as per the Indian Constitution, the Centre has used the DM Act to effectively bypass States and assume complete control.  

Challenges to cooperative federalism 

• Over-centralization: The Centre enjoys more power than the states, and the most important subjects of the country are listed in the Union List. The Centre imposes many rules and regulations which many states find discriminatory to them, as a result of which a conflict of interest situation arises between the Centre and the state.
• Regionalism: India is a diverse country with so many different languages, cultures, traditions, etc, many states feel neglected or left out, or alienated from the mainstream. This sense of alienation gives rise to a strong feeling of regionalism. A strong feeling of regionalism makes it difficult for the Government to bind the nation as one because this feeling of regionalism gives rise to secessionist forces, which threaten the very existence and identity of the country.
• President’s rule: The centre has used the provision of the President’s rule to dissolve state governments on many occasions. When the Centre and the state are run by governments formed by two different political parties, the Centre tries to abuse the powers under President’s rule to dissolve the state government and usurp the power and take it into their own hands. Though in the S.R. Bommai vs Union of India judgment the supreme court did impose certain limitations on the abuse of these powers but it has had very little impact on the state of affairs.
• Uniform Approach: The Centre while framing policies fails to take into account the heterogeneity of India. The one size fits all approach doesn’t work in a diverse country like India. This uniform approach makes many states feel that their concerns aren’t taken into consideration while framing policies. And this Uniform approach makes it difficult for the different states to get their local/regional problems addressed. This makes cooperation between the centre and the state very difficult.

Strengthening Federalism 

• Finance commission, NITI Aayog, goods and services tax, and de facto decentralisation, will help strengthen the “cooperative” element—a key factor for Indian federation to work effectively

4 . Economic Census  

Context: The Centre has blamed the States for a prolonged delay in releasing the findings of the Seventh Economic Census, a critical compendium of formal and informal non-farm enterprises operating across the country. 

Background of National Economic Census? 

• Central Statistical Organization (CSO), Government of India by launching a plan scheme ‘Economic Census and Surveys’ in 1976. The scheme envisaged organizing countrywide census of all economic activities (excluding those engaged in crop production and plantation) followed by detailed sample surveys of unorganized segments of different sectors on non-agricultural economy in a phased manner during the intervening period of two successive economic censuses.
• The first economic census was conducted through out the country, except Lakshadweep, during 1977 in collaboration with the Directorate of Economics & Statistics (DES) in the States/Union Territories (UT). The coverage was restricted to only non-agricultural establishments employing at least one hired worker on a fairly regular basis. Data on items such as description of activity, number of persons usually working, type of ownership etc. were collected.

About National Economic Census

• Economic Census gives the basic entrepreneurial data for planning and development specially for unorganized sectors of the economy.
• It is 100% centrally sponsored scheme of the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, Government of India.
• Six Economic Census have been conducted earlier throughout the country during the year 1977,1980,1990, 1998 and 2005, 2013
• Information collected under Economic Census provides updated frame for conducting detailed follow up surveys.
• It is 100% centrally sponsored scheme of the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, Government of India.  
• It provides detailed information on operational and other characteristics such as number of establishments, number of persons employed, source of finance, type of ownership etc. 
• This information used for micro level/ decentralized planning and to assess contribution of various sectors of the economy in the GDP. 
• The census will provide valuable insights into geographical spread/clusters of economic activities, ownership pattern; persons engaged etc. of the establishments engaged in economic activity.

About 7th Economic Census

• In the 7th Census, an IT based digital platform is being used for data capture, validation, report generation and dissemination will be used.
•  7th Economic Census has been conceived to provide
  • A  nation‐wide  Business  Register  as  per  international  practices  adopted  by  developing countries and in line with UNSD recommendations. 
  • Detailed  information  on  economic  variables,  activity  wise,  of  all  the  non‐ agricultural  establishments  of  the  country  including  its  distribution  at  all  India,  State,  district,  village/ward  levels  for  comprehensive  analysis  of  the  structure  of  the economy; 
  • Information  on  establishments  registered  under  MSME  Development  Act,  their  assets and other economic criteria;  
  • Information  on  number  of  workers  working  in  establishments  (which  are  under  operation), activity wise and area wise on; 
  • List of all establishments, tagged by geographical location up to village/ward level  for local level planning purposes; 

Scope and coverage for 7th Economic Census

• All  households/  establishments  engaged  in  non‐agricultural  economic  activities  including  construction,  except  public  administration,  defense  and  compulsory  social  security  are  proposed to be covered in the 7th Economic census . Once the model of conduct of the 7th EC  stabilizes,  the  scope  can  be  enhanced  to  include  these  sectors  from  the  8th  Census  onwards.
• All households and establishments are proposed to be covered in the 7th Economic Census.  Enumeration blocks of Population Census 2011 will form the primary geographical unit. Out  of these.  
• One of the main aims of the Economic Census is preparation of a National Business Register which can be linked with existing databases at the central and state government level. It is  also  proposed  to  have  in  place  a  threshold  turnover  in  monetary  terms  for  such  households/ establishments for inclusion in the coverage of the Census.  
• Establishments  with  fixed  structures  are  proposed  to  be  covered  at  the  place  of  their  operation.  On  the  other  hand,  economic  activities  that  are  carried  out  without  any  fixed

5 . Facts for Prelims   

Peninsular Rock Agama 

• The Peninsular Rock Agama (Psammophilus dorsalis) is a type of garden lizard has a strong presence in southern India. 
• This lizard is a large animal, strikingly coloured in orange and black. 
• They do not generate their own body heat, so they need to seek warmth from external sources like a warm rock or a sunny spot on the wall. 
• They are important for ecology in various aspects — they can indicate which parts of the city are warming, and their numbers show how the food web is changing.
• Habitat loss and other such features of urbanisation have affected the presence of the animal in urban centres. 

Indian Virtual Herbarium 

• A herbarium specimen consists of dried plant parts with labelled information on Scientific name and collection data. It has immense use in plant identification, systematics studies and ecological studies. 
• The Botanical Survey of India has more than 30,00,000 herbarium specimens persevered in different herbaria located in different parts of the country. 
• Developed by scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), the herbarium was inaugurated by Union Minister of Environment Forest and Climate Change in Kolkata last month. 
• Significance of the herbaria 
  • Scientists say that there are approximately three million plant specimens in the country which are with different herbaria located at zonal centres of the BSI. 
  • About 52% of our type specimens are from foreign nations and collected from 82 countries of the world during the British-era. 
  • The herbarium is deeply linked with the botanical history of the country. 
  • The portal provides most valuable historical collections of botanists like William Roxburgh, Nathaniel Wallich and Joseph Dalton Hooker, considered the founding fathers of botany in India. 
  • The digital herbarium has some of the oldest botanical specimens dating as early as 1696. 
• With details of about one lakh plant specimens, the Indian Virtual Herbarium, the biggest virtual database of flora in the country, is generating a lot of interest and turning out to be an eye-catching endeavour. 

Traditional water-harvesting structures – Rajasthan’s Nadis   

• Nadis or talabs (ponds) are shallow depressions across the rural landscape in the arid regions of the Jodhpur and Barmer districts.  
• The water collected in these tanks will satiate people, cattle and wild animals during the dry months.  
• The rural communities store rainwater in these structures with the application of traditional knowledge and locally available materials in view of the highly fluctuating and scanty rainfall in the State.  
• Significance: 
  • The structures can even be a solution to flash floods. 
  • These local systems are vital to maintaining resilience against global warming and climate change.  
• Ramrawas Kalan model 
  • At Ramrawas Kalan, a village in Jodhpur, the two nadis undergo periodic maintenance.  
  • The two structures are Deoli and Chan, the latter being the bigger one and are in orans or sacred groves.  
  • The orans are associated with the local deities. 
  • Many varieties of trees in these orans slow the water run-off. 
  • Slower run-off of rainwater has led to more percolation in the local nadis and ponds.  
  • The orans are mini-oases in an otherwise arid landscape. 
  • The local Bishnoi community has worked hard to ensure the maintenance and functioning of orans and nadis. 

Combined Maritime Forces(CMF) 

• It was Established in: 2001 
• The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is a multinational maritime partnership, which exists to uphold the Rules-Based International Order (RBIO) by countering illicit non-state actors on the high seas and promoting security, stability, and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
• CMF has 34 member nations: Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, United States, and Yemen.
• CMF is Commanded by a U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, who also serves as Commander US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and US Navy Fifth Fleet. All four commands are co-located at US Naval Support Activity Bahrain.
• CMF’s Deputy Commander is a United Kingdom Royal Navy Commodore. Other senior staff roles at CMF’s headquarters are filled by personnel from member nations.
• India formally commenced cooperation with the Bahrain-based multilateral partnership, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). However, the modalities of the exact nature of cooperation are being worked out