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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

Monthly DNA

08 Dec, 2023

21 Min Read

Almora Fault

GS-I : Physical Geography Current mapping upsc

Data indicates an increase in earthquake activity in 2023 was mainly attributed to the activation of the Almora fault.

  • Almora Fault – It is located in Western Nepal.
  • It is a high angle west-northwest-east-southeast to northwest-southeast trending tectonic plane.
  • It separates the inner lesser Himalayas in the north from outer lesser Himalayas in the south.

A fault

  • It is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock.
  • Movement – It allow the blocks to move relative to each other which may occur rapidly, in the form of an earthquake or may occur slowly, in the form of creep.
  • Range - Few millimetres to thousands of kilometers.

  • Activation of Almora fault- 3 significant earthquakes above 5.8 magnitude occurred in 2023 leading to an increased frequency of earthquakes in 2023.

There have been 97 earthquakes in 2023 of magnitude 3.0 to 3,9 compared to 41 in 2022.

  • Agency responsible - The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is responsible for taking precautionary measures and response to earthquake related incidents.

Nepal and the adjoining northern part of India, located near the active faults of the Himalayan region, are highly seismically active areas prone to frequent earthquakes due to collision tectonics, where the Indian plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate.

Source:

Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN)

GS-II : Governance Education

After COVID break, Centre approves 4th phase roll-out of GIAN scheme as recommended by the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA).

  • It was launched in 2015-16 by Ministry of Education (MoE).
  • Objectives
    • To increase the footfalls of international faculty in the Indian academic institutes and to create avenue for possible collaborative research.
    • To develop high quality course material in niche areas, both through video and print mediums.
  • GIAN Implementation Committee – It is headed by Secretary (HE), MoE to finalize and approve courses and also decide on budget allocation.
  • Coverage – Initially, it will include all IITs, IIMs, Central Universities, IISc Bangalore, IISERs, NITs and IIITs subsequently cover good State Universities.
    • So far 39% of courses were delivered in IIT campuses followed by NITs (24.6%).
  • Activities – Initially, foreign faculty be involved in delivering Short or Semester-long Courses.
    • In total 1,612 faculties visited, 41.4% were from U.S. and up to 72,000 Indian students directly benefitted.
  • Future prospects – Experts allowing video recording and optional web-casting of their course will be given preference.
  • There is a plan to make the repository of GIAN lectures available to universities across India through an online consortium.

Source:

All India Judicial Service

GS-II : Governance Judiciary

Article 312 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of All India Judicial Service (AIJS), which shall not include any post inferior to that of a District Judge. The constitutional provision enables creation of the AIJS at District Judge level.

In Government's view, a properly framed All India Judicial Service is important to strengthen overall justice delivery system.

  1. This will give an opportunity for induction of suitably qualified fresh legal talent selected through a proper all-India merit selection system as well as address the issue of social inclusion by enabling suitable representation to marginalized and deprived sections of society.
  2. A comprehensive proposal was formulated for the constitution of an All India Judicial Service (AIJS) and the same was approved by the Committee of Secretaries in November, 2012.
  3. Besides attracting some of the best talent in the country, it may also facilitate inclusion of competent persons from marginalized sections and women in the judiciary.
  4. The proposal was included as an agenda item in the Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of the High Courts held in April, 2013 and it was decided that the issue needs further deliberation and consideration.

The views of the State Governments and High Courts were sought on the proposal. There was divergence of opinion among the State Governments and among the High Courts on the constitution of All India Judicial Service. While some State Governments and High Courts favoured the proposal, some were not in favour of creation of All India Judicial Service while some others wanted changes in the proposal formulated by the Central Government.

Current recruitment of Judges
– Articles 233 and 234 of the Constitution of India deal with the appointment of district judges, and place it in the domain of the states.
– The selection process is conducted by the State Public Service Commissions and the concerned High Court,
A. since High Courts exercise jurisdiction over the subordinate judiciary in the state.
Panels of High Court judges interview candidates after the exam and select them for appointment.
– All judges of the lower judiciary up to the level of district judge are selected through the Provincial Civil Services (Judicial) exam.
A. PCS(J) is commonly referred to as the judicial services exam.

Why in news?

In the inaugural session of Constitution Day celebrations at the Supreme Court, President Droupadi Murmu put forth a proposal for the establishment of an All India Judicial Service examination.

What is All India Judicial Service (AIJS)?

  • It is a proposal to create a centralised service for recruiting judges at the level of additional district judges and district judges for all States, similar to the UPSC civil service exam.
  • Article 312- 42nd Constitutional Amendment, amended this article to confer power on the Rajya Sabha to initiate the process for setting up an AIJS.
  • Creation of AIJS- Rajya Sabha passes a resolution by two-thirds majority to declare it necessary or expedient in national interest1.
  • Parliament’s role- It makes a law to create one or more all India services, including AIJS, and regulates their recruitment and service conditions.
  • Scope- AIJS covers posts of district judge and above, as defined in Article 236.
  • Centralisation- It will centralise the recruitment of judges at the level of additional district judges and district judges for all States.

History of AIJS

  • 1st Law Commission, 1958- In its 14th Report on Reform of Judicial Administration recommended creating a separate all-India service for judicial officers.
  • 42nd Amendment Act, 1976- It provided for AIJS in Article 312 which empowers the Parliament to create one or more all-India services common to the Union and the States.
  • Chief Justices Conferences- In 1961, 1963, and 1965 favoured the creation of an AIJS.
  • Law Commission Report, 1978- It discussed delays and arrears of cases in the lower courts and proposed the idea of AIJS.
  • Parliamentary Standing Committee, 2006- The Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice in its 15th Report backed the idea of a pan-Indian judicial service, and also prepared a draft Bill.
  • All India Judges Association vs Union of India- In 1992 the Supreme Court directed the Centre to set up an AIJS.
  • In a 1993 review of the judgment, however, the court left the Centre at liberty to take the initiative on the issue.
  • Centralised recruitment- In 2017, the Supreme Court took suo moto cognizance of the issue of appointment of district judges, and mooted a “Central Selection Mechanism”.

What is the present system of selection?

  • Constitutional provision- Articles 233 and 234 of the Constitution of India deal with the appointment of district judges and place it in the domain of the States.
  • Selection procedure- It is conducted by the State Public Service Commissions and the concerned High Court, since High Courts exercise jurisdiction over the subordinate judiciary in the State.
  • Panels of HC judges interview candidates after the exam and select them for appointment.
  • Provincial Civil Service (Judicial) exam- It is commonly referred to as the judicial services exam, all judges of the lower judiciary up to the level of district judges are selected through this exam.

Why there is a need of AIJS?

  • Huge backlog- As of 2021, there are around 5,400 vacant positions in lower judiciary across the nation and pendency of 2.78 crore cases in lower judiciary primarily due to inordinate delay in holding regular exams by States.
  • Skilled workforce- It will give an opportunity for induction of suitably qualified fresh legal talent selected through a proper all-India merit selection system.
  • Lack of incentives- State judicial offerings aren’t appealing because of low salaries, rewards, and reimbursement from State governments.
  • Timely recruitment- It will allow a large number of judges to fill those vacancies in the lower judiciary through a trial across India.
  • Efficiency- AIJS would attract the best talents in the country and therefore could maintain high standards of judicial administration.
  • Judicial diversity- It will address the issue of social inclusion by enabling suitable representation to marginalized and deprived sections of society through reservation.
  • Improve governance- AIJS will lead to the appointment of quality judges, this would remove corruption, favouritism etc., and public faith in the judiciary will be restored.

What are the challenges with AIJS?

  • Against federalism- Several States oppose the idea of a centralised recruitment process for district judges, as encroachment on the powers of States granted by the Constitution.
  • Opposition from High Court- They perceive it as an encroachment on their autonomy and authority over the subordinate judiciary.
  • One size fits all approach- States argue that central recruitment would ignore the unique needs of each State, such as language, representation, and reservations for different groups.
  • Language issue- Judicial business is conducted in regional languages, which could be affected by central recruitment.
  • Underrepresentation- Reservation based on caste dilutes the representation of rural candidates or linguistic minorities in the state.
  • Separation of powers- States also fear that central recruitment would give the executive more influence over the appointment of district judges, and reduce the role of High Courts which is against Article 50.

Structural issues- Legal experts contend that AIJS would not solve the problems of the lower judiciary, such as vacancies, delays, and quality, this can be solved by increasing pay and promoting lower judges to High Courts.

Source: pib

Global Cooling Pledge

GS-III : Biodiversity & Environment Climate Change

Joint initiative- United Arab Emirates as host of COP28 and the UNEP-led ‘Cool Coalition’. It is the world's first collective focus on energy emissions from the cooling sector.

Passive cooling strategies- It outlines actions such as insulation, natural shading, ventilation and reflective surfaces, higher energy efficiency standards and a rapid phase down of climate-warming hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants.

Aim- It commits the countries to reduce their cooling emissions by at least 68% by 2050.

Outcome- It could reduce the projected 2050 emissions from business-as-usual cooling by around 3.8 billion tons of CO2 equivalent.

Around 63 countries signed up the world’s 1st ever pledge to drastically cut cooling emissions at the ongoing COP28 climate summit in Dubai.

sources of cooling emissions?

Cooling emissions are essentially emissions generated from refrigerants, used in appliances like ACs and refrigerators, and the energy used for cooling.

  • Coolants- They allow the refrigeration process to change the state quickly and absorb and release heat to enable cooling process.
  • Chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) - It was most used refrigerant, the increased levels of CFCs in the atmosphere were responsible for abnormally low ozone concentrations in Antarctica.

Montreal Protocol is an agreement signed in 1987 that led to freeze the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances including CFCs.

  • Alternatives for CFC- CFCs were largely replaced by two groups of chemicals, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), but they presented a new problem.
  • They don’t damage ozone layer but absorb infrared radiation, trapping heat inside the atmosphere rather than letting it escape back into space, generating a greenhouse effect that warms Earth.
  • As per Climate and Clean Air Coalition even relatively small amounts of HFCs contribute significantly to near-term warming as greenhouse gases which are hundreds to thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) per unit of mass.
    • HFC-134a, a form of HFC and most commonly used in domestic fridges, has a global warming potential of 3,400 times that of CO2.
  • Fossil fuels- Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are by far the largest contributor to climate change, accounting for over 75% of greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of all CO2 emissions.

As per report by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Energy Agency the number of global cooling devices is expected to jump from 3.6 billion to 9.5 billion by 2050.

Commitments pledged in Global Cooling Pledge

  • Ratify Kigali Amendment by 2024.
  • Support robust action through the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund for early action to reduce HFC consumption.
  • Establish Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for air conditioning by 2030.
  • Include cooling emissions in countries overall climate action plans, called Nationally Determined Contributions.
  • Publish own national cooling action plans by 2026.
  • Support the deployment of highly efficient air conditioning technologies.
  • Establish national model building energy codes by 2030.
  • Pursue the life cycle management of fluorocarbons through the Initiative on Fluorocarbons Life Cycle Management.
  • Support initiatives such as United Nations Environment Programme-led Cool Coalition, to advance global cooperation and domestic actions.
  • Support collaborative research, innovation, and deployment activities at the local and international level.

What are the benefits of the Global Cooling Pledge?

  • Cooling accessibility- Around 3.5 billion more people can enjoy refrigerators, air conditioners or passive cooling by 2050, improving their health and well-being.
  • Lower electricity bills- End users can save 1 trillion dollars in 2050 and 17 trillion dollars cumulatively from 2022 to 2050 by using less power for cooling.
  • Reduced peak power demand- The power grid can be relieved by cutting peak power requirements by 1.5 to 2 terawatts (TW), which is almost twice the European Union’s current capacity.
  • Cut investments- The need for building new power plants can be avoided by saving 4 to 5 trillion dollars in power generation investments.

What lies ahead?

  • Kigali amendment- It is an amendment to Montreal Protocol signed by 150 countries in 2016, to reduce HFC consumption by 80% by 2047.
    • If achieved, this could avoid more than 0.4 degree Celsius of global warming by 2100.
  • Climate friendly chemicals- The phasing-out of HFCs would promote the use of natural refrigerants such as ammonia, certain hydrocarbons, and CO2 in cooling devices which have lower or zero global warming potential.
  • Proper disposal- Most of the HFCs and HCFCs take place at the appliance’s end of life, consumers and authorities need to dispose of them properly.
    • Proper management and reuse of potent refrigerant gases could slash 100 billion gigatons of global CO2 emissions between 2020 and 2050.
  • Sustainable buildings- Improving insulation materials and constructing buildings with large openings for better ventilation can help reduce heat inside, this could cool buildings without the use of AC.
  • Holistic approach- Sustainable cooling can be affordable if governments take an integrated approach, one that emphasizes passive cooling, mandates energy efficiency and phases out damaging refrigerants while offering targeted financial support to vulnerable populations.

Source:

Asola Bhatti Wild Life Sanctuary

GS-III : Biodiversity & Environment Conservation

  • Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in New Delhi and is a part of the Aravalli Mountain Range.
  • It was established in the year 1986.

It is a part of the Sariska-Delhi Wildlife Corridor, which runs from the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan to Delhi Ridge.

Source:

Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Treaty

GS-II : International Relations International issues

  • Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed recently to exchange prisoners of war and work toward signing a peace treaty.

As part of the deal, Armenia agreed to lift its objections to Azerbaijan hosting next year's international conference on climate change.

Source:

Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus (EEHV)

GS-III : S&T Health

  • A new study assessed the circulation of the elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus Subtypes (EEHV) responsible for the recent rise in the disease, as well as its pathogenesis.
  • Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) is a double-stranded DNA herpesvirus.
  • It can cause a fatal hemorrhagic disease in young Asian elephants.

The disease has a mortality rate of up to 85%.

Source:

Africa's Green Industrialisation Initiative

GS-III : Biodiversity & Environment Environmental Governance

  • The Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII) aims to accelerate and scale up green industries and businesses across Africa.
  • The initiative builds upon the existing $4.5 billion Africa green investment from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Africa has 40% of the world’s critical minerals necessary for energy transition and has the world’s largest natural carbon sink.

Source:

Dodo (Raphus cucullatus)

GS-III : Biodiversity & Environment Animals

  • Geneticists and conservationists have joined forces to re-introduce the Dodo, extinct since the late 17th century.
  • It is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the Island of Mauritius.
  • Dodos were large birds, approximately 3-feet tall.

Extinction reasons – Climate change and human behaviour.

Source:

Shidaowan Nuclear Plant

GS-III : S&T International S&T initiative

  • China starts up world's 1st 4th generation nuclear reactor, Shidaowan recently.
  • It uses a high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor with 1,150MW.

4th generation reactors can operate at higher temperatures than most other reactors, which allows them to generate both electricity and hydrogen.

Source:

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