Removal of Governor

• A political party recently called for a proposal to remove the Tamil Nadu Governor.
• In recent years, the squabbles between states and governors have centered on the choice of a party to form a government, the deadline for proving the majority, sitting on bills, and criticizing the state administration.
• As a result, Governor is derisively referred to as a Centre agent, a puppet, and a rubber stamp.

How is the Governor to be deposed?

• A Governor is appointed by the President and serves "during the pleasure of the President," according to Articles 155 and 156 of the Constitution.
• If the Governor's pleasure is withdrawn before the end of his five-year term, he must resign.
• In practice, the Governor can be nominated and removed by the central government because the President functions with the assistance and counsel of the Prime Minister and the council of ministers.

What takes place if the Governor and the States disagree?

Provisions of the Constitution:

• The manner in which the Governor and the state must interact openly when there is a difference of opinion is not specified in the Constitution.
• Respect for each other's limits has traditionally served as a guidance for managing differences.

Decisions of the Courts:

• In Surya Narain Choudhary v. Union of India (1981), the Rajasthan High Court ruled that the Governor lacked tenure security and was subject to the President's discretionary power to remove him or her at any time.
• In the 2010 case of BP Singhal v. Union of India, the Supreme Court expanded on the enjoyment concept. The "at pleasure" notion is supported as having "no limitations or restrictions," but this "does not dispense with the need for a cause for withdrawal of the enjoyment."
• Additionally, it was suggested that Governors be made aware of the reasons behind their dismissal.
• The Venkatachaliah Commission (2002) suggested that governors typically be permitted to serve out their full five-year tenure.
• If it becomes necessary to dismiss them before the end of their term, the central government should only do so after speaking with the Chief Minister.
• According to the Punchhi Commission (2010), the phrase "during the pleasure of the President" should be eliminated from the Constitution because a governor shouldn't be dismissed at the whim of the federal government.
• He or she should only be dismissed as a result of a state legislature resolution.

Way Forward

• Strengthening Federalism: India's federal system needs to be strengthened in order to prevent abuse of the governor's office.
• The Inter-State council and Rajya Sabha's function as the federalism chamber need to be strengthened in this regard.
• Change the Governor Appointment Process: The state legislature may create a panel from which the appointment can be made, but the Inter-state Council, not the federal government, should have actual appointment power.
• Code of Conduct for Governor: This "Code of Conduct" should provide some "norms and standards" that the governor may employ as he sees fit in exercising his "discretion" and his powers.

Read Also: Supreme Court Verdict on EWS Quota

State of Food and Agriculture Report, 2022

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently published the State of Food and Agriculture report for 2022.
• Every year, the flagship report is created.
• In order to help policymakers maximize the advantages and avoid the hazards, the research examined how automation in our agri-food systems can help us reach Sustainable Development Goals.

Agriculture automation – What is it?

• Food production can be made more effectively and sustainably by using agricultural automation, which can range from tractors to artificial intelligence.
• But if technology continues to be out of reach for small-scale producers and other marginalized groups, it could further exacerbate existing disparities.

What are the Report's Highlights?

27 case studies from various technologies from around the world were examined for the paper.

• Of the 27 service providers, just 10 are successful and financially stable.
• Statistics on the number of tractors per 1,000 hectares of arable land indicate that regional progress toward mechanisation is uneven.
• By the 1960s, high-income nations in North America, Europe, and Oceania were heavily mechanized. However, low- and middle-income regions tended to be less mechanized.
• Importantly, there are significant differences in the adoption of automation between and within nations, with sub-Saharan Africa seeing the least amount of adoption.
• For example, in 2005, Japan had more than 400 tractors per 1,000 hectares of arable land, whereas Ghana had only 0.4.
• Productivity is constrained in sub-Saharan Africa by the continued dominance of agriculture powered by human and animal labour.

What suggestions are made?

• Agrifood systems' sustainability and resilience should be guaranteed by an agricultural automation strategy.
• In such labor-rich environments, policymakers should refrain from subsidising automation.
• In areas with a surplus of rural labour and low salaries, agricultural automation can result in unemployment.
• The main goal of policymakers should be to foster the adoption of automation.
• The least skilled workers, who are more likely to lose their jobs during the transition, should be given social support.

About The Food and Agriculture Organization:

• The FAO is a specialized agency of the UN that directs global initiatives to end hunger.
• Every year on October 16th, people all over the world commemorate World Food Day. The anniversary of the FAO's inception in 1945 is commemorated on this day.
• It is one of the UN food aid organizations based in Rome (Italy). Its sister bodies are the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Initiatives Taken:

• Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).
• Monitors the Desert Locust situation throughout the world.
• The Codex Alimentarius Commission or CAC is the body responsible for all matters regarding the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.
• The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was adopted by the Thirty-First Session of the Conference of the FAO in 2001.

Flagship Publications:

• The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA).
• The State of the World's Forests (SOFO).
• The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI).
• The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO).

Read Also: State of Agricultural Commodity Markets

Supreme Court Verdict on EWS Quota

EWS quota does not go against the basic structure: SC

• The 103rd amendment to the Constitution, which added a 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections, was recently upheld by the Supreme Court (EWS).

More information about the Supreme Court's ruling

Concerning "Exclusion of the Reserved Categories from the EWS Quota":

• Issue: Critics contend that by excluding (Socially and Educationally Backward Classes)/OBCs (Other Backward Classes)/SCs (Scheduled Castes)/STs (Scheduled Tribes) from the scope of EWS reservation, the act violates the fundamental principles of the Constitution.
• According to the court, leaving the reserved categories out of the EWS quota does not go against the equality legislation.
• The fundamental framework of the constitution, according to the court, is not harmed in any way by this.

Concerning the "Reservation for EWS in excess of the 50% cap":

• The Supreme Court ruled in Indra Sawhney vs Union of India, also known as the Mandal Commission case, that total reservation should not exceed 50%.
• According to critics, the 50% limit is a constitutional requirement without which the structure of equality of opportunity would collapse.
• The court also ruled that the reservation for EWS above the 50 percent cap does not violate the basic structure.
• According to the court's statement, the ceiling is not inflexible on its own and, in any case, only applies to reservations contemplated by Articles 15(4), 15(5), and 16(4) of the Constitution.

Affirmative action:

• An amendment allowing states to make special provisions for EWS other than Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes must be treated as affirmative action by the Parliament for the benefit and improvement of the EWS category.

Regarding reservation duration:

• Though it was intended that reservations would have a time limit, they have yet to be implemented even after 75 years of independence.
• The Court also stated that the policy should be reconsidered in the larger interest of society as a whole, as a step toward transformative constitutionalism.

103rd Amendment Act

• The Parliament amended the Constitution of India (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019, to provide for a 10% reservation in education and government jobs in India for a subset of General category candidates.
• Articles 15 (6) and 16 (6) are introduced:
• Articles 15 and 16 were amended to include an economic reservation. It amended the Constitution by inserting Articles 15 (6) and 16 (6) to allow reservation for the economically disadvantaged in the unreserved category.
• Article 15(6): Up to 10% of seats in educational institutions may be reserved for EWS. Minority educational institutions will be exempt from such restrictions.
• Article 16(6) allows the government to set aside up to 10% of all government jobs for the EWS.

Arguments in Favor of the f EWS Quota

• The quota is progressive: the economically disadvantaged have been denied access to higher education and public employment due to financial constraints.
• The quota is progressive and has the potential to address India's educational and income disparities.
• Abysmal conditions: The reservation criteria should be economic because many classes other than backward classes live in abysmal conditions but are unable to benefit from the reservation and its intended benefits.
• Union of India v. Ram Singh (2015): In this case, the Supreme Court asserted that social deficiencies may exist outside of the concept of caste (for example, economic status/gender identity as in transgenders).
• The "quota-for-poor" policy is a symptom of a larger failure.
• It replaces the principle that welfare should be the primary goal of public policy, conceals the state's massive failure in dealing with issues of poverty and deprivation, and, at the same time, indicates a dead end in policy-making itself.

Reasons to oppose the EWS Quota

• Reservation based on economic criteria: Although family income can be one of the parameters, reservation based entirely on economic criteria is not an all-in-one solution.
• Determining economic backwardness: Determining economic backwardness is a major challenge because there are concerns about who should and should not be included in the criteria.
• Opportunity equality: In M. Nagaraj v. Union of India (2006), a Constitution Bench ruled that equality is part of the Constitution's basic structure.

Financial strain:

• The implementation of the quota is a challenge in and of itself, as states lack the financial resources to enforce even the current and constitutionally mandated reservations.
• Other: It removes the constitutionally permitted gatekeeping mechanism of social and educational backwardness, making reservation available to all, regardless of social backwardness.
• Reservation has also become synonymous with anti-merit; with reservation's expansion, this opinion may become even more entrenched in the public psyche.

Constitutional provisions on the subject

• Articles 16(1) and 16(2) guarantee citizens equal opportunity in employment or appointment to government positions.
• Article 15(1) prohibits discrimination against any citizen based on religion, caste, gender, or place of birth.
• Articles 15(4) and 16(4) state that the equality provisions do not prevent the government from making special provisions in matters of admission to educational institutions or jobs in favour of backward classes, particularly the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs).
• Article 16(4A) allows reservations to SCs and STs in promotions, as long as the government believes that they are not adequately represented in government services.

Read Also: RESERVATION IN INDIA

Ganga Utsav 2022

• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Ministry of Jal Shakti recently organised Ganga Utsav—The River Festivals 2022.

What is the 2022 Ganga Utsav?

• To improve the Public - River Connection, the NMCG celebrates the event each year.
• The National Ganga Council (NMCG) was established in 2016 to take the role of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NRGBA).
• On the first day of Ganga Utsav 2021, the NMCG was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for posting.
• With a focus on promoting stakeholder engagement and public participation towards the rejuvenation of the river Ganga, it emphasises the importance of Jan Bhagidari (People's Participation) in the resuscitation of Ganga.

2022's Ganga Utsav

• The intention is to hold comparable ceremonies in more than 75 locations throughout states to commemorate India's rivers as part of the major celebration of the country's 75th anniversary of independence (Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav).
• The festival will feature a variety of genres, including poetry, discussion, storytelling, music, art, and culture.
• Districts will host a number of awareness-raising events to engage the populace and spread the word about Namami Gange as a widespread movement.

What are the government's Ganga River initiatives?

It was the first river action plan to capture, divert, and treat home sewage, which helped to enhance the water quality.

• The Ganga Action Plan phase-2's goal of cleaning up the Ganga River is furthered by the National River Conservation Plan.
• Authority for the National River Ganga: Under Section 3 of the Environment Protection Act of 1986, it was established in 2009.
• In order to clean up the Ganga, establish waste treatment facilities, and preserve the biological diversity of the river, the Clean Ganga Fund was established in 2014.
• Web app for Bhuvan-Ganga: It ensures that the whole population is involved in the surveillance of pollution entering the Ganges River.
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) prohibited the disposal of any rubbish in the Ganga in 2017.

What are the River Ganga's Main Attractions?

• Hindus consider this river to be the most sacred river in the world. It is the longest river in India and flows over 2,510 km of mountains, valleys, and plains.
• Over a surface area of 10,86,000 square kilometers, the Ganga basin extends into Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet (China), and India.
• It includes eight Indian states—Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Delhi—and drains an area of 8,61,452 square kilometres, or about 26% of the nation's total land area.
• It comes from the Gangotri Glacier's snowfields in the Himalayas.
• The river is known as the Bhagirathi at its source. It leaves the valley and travels to Devprayag, where it merges with the Ganga, another mountain stream.
• The Yamuna and the Son are the two main tributaries that join the river from the right.
• From left, the Ramganga, Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi, and Mahananda join the river. The Betwa and the Chambal are the two additional significant tributaries.
• The Ganga River basin, which spans an area of one million square kilometers, is among the world's most fertile and heavily populated regions.
• An endangered species that only lives in this river is the Ganges River Dolphin.
• In Bangladesh, the Ganga joins the Brahmaputra and continues its course as the Padma or Ganga.
• Before emptying into the Bay of Bengal to conclude its trip, the Ganga widens into the Ganges Delta in Bangladesh's Sundarbans marsh.