Current Affairs – 10th Jan 2024
Articles covered:
- The Andhra Pradesh government has requested the Justice Balakrishnan Commission to extend Scheduled Castes (SC) category status to those who were converted to Christianity.
- A look at Project Tiger, 50 years on.
- President Murmu presents sports awards at a glittering ceremony.
- Panel can look into ST status of Chin Kukis: Biren
- Justice Gavai nominated as SC Legal Services Committee Chairman: What law says on free legal aid in India
The Andhra Pradesh government has requested the Justice Balakrishnan Commission to extend Scheduled Castes (SC) category status to those who were converted to Christianity:
- The State government has requested the Justice Balakrishnan Commission to extend Scheduled Castes (SC) category status to those who were converted to Christianity.
- The Union government in 2022 had formed the Commission under the Chairmanship of former Chief Justice of India and former chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission K.G. Balakrishnan.
- The Commission members visited the Secretariat on Tuesday. Social Welfare Minister Merugu Nagarjuna and others met the Commission to apprise the members of the State government’s view on the subject.
- In a unanimous resolution passed on Friday, March 24, 2023, the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly supported the inclusion of Dalit Christians in the Scheduled Castes list, saying that the State government was of the opinion that their socio-economic status was at par with that of Dalits who practise Hinduism.
- Passing the resolution, the Legislature resolved to request the Union government to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 accordingly and include Dalits who have converted to Christianity in the SC list.
- The Andhra Pradesh government said that it had received several representations saying that Dalit Christians continue to face social, economic and political discrimination and that they deserve better treatment on equal footing as Dalits who converted to Sikhism and Buddhism.
- As per the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, only Dalits who practise Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism are eligible to be categorised as SC. There are a batch of petitions currently pending in the Supreme Court of India challenging this part of the Order and seeking the inclusion of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims in the SC list.
A look at Project Tiger, 50 years on:
What is Project Tiger?
- Project Tiger was launched by the Central government on April 1, 1973, at the Jim Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand) to promote conservation of the tiger.
- According to reports, while there were 40,000 tigers in the country at the time of the Independence, they were soon reduced to below 2,000 by 1970 due to widespread hunting and habitat destruction.
- In 1970, the IUCN declared the tiger as an endangered species.
- The programme was initially started in 9 tiger reserves of different States such as Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, UP and West Bengal, covering over 14,000 sq km.
- Notably, Project Tiger didn’t just focus on the conservation of the big cats. It also ensured the preservation of their natural habitat as tigers are at the top of the food chain.
- According to the Wildlife Institute of India’s (WII) 5th tiger census (quadrennial), India’s tiger population increased to 3,682 in 2022 (revised from 3,167 recently), up from 1,411 in 2006, 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014 and 2,967 in 2018.
- In 2022, the maximum number of tigers (785) were reported to be in MP, followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560), and Maharashtra (444).
- Nearly a quarter of the tigers were reportedly outside protected areas.
- This is made possible because of political commitment, which led to governments, communities, conservation organisations, etc., working together.
- The successes in India can be attributed largely to the success of Project Tiger, which celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this year (2023).
President Murmu presents sports awards at a glittering ceremony:
- India’s best-performing athletes and coaches were conferred with the National sports awards by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday.
- The awards ceremony, usually held on the National Sports Day (August 29), was postponed because of the Hangzhou Asian Games.
- While the Khel Ratna comes with a cash prize of ₹25 lakh, the Arjuna and Dronacharya awards include a cash prize of ₹15 lakh.
The recipients (2023 awards):
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna: Chirag Shetty and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy (badminton).
- Arjuna Awards: Ojas Pravin Deotale (archery), Aditi Gopichand Swami (archery), Murali Sreeshankar (athletics), Parul Chaudhary (athletics), Mohammad Hussamuddin (boxing), R Vaishali (chess), Mohammed Shami (cricket), Anush Agarwalla (equestrian), Divyakriti Singh (equestrian dressage), Diksha Dagar (golf), Krishan Bahadur Pathak (hockey), Sushila Chanu (hockey), Pawan Kumar (kabaddi), Ritu Negi (kabaddi), Nasreen (kho-kho), Pinki (lawn bowls), Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (shooting), Esha Singh (shooting), Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (squash), Ayhika Mukherjee (table tennis), Sunil Kumar (wrestling), Antim Panghal (wrestling), Naorem Roshibina Devi (wushu), Sheetal Devi (para archery), Illuri Ajay Kumar Reddy (blind cricket), Prachi Yadav (para canoeing).
- Dronacharya Award: Regular category: Lalit Kumar (wrestling), R.B. Ramesh (chess), Mahaveer Prasad Saini (para-athletics), Shivendra Singh (hockey), Ganesh Prabhakar Devrukhkar (mallakhamb).
- Life-time category: Jaskirat Singh Grewal (golf), E. Bhaskaran E (kabaddi), Jayanta Kumar Pushilal (table tennis).
- Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement: Manjusha Kanwar (badminton), Vineet Kumar Sharma (hockey), Kavitha Selvaraj (kabaddi).
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy 2023: Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.
Panel can look into ST status of Chin Kukis: Biren:
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Tuesday said that an all-tribe committee would be formed to decide if the Chin Kuki community should be excluded from the State’s Scheduled Tribes list.
About Kuki and Zomi Tribes:
- Kuki and Zomi Tribes are one of the Ethnic groups from the Bangladesh region. They are mainly residents of Manipur and Mizoram in India.
- They are also known as Chin or Mizo people, and they share a common ancestry and culture.
- They speak various dialects of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo language family, which belong to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages.
- They are related to the larger Zo people, along with other tribes such as Chin and Mizo.
Process of Amendment in the ST List:
- Any tribe or tribal community can be included or excluded from the list only by law made by the Parliament of India.
- A notification issued under clause (1) of Article 342, specifying Scheduled Tribes, is used to amend the list.
- As per the Supreme Court verdict, it is not open to State governments or courts or tribunals or any other authority to modify, amend or alter the list of Scheduled Tribes specified in the notification issued under clause (1) of Article 342
- However, the Union Government has stated that the process of inclusion or exclusion from ST list requires the proposal to originate from the concerned State government, which is then acted upon by the Parliament.
- The criteria used by the government to declare communities as STs were decided upon by the Lokur Committee in 1965 and continue to be in use today.
- Criteria includes primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the community at large, and backwardness.
Justice Gavai nominated as SC Legal Services Committee Chairman: What law says on free legal aid in India:
Supreme Court judge Justice BR Gavai has been nominated as the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC), replacing Justice Sanjiv Khanna – the senior most judge of the top court after the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
What is the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee?
- The Supreme Court Legal Services Committee was constituted under Section 3A of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, to provide “free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of society”, in cases falling under the top court’s jurisdiction.
- Section 3A of the Act states that the Central Authority (the National Legal Services Authority or NALSA) shall constitute the committee.
- It consists of a sitting SC judge, who is the chairman, along with other members possessing the experience and qualifications prescribed by the Centre. Both the chairman and other members will be nominated by the CJI. Further, the CJI can appoint the Secretary to the Committee
Who does the SCLSC comprise?
- As of date, the SCLSC consists of chairperson BR Gavai and nine members nominated by the CJI. The Committee, in turn, can appoint officers and other employees as prescribed by the Centre, in consultation with the CJI.
- Under Section 27 of the 1987 Act, the Centre is empowered to make rules in consultation with the CJI, by notification, to carry out the provisions of the Act.
What is the need for legal services and how is it dispensed to the people?
- The need for providing legal services has been underlined in many provisions of the Indian Constitution.
- Article 39A states, “The State shall secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice, on a basis of equal opportunity, and shall, in particular, provide free legal aid, by suitable legislation or schemes or in any other way, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities.”
- Moreover, Articles 14 (right to equality) and 22(1) (rights to be informed of grounds for arrest) also make it obligatory for the State to ensure equality before the law and a legal system that promotes justice based on equal opportunity.
- Although the idea of a legal aid programme was earlier floated in the 1950s, it was in 1980 that a committee at the national level was established under the chairmanship of then SC judge Justice PN Bhagwati. The Committee for Implementing Legal Aid Schemes started monitoring legal aid activities throughout India.
What the Legal Services Authorities Act says:
- In 1987, the Legal Services Authorities Act was enacted to give a statutory base to legal aid programmes.
- It aims to provide free and competent legal services to eligible groups, including women, children, SC/ST and EWS categories, industrial workers, disabled persons, and others.
- Under the Act, NALSA was constituted in 1995 to monitor and evaluate the implementation of legal aid programmes and to lay down policies for making legal services available.
- Subsequently, in every state, State Legal Services Authorities (SLSA) were established to implement NALSA’s policies and directions, give free legal services to people, and conduct Lok Adalats.
- An SLSA is headed by the Chief Justice of the respective High Court and includes the senior HC judge as its Executive Chairman.
- While the HC Chief Justice is the patron-in-chief of the SLSA, the CJI is the patron-in-chief of NALSA.
- Similarly, District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) and Taluk Legal Services Committees were established in districts and most taluks. Situated in the District Courts Complex in every district, each DLSA is chaired by the District Judge of the respective district.
- The Taluka or Sub-Divisional Legal Services Committees are headed by a senior civil judge. Collectively, these bodies organise legal awareness camps, provide free legal services, and supply and obtain certified order copies and other legal documents, among other functions.