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Current Affairs (9th July, 2024)

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 09-Jul-2024

Current Affairs

Teesta River Water Dispute

Why in News?

  • West Bengal Chief Minister - Mamta Banerjee raised her concerns over Teesta River water sharing.

About Teesta River

  • Tributary of: Brahmaputra (known as Jamuna in Bangladesh).
  • Countries it flows through: India and Bangladesh.
  • Origin: Himalayas near Chungthang valley, Sikkim (India).
  • Flows to the south through West Bengal before entering Bangladesh.
  • Drainage: Padma River (main channel of River Ganga in Bangladesh).
  • Important Dam: Teesta Barrage 

Constitutional Provisions with Reference to the International Water Dispute

  • Article 253 of the Indian Constitution gives power to the Union Government to enter any transboundary river water-related treaty with a riparian state.
  • The Center cannot do it arbitrarily without taking into consideration the social, political, and eco-impact of such a treaty in the catchment area.

Note: Riparian State is a state through or along which the navigable portion of a river flows or a lake lies.

Production Linked Incentive 

Why in News?

  • Centre reopens application window for White Goods (ACs and LED lights) under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

About PLI Scheme

  • It was conceived to scale up domestic manufacturing capability, accompanied by higher import substitution and employment generation.
  • Launched in March 2020, the scheme initially targeted three industries:
    • Mobile and allied Component Manufacturing
    • Electrical Component Manufacturing and
    • Medical Devices.
  • Later, it was extended to 14 sectors.
  • In the PLI scheme, Domestic and Foreign companies receive financial rewards for manufacturing in India, based on a percentage of their revenue over up to five years.
  • The incentives given, are calculated on the basis of incremental sales.

Targeted Sectors

  • The 14 sectors are mobile manufacturing, manufacturing of medical devices, automobiles and auto components, pharmaceuticals, drugs, specialty steel, telecom & networking products, electronic products, white goods (ACs and LEDs), food products, textile products, solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell (ACC) battery, and drones and drone components.

Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement

Why in News?

  • The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved India to sign the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement.

About Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ)

  • The BBNJ Agreement, or the ‘High Seas Treaty’, is an international treaty under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
  • Aim: To address the growing concerns over the long-term protection of marine biodiversity in the high seas.
  • It sets precise mechanisms for the sustainable use of marine biological diversity through international cooperation and coordination.
  • Parties cannot claim or exercise sovereign rights over marine resources derived from the high seas and ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits.
  • It follows an inclusive, integrated, ecosystem-centric approach based on the precautionary principle and promotes using traditional knowledge and the best available scientific knowledge.
  • It helps minimise impacts on the marine environment through area-based management tools and establishes rules for conducting environmental impact assessments.
  • It would also contribute to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG14 (Life Below Water).

Note: About Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  • Issued by: United Nations Member States in 2015
  • Aim: Provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. 
  • Replaced: Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 
  • There are 17 SDGs adopted by all United Nation Members.

Right to Privacy

Why in News?

  • The Supreme Court on Monday held that bail conditions allowing an investigating agency to continuously track the movements of an accused violate the Right to Privacy guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

About Article 21: Protection of Life and Personal Liberty

  • This Article states that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.
  • This fundamental right is available to every person, citizens and foreigners.

Food Corporation of India

Why in News?

  • Centre tweaks Food Corporation of India (FCI) funding, helping it to go debt free.

About FCI

  • It is a Public Sector Undertaking.
  • Functions under the Department of Food & Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
  • It is a statutory body set up in 1965 under the Food Corporations Act 1964. 
  • It was established against the backdrop of major shortage of grains, especially wheat.

Organizational Structure of FCI

  • Headquarters: New Delhi 
  • Five Zonal Offices
  • Twenty-five Regional Offices
  • 170 District Offices under its control.

Objectives of FCI

  • To provide remunerative prices to farmers.
  • To help in transforming the crisis management oriented food security into a stable security system to ensure availability, accessibility and affordability of food grains to all people at all times so that no one, nowhere and at no time should go hungry.
  • Ensuring food security of the nation by maintaining satisfactory level of operational buffer stocks of food grains.
  • Distribution of food grains throughout the country for Public Distribution System.

General Knowledge

 Lok Sabha (The House of the People)

About:

It is the Lower House (First Chamber or Popular House) and it represents the people of India as a whole.

Composition

  • The maximum strength of the Lok Sabha is fixed at 550 out of which 530 members are to be the representatives of the states and 20 of the Union Territories (UTs).
  • The current strength of Lok Sabha is 543, out of which 530 members represent the states and 13 represent the UTs.
  • Earlier, the President also nominated two members from the Anglo-Indian community, but by the 95th Amendment Act, 2009 this provision was valid till 2020 only.

Election of Representatives

  • The representatives of states are directly elected by the people from the territorial constituencies in the states.
  • By the Union Territories (Direct Election to the House of the People) Act, 1965, the members of Lok Sabha from the UTs are chosen by direct election.

Functions

  • One of the most important functions of the Lok Sabha is to select the executive, a group of persons who work together to implement the laws made by the Parliament.
  • This executive is often what we have in mind when we use the term government.

Powers

Decisions in Joint Sitting

  • Any ordinary law needs to be passed by both the Houses.
  • However, in case of any difference between the two Houses, the final decision is taken by calling a joint session of both the Houses.
  • Due to a larger strength, the view of the Lok Sabha is likely to prevail in such a meeting.

Power in Money Matters

  • Once the Lok Sabha passes the budget of the government or any other money related law, the Rajya Sabha cannot reject it.
  • The Rajya Sabha can only delay it by 14 days or suggest changes in it, however, the former may or may not accept these changes.

Power over Council of Ministers

  • If the majority of the Lok Sabha members say they have ‘no confidence’ in the Council of Ministers, all ministers including the Prime Minister, have to quit.
  • The Rajya Sabha does not have this power.

 Lieutenant Governor

  • Lieutenant Governor (LG) is in charge of a Union Territory.
  • The position of LG is applicable to the following UTs:
    • National Capital Region of Delhi
    • Jammu and Kashmir
    • Puducherry
  • However, in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Ladakh, where the lieutenant governor is both the head of state and administration, they wield greater authority.
  • Appointed by: The President of India
  • Term: Five-year
  • The LG serves at the President’s discretion.

Election Commission of India (ECI)

About