Current Affairs 14 November 2024

CONTENTS

1. Inter-State Council
2. Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA)
3. Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come hell and high water. 
4. State of the Climate 2024
5. Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile
6. Comb Jellies

 Inter-State Council

Context:

The Indian government has recently reconstituted the Inter-State Council (ISC) after two years, with the last reconstitution in 2022, appointing the Prime Minister(PM) as chairman and underscoring a renewed commitment to Centre-State relations and cooperative federalism. 

Relevance:

GS II: Polity and Governance

Dimensions of the Article:

1. What is the Inter-State Council?
2. Challenges Facing the Inter-State Council (ISC)

What is the Inter-State Council?

• It is a mechanism that was constituted “to support Centre-State and Inter-State coordination and cooperation in India”.
• The Inter-State Council was established under Article 263 of the Constitution, which states that the President may constitute such a body if a need is felt for it.
• The Council is basically meant to serve as a forum for discussions among various governments.
• In 1988, the Sarkaria Commission suggested the Council should exist as a permanent body, and in 1990 it came into existence through a Presidential Order.
• The main functions of the Council are inquiring into and advising on disputes between states, investigating and discussing subjects in which two states or states and the Union have a common interest, and making recommendations for the better coordination of policy and action.

Composition and Leadership:

• Chaired by the Prime Minister, the ISC comprises:
• Chief Ministers of all States.
• Chief Ministers of Union Territories with Legislative Assemblies.
• Administrators of Union Territories without Legislative Assemblies.
• Six Union Ministers of Cabinet rank, nominated by the Prime Minister.

Historical Amendments:

• The Presidential Order establishing the ISC was first amended in 1990, allowing Governors of States under President’s rule to attend meetings.
• A second amendment in 1996 enabled the Chairman to nominate permanent invitees from other Union Ministers.
• Structural Enhancements:
• In 1996, the ISC established a Standing Committee for ongoing consultations and processing matters for Council consideration, chaired by the Home Minister and periodically reconstituted.

Secretariat:

• Established in New Delhi in 1991, the Inter-State Council Secretariat (ISCS) is led by a Secretary to the Government of India.
• Since 2011, the ISCS has also managed the secretarial functions of the Zonal Councils.

Benefits of ISC Deliberations:

• ISC policies typically enjoy higher social legitimacy, fostering acceptance among states and minimizing inter-state conflicts.
• The ISC helps maintain a balance of power between the Union and the states, preventing dominance by either entity and ensuring decisions align with the constitutional framework and federal principles.
• This balance is crucial during major reforms such as the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) or demonetization, which could otherwise strain Union-state relations.

Challenges Facing the Inter-State Council (ISC)

Infrequency of Meetings:

• Despite the guideline for the ISC to convene at least three times annually, it has only met 11 times since its inception in 1990. The last meeting occurred in July 2016, reflecting significant gaps in meeting the procedural mandate.

Advisory Role and Lack of Binding Authority:

• The ISC’s advisory nature limits its effectiveness in resolving disputes, as its recommendations are non-binding and do not compel compliance, hindering its ability to enforce Union-State coordination.
• Enforcement Limitations:
• The broad mandate of the ISC does not include enforcement powers, positioning it more as a forum for discussion rather than a decision-making body. This structural limitation affects its capacity to implement policies or changes directly.

Lack of Follow-up Mechanisms:

• There is often an absence of robust mechanisms to track and ensure the implementation of ISC recommendations. This deficiency calls for a more structured approach to achieve meaningful outcomes and ensure that discussions lead to actionable results.

Political Dynamics:

The political landscape, including differing ideologies between the central and state governments, can significantly influence the functioning of the ISC. Such disparities may obstruct consensus-building on various issues, impacting the council’s overall effectiveness.

-Source: The Hindu

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA)

Context:

The Central Government announced that any NGO involved in anti-developmental activities and forced religious conversions will face cancellation of their registration under Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010.

Relevance:

GS-II: Polity and Governance (Government Policies & Interventions, Non-Governmental Organisations -NGOs), GS-III: Indian Economy (External Sector, Mobilization of Resources)

Dimensions of the Article:

1. What is the FCRA?
2. Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010
3. Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2020
4. Issues Related to FCRA
5. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in India

What is the FCRA?

• The FCRA was enacted during the Emergency in 1976 amid apprehensions that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs by pumping money into the country through independent organisations.
• These concerns were, in fact, even older — they had been expressed in Parliament as early as in 1969.
• The law sought to regulate foreign donations to individuals and associations so that they functioned “in a manner consistent with the values of a sovereign democratic republic”.

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010

The Foreign Contribution (regulation) Act, 2010 is a consolidating act whose scope is to regulate the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality by certain individuals or associations or companies and to prohibit acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality for any activities detrimental to the national interest and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Key Points regarding FCRA

• Foreign funding of voluntary organizations in India is regulated under FCRA act and is implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The FCRA regulates the receipt of funding from sources outside of India to NGOs working in India.
• It prohibits the receipt of foreign contribution “for any activities detrimental to the national interest”.
• The Act held that the government can refuse permission if it believes that the donation to the NGO will adversely affect “public interest” or the “economic interest of the state”. However, there is no clear guidance on what constitutes “public interest”.
• The Acts ensures that the recipients of foreign contributions adhere to the stated purpose for which such contribution has been obtained.
• Under the Act, organisations require to register themselves every five years.

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2020

• The Act bars public servants from receiving foreign contributions. Public servant includes any person who is in service or pay of the government, or remunerated by the government for the performance of any public duty.
• The Act prohibits the transfer of foreign contribution to any other person not registered to accept foreign contributions.
• The Act makes Aadhaar number mandatory for all office bearers, directors or key functionaries of a person receiving foreign contribution, as an identification document.
• The Act states that foreign contribution must be received only in an account designated by the bank as FCRA account in such branches of the State Bank of India, New Delhi.
• The Act proposes that not more than 20% of the total foreign funds received could be defrayed for administrative expenses. In FCRA 2010 the limit was 50%.
• The Act allows the central government to permit a person to surrender their registration certificate.

Issues Related to FCRA

• The Act also held that the government can refuse permission if it believes that the donation to the NGO will adversely affect “public interest” or the “economic interest of the state” – however, there is no clear guidance on what constitutes “public interest”.
• By allowing only some political groups to receive foreign donations and disallowing some others, can induce biases in favour of the government. NGOs need to tread carefully when they criticise the regime, knowing that too much criticism could cost their survival. FCRA norms can reduce critical voices by declaring them to be against the public interest – Hence, it can be said that FCRA restrictions have serious consequences on both the rights to free speech and freedom of association under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(c) of the Constitution.
• In 2016, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association undertook a legal analysis of the FCRA and stated that restrictions in the name of “public interest” and “economic interest” failed the test of “legitimate restrictions” as they were too vague and gave the state excessive discretionary powers to apply the provision in an arbitrary manner.

Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in India

• Worldwide, the term ‘NGO’ is used to describe a body that is neither part of a government nor a conventional for-profit business organisation.
• NGOs are groups of ordinary citizens that are involved in a wide range of activities that may have charitable, social, political, religious or other interests.
• In India, NGOs can be registered under a plethora of Acts such as the Indian Societies Registration Act, 1860, Religious Endowments Act,1863, Indian Trusts Act, etc.
• India has possibly the largest number of active NGOs in the world.
• Ministries such as Health and Family Welfare, Human Resource Department, etc., provide funding to NGOs, but only a handful of NGOs get hefty government funds.
• NGOs also receive funds from abroad, if they are registered with the Home Ministry under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). There are more than 22,500 FCRA-registered NGOs.
• Registered NGOs can receive foreign contribution under five purposes — social, educational, religious, economic and cultural.

-Source: The Hindu

Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come hell and high water. 

Context:

Recently, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released the Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come hell and high water. 

Relevance:

GS III: Environment and Ecology

Dimensions of the Article:

1. Adaptation and Adaptation gap:
2. What’s new in this year’s report?
3. Key Findings of the Adaptation Gap Report 2024

Adaptation and Adaptation gap:

Adaptation: The process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects. In human systems, adaptation seeks to moderate or avoid harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. In some natural systems, human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its effects (IPCC 2021 ).

Adaptation gap: The difference between actually implemented adaptation and a societally set goal, determined largely by preferences related to tolerated climate change impacts and reflecting resource limitations and competing priorities (UNEP 20142).

What’s new in this year’s report?

• The report finds that progress in adaptation financing is not fast enough to close the enormous gap between needs and flows, which contributes to a continued lag in adaptation planning and implementation efforts. 
• International public adaptation finance flows to developing countries increased from US$22 billion in 2021 to US$28 billion in 2022: the largest absolute and relative year-on-year increase since the Paris Agreement.
• This reflects progress towards the Glasgow Climate Pact, which urged developed nations to at least double adaptation finance to developing countries from US$19 billion (2019 levels) by 2025.
• However, even achieving the Glasgow Climate Pact goal would only reduce the adaptation finance gap, which is estimated at US$187-359 billion per year, by about 5 per cent. 
• The report calls for nations to step up by adopting a strong new collective quantified goal for climate finance and including stronger adaptation components in their next round of climate pledges, or nationally determined contributions, due in early 2025. 
• Given the scale of the challenge, bridging the adaptation finance gap will also require innovative approaches to mobilize additional financial resources. 
• Strengthening enabling factors is crucial to unlock innovative adaptation finance. An investment in strategic and transformational adaptation that is harder to finance will also be needed.
• Adaptation financing needs to shift from reactive, incremental, project-based financing to more anticipatory, strategic and transformational adaptation. 
• In addition to finance, there is a need to strengthen capacity building and technology transfer to improve the effectiveness of adaptation actions.
• The report provides recommendations to improve efforts, which are often uncoordinated, expensive and short term. 

Key Findings of the Adaptation Gap Report 2024

Widening Adaptation Finance Gap:

• There is a significant disparity between the financing needed for adaptation and the actual funds available, with the gap widening further.
• In 2022, only USD 28 billion was provided for adaptation, which meets just 5% of the needs outlined under the Glasgow Climate Pact.

Funding Requirements:

• The Glasgow Climate Pact sets a goal to reduce methane emissions by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030.
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that developing countries require USD 387 billion annually by 2030 for adequate adaptation.

Private Sector Funding Potential:

• Approximately one-third of the adaptation finance needs are in sectors traditionally supported by private investment, highlighting substantial opportunities for private sector engagement.

Emissions and Temperature Projections:

• The Emissions Gap Report 2024 projects that global temperatures could rise by 2.6°C to 3.1°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century.

Impact on Developing Countries:

• Developing countries, which contribute minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions, disproportionately suffer from climate-induced weather events.
• Recent severe floods in countries like Nepal, Nigeria, and Chad highlight their financial and infrastructural vulnerabilities.

National Adaptation Plans (NAPs):

• While 171 countries have developed at least one adaptation policy, 26 countries lack such a policy, with 10 explicitly uninterested in formulating one, indicating sluggish progress in adaptation planning.
• UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience (UAE-FGCR):
• Introduced at UNFCCC COP28, this framework sets dimensional and thematic targets for adaptation across various sectors like agriculture, water, and health.
• Despite its significance as the first international declaration focused primarily on climate adaptation, implementation remains slow.

Shift in Adaptation Strategy:

• UNEP advocates for a transition from reactive to strategic adaptation approaches, particularly emphasizing underfunded areas such as ecosystem preservation and cultural heritage.

Transformational Adaptation:

• This concept, which was a contentious topic during COP28, involves substantial structural or functional changes rather than mere adjustments to existing practices, aiming to comprehensively address escalating climate risks.

-Source: Down To Earth

State of the Climate 2024

Context:

State of the Climate 2024 Report once again issues a Red Alert at the sheer pace of climate change in a single generation, turbo-charged by ever-increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.

Relevance:

GS III: Environment and Ecology

State of the Climate 2024 Report

Issuing Organization and Release Context:

• Released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) during the United Nations Climate Conference (COP29) held in Baku.

Key Findings of the Report

Record-Breaking Temperatures:

• 2024 is anticipated to be the warmest year on record, continuing a trend of exceptionally high global mean temperatures.
• From January to September 2024, the global average temperature was 1.54 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, influenced significantly by an El Niño weather pattern.

Decadal Temperature Increase:

• The decade from 2015 to 2024 is projected to be the warmest ten-year period on record.
• Ocean warming rates have notably increased over the past two decades, with predictions of continued irreversible heating of the planet’s seas.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions:

• 2023 recorded the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions ever observed, with a continuation of this upward trend noted in 2024.
• Carbon dioxide levels increased by 51% from 1750 to 2023, significantly impacting the thermal state of the world’s oceans, which absorb about 90% of the excess heat from global warming.

Ocean and Glacier Changes:

• The world’s oceans reached record heat levels in 2023, with preliminary data for 2024 indicating a continuation of this warming trend.
• Glaciers globally are experiencing accelerated ice loss, with 2023 marking the fastest rate of retreat in the 70-year record—equivalent to losing five times the volume of water held in the Dead Sea.

Impact on Sea Levels:

• Rapid glacial melt, particularly noted in North America and Europe, contributes to rising sea levels.
• Between 2014 and 2023, the global mean sea level rose at a rate of 4.77 mm per year, more than doubling the rate observed from 1993 to 2002.

-Source: Indian Express

Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile

Context:

Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the maiden flight test of its Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM).

Relevance:

GS III: Defence

Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM)

Launch Capabilities:

• The LRLACM is designed for versatile deployment, capable of being launched from mobile ground-based systems as well as from frontline ships. It employs a universal vertical launch module, enhancing its operational flexibility.

Flight and Manoeuvrability:

• This missile is capable of performing complex manoeuvres at various speeds and altitudes, demonstrating its versatility and precision in targeting.

Technological Enhancements:

• Equipped with advanced avionics and software, the LRLACM boasts improved performance and reliability. These features are crucial in meeting the demands of modern warfare.

Stealth and Evasion:

• Typically subsonic, the LRLACM can follow terrain-hugging flight paths which make it more difficult for enemy radars to detect and intercept, thereby offering strategic advantages in penetrating enemy defenses.

Development and Production

Development Team:

• The missile was developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment, a part of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), located in Bengaluru. This project represents a collaborative effort involving various DRDO laboratories and Indian industries.

Production Partners:

• Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) in Hyderabad and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Bengaluru are the designated Development-Cum-Production Partners, playing significant roles in the missile’s production.

Government Approval:

• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the LRLACM as a Mission Mode Project, under the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) procedure.

Strategic Significance

Enhancement of Defense Capabilities:

• The successful test of the LRLACM is considered a key milestone in advancing India’s defense capabilities, particularly in the realm of long-range precision strikes. This development is integral to India’s strategic defense objectives, bolstering its ability to maintain security and deter aggression.

-Source: Indian Express

Comb Jellies

Context:

Comb jellies, also known as ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, can defy age and revert to younger versions of themselves, according to a study published recently.

Relevance:

Facts for Prelims

Comb Jellies

Comb jellies, members of the phylum Ctenophora, are transparent, gelatinous invertebrates that drift through global ocean waters. These creatures are one of the oldest multicellular phyla in the animal kingdom, with an existence that likely spans over 500 million years. There are between 100 and 150 known species of comb jellies, many of which are commonly found close to shorelines.

Description and Characteristics

Physical Appearance:

• Comb jellies are typically colorful and simple in structure. The average comb jelly is about four inches long, though sizes can vary among different species.
• Their most distinctive feature is the eight rows of fused cilia—tiny hair-like structures—resembling combs, which they use for locomotion. They are the largest known animals to use cilia as a means of movement.
• They possess two large, trailing tentacles that branch out, creating a net-like appearance and functioning as sticky fishing lines to capture and transport prey to their bodies.

Biological Features:

• Comb jellies have two primary cell layers: an external epidermis and an internal gastrodermis, with a gelatinous mesoderm sandwiched between these layers, contributing to their jelly-like consistency.
• Many species exhibit bioluminescence, capable of emitting a captivating blue or green glow in response to physical stimuli, such as touch.

Feeding Habits:

• These organisms are carnivorous and opportunistic feeders, consuming a variety of prey that comes into contact with their tentacles.
• Unlike jellyfish, their close relatives, comb jellies do not possess stinging tentacles, making them harmless to humans.

Ecological Role

Comb jellies play a significant role in marine ecosystems, primarily as predators of small aquatic organisms. Their presence helps regulate the populations of various marine species, contributing to the ecological balance within their habitats. Despite their ancient lineage and simplicity, comb jellies continue to thrive in diverse marine environments around the world.

-Source: Indian Express