21 January 2023

• Polity: SC Collegium reiterated its decision to appoint advocate Saurabh Kirpal as Delhi HC judge despite government objection citing his sexual orientation and his foreign partner.
• Health: India's rural healthcare infrastructure has an 83.2 per cent shortage of surgeons at Community Health Centres and only 45 per cent of PHCs operate 24 hours a day.
• Environment: Lantana camara has invaded 44 per cent of India's forests, directly threatening tiger and leopard prey.
• Governance: Social media influencer endorsement guidelines made disclosure of material benefits mandatory, with penalties up to 50 lakh rupees.

GS area: Polity (judiciary, fundamental rights)

The Supreme Court Collegium reiterated its recommendation to appoint Senior Advocate Saurabh Kirpal as a judge of the Delhi High Court, pushing back against the government's refusal to act on the original recommendation.

• Government's objections: The government cited three concerns: Kirpal's sexual orientation (he is openly gay), his partner being a Swiss national (potential conflict of interest), and his social media posts critical of the government.
• Collegium's response: Decriminalisation of same-sex relationships under Section 377 IPC was settled in Navtej Singh Johar (2018). Sexual orientation cannot be a basis for rejecting a candidate who meets merit, competence and integrity criteria. Free speech is a constitutional right.
• Collegium system: The SC Collegium (Chief Justice plus four senior-most judges) recommends judicial appointments. If the government sends back a recommendation, the Collegium can reiterate it and the government is constitutionally bound to act.
• Significance: First instance of the Collegium explicitly addressing sexual orientation as an objection. Tests whether the 2018 ruling's spirit extends to professional life.

Static linkage: Judiciary, fundamental rights (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Health, Governance

Rural Health Statistics 2021-22 data revealed deep shortfalls in specialist availability at Community Health Centres and in round-the-clock primary care.

• Specialist shortfalls at CHCs: Shortage of surgeons: 83.2 per cent. Shortage of obstetricians and gynaecologists: 74.2 per cent. These are the two specialities critical for maternal health.
• 24/7 PHCs: Only 45 per cent of Primary Health Centres operate around the clock. The rest are limited to daytime hours, leaving rural patients without emergency access.
• Functional CHCs: Of 5,480 Community Health Centres, only 541 have all four specialist categories. That is under 10 per cent.
• Progress: The number of doctors at PHCs increased from 20,308 in 2005 to 30,640 in 2022, a 51 per cent improvement. But the base was too low for the rural population.
• Schemes: Ayushman Bharat for health insurance coverage. PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) for physical infrastructure. National Ambulance Service for emergency transport.

Static linkage: Health, social justice (GS Papers 2 and 3).

GS area: Environment (biodiversity, invasive species)

A study in Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh found that multiple invasive plant species together produce a magnified cumulative impact on native biodiversity, greater than any single species in isolation.

• Lantana camara: An invasive shrub of Central American origin that has invaded 44 per cent of India's forests. It forms dense thickets that suppress native understorey plants.
• Impact chain: Lantana reduces native forage plants. Herbivores move into marginal habitat. Their health declines and numbers fall. Tiger and leopard prey base collapses.
• Other invasives: Parthenium hysterophorous (congress grass, highly allergenic), Prosopis juliflora (mesquite, invades dry forests and grasslands).
• Management challenge: Lantana is nearly impossible to eradicate once established. Manual removal is labour-intensive and requires repeated follow-up.
• National context: India has 108 national parks and 564 sanctuaries. Invasive species are among the top three threats to their biodiversity, alongside habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.

Static linkage: Biodiversity, wildlife conservation (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Governance, Consumer Protection

The Department for Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs issued guidelines requiring social media influencers to disclose material connections with brands.

• Scope: Any individual with the ability to influence purchase decisions of an audience based on authority, knowledge or popularity qualifies as an influencer.
• Mandatory disclosure: All monetary benefits, free products, discounts, trips and employment relationships must be disclosed at the time of promoting a product.
• Penalty: Failure to disclose can result in a penalty of up to 50 lakh rupees under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• Legal framework: Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements, 2022.
• Scale: A study cited 34 per cent of Indian social media users as having made purchases based on influencer recommendations.

Static linkage: Consumer protection, governance (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Economy (banking, financial markets)

The Bombay High Court quashed the write-off of 8,400 crore rupees in Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bonds issued by Yes Bank.

• AT1 bonds: Also called perpetual bonds. Unsecured, rank below other creditors, and can be written down or converted to equity if the bank's capital ratio falls below a threshold. They are a Basel III capital instrument.
• Yes Bank resolution (2020): Under RBI's Yes Bank reconstruction scheme, AT1 bond holders were written to zero, unlike other creditors. The court found this violated contractual terms.
• SEBI's role: AT1 bonds are classified as debt securities traded in the secondary market. SEBI had separately tightened rules on retail investor access to AT1 bonds after the Yes Bank episode.
• Basel III: The international regulatory framework for bank capital adequacy, liquidity and leverage ratios. AT1 bonds are one component of Additional Tier 1 capital.

Static linkage: Banking, financial markets (GS Paper 3).

• Kewda oil: Geographical Indication-registered product from Ganjam, Odisha. Extracted from the flowers of Pandanus fascicularis. Supports roughly 2 lakh people in the region's economy.
• TB vaccine: BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) remains the only licensed tuberculosis vaccine. WHO established a TB Vaccine Accelerator Council to coordinate development of next-generation candidates.
• Wayanad district: Became the first district in India to provide all tribal residents with Aadhaar, ration cards, and birth and death certificates, achieving complete documentation coverage.