7 August 2023

• Polity: A Parliamentary panel recommended lowering the minimum age for contesting Assembly elections from 25 to 18 years. The Election Commission opposed the proposal.
• Social Justice: The Justice Rohini Commission submitted its report on OBC sub-categorisation, finding that 97 per cent of OBC reservation benefits go to just 25 per cent of OBC castes, and 983 OBC communities have zero representation.
• Science and Technology: The National Research Foundation Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha with an allocation of 50,000 crore rupees over five years. It will replace the Science and Engineering Research Board.
• Environment: Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam is transitioning to a high-tiger-density area. It is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site facing a 63 per cent staff vacancy.

GS area: Science and Technology, Governance

The National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill, 2023 was introduced in the Lok Sabha. If passed, the NRF will become India's apex body for funding and promoting scientific research across universities, colleges, and research institutions.

• Outlay: 50,000 crore rupees over five years (2023-2028).
• Funding mix: The government will contribute 30 per cent; 70 per cent is targeted from the private sector and industry.
• Replacing SERB: The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), established in 2008 under the SERB Act, will be repealed and subsumed into the NRF.
• Broader mandate: SERB funded only science and engineering. NRF will cover natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and arts as well.
• Governing structure: The NRF will have a Governing Board chaired by the Prime Minister and a Board of Governors chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser.
• Rationale: India's R&D expenditure is about 0.7 per cent of GDP, well below the global average of around 1.8 per cent and far behind the US (3.5 per cent), China (2.4 per cent), and Israel (5.4 per cent).

Static linkage: Science and technology policy, research institutions (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Social Justice, Polity

The Justice G. Rohini Commission, constituted in October 2017, submitted its report on sub-categorisation within the Other Backward Classes reservation quota. The Commission's mandate was to examine how the 27 per cent OBC reservation in central government jobs and educational institutions is actually distributed.

• Key finding: 97 per cent of OBC reservation benefits (jobs and seats) are availed by only 25 per cent of the listed OBC castes.
• Zero representation: Approximately 983 OBC communities, out of the total listed, had zero representation in central government jobs and education over the study period.
• Commission's recommendation: Sub-categorise the 27 per cent OBC quota so that underrepresented communities get a defined share.
• Constitutional basis: Article 340 empowers the President to appoint a Commission to investigate conditions of socially and educationally backward classes. The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) also has a role under Article 338B.
• Legal precedent: The Supreme Court in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992) upheld the 27 per cent OBC reservation but noted that a "creamy layer" among OBCs should be excluded.
• Sub-categorisation legality: A subsequent five-judge Constitution Bench is to examine whether sub-categorisation within the OBC list is constitutionally valid. The Rohini report provides the factual basis for that exercise.

Static linkage: Reservation policy, backward class commissions (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Polity (elections)

A Parliamentary Standing Committee recommended reducing the minimum age for contesting elections to state assemblies from 25 years to 18 years. The same report discussed linking voter ID to Aadhaar.

• Current rules: The minimum age for contesting Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections is 25 years under Section 36 of the Representation of People Act, 1951. For the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Councils it is 30 years.
• Voting age: The minimum age to vote was lowered from 21 to 18 years by the 61st Constitutional Amendment in 1988.
• Election Commission's view: The EC opposed the proposed reduction, citing concerns about the maturity and experience needed to serve as a legislator.
• Article 84 and 173: These provisions of the Constitution set out the qualifications for membership of Parliament and state legislatures including minimum age.

Static linkage: Electoral law, constitutional amendments (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Environment, Governance

NITI Aayog published a framework on water neutrality as India faces increasing water stress.

• Water neutrality: A state in which a user balances its freshwater consumption with savings achieved elsewhere. This could be through rainwater harvesting, recycling, or efficiency improvements.
• India's water savings potential: NITI Aayog estimated a savings potential of 38.23 billion cubic metres through efficiency measures across agriculture, industry, and households.
• Jal Jeevan Mission context: The government's flagship drinking water scheme aimed to provide tap connections to all rural households by 2024. By August 2023, approximately 66 per cent of rural households had functional tap connections.
• Stressed states: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana face severe groundwater depletion. Northern India contributes the largest share of agricultural water demand.

Static linkage: Water resources, government schemes, geography (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Environment, Biodiversity

India has 78 bird species found nowhere else on earth, out of a total of 1,353 bird species recorded. These endemic species are concentrated in biodiversity hotspot areas.

• Distribution: 28 endemic species are found in the Western Ghats and 25 in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Status: Endemic species face higher extinction risk because their entire global population lives in a limited area. Habitat loss, climate change, and invasive species are the primary threats.
• Western Ghats as a hotspot: The Western Ghats is one of the eight "hottest" global biodiversity hotspots. It has extraordinary endemism in plants, amphibians, fish, and birds.
• Key conservation instrument: The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 protects all wild birds. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 protects their habitat.

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

• Spike NLOS missile: India received the Israeli Spike Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) anti-tank guided missile. It has a range of 30 kilometres and is manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems of Israel.
• Devika river rejuvenation: North India's first river restoration project modelled on the Namami Gange initiative was launched for the Devika river in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir.
• Fediverse: A network of interoperable social media servers using open protocols. It gained attention as an alternative to centralised platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Users can communicate across different Fediverse platforms without separate accounts.