16 August 2023

• Polity: The Digital Personal Data Protection Act's impact on the Right to Information Act was debated; Section 8(1)(j) of RTI was expanded to shield more personal information from disclosure.
• Education: Tamil Nadu's opposition to NEET medical entrance examinations continued. A Justice K. Rajan Committee report found NEET disadvantaged TNBSE students.
• History: Evidence of democratic governance in ancient India, from the Vajji confederacy to Buddhist sangha voting practices, underscored the non-Greek origins of democratic thought.
• Governance: The Vishwakarma Yojana launch date of 17 September 2023 was confirmed.

GS area: Polity, Governance

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 amends Section 8(1)(j) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. This generated significant debate.

• Original Section 8(1)(j) of RTI: This provision exempted from RTI disclosure only personal information that had no relationship with any public activity or interest, or would cause unwarranted invasion of the individual's privacy. Crucially, it allowed disclosure if the public interest in disclosure outweighed the harm to privacy.
• Amended provision: The amendment removes the public interest override. Personal information is now exempt from RTI disclosure without requiring any public interest balancing test.
• Impact: Information about public officials' personal conduct that affects their public duties could now be withheld. Critics argue this will be used to block accountability disclosures.
• RTI Act, 2005: Gives citizens the right to request information from public authorities. It is derived from Article 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech and expression) which includes the right to know.
• DPDP Act framework: Provides the right to know what data is collected, the right to correct data, the right to erasure, and a right to grievance redressal. Maximum penalty is 250 crore rupees per violation.

Static linkage: Fundamental rights, transparency, access to information (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Polity, Education, Federalism

The Tamil Nadu government's opposition to NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) remained a major governance issue. The Justice K. Rajan Committee (appointed by the Tamil Nadu government) found that NEET disadvantaged students from the Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education (TNBSE).

• NEET: A single national entrance test for medical admissions administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA) under the Ministry of Education.
• Tamil Nadu's case: The committee found NEET-based admissions reduced the representation of TNBSE students relative to CBSE students. Coaching dependency increased; economically disadvantaged students were disproportionately affected.
• Legislative action: Tamil Nadu passed bills in 2017, 2021, and 2022 to opt out of NEET. All await Presidential assent. Under Article 254(2), a state law on a Concurrent List subject can prevail over a central law if it receives Presidential assent.
• Concurrent List: Education is in the Concurrent List (Entry 25). Both Parliament and state legislatures can legislate, but central law prevails in case of repudium unless the state law receives Presidential assent.
• Article 131 route: The committee noted Tamil Nadu could challenge the NEET law in the Supreme Court under Article 131, which gives the SC original jurisdiction in disputes between the Union and a state.

Static linkage: Cooperative federalism, education policy, constitutional provisions (GS Paper 2).

GS area: History, Polity

Scholarly discussion on Ancient Indian democratic governance gained attention alongside the 77th Independence Day.

• Vajji confederacy: An ancient republic in the Gangetic plains (approximately 7th to 4th century BCE) that operated as a confederacy of eight to nine clans. The Licchavis were the dominant clan within the Vajji confederation.
• Buddhist sangha: The Vinaya-Pitaka describes decision-making in Buddhist monastic communities using secret ballot voting, indicating voting traditions predated Greek democracy.
• Mallas and Licchavis: Other republican systems (Mahajanapadas) in ancient India that preceded the Mauryan Empire.
• Greek acknowledgement: Greek historian Diodorus Siculus documented Indian republics, noting their self-governing structures.
• Significance for prelims: Questions frequently test the names of republican Mahajanapadas and their governance structures.

Static linkage: Ancient Indian history, political thought (GS Paper 1).

GS area: Governance, Economy (fisheries), Science

The Ministry of Earth Sciences launched the SAMUDRA (System for Assessment, Management, Understanding of marine diversity, Resources and Aquaculture) App.

• Nodal agency: The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences operates the app.
• Features:
  • Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories, helping fishermen locate fish concentrations.
  • Tsunami alerts and coastal hazard warnings.
  • Wave height and weather information.
  • Interactive ocean-data maps.
• Benefits: Reduces time and fuel spent searching for fish. Safety alerts reduce casualties from marine disasters.
• Fishermen support: India has approximately 14 million fishermen dependent on marine fishing. The north-east monsoon brings higher risk of cyclones to the Bay of Bengal.

Static linkage: Marine resources, fisheries, digital governance (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Environment, Polity

The Supreme Court's continuing hearings on deemed forests were relevant to conservation in August 2023. The concept of "deemed forests" originates from the landmark Godavarman Thirumulkpad case.

• T.N. Godavarman Thirumulkpad v. Union of India (1996): The Supreme Court held that the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 applies not just to forest lands as recorded in government records, but to any area that is a "forest" according to its dictionary meaning. This created the concept of "deemed forests."
• State responsibility: States were directed to identify deemed forests and include them in their conservation plans.
• Implications: Private forests, community forests, and un-surveyed forests that were not officially recorded as forests could gain protection under this doctrine.

Static linkage: Environmental law, Supreme Court jurisprudence, forest conservation (GS Paper 3).

• Red rice in Himachal Pradesh: A traditional red rice variety is grown organically without chemicals in Himachal Pradesh's hills. The government targeted expanding cultivation to 4,000 hectares, supported by NGOs working on natural farming.
• Sanchar Saathi Portal: The Department of Telecommunications launched this portal to protect mobile phone users from SIM fraud. Over 67,000 SIM dealers were blacklisted. The portal enables blocking of fraudulently obtained SIMs.
• NEET-UG data: In 2023, approximately 11 lakh students from Tamil Nadu registered for NEET. Data showed a continued gap between CBSE and TNBSE student success rates in the examination.