Polity: The Bill to change the Election Commission appointment process (replacing the CJI with a Cabinet Minister on the selection committee) passed the Rajya Sabha.
Sports governance: Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) was suspended by United World Wrestling (UWW) over governance failures tied to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's continued influence.
Agriculture: Digital Agriculture Mission was advanced, with AgriStack (farmer registry + land records layer) being piloted in 10 states.
Environment: Chokuwa rice from Assam was granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. It is associated with the Ahom dynasty.
Biodiversity: A canopy bridge was installed at Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam to allow hoolock gibbons to cross a road that had fragmented their habitat.
1. Election Commission appointment: Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Bill 2023
GS area: Polity
The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 10 August 2023. Further debate continued in August over its implications.
Key change: Under the current constitutional arrangement (Article 324), the President appoints the CEC and ECs on the advice of the PM. A 2023 Supreme Court ruling (Anoop Baranwal case) added the CJI to the selection committee as a safeguard.
Bill's provision: The Bill constitutes a selection committee of: the PM (chair), the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the PM. This replaces the SC-mandated three-member committee that included the CJI.
Criticism: Opposition parties argued this gives the ruling party effective control over two of three members on the committee. Independent constitutional experts noted that removing the CJI weakens insulation from executive influence.
Article 324: The CEC can be removed only by impeachment (same as a Supreme Court judge). ECs can be removed on the CEC's recommendation.
Delimitation Commission: Separately, the Delimitation Commission is constituted under the Delimitation Act. It is not part of the ECI.
United World Wrestling (UWW), the world governing body for wrestling, suspended the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on 23 August 2023.
Reasons: The suspension followed WFI's failure to conduct fresh elections after the Supreme Court set aside Sanjay Singh's election as WFI president, and continued influence of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Consequences: Indian wrestlers would compete internationally as neutrals (not under the Indian flag) until the suspension was lifted. Funding from UWW was frozen.
Context: The issue began with allegations by Olympic medallist Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment.
CBI investigation: The CBI was tasked to investigate the allegations.
Sports governance: Recognised national sports federations (NSFs) in India receive government grants and facilities through SAI (Sports Authority of India). NSFs must follow the National Sports Development Code, 2011.
India's Digital Agriculture Mission was being operationalised via AgriStack, a set of digital infrastructure layers for the agriculture sector.
AgriStack layers: Farmers Registry (unique IDs for all farmers), Farmland Registry (geo-referenced land parcels), Crop Sown Registry (crop-wise sowing data).
Unique Farmer ID: Linked to Aadhaar. Enables targeted scheme delivery, insurance, and credit.
Pilot states: Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and West Bengal were piloting by August 2023.
UFSP: Unified Farmers Service Platform (UFSP), the operational layer on top of AgriStack, is designed to make digital agricultural services accessible to farmers via mobile apps and Common Service Centres.
PM Kisan integration: PM-Kisan beneficiary database was being merged with the Farmers Registry to reduce duplication.
Concerns: Data privacy (no dedicated legislation for agricultural data as of August 2023), land records quality, and exclusion of tenant farmers without formal records.
Static linkage: Digital public infrastructure, agriculture policy, e-governance (GS Paper 3).
4. Chokuwa rice: GI tag from Assam
GS area: Economy, Culture (GI tags)
Assam's Chokuwa rice was granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
Chokuwa: Also called "magic rice" or "pre-germinated rice." A variety that requires no cooking; it softens by soaking in water. Used in religious ceremonies and as travel food.
Ahom dynasty connection: Chokuwa rice was cultivated during the Ahom dynasty (1228-1826 CE), which ruled Assam for nearly 600 years.
Nutritional profile: High in carbohydrates; traditionally consumed with curd, banana, and jaggery.
GI significance: A GI tag prevents unauthorised use of the name for products not originating from the specified region and enables premium market pricing for authentic products.
Legal basis: India's Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 (amended in 2002) governs GI registrations. The GI Registry is in Chennai.
Other Assam GIs: Assam tea, Muga silk, Joha rice, Tezpur litchi.
Static linkage: GI tags, agricultural products, cultural heritage (GS Paper 2, 3).
5. Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary: canopy bridge
GS area: Environment, Biodiversity
A canopy bridge was installed at Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Jorhat district, Assam, to allow hoolock gibbons to traverse a road that had bisected their forest habitat.
Western Hoolock Gibbon: India's only ape species (Hoolock hoolock). Endemic to northeast India. Listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Population: Approximately 12,000 western hoolock gibbons remain in India.
Hollongapar: A 20 km2 protected forest in Jorhat, Assam. Home to hoollocks, capped langurs, and Assamese macaques.
Canopy bridge: An artificial rope or cable bridge strung between trees at canopy height, allowing arboreal animals to cross roads without descending to ground level.
Road kills: Road fragmentation of forests is a major threat to wildlife in India's northeast. National Highway 37 and railway lines have fragmented several wildlife corridors in Assam.
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Hollongapar is a Wildlife Sanctuary under Schedule I protection.
Static linkage: Biodiversity, wildlife conservation, northeast India (GS Paper 3).
6. Briefly noted
National Carbon Registry: The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) was developing India's National Carbon Registry in partnership with UNDP, to track carbon credits under India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS). The CCTS was notified in June 2023 under the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2022.
Moon near side versus far side: Science communication in August highlighted the Chandrayaan-3 landing. The Moon's near side (facing Earth) is covered with mare basalts from ancient volcanic activity. The far side has more craters and thicker crust. The far side has never been directly observed from Earth.
Chandrayaan-3 sulphur confirmation: Sulphur at the lunar south pole was confirmed by LIBS. This was significant because orbital spectroscopy had not confidently identified sulphur at the south pole. Ground-truth data validates remote sensing.
Practice MCQs
Check yourself
Under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Bill, 2023, the selection committee for appointing the CEC and ECs consists of:
Check yourself
The Western Hoolock Gibbon is significant for India's biodiversity because:
Check yourself
India's Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, which provides the legal basis for GI tag registration, was enacted in:
Check yourself
AgriStack, India's digital agriculture infrastructure, consists of which of the following foundational layers?
Check yourself
Consider the following about the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) suspension by UWW in August 2023: 1. WFI was suspended for failing to conduct fresh elections after a court order. 2. The suspension meant Indian wrestlers could no longer compete internationally at all. 3. The controversy was related to governance failures and allegations against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?