11 June 2024

• Polity: Madras High Court: cooperative societies are not "public authorities" under RTI Act. Aligns with 2013 Supreme Court precedent.
• Environment: Global Plastics Treaty (INC-4) negotiations underway at UNEP. Oil-producing nations block production cap.
• International: Panama confirms first national sea-level-induced displacement: Gardi Sugdub island community relocated to mainland.
• Health: National Health Claim Exchange (NHCX) now integrates 12 insurers and one TPA for digital health insurance processing.

GS area: Polity, Governance

The Madras High Court held that cooperative societies do not qualify as "public authorities" under Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act 2005, and are thus not required to disclose information under RTI.

• Section 2(h) of RTI Act 2005: defines "public authority" as any authority, body or institution of self-government established or constituted by or under the Constitution; or by any other law made by Parliament or state legislature; or by notification issued or order made by the government; or bodies owned, controlled or substantially financed by government.
• The test: cooperative societies are set up under the Cooperative Societies Act and are member-controlled organisations. The Court found that government financing alone, without substantial control, does not make them public authorities.
• 2013 Supreme Court precedent: a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had similarly held in a case involving CPIO vs. Subhash Chandra Aggarwal that the degree of government control is the key test, not mere registration under a statute.
• 97th Constitutional Amendment (2011): added Article 43B encouraging the state to promote voluntary formation, autonomous functioning, democratic control and professional management of cooperative societies. It also added Part IXB to the Constitution on cooperative societies.
• 97th Amendment and states: the Supreme Court in 2021 struck down Part IXB insofar as it applied to multi-state cooperative societies without state ratification. The amendment was partly invalidated.
• Tension: the RTI Act's philosophy is maximum disclosure. Excluding large, socially significant cooperatives from RTI reduces accountability.

Static linkage: polity (fundamental rights, right to information), governance.

GS area: Environment, International Relations

The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) for a global plastics treaty was held at UNEP headquarters in Ottawa. Key sticking points persisted.

• UNEP mandate: the UN Environment Assembly passed a resolution in 2022 to create a legally binding global agreement on plastic pollution by end of 2024.
• INC process: Intergovernmental Negotiating Committees are standard UN treaty-making bodies. INC-4 is the fourth round of negotiations.
• Treaty scope: should cover plastic production, product design, waste management, chemical safety, and just transition provisions for workers in the informal waste sector.
• Key conflict: oil-producing nations (Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran) oppose any cap on plastic polymer production. They argue for focusing on waste management rather than production limits.
• India's position: India advocates sovereign rights to sustainable development and opposes production caps. India is a significant plastics manufacturer and has committed to phasing out single-use plastics domestically.
• Single-use plastic ban in India: India banned 19 categories of single-use plastics from 1 July 2022, including cutlery, straws, earbuds, and ice cream sticks below a certain thickness.
• Extended Producer Responsibility: India has EPR regulations for plastics that require brand owners and importers to collect and recycle a certain percentage of the plastic they introduce into the market.

Static linkage: environment and ecology, international relations.

GS area: Environment, International Relations, Geography

Panama became the first country to evacuate an entire island community due to rising sea levels. The Gardi Sugdub indigenous community was relocated to the mainland.

• Gardi Sugdub: a small coral island off the Caribbean coast of Panama, home to the Guna people. It is densely populated and sits barely above sea level.
• Sea level rise: global mean sea level has risen approximately 20 centimetres since the late 19th century. The IPCC projects further rises of 0.3 to 1 metre by 2100 under different emissions scenarios.
• Climate displacement: the UNHCR estimates millions of people will be displaced by sea-level rise, more intense storms and flooding by mid-century.
• Panama's geography: Central American country connecting North and South America. It hosts the Panama Canal, one of the world's most important shipping chokepoints. Borders Colombia and Costa Rica.
• Precedents: Tuvalu has signed a treaty with Australia for "climate migration" rights for its population. Kiribati has purchased land in Fiji for potential relocation.
• UNFCCC and loss and damage: the 2022 Sharm el-Sheikh COP27 established a loss and damage fund to compensate vulnerable nations for climate impacts. Climate displacement falls under loss and damage.

Static linkage: environment, geography, international relations.

GS area: Polity

The 2024 result sharpened the FPTP debate: NDA won 53.8 per cent of seats with 43.3 per cent of votes.

• FPTP mechanics: in a 543-seat house, each seat is a separate constituency. The candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins, regardless of whether they have a majority. Nationally, a party winning 40 per cent of votes might win 55 per cent of seats.
• Wasted votes: all votes cast for losing candidates are "wasted" in terms of representation. In a close contest, 49.9 per cent of voters per constituency have no MP representing their choice.
• PR alternative: in a pure PR system, parties receive seats proportional to their national vote share. A party with 40 per cent of votes gets 40 per cent of seats.
• Mixed systems: many countries use mixed systems. Germany uses a mixed member proportional system. India uses FPTP for Lok Sabha and Single Transferable Vote (a PR form) for Rajya Sabha elections.
• Law Commission recommendation: the Law Commission's 170th Report (1999) discussed electoral reforms including PR but did not recommend switching from FPTP.
• Rajya Sabha elections: conducted by elected members of state legislative assemblies using STV, giving proportional representation to different parties in states.

Static linkage: polity, elections.

GS area: Health, Governance, Science and Technology

The National Health Claim Exchange was launched as a digital communication protocol for health claims processing. It connects insurers, hospitals and beneficiaries.

• Purpose: a standardised data exchange protocol for insurance claims. It eliminates paperwork, reduces fraud, and speeds up claim settlement.
• Integration: 12 insurers and one Third-Party Administrator (TPA) integrated as of June 2024.
• TPA: Third-Party Administrator is a company authorised by IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) to process insurance claims on behalf of insurers. They act as intermediaries between hospitals and insurance companies.
• Digital Health Incentive Scheme: provides hospitals with financial incentives for adopting digital health systems and linking to the NHCX.
• Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM): the broader framework for India's digital health ecosystem. It creates Health IDs (ABHA numbers), doctor registries, and health facility registries. NHCX integrates with this infrastructure.
• PM-JAY: Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana provides health insurance coverage of 5 lakh rupees per family per year for the poorest 40 per cent of the population.

Static linkage: health, governance, science and technology.

GS area: Environment, Economy

The Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Project signed an MoU for fisheries management as construction progresses.

• Capacity: 2,000 MW. The largest hydroelectric project under construction in India.
• Location: on the Subansiri River at the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Operator: NHPC (National Hydroelectric Power Corporation). A central public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Power.
• Subansiri River: a major tributary of the Brahmaputra. It originates in Tibet and flows through Arunachal Pradesh before entering Assam.
• Construction history: the project faced years of delays due to protests by downstream communities in Assam who feared seismic risks and ecological damage.
• Fisheries impact: dams interrupt fish migration patterns. The MoU on fisheries management is to mitigate this impact.

Static linkage: environment, economy, geography.

• Large Action Models (LAMs): a new AI category announced by companies including Rabbit Inc. LAMs are designed to perform multi-step real-world tasks autonomously (booking a flight, planning a vacation) rather than just generating text responses.
• safeEXO-Cas gene editing: a Columbia University team developed a CRISPR/Cas9 delivery system using exosomes (cell-derived vesicles) for more precise tissue targeting than viral delivery methods.