26 June 2024

• Polity: Madras High Court permitted rolling circumambulation (Angapradakshanam) at a Saivite site. Court balanced Article 25 religious freedom against human dignity concerns.
• International: Pakistani delegation inspected Indian hydroelectric projects in Kishtwar under the Indus Water Treaty. First inspection since J&K's special status revocation in 2019.
• Governance: PESA empowering Scheduled Tribes in forest conservation: average annual tree canopy increase of 3 per cent in ST-represented areas.
• Travel: Fast Track Immigration Trusted Traveller Programme launched at Delhi airport.

GS area: Polity, Social Issues

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court permitted resumption of Angapradakshanam (rolling circumambulation) and Annadhanam (free food offering) at the resting place of Sathguru Sadasiva Brahmendral at Nerur in Tamil Nadu.

• Angapradakshanam: a devotional practice where a devotee rolls their body around a temple or sacred site as an expression of surrender and penance.
• Why it was stopped: the practice was halted in 2015 on human dignity grounds. Critics argued rolling on potentially unclean ground was undignified.
• Court's reasoning: the Court invoked Article 25(1), which guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion. It noted that all devotees, irrespective of caste, participate in the practice and that communal harmony was a feature rather than a concern.
• Article 25 and its limits: religious freedom under Article 25 is subject to public order, morality, health, and other Fundamental Rights. The Court found no public order, health or morality bar to the practice at this site.
• Related landmark cases:
  • Sabarimala Case (Indian Young Lawyers' Association vs. State of Kerala, 2018): barring women of menstrual age from Sabarimala was held unconstitutional under Articles 25 and 26.
  • Triple Talaq (Shayara Bano vs. Union of India, 2017): instant triple talaq declared unconstitutional.
  • Female genital mutilation cases: under challenge before the Supreme Court.
• Competing rights: the case illustrates the tension between religious practice (Article 25) and human dignity (Article 21). Courts must weigh both.

Static linkage: polity (fundamental rights), social issues.

GS area: International Relations, Environment

A Pakistani technical delegation inspected India's hydroelectric projects on the Kishtwar river system in Jammu under the Indus Water Treaty. This was the first such inspection since the revocation of J&K's special status in August 2019.

• Indus Water Treaty (1960): mediated by the World Bank, signed by India and Pakistan. Allocates the six rivers of the Indus basin: India gets the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej); Pakistan gets the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab).
• India's permitted rights on western rivers: India can use the western rivers for limited non-consumptive purposes (hydroelectricity, navigation, limited irrigation). Run-of-river hydroelectric projects are permitted; storage dams with significant water diversion are not.
• Projects inspected: Pakal Dul and other hydroelectric projects in the Kishtwar district on the Chenab system. Pakistan has raised technical objections about whether these projects exceed permitted parameters.
• Permanent Indus Commission: a bilateral body with commissioners from India and Pakistan. It meets annually to discuss technical matters. The Commission provides the forum for such inspections.
• J&K revocation impact: India's abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K in 2019 led Pakistan to suspend routine IWT inspections on political grounds until this resumption.
• Treaty disputes: Pakistan has raised disputes at the Permanent Court of Arbitration over the Kishanganga (Jhelum) and Ratle (Chenab) projects. India argues the PCA does not have jurisdiction.
• Treaty gaps: the IWT has no provisions for climate change impacts, groundwater, environmental flows or glacial retreat. Groundwater depletion in the Indus basin may rise 75 per cent by 2050.

Static linkage: international relations, environment.

GS area: Polity, Environment

A study showed that areas under the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996 had a 3 per cent average annual tree canopy increase.

• PESA 1996: extends the Panchayati Raj system to Scheduled Areas (tribal areas in nine states). Crucially, it recognises Gram Sabha authority over natural resources including forests, land, water and minor forest produce.
• Scheduled Areas: defined under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution. The Fifth Schedule areas include tribal-majority regions in Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
• Forest Rights Act 2006 (FRA): complements PESA. Recognises individual and community forest rights of forest-dwelling communities. Prevents arbitrary eviction. Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights give communities rights over entire forest tracts.
• Evidence from the study: average annual tree canopy increase of 3 per cent in PESA-governed areas. Significant reduction in deforestation rates in scheduled areas compared to national averages.
• Success examples:
  • Mendha Lekha, Maharashtra: tribal village exercising full community control over its forest. Received CFR rights in 2009.
  • Bishnois of Rajasthan: well-documented history of protecting blackbucks and khejarli trees.
  • Dongria Kondh tribe, Odisha: successfully resisted Vedanta Resources' bauxite mining in Niyamgiri Hills, upheld by the Supreme Court in 2013.

Static linkage: polity (tribal governance), environment.

GS area: Polity

Following the Kerala Legislative Assembly's resolution, the Article 3 procedure for renaming was back in the news.

• Kerala's resolution: passed unanimously to rename the state from "Kerala" to "Keralam" to match the Malayalam pronunciation and historical name.
• Article 3 procedure (recap): a bill to rename a state is introduced in Parliament (or referred to state legislature for its views first). Parliament then enacts by a simple majority. No state legislature ratification required. No special majority needed.
• First and Fourth Schedules: amended to reflect the new name. First Schedule lists states and territories; Fourth Schedule allocates Rajya Sabha seats.
• Precedents: Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand (2007), Orissa to Odisha (2011), Bombay to Mumbai (state level change), Madras to Chennai (municipal level change, not requiring Article 3).
• Central government discretion: the Centre has no constitutional obligation to act on a state's resolution. The Centre decides when to bring the bill to Parliament.

Static linkage: polity (Constitution).

GS area: Culture, Geography

Srinagar's designation as a World Craft City by the World Crafts Council was highlighted on its recognition anniversary.

• World Crafts Council (WCC): established 2014. Creates a dynamic global network of cities famous for crafts traditions.
• Srinagar's crafts heritage: the city has a craft tradition of approximately 1,500 years. It was a major hub on the ancient Silk Route. Traditional crafts include papier-mâché, hand-knotted carpets, Pashmina shawls, sozni embroidery, silver and copper metalwork, and walnut wood carving.
• Silk Route history: Srinagar sat on the route connecting Central Asia with the Indian subcontinent. Craft knowledge, merchants and pilgrims passed through the valley.
• Pashmina: wool from the Changthangi goat (found in Ladakh and Tibet above 4,500 metres elevation). The raw fibre is combed, not sheared. Hand-spun and hand-woven Kashmiri Pashmina carries a GI (Geographical Indication) tag.
• GI tags: products with a geographical indication are protected under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999. About 40 GI tags are associated with J&K products.
• Implications for craft policy: World Craft City designation enables artisan access to international markets, craft tourism and cultural diplomacy.

Static linkage: culture, geography, economy.

GS area: International Relations, Geography

World Hydrography Day (21 June) drew attention to the International Hydrographic Organisation and India's naval hydrography mandate.

• IHO: the International Hydrographic Organisation is an intergovernmental organisation ensuring that the world's seas and oceans are surveyed and charted.
• Founded: 1921. Headquarters in Monaco. 100+ member states including India.
• World Hydrography Day: 21 June annually. Established in 2005 by the IHO.
• India's Naval Hydrographic Department: under the Indian Navy. Responsible for hydrographic surveys of India's territorial waters, EEZ, and Continental Shelf. Produces nautical charts and tide tables.
• Importance: accurate charts are essential for navigation safety, submarine operations, port planning, laying underwater cables and pipelines, and offshore mineral exploration.
• Blue Economy: India's maritime sectors (fisheries, shipping, offshore energy, tourism) collectively constitute the Blue Economy. Hydrography supports all of these.

Static linkage: international relations, geography.

• Fast Track Immigration Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP): launched at Delhi IGI Airport by the Union Home Minister. Pre-verified Indian citizens and OCI cardholders use automated e-gates. To be expanded to more airports and to cover more nationalities.
• Namaqualand (Africa): a region across Namibia's Karas region and South Africa's Northern Cape. Known for spring wildflower blooms and succulents. Researchers found termite mounds along the Buffels River estimated at approximately 34,000 years old, among the world's oldest continuously inhabited structures.