7 September 2024

• Polity: The 23rd Law Commission was notified (September 2, 2024); its mandate and historical context dominated analysis this week.
• Technology: The first legally binding international AI Treaty was signed by the US, EU and UK through the Council of Europe.
• Governance: Swachh Bharat Mission data showed that while 95 per cent of rural India has toilet access, only 85 per cent of those actually use the facilities.
• Defence: Galathea Bay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was notified as a Major Port, setting the stage for India's second deep-water transshipment terminal.

GS area: International Relations, Science and Technology

The Council of Europe's Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence became the first legally binding international treaty on AI, with the US, EU and UK among the initial signatories.

Key features:

• Risk-based approach: The treaty does not ban AI outright. It regulates AI according to the risk posed by specific applications. High-risk AI systems face stricter obligations.
• Lifecycle coverage: Obligations apply throughout an AI system's lifecycle, from design to deployment and decommissioning.
• Public and private sector: Covers both government AI applications and private sector deployments, unlike narrower domestic frameworks.
• Human rights, democracy, rule of law: These are the three core values the treaty aims to protect from AI-related harms.
• Legal recourse: The treaty guarantees individuals the right to seek redress for AI-caused rights violations.
• No punitive sanctions: The treaty relies on monitoring mechanisms rather than fines or sanctions.
• Distinction from EU AI Act: The EU AI Act (2024) is regional law. The Council of Europe treaty is international and applies beyond EU members.

India's position: India is transitioning from a no-regulation stance on AI toward a risk-based approach. India's AI penetration index stood at 3.09, the highest among G20 and OECD countries.

Static linkage: International law, AI governance, technology regulation.

GS area: Governance (schemes), Public health

A study published in the journal Nature (by the International Food Policy Research Institute) quantified the health impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

• Launch: 2 October 2014 (Gandhi Jayanti). Original target completion: 2 October 2019.
• Current status: 95 per cent rural toilet coverage achieved. However, only 85 per cent of those with access actually use the toilets.
• Health findings:
  • Districts with toilet coverage above 30 per cent had an Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) 5.3 points lower than comparable districts.
  • Under-Five Mortality Rate was 6.8 points lower in those districts.
  • WHO reported 300,000 fewer diarrheal deaths in 2019 compared to 2014.
  • Non-ODF areas showed 58 per cent higher child wasting rates.
• Safety benefits: 93 per cent of women with home toilets reported feeling safer.
• Limitations: Low usage despite access, water scarcity at toilet facilities and behavioural resistance in some communities.
• ODF and ODF+: Open Defecation Free (ODF) villages meet coverage targets. ODF+ adds usage monitoring and waste management.

Static linkage: Sanitation policy, SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), health indicators.

GS area: Polity, Governance

The 23rd Law Commission was notified on 2 September 2024 for the period ending 31 August 2027. Key mandate elements:

• Alignment with DPSP: Review laws that do not align with Directive Principles of State Policy and the Preamble.
• Globalisation impact: Study the effects of globalisation on food security and unemployment.
• Judicial administration: Recommend reforms to reduce the 5-crore case backlog.
• Non-statutory nature: Each commission is constituted by executive order. The recommendations are advisory.
• History: The first Law Commission of independent India was set up in 1955 under M.C. Setalvad. Colonial-era commissions date to 1834. The 22nd Commission (2020-24) examined simultaneous elections and the Uniform Civil Code.

Static linkage: Governance institutions, law reform, DPSP (Part IV).

GS area: Polity (governance), History

A 13-bigha farmland in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, linked to former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's family was auctioned for Rs 1.38 crore (nearly three times its reserve price) under the Enemy Property Act 1968.

Key facts:

• Enemy property definition: Property belonging to citizens of countries that have waged external aggression against India (China and Pakistan).
• 2017 amendment: Extended the definition of 'enemy' to include legal heirs and successors, regardless of their current nationality. This prevented Pakistani nationals (or their Indian-resident descendants) from reclaiming enemy property.
• Custodian: The Custodian of Enemy Property for India, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Context: Pakistan has the largest inventory of enemy properties in India. Most originate from partition-era migration.

Static linkage: Property rights, Partition history, India-Pakistan relations.

GS area: Economy (infrastructure), Geography

Galathea Bay in the Great Nicobar Island was officially notified as a Major Port by the government.

• Project: Great Nicobar Island International Container Transshipment Terminal (GNIICTT).
• Investment: Approximately Rs 44,000 crore.
• Depth: 20 metres. This depth is critical for ultra-large container vessels.
• Strategic location: Great Nicobar Island sits near the Malacca Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Currently, 75 per cent of India's transshipment cargo is handled at Colombo (Sri Lanka), Port Klang and Singapore.
• Second terminal: India's first deep-water transshipment terminal is Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (trial run since July 2024).
• Major Ports classification: India has 12 Major Ports regulated under the Major Ports Authority Act 2021. Non-major ports (around 200) are under respective State Maritime Boards.

Static linkage: India's ports, maritime economy, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

GS area: Science and Technology, Economy (textile)

The government announced the INDIAsize initiative, which aims to develop standardised size measurements based on Indian body types, and VisioNxt, an AI-powered trend forecasting portal by NIFT.

• Problem: Current sizing in garments sold in India follows US and UK standards derived from Western body type surveys. This leads to poor fit for Indian consumers.
• INDIAsize: A body measurement survey of the Indian population to derive size charts that match the actual distribution of Indian body dimensions.
• VisioNxt: A bilingual web portal by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). It combines AI and Emotional Intelligence for fashion trend forecasting, reducing dependence on global agencies like WGSN.
• Beneficiaries: Indian weavers, homegrown designers and domestic garment manufacturers.
• NIFT: Established in 1986 under the Ministry of Textiles. Runs campuses in 18 cities.

Static linkage: Textile industry, NIFT, Atmanirbhar Bharat.

• Konyak Tribe: A Mongoloid-origin tribe from Mon district, Nagaland. Language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family (Northern Naga sub-branch). Historically known for headhunting. Now primarily Christian. In the news because Google Maps incorrectly showed two Nagaland villages (Hota-Hoti and Tekun) as being within Assam.
• Barakah Nuclear Plant: The Arab world's first nuclear plant, in Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi (UAE). Four-reactor facility. Powers 25 per cent of UAE's electricity. Part of the UAE's strategy to diversify energy and reach 50 per cent renewables by 2050.