A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Aggressive PLA flouts protocols
2. U.S. pushing relations to the brink of a new Cold War: China
C. GS 3 Related
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. Howrah’s botanical garden now a graveyard of 1,000 trees
INTERNAL SECURITY
1. Fresh leaks of personal details detected on dark web
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
AGRICULTURE
1. Hardly the 1991 moment for agriculture
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. Failing to perform as a constitutional court
F. Tidbits
1. Centre seeks efficacy of Ayurveda
2. Thermal scanner with AI at Kerala railway station
G. Prelims Facts
1. Jairam flays nod for projects in sensitive areas
1. Royal Bengal Tiger found dead in Nallamalla forest
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

E. Editorials

Category: AGRICULTURE

1. Hardly the 1991 moment for agriculture

Context:

• Announcement of reforms in agricultural marketing, under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan economic stimulus package.
  • The three proposed reforms regarding agricultural marketing are the reforms in the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act, the Essential Commodities Act, and on contract farming.

Details:

Arguments against APMC act:

• The main argument against the APMC Act is that it creates barriers to the entry and exit of traders and makes the sale and purchase of agricultural produce compulsory for farmers as well as traders.
  • The general argument in favour of reforms in the APMC act is that it will allow private investment in marketing infrastructure as well as provide more choices to farmers, leading to better prices received by farmers.
• There have been instances of collusion and corruption in the running of the APMC
• There is the problem of political interference in the functioning of the mandis. These are more obvious in the case of large mandis specialising in commercial crops and fruits and vegetables, where production is regionally concentrated.
• Given the criticism regarding the functioning of the APMC act, as many as 17 State governments have amended the APMC Act to make it more liberal.

APMC act variations across states:

• The regulations and the functioning of mandis vary across States.
  • Kerala does not have an APMC Act and Bihar repealed it in 2006.
  • Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh have deregulated fruits and vegetable trade, allowed private markets, introduced a unified trading licence and have introduced a single-point levy of market fee.
  • Tamil Nadu has already reformed its APMC with no market fee.
  • Several other states such as Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Rajasthan have also undertaken reforms.
• Many States have introduced direct marketing of farm produce, examples being the Uzhavar Sandhai (Tamil Nadu), the Rythu Bazaar (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), the Raitha Santhe (Karnataka), the Apni Mandi (Punjab) and the Krushak Bazaar (Odisha).

The Author’s analysis:

• The author claims that APMC mandis are being vilified for all the ills plaguing marketing infrastructure and the low prices received by the farmers for their produce, even though they play an important role in providing access to the market for farmers.

The Bihar example:

• Bihar had repealed its APMC act in 2006.
• As against the expected benefits, the state witnessed no private investment in building market infrastructure.
• There is also no evidence that farmers have received better prices in private mandis outside the APMC.
• The repealing of the APMC Act has had some negative impacts:
  • The state suffered a loss of revenue due to the repeal of the APMC which led to the deterioration of existing infrastructure of the market yards in the State.
  • The state has witnessed the proliferation of private unregulated markets which charge a market fee from traders as well as farmers.
  • These private markets have substandard or no infrastructure for weighing, sorting, grading and storage.
• Even in other States where there is deregulation to allow private traders, there is hardly any positive impacts noted.

Government’s responsibility:

• The author argues that the deregulation of the markets and the consequent withdrawal of the government from the mandis would amount to the government escaping the responsibility of creating marketing infrastructure for its farmers.
• Most of the existing mandis require investment in upgradation of infrastructure.

Inaccurate assessment:

• The author argues against the notion of the APMC act being the sole reason for the farmers not receiving remunerative prices for their produce.
• The fact that more than 80% of farmers, most of whom are small and marginal farmers do not sell their produce in the APMC mandis stands testament to the author’s argument.

Lack of demand:

• For a majority of farmers, prices received for their produce is more a function of the demand for agricultural commodities than access to markets.
• In the recent past, the terms of trade have moved against agriculture, with agricultural commodity price inflation being in the negative zone.
• In the light of inflation targeting, most agricultural commodities have seen a sharp decline in demand and consequently prices received by farmers.

Way forward:

• The author argues that no amount of marketing reforms will lead to higher price realisation for farmers if the underlying macroeconomic conditions are unfavourable to agriculture and farmers.
• The author suggests that the government should increase fiscal spending to revive demand in the economy which would help protect the farmers from the decline in commodity prices.
• This has become even more necessary after the sharp decline in incomes, job losses and decline in demand following the lockdown and expected contraction in economic activity for the year ahead.

For more information on this issue refer: CNA 17^th May 2020 & CNA 18^th May 2020

Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Failing to perform as a constitutional court

Context:

• COVID-19 pandemic and the migrant crisis.

For more information on this issue refer: CNA 22^nd April 2020 & CNA 31^st March 2020

Background:

• India apart from the public health crisis caused by COVID-19 also faces the unique challenge of migrant labourers’ issue.
• These migrant labourers have no work, no source of income, no access to basic necessities, and no testing facilities, no protective gear, and no means to reach home.

Details:

• The author of the article, a former Chief Justice of Delhi and Madras High Courts argues that the institutions meant to look out for the interests of the vulnerable sections like the migrant labourers have failed.
• The author alleges that the Supreme Court has failed to satisfactorily acknowledge that the fundamental rights of migrant labourers have been violated, and ignored the plight of this section when they most needed protection.

The author’s arguments:

The Judiciary’s duty:

• The duty performed by the arms of the state, even during an emergency, must always be bound by constitutional propriety, and respect fundamental rights and the judiciary acts as a watchdog in such situations.
• Despite overwhelming evidence pointing to the violation of the fundamental rights of citizens, especially those of vulnerable populations like migrant labourers, the SC has been refusing to admit petitions or has been adjourning the petitions asking the SC to intervene.
• By effectively not granting any relief, the Court is denying citizens of the most fundamental right of access to justice, ensured under the Constitution.
• The author alleges that the SC has failed to adequately perform as a constitutional court.

Incorrect arguments from the judiciary:

Policy matter and non-judicial interference:

• The SC has opined that the condition of migrant labourers is a matter of policy and thus, does not behove judicial interference. The Court has held that the government is the best judge of the situation.
• However, there are numerous judgments where SC has laid out matters of policy. In these cases, the Court formulated policies and asked the States to implement them.
  • The Vishaka guidelines on sexual harassment in the workplace
  • The right to food
  • Environmental protection policies.

Court ability to monitor the situation:

• The court’s argument that it cannot act on mere news reports to issue directives to the states does not hold ground as nothing prevents the Court from monitoring the situation itself directly, by directing bureaucrats to collect empirical data on the ground, as it has done before.

Public Interest Litigations:

• Public Interest Litigations (PILs) are a specific instrument designed to ensure the protection of the rights of the poor, downtrodden and vulnerable, and anyone can seek appropriate directions on their behalf. The concept of a PIL is to be non-adversarial, but the Court’s treating of the PILs as adversarial matters against the government is worrisome.

Role of High Courts:

• The author praises the role being played by some High Courts in this issue. At least four High Courts (Karnataka, Madras, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat) have started questioning the states on the plight of the migrant labourers.

Conclusion:

• The author urges the apex court to intervene and monitor the situation to help alleviate the plight of the migrant labourers.

F. Tidbits

1. Centre seeks efficacy of Ayurveda

• The Union Health Ministry has sought results of COVID-19 treatment using Ayurvedic medicines.
• Ayurveda is a traditional medicinal knowledge source from India and there is huge potential in it. Ayurveda’s inherent strength is in holistic healing and wellbeing.
• The results from the dedicated COVID-19 health centre at the Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Ayurved Charak Sansthan (CBPACS), Najafgarh have been encouraging.
• The knowledge and experience of Ayurveda could prove beneficial to people all over the world in combating the battle against COVID-19.

2. Thermal scanner with AI at Kerala railway station

• A thermal imaging scanner with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a door frame detector has been installed at the Thiruvananthapuram railway station to screen passengers and measure their body temperature.
• The facility will ensure social distancing, temperature screening using AI, alerts for high temperature, mask recognition through a non-contact screening process.

G. Prelims Facts

1. Jairam flays nod for projects in sensitive areas

• Names and location of some ecologically sensitive areas.
  • The Dibang Valley: Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve: Assam
  • Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary: Goa
  • Gir National Park: Gujarat

2. Royal Bengal Tiger found dead in Nallamalla forest

• Nallamala Forest is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and is part of the Eastern Ghats.
• Nallamala Forest derives its name from the Nallamalas (also called the Nallamalla Range) which form a section of the Eastern Ghats. They run in a nearly north-south alignment, parallel to the Coromandel Coast between the rivers, Krishna and Pennar.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Which of the following statement/s is/are correct?

1. Somalia shares its land borders with two countries.
2. Somalia is bound by the Gulf of Aden to the north.

Options:

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

See

Q2. The Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve is located in which of the following states?

Options:

1. Assam
2. West Bengal
3. Meghalaya
4. Manipur

See

Q3. Which of the following statement/s is/are correct?

1. The Nallamalla Hills are spread over the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
2. The Nallamalla hills run in a nearly north-south alignment, parallel to the Coromandel Coast between the rivers, Krishna and Pennar.

Options:

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

See

Q4. Which of the following statement/s is/are incorrect?

1. The Jama Masjid in Delhi was built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar.
2. The Badshahi Masjid in Lahore was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.

Options:

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

See

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. Discuss the concerns with respect to the APMC act and evaluate the recently announced reforms for the APMC act under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package. (10 marks, 150 words)
2. The COVID-19 crisis has brought to light the issue of the migrant labourers in India and the post-COVID phase will require drastic changes in the migration policies. Comment. (10 marks, 150 words)