Reports from various sources including Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change namely Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, Special Report on Climate Change and Land, and Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, highlight the challenges faced due to climate change arising mainly from historical emissions of greenhouse gases by developed countries. A recent report entitled “World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency” published in journal Bioscience’ (https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz088) with many authors from a broad range of disciplines informs that the planet clearly and unequivocally faces a climate emergency, and provides six broad policy goals in the area of energy, short-lived climate pollutants, nature conservation and ecosystem restoration, food, sustainable economic growth and population stabilisation that must be met to address it.

Climate change is a global phenomenon and requires the cooperation of all nations based on the principles of ‘Equity’ and ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities’. India is a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its Kyoto Protocol (KP) and the Paris Agreement (PA). The ambitious Paris Agreement has mechanisms like global stocktake and ratcheting up action every 5 years to address climate change and avoid adverse consequences.

For addressing the challenge of climate change, India adheres to the paramountcy of the UNFCCC processes. It has proactively contributed to multilateral efforts to combat climate change and continues to do so while undertaking its own independent, enhanced initiatives in climate mitigation and adaptation besides meeting all its commitments under the UNFCCC, its KP and PA. Independent studies rate India’s efforts highly and compliant with the requirements under PA.

Census of major flagship species is undertaken at the State-level by the respective State/Union Territory Governments periodically. However census of tiger and elephant is undertaken at the national level once every four and five years respectively. As per the report of the latest census carried out by the state and central government, the population of endangered species especially lions, rhinos, tigers, and elephants has increased in country.

Ministry is providing financial assistance to State /UT Governments for the recovery programme of critically endangered species under the component- Recovery programme for saving of critically endangered species and habitats of the Centrally sponsored scheme ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’. Presently 21 critically endangered species have been identified under this programme.

The Ministry has formulated the 3rd ‘National Wildlife Action Plan’ for a period of 2017 to 2031 to save wild animals in the country. The Plan focuses landscape approach in conservation of all wildlife irrespective of where they occur. It also gives special emphasis to recovery of threatened species of wildlife while conserving their habitats which includes terrestrial, inland aquatic, coastal and marine ecosystems.

The measures taken by the Government to control illegal killing and poaching of wild animals are: The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 provides for punishment for violation of its provisions. The Act also provides for forfeiture of any equipment, vehicle or weapon that is used for committing wildlife offence(s). Law enforcement authorities in the States maintain strict vigil against poaching of wild animals.

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has been set up to gather intelligence about poaching and unlawful trade in wild animals and animal articles and to achieve inter-state and trans-boundary coordination in enforcement of wildlife laws.

The State/Union Territory Governments have been requested to strengthen the field formations and intensify patrolling in and around Protected Areas. Protected Areas, viz., National Parks, Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves covering important wildlife habitats have been created all over the country under the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to conserve wild animals and their habitats.

Financial assistance is provided to the State/Union Territory Governments under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes of ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’, ‘Project Tiger’ and ‘Project Elephant’, for providing better protection to wildlife and improvement of habitat.

The Governor, Chhatisgarh Smt. Anusuiya Uikey visited the National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav-2019” at Dilli Haat, INA, today. Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Smt. Renuka Singh was also present. They visited the Stalls put up by tribal artisans and interacted with them. They witnessed the Tribal arts and performances on the occasion. The 15 days’ festival (16th to 30th November, 2019) is the celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture, Cuisine and Commerce.

The Governor applauded all participating tribal artists and artisans at Aadi Mahotsav-2019 for their creative endeavors and opined that it is very important that their natural skills are being channelized to promote their sources of income for their better life. She also praised M/o Tribal Affairs and Trifed for their exemplary efforts.

The Mahotsav features exhibition-cum-sale of tribal handicrafts, art, paintings, fabric, jewelry and much more through 220 stalls. Over 1000 tribal artisans and artists from different States creating a Mini-India are participating in the festival. The tribes of India have a wide range of handicrafts and the government seeks to promote interaction between tribal artisans and the people..

The tribal textiles manufactured by Master tribal Craftsmen from Jammu & Kashmir in the North to Tamil Nadu in the South and from Gujarat in the West to Nagaland/Sikkim in the East are the main attractions. For the first time, this Aadi Mahotsav is showcasing a wide range of products from the tribal artisan from Leh (Ladaakh). Apart from this special attraction a wide range of products from North Eastern States are on display and sale.

The Supreme Court gave the government time until 10.30 am on Monday (November 25) to produce: The letter written by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari recommending the revocation of President’s Rule and inviting Devendra Fadnavis to form the government.

The letter that Fadnavis submitted to the Governor to demonstrate that he has majority support among the MLAs.

Under what rule, has the President’s rule been revoked? To revoke President’s Rule, the government has used a special Section in the Union government’s Transaction of Business Rules (Rule 12), which allows for revocation of President’s Rule without Cabinet approval if the Prime Minister “deems it necessary”.

Rule 12 of the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961, allows the Prime Minister to depart from laid down norms at his discretion. It says, “The Prime Minister may, in case or classes of cases permit or condone a departure from these rules, to the extent he deems necessary.” The Cabinet can subsequently give post-facto approval for any decision taken under Rule 12.

Under what circumstances is Rule 12 used? The rule is usually not used to arrive at major decisions by the government. However, it has been used in matters such as withdrawal of an office memorandum or signing of MoUs in the past.

When was it used? The last big decision taken through the invocation of Rule 12 was re-organisation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh on October 31.

The proclamations issued by the President that day, dividing various districts between the two Union Territories, were issued under Rule 12. The Cabinet gave post-facto approval to the same on November 20.

So, let us understand what a review petition means. What is a review petition and when can it be filed? Under Article 137, the Supreme Court has the power to review any of its judgments or orders.

Scope for review: When a review takes place, the law is that it is allowed not to take fresh stock of the case but to correct grave errors that have resulted in the miscarriage of justice.

The court has the power to review its rulings to correct a “patent error” and not “minor mistakes of inconsequential import”. In a 1975 ruling, Justice Krishna Iyer said a review can be accepted “only where a glaring omission or patent mistake or like grave error has crept in earlier by judicial fallibility”.

In a 2013 ruling, the Supreme Court has laid down three grounds for seeking a review of a verdict it has delivered: The discovery of new and important matter or evidence which, after the exercise of due diligence, was not within the knowledge of the petitioner or could not be produced by him.

Mistake or error apparent on the face of the record. Any other sufficient reason. It means a reason that is analogous to the other two grounds. In 2013 Union of India v. Sandur Manganese & Iron Ores Ltd) case, the court laid down nine principles on when a review is maintainable.

Who can file a review petition? As per the Civil Procedure Code and the Supreme Court Rules, any person aggrieved by a ruling can seek a review. However, the court exercises its discretion to allow a review petition only when it shows the grounds for seeking the review.

Time- period within which a review petition should be filed? As per 1996 rules framed by the Supreme Court: A review petition must be filed within 30 days of the date of judgment or order. While a judgment is the final decision in a case, an order is an interim ruling that is subject to its final verdict.

In certain circumstances, the court can condone a delay in filing the review petition if the petitioner can establish strong reasons that justify the delay.

The procedure to be followed: The rules state that review petitions would ordinarily be entertained without oral arguments by lawyers. It is heard “through circulation” by the judges in their chambers.

Review petitions are also heard, as far as practicable, by the same combination of judges who delivered the order or judgment that is sought to be reviewed. If a judge has retired or is unavailable, a replacement is made keeping in mind the seniority of judges.

In exceptional cases, the court allows an oral hearing. In a 2014 case, the Supreme Court held that review petitions in all death penalty cases will be heard in open court by a Bench of three judges.

What if a review petition fails? As the court of last resort, the Supreme Court’s verdict cannot result in a miscarriage of justice.

In Roopa Hurra v Ashok Hurra (2002), the court itself evolved the concept of a curative petition, which can be heard after a review is dismissed to prevent abuse of its process.

This will make it the only State to have such members in all panchayats.

Key facts: Every panchayat will now have differently abled members, either elected or nominated.

If differently abled members are not elected through the electoral process, then one member, either male or female, would be nominated as a panch. And as for janpads and zilla panchayats, the State government would nominate two such members, one male and one female, to them.

Constitutional rights of the disabled: Under the Constitution the disabled have been guaranteed the following fundamental rights: The Constitution secures to the citizens including the disabled, a right of justice, liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship, equality of status and of opportunity and for the promotion of fraternity.

Article 15(1) enjoins on the Government not to discriminate against any citizen of India (including disabled) on the ground of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.

Article 15 (2) States that no citizen (including the disabled) shall be subjected to any disability, liability, restriction or condition on any of the above grounds in the matter of their access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and places of public entertainment or in the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of government funds or dedicated to the use of the general public.

There shall be equality of opportunity for all citizens (including the disabled) in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the State.

No person including the disabled irrespective of his belonging can be treated as an untouchable. It would be an offence punishable in accordance with law as provided by Article 17 of the Constitution.

Every person including the disabled has his life and liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Features and significance: The ETF is expected to have a size of Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore. The fund will comprise only AAA-rated papers of the PSU companies. It provides a new option to conservative investors to own securities of government-owned companies along with the facility of overnight liquidity as ETF units will be listed on exchanges.

Compared with bank fixed deposits that generate a post-tax return of around 5.5 per cent, this product could generate a return of over 7 per cent for the investors. It can comprise corporate debt securities in the form of bonds, credit-linked note, debentures, promissory notes as underlying instruments.

What are ETFs? Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are mutual funds listed and traded on stock exchanges like shares. Typically, an ETF mirrors a particular index, which means the group of stocks in the ETF would be similar to those in the index that it is benchmarked to.

Usually, ETFs are passive funds where the fund manager doesn’t select stocks on your behalf. Instead, the ETF simply copies an index and endeavours to accurately reflect its performance. In an ETF, one can buy and sell units at prevailing market price on a real time basis during market hours.

Benefits and significance of ETFs: ETFs are cost efficient. Given that they don’t make any stock (or security choices), they don’t use services of star fund managers.

They allow investors to avoid the risk of poor security selection by the fund manager, while offering a diversified investment portfolio.

The stocks in the indices are carefully selected by index providers and are rebalanced periodically. They offer anytime liquidity through the exchanges.

What’s the issue? The ₹18,000-crore project has been mired in several hurdles. The most recent one is a disagreement between the States on the share of water. There are outstanding environmental obstructions too. It involves deforesting a portion of the Panna Tiger Reserve.

About Ken- Betwa project: Conceived as a two-part project, this is the country’s first river interlinking project. It is perceived as a model plan for similar interstate river transfer missions.

The project aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken river in MP to Betwa in UP to irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region spread across the districts of two states mainly Jhansi, Banda,Lalitpur and Mahoba districts of UP and Tikamgarh, Panna and Chhatarpur districts of MP.

Key facts: Ken and Betwa rivers originate in MP and are the tributaries of Yamuna. Ken meets with Yamuna in Banda district of UP and with Betwa in Hamirpur district of UP. Rajghat, Paricha and Matatila dams are over Betwa river. Ken River passes through Panna tiger reserve.

Benefits of interlinking: Enhances water and food security. Proper utilisation of water. Boost to agriculture. Disaster mitigation. Boost to transportation.

What’s the issue now? Presently, Officials and police officers posted in the State belong to the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, and are deputed for a minimum of two years and above.

Besides, there is no institutional memory as officers are transferred frequently. This affects governance, and benefits do not reach people. The advantage of having a separate cadre is that they can understand the pulse of the local people well. The State has 27 major tribes and more than 100 sub-tribes.

Political parties enter office and go out, but a dedicated bureaucracy is essential for the State’s welfare.

What are they? Johads are community-owned rainwater storage wetland mainly used for harnessing water resources.

Why in News? Haryana state government has come out with a plan of rehabilitating over 16,400 ponds in rural areas across the state in order to analyze pond water to ascertain its suitability for irrigation and other uses.

It is a genetically-engineered rice that contains beta-carotene. Here, the traditional rice is changed by inserting bacteria and daffodil and maize genes into it.

It is called golden rice because of the golden colour of its grains. It was claimed to be able to fight Vitamin A deficiency, which is the leading cause of blindness among children and can also lead to death due to infectious diseases such as measles.

Context: Sumatran rhino is now extinct in Malaysia. Now, there are now just 80 Sumatran rhinos left in the world, all of them in Indonesia, especially on the island of Sumatra and the Indonesian part of Borneo.

Background: The Sumatran rhino is the smallest of the five extant rhino species in the world. The other species include the White Rhino, the Black Rhino, the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros and the Javan Rhino.

In the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century, the Sumatran rhinoceros occurred in parts of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, northern Bengal, Bhutan, Comilla and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Two Union Territories — Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli — will be merged into one and a bill in this effect will be tabled in Parliament.

The merger of the two UTs, located along the western coast near Gujarat, will be done for better administration and check duplications of various work.

At present, the country currently has nine UTs after the creation of the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. However, with the merger of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, the number of UTs will come down to eight.

Scientists have recently demonstrated the role of a protein secretagogin (SCGN) in increasing insulin action in obesity-induced diabetes.

Key facts: SCGN is now established as a functional insulin-binding protein with therapeutic potential against diabetes.

SCGN binds to insulin and protects it from various stresses, increases its stability and adds to its action. SCGN is found in lower quantities in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients