Part of: GS Prelims and Mains I and II – Culture; Fundamental Right; Secularism
In News:
In its recent judgment, the Supreme Court upheld the Shebait rights of the Travancore royal family in the administration of Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala.
SC bench held that the erstwhile Travancore royal family will have rights to manage properties belonging to Lord Vishnu, worshipped in ‘AnanthaShayana’ posture.
Do you know?
There was dispute whether the temple and its considerable assets should devolve to the Kerala government following the death of Travancore ruler Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma in July 1991.
Kerala High Court, in 2011, had directed the State to take over the temple and exhibit its treasures for public viewing in a museum.
Article 25 and 26 deals with this issue.
Article 25– Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion
Article 26 – Freedom to manage religious affairs Subject to public order, morality and health, every religious denomination or any section thereof shall have the right
to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes;
to manage its own affairs in matters of religion;
to own and acquire movable and immovable property; and
to administer such property in accordance with law
About Shebait
A Shebait is any person who serves and supports the deity and works as a manager of the debuttar property.
The properties like the temple or any other land or property which is vested with the deity are managed by the Shebait. Shebait is the only person who has the power to talk on behalf of the deity that is the god or goddess. He has the power to deal with all the affairs of the deity.
Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – India and Iran bilateral ties; International Relations
In News:
Iranian government has decided to proceed with the construction of Chabahar rail project on its own.
India and Iran had signed an agreement (before 4 years) to construct a rail line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, along the border with Afghanistan. However, Iran dropped India citing delays from the Indian side in funding and starting the project.
Do you know?
India wanted the railway line to be built as part of a trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan as an alternate trade route to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Iran’s announcement came after China finalised a massive 25-year, $400 billion strategic partnership deal with Iran, which could cloud India’s plans.
About Chabahar Port
Located on the Makran coast
South-eastern coast of Iran
It is relatively underdeveloped free trade and industrial zone (compared to the sprawling port of Bandar Abbas further west)
It is located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Persian Gulf nation’s southern coast.
It lies outside the Persian Gulf and is easily accessed from India’s western coast, bypassing Pakistan.
Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Internation Affairs; Policies affecting India’s interests
In news:
Iran and China are close to finalize a 25-year Strategic Partnership.
The Comprehensive Plan for Cooperation between Iran and China will include Chinese involvement in Chabahar’s duty-free zone, an oil refinery nearby, and possibly a larger role in Chabahar port as well.
Iran decided to go head on its own with the construction of a railway line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, dropping India, which had signed MoU in 2016.
Do you know?
Iran proposed a tie-up between the Chinese-run Pakistani port at Gwadar and Chabahar last year, and has offered interests to China in the Bandar-e-Jask port 350km away from Chabahar, as well as in the Chabahar duty-free zone.
Iran-China deal impinges on India’s “strategic ties” with Iran and the use of Chabahar port.
Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Internation Affairs; Policies affecting India’s interests
In news:
Pakistan to allow Afghanistan to send goods to India via the Wagah border from July 15, as part of Pakistan’s commitment under the Pakistan-Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement.
The decision is expected to boost Afghanistan’s exports to India.
Do you know?
Both Pakistan and India had suspended trade through the Wagah border in March to deal with the pandemic challenge.
However, Pakistan is silent about allowing Indian exports to Afghanistan.
Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Infrastructure; Environment issues
In news:
Expert Appraisal Committee of the Environment Ministry has recommended the grant of Environmental Clearance for the development of an economic corridor — the Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) — between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
The greenfield highway is part of BharatmalaPariyojnaand will be implemented by the National Highways Authority of India.
The new road would provide better, fast, safe and smooth connectivity for commuters between the two States as well as in the region.
The NHAI said that 12,111 trees would be felled for the project and 206 persons would be affected with regard to property and other structures.
Important value additions
About BharatmalaPariyojana
It is a new umbrella program for the highways sector that focuses on optimizing efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country.
It bridges critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions like development of Economic Corridors, Inter Corridors and Feeder Routes, National Corridor Efficiency Improvement, Border and International connectivity roads, Coastal and Port connectivity roads and Green-field expressways.
It is a centrally-sponsored and funded Road and Highways project of the Government of India.
It is both enabler and beneficiary of other key Government of India schemes, such as Sagarmala, Dedicated Freight Corridors, Industrial corridors, UDAN-RCS, BharatNet, Digital India and Make in India.
About Expert appraisal committee
It exists at the Union as well as state levels (state expert appraisal committee or SEAC)
It is formed to advise the government on environmental clearance of development projects.
They are involved at all the stages, except for public hearing.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
It is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development.
Both EPA and EIA are provided under Environment Protection Act 1980.
Context: Governance systems at all levels, i.e. global, national, and local, have experienced stress as a fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic
Challenges of Governance during COVID-19 time
Simultaneous issues:Breakdowns in many subsystems had to be managed at the same time — in health care, logistics, business, finance, and administration.
Contradictions:Solutions for one subsystem backfired on other subsystems.
For example, lockdowns to make it easier to manage the health crisis have made it harder to manage economic distress simultaneously.
Lost Focus on other health issues: Diversion of resources to focus on the threat to life posed by COVID-19 had increased vulnerabilities to death from other diseases, and even from malnutrition in many parts of India.
Exposed Weakness of International Institutions:There is a mismatch in the design of governance institutions at the global level (and also in India) with the challenges they are required to manage.
Weakness of present Governance Systems
Lacks integrated approach:The global challenges listed in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of UN are systemic challenges interconnected with each other, which must be addressed urgently by UN
Silo-ed approach:Environmental, economic, and social issues cannot be separated from each other and solved by experts in silos or by agencies focused only on their own problems.
Neglects local conditions:Solutions for environmental sustainability along with sustainable livelihoods cannot be the same in Kerala and Ladakhand Tokyo
Lacks Public Participation: For the local people to support the implementation of solutions, they must believe the solution is the right one for them, and not a solution thrust upon them by outside experts
Way Ahead- A case for local systems
1. Governance of the peoplemust be not only for the people. It must be by the people too.Government must devolve power to citizens in villages and towns in India for them to govern their own affairs
2. Changing the mindset and approach towards Governance
The dominant theory in practice of good government has become ‘government of the people, by the government, for the political party in power’.
Administrative officers see their role as ‘deliverers of good government’ rather than as ‘enablers of governance’. This has strengthened the image of a paternalist government taking care of its wards
The administrator’s task has become complicated when the numbers of government schemes multiplied — some designed by the central government, and others by State government.
This has resulted into redundancy and inefficiency of work
The government has to support and enable people to govern themselves, to realise the vision of ‘government of the people, for the people, by the people’.
Conclusion
Those States and countries in which local governance was stronger have done much better than others. This shows that there is need to relook at governance models, preferably the Gandhian way of decentralisation of power
Connecting the dots
Critical Analysis of the working of 73rd & 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts
(TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE)
Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section)
Note:
Correct answers of today’s questions will be provided in next day’s DNA section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers.
Comments Up-voted by IASbaba are also the “correct answers”.
Q.1) Chabahar Port, recently in news is located in the
Persian Gulf
Gulf of Oman
Gulf of Aden
Red Sea
Q.2) Delaram-Zaranj highway connects
Afghanistan and Iran
China and Pakistan
Afghanistan and India
Iran and Pakistan
Q.3) Consider the following statements regarding Expert appraisal committee:
It exists at the Union level only.
The committee is involved at all the stages of environmental clearance.
Which of the statements is/are correct?
1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Q.4) Consider the following statements about ‘Bharatmala Pariyojana’
It is a joint project of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Shipping
National Highways Development Project (NHDP) will be subsumed under Bharatmala Pariyojana
Choose the appropriate option from code given below:
1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Q.5) Consider the following statements
The place in the crust where the movement starts is called the epicentre.
The place on the surface above the Epicentre is called the focus.
Focus is also known as Hypocentre
Select the incorrect statements
1 and 2 only
1 and 3 only
2 and 3 only
All of the above
ANSWERS FOR 13th July 2020 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK)
