Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 04 September 2024 | Download PDF

• • President Droupadi Murmu has sanctioned the constitution of 23rd Law Commission of India for a period of three years from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027.
• Objective:The commission’s primary objectives include identifying obsolete laws for repeal, auditing laws that adversely affect the poor, and providing opinions on legal matters referred by the Law and Justice Ministry.

Key points:

Structure and Composition:

• Chairperson and Members: Provision to appoint sitting Supreme Court and High Court judges as chairperson and members.
• Full-Time Positions: The commission will have a full-time chairperson and four full-time members, including a member-secretary.
• Ex-Officio Members: Secretaries of the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department will serve as ex-officio members.
• Part-Time Members: The commission can include up to five part-time members.

Service and Compensation:

• Judicial Members: Judges serving as chairperson or members will do so full-time until retirement or the commission’s term ends.
• Service Recognition: Their time in these roles will be treated as “actual service.”
• Salary for Non-Judicial Appointees: The chairperson will receive a fixed monthly salary of ₹2.50 lakh, and members will receive ₹2.25 lakh per month.

22nd Law Commission:

• The previous, 22nd Law Commission, was notified in February 2020, but its chairperson and members were only appointed in November 2022.
• The 22nd Law Commission was chaired by former Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi.
• The 22nd Commission was working on reports concerning the Uniform Civil Code and simultaneous elections.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is working towards building a robust digital public infrastructure in India.
• As part of this initiative, the RBI announced the introduction of a new technology platform called the Unified Lending Interface (ULI), developed by the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub in Bengaluru.

About:

• The ULI aims to provide seamless credit access, initially targeting farmers and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
• Data Integration: The platform supports the seamless and consent-based flow of digital information, including state land records, reducing the time needed for credit appraisal.
• API Architecture: ULI employs common and standardized Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that operate on a ‘plug and play’ model, allowing for digital access to information from various sources. 

Origin of ULI:

• Initial Announcement: On August 10, 2023, the RBI announced the establishment of a Public Tech Platform for Frictionless Credit, later branded as ULI. 
• Pilot Project: In September 2022, a pilot project was initiated to digitalize Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans of less than ₹1.6 lakh in selected districts of Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

• Odisha has become the only state in India to grant habitat rights to the highest number of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
• The Saoras, a tribal community in Gajapati district, are the fifth PVTG in the state to receive such rights.

Key points:

Significance of Habitat Rights:

• Habitat rights enable the Saoras to protect and preserve their ancestral lands, including natural entities, sacred sites, and places of religious and spiritual significance.
• These rights are vital for the community to continue practicing their cultural and religious ceremonies without interference.
• The district-level committee in Gajapati, under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), recently approved the habitat rights for the Saoras.

Legal Framework Under FRA:

• As per section 2(h) of the FRA, habitat includes areas comprising customary habitats and other areas within reserved and protected forests that belong to primitive tribal groups, pre-agricultural communities, and other forest-dwelling scheduled tribes.
• The rights are granted under section 3(1)(e) of The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

Previous Habitat Rights Grants in Odisha:

• The ST and SC Development department has previously facilitated habitat rights for other PVTGs in Odisha:
  • Paudi Bhuyans in Deogarh district
  • Juangs in Keonjhar and Jajpur districts
  • Chuktia Bhunjia in Nuapada district

Habitat Rights in Other States:

• Apart from Odisha, Madhya Pradesh has granted habitat rights to the Bharia PVTG.
• Chhattisgarh has provided similar rights to the Kamar and Baiga PVTGs.

• The Supreme Court of India has recently scrutinized the AYUSH Ministry concerning its handling of Rule 170 under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

About:

• Introduced in 2018, Rule 170 aims to prevent misleading advertisements related to AYUSH products, which include Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Unani medicines.
• Objective: The rule mandates that AYUSH drug manufacturers obtain approval and a unique identification number from the state licensing authority before advertising their products.

• The ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on World Environment Day, has reached a significant milestone. 
• As of September 3, 2024, the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Sh. Bhupender Yadav, announced that over 52 crore saplings have been planted across India under this initiative.

About:

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has launched ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ Campaign on the occasion of World Environment Day. 
• World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5th and is the United Nations’ largest global platform for environmental public outreach.
• The theme for World Environment Day 2024 is “Our Land, Our Future. We are #GenerationRestoration”.

• • Saoras, a PVTG in the state of Odisha has recently become the fifth community to receive habitat rights. 
  • The district-level committee in Gajapati under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) recently approved habitat rights for the Saora community covering 128 villages in Mohana and R Udayagiri blocks.
• Odisha has now become the only state in the country to provide such rights to the highest number of particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs).

Saora Tribe:

• The Saoras are a tribal community primarily residing in the southern parts of Odisha and northern coastal Andhra Pradesh. 
• They are part of the Munda ethnic group and have a rich cultural heritage. Known for their distinctive clothing style, including the “Lanjia” garment, they are also renowned for their artistic skills, particularly in wall paintings and music. 
• The Saoras have a strong connection to their ancestral lands and practice sustainable agriculture. 
• Their traditional beliefs and rituals revolve around nature and their deities.

Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006

• The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 is a landmark legislation in India that aims to recognize and protect the rights of forest-dwelling tribal and other traditional forest dwellers. 
• It seeks to correct historical injustices inflicted on these communities due to colonial-era forest laws.  

• According to Odisha Police Director General, YB Khurania, the naxal menace will be wiped out from the State by March 2026.
• The state government, in conjunction with central forces, has implemented various strategies to eradicate the influence of left-wing extremism. 
• These efforts include:
• Security operations: Increased deployment of security forces, intelligence gathering, and targeted operations against Naxal strongholds.
• Development initiatives: Focus on socio-economic development in Naxal-affected regions to address the root causes of insurgency.
• Surrender policies: Incentives for Naxal cadres to surrender and reintegrate into society.
• Community engagement: Building trust and cooperation with local communities to gain intelligence and support.

• Deputy CM of Odisha recently inaugurated the Climate Resilience Cell (CRC) at Krushi Bhavan. 
• This significant step aims to bolster the state’s efforts in building climate-resilient agriculture. 
• The CRC, established under the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, will be responsible for implementing and monitoring the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC).
• DAFE in collaboration with international institutional partners wishes to create a carbon sensitive policy framework for collaborative research, policy analytics, institutional capacity building and policy engagement and outreach in the backdrop of climate change in Odisha. 
• International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) comprise the main knowledge partners.

• The Odisha government has made a significant stride towards empowering tribal communities by announcing its intention to implement the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA Act) in the state. 
• This landmark legislation aims to grant greater autonomy and self-governance to tribal communities residing in Scheduled Areas. 

About:

• PESA stands for Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. 
• It was enacted to extend the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution (related to Panchayats) to the Scheduled Areas, ensuring a degree of self-governance for Panchayats and Gram Sabhas
• It’s a law designed to empower tribal communities living in Scheduled Areas of India by granting them greater self-governance.   

Key points:

• Extends Panchayati Raj: Brings the benefits of Panchayati Raj system to tribal areas, but with modifications to suit their customs and traditions.   
• Gram Sabha Power: Gives significant power to Gram Sabhas (village assemblies) in decision-making on local issues.   
• Customary Rights: Recognizes and protects the customary rights of tribal people over land, forest resources, and water bodies.   
• Consultation: Mandates consultation with Gram Sabhas on matters like land acquisition, resettlement, and development projects.   
• Empowerment: Aims to empower tribal communities to manage their own affairs and preserve their cultural heritage

States under PESA:

• The PESA Act is applicable to 10 Indian states with significant Scheduled Areas:
• Gujarat
• Jharkhand   
• Chhattisgarh
• Odisha
• Madhya Pradesh
• Maharashtra
• Andhra Pradesh
• Telangana
• Mizoram
• Tripura

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