Supreme Court Issues New Guidelines for Environmental Regulatory Bodies
3-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC) of India issued a set of guidelines for effective functioning ofenvironmental regulatory bodies and authorities in India.
The 3-judge bench, led by Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai (BR Gavai), includes justicesPamidighantam Sri Narasimha, and Prashant Kumar Mishra.
Guidelines for Effective Functioning:
- The SC stated that the bodies, authorities,regulators and executive offices incharge ofenvironmental duties should function withinstitutional features and should beaccountable, transparent and efficient intheir functioning.
- The court also directed that composition,qualifications, tenure, method ofappointment, and removal of membersshould be clearly specified.
- The appointments should be maderegularly to ensure continuity. Theorganisation shoud be staffed with peoplewith requisite knowledge, technical expertise, and specialisation.
- The mandate and roles of each authority and body should be defined to avoid overlap and duplication ofwork. Establish a method for constructive coordination among institutions.
- The authorities and bodies must receive sufficient funding and their finances must be certain and clear.
- The organisations should establish the norms for public hearings, decision-making process,the right toappeal prescription and timelines.
Permanent Body Approval:
- SC passed the directions while approving the Centre’s notification, making the Central EmpoweredCommittee (CEC), a permanent body.
- The CEC assists the SC on environment and forest issues, and will now have members chosen by theCentre for a fixed tenure with specified functions.
- SC mandated regular audits of the performance of environmental bodies towards properinstitutionalisation to ensure accountability and transparency.
Nima Sarikhani Wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year 59 People’s Choice Award
Nima Sarikhani of the United Kingdom(UK) won the 2023 Wildlife Photographer of the Year 59 People’sChoice Award by the Natural History Museum, London(UK).
Nima Sarikhani won this award for his photo of a polar bear sleeping peacefully on a small iceberg.
About the Award:
- The award contest is annually organised by theNatural History Museum and it was originallyfounded in 1965 by British BroadcastingCorporation (BBC) Wildlife Magazine.
- The People Choice Award was given based on theonline poll featuring the 25 best photographs byshortlisting 50,000 entries from around the world.
- Nima Sarikhani’s photo titled ‘Ice Bed’ got75,000 votes in the online poll to win the award.
- The other four finalists for the award were – TheHappy Turtle by Tzahi Finkelstein (Israel), StarlingMurmuration by Daniel Dencescu (Germany), Shared Parenting by Mark Boyd (Kenya), and Aurora Jelliesby Audun Rikardsen (Norway).
- The winner is awarded with £ 10,000 (Pound), a trophy and personalised certificate.
- The five images will be displayed online and at London’s Natural History Museum until June 30, 2024.
IRS Officer Narendra Kumar Yadav Appointed As BrandAmbassador For Fit India Movement
Narendra Kumar Yadav, Indian Revenue Service (IRS) 2009 batch officer, hasbeen the first civil servant to be appointed as a brand ambassador for the Fit IndiaMovement.
Narendra Kumar Yadav is currently serving as an ‘Additional Director GST(Goods and Services Tax)’ in the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs(CBIC), Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
Fit India Movement was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 tomake fitness an integral part of everyone’s daily lives. The movement aims tobring about behavioural changes and move towards a more physically activelifestyle.
BSDMA launched a Novel Device ‘NITISH’ to Alert People on Natural Calamities
The Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) has launched the Novel Initiative TechnologicalIntervention for Safety of Humanlives (NITISH) device in the presence of Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister(CM) of Bihar. The device aims to provide an earlier alert of natural calamities.
The pendant-like device was developedby BSDMA in collaboration with theIndian Institute of Technology (IIT) inPatna, Bihar.
About NITISH Device:
- The device, synced with BiharMeteorological Service Centre, will alertpeople half an hour before calamitieslike lightning, floods, heatwaves, andcoldwaves.
- It is a waterproof device and getscharged from body heat.
- The device will alert the user in 3ways: It will send a voice message; Its colour will change from green to red; and the device will keepwarming till its user switches it off.
The device is designed specifically for farmers but can also be used by common people.
Additional Info:
The Mobile Application ‘Indravraj’ has similar features to the NITISH Device is also available in Bihar tominimise deaths and injuries caused by lightning and thunderstorms.
About Bihar:
Chief Minister – Nitish Kumar
Governor – Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
National Park – Valmiki National Park
Wildlife Sanctuary – Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary, Gautam Buddha Wildlife Sanctuary
Uttarakhand Becomes 1st State to Pass Bill on Uniform Civil Code Bill
Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Uttarakhand Bill, 2024 whichaims to govern and regulate laws related to marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance for all citizens,irrespective of their religion.
The bill will now be sent to the President of India,Droupadi Murmu, for her assent after which it willbecome a law.
With this, Uttarakhand will become the first Indianstate to get a common law.
Note: The bill was Introduced in the House byUttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Background:
The UCC Bill is based on the draft submitted by ahigh-level committee formed by the Uttarakhandgovernment under the chairmanship of retiredSupreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.
Note: Though Goa is governed by a UCC (Portuguese Civil Code), the state Assembly did not pass any lawon the subject. Goa retained the Code after its liberation in 1961.
Noted Aspects of the Bill:
- Mandatory registration of Live-In relations;
- Conditions for a Contract marriage;
A Ban on Halala, Iddat, and Polygamy;- Similar inheritance rights for men and women.
Key Points:
- Under the UCC Bill, live-in relationships require registration within 1 month from the date of entering intothe relationship.
Adults engaging in live-in relationships must obtain consent from their parents. - The bill also imposes a ban on child marriage and introduces a uniform process for divorce.
- It provides equal rights to women of all religions in their ancestral property.
- As per the UCC Bill, the age for marriage will be 18 for women and 21 for men in all communities.Marriage registration is mandatory in all religions and marriages without registration will be invalid.
- No divorce petition will be allowed to be filed after 1 year of marriage.
Exemptions:
The proposed law does not apply to Uttarakhand’s Scheduled Tribes (STs) and individuals and group ofpeople whose customary rights are protected under the Part XXI of the Constitution of India.
Telangana Wildlife Board Approves Tadoba-Kawal Conservation Reserve
The State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) of Telangana has approved the establishment of the Tadoba-Kawalconservation reserve in the area situated betweenTadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (located inMaharashtra) and Kawal Tiger Reserve(Telangana).
The board meeting of SBWL was chaired by KondaSurekha, Telangana State Minister for Forests andEnvironment.
The proposal to establish the conservation reservewas made by the Forest Department.
About Tadoba-Kawal Conservation Reserve:
- The Tadoba-Kawal Conservation Reserve coversa 1,492-square-kilometer area in the Kagaznagarand Asifabad divisions of Kumuram Bheem Asifabad District of Telangana.
- The conservation reserve facilitates the free movement of tigers between two tiger reserves.
- The approved proposal for the Tadoba-Kawal Conservation Reserve will be sent to the Union Ministry ofEnvironment, Forests, and Climate Change to declare it a ‘conservation reserve’.
Other proposals approved by SBWL:
- SBWL has also approved the proposal for increasing the compensation amount given to the kin of thepersons who were killed in wild animal attacks from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
- It approved the proposal for a bison sanctuary in Sathupally and Kinnerasani forests in the Khammamdistrict.
- It also approved 19 proposals for improving mobile phone connectivity to all villages and settlements inforested regions across Telangana.
About Telangana:
Chief Minister– Anumula Revanth Reddy
Governor– Tamilisai Soundararajan
Wildlife Sanctuaries – Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, Shivaram Wildlife Sanctuary, Kinnerasani WildlifeSanctuary
Festivals – Bathukamma, Vijayadashami, Bonalu