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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 07 October 2014

National

HCL invites consultations on review of green laws

• The high level committee (HLC) constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) will engage with institutions and individuals in New Delhi on October 7 and 8 in the course of its review of five environment-related laws.
• The joint secretary of the Ministry of Environment Biswajit Sinha has sent letters for an interaction. No public notice has been issued so far.
• On August 29, the Environment Ministry had constituted the HLC to review the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,1981, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972 with four terms of reference aimed at recommending “specific amendments to bring them in line with current objectives to meet requirements,” among other things.
• Many groups have already objected to the constitution of the committee headed by former Cabinet Secretary T.S.R. Subramanian. Environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta, who is among those invited to give his comments on October 7, that the terms of reference of the HLC does not really include a consultative process. While the committee has to submit its report in two months, the five laws it has to review would take much more time, he said. For instance, Mr. Datta said the Environment Protection Act alone had over 25 to 30 related notifications, each of which would take a long time to review.
• While the HLC has been tasked with reviewing five laws, in a letter inviting a reputed institution for a meeting on October 8, the Environment Ministry has mentioned that the Indian Forests Act, 1927 is also under review, causing further confusion. Environmental groups say that the whole attempt by the MoEF is to dismantle regulation of any kind.

Jayalalithaa did not send resignation letter

• Nine days after AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa was convicted in a disproportionate assets case by a Bangalore special court, the air has been cleared over her not sending in a formal resignation letter to Governor K. Rosaiah.
• Officials and constitutional experts confirm that it is only a matter of convention that a resignation letter is presented when a person demits office.
• Ms. Jayalalithaa, who was Chief Minister at the time of conviction, did not submit any resignation letter, confirms an official at the Raj Bhavan. As the conviction has led to her instant disqualification as a member of the Assembly, in line with the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Lily Thomas case last year, Ms. Jayalalithaa ceased to hold office.
• It was for this reason that there was no government order to the effect that the Council of Ministers headed by her was no longer in office, another official explains.
• In the normal course, an order would have been issued by the Governor on the outgoing Council of Ministers. This was done when DMK president M. Karunanidhi, who was Chief Minister during 2006-2011, quit office after his party was defeated in the 2011 elections.

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International

Britain-Ireland signs visa deal to benefit Chinese, Indian travelers

• Britain and Ireland inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on visa cooperation to allow Chinese and Indian visitors to travel to the two island nations on a single visa.
• The landmark visa deal will help Britain and Ireland share data and exchange information to inform and determine immigration decisions and allow visitors from India and China to travel more easily between the two countries, Xinhua reported citing the British Home Office.
• “This agreement will make it easier and more attractive for travellers to visit both Ireland and Britain, while at the same strengthening Common Travel Area borders,” British Home Secretary Theresa May said.
• The British-Irish Visa scheme will start in China by the end of October and in India soon afterwards, the Home Office noted.
• China and India are both key markets for British and Irish tourism and more than 10,000 visitors are expected to use the scheme.

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Science & technology

2020 plan for nature protection falling: U.N. report

• International efforts to meet targets to stem the loss of wildlife and habitats are failing miserably, according to a United Nations report.
• The Global Biodiversity Outlook 4, published as nearly 200 countries meet in South Korea in a bid to tackle biodiversity loss, paints a damning picture of governments’ efforts to meet a set of targets agreed upon in 2010 to mitigate the destruction of species’ habitats, cut pollution and stop overfishing by the end of the decade.
• Conservationists said the lack of progress, nearly halfway to the 2020 deadline for the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (ABT), was a troubling sign and a reality check.
• According to the report, the situation is worsening for the planet’s most threatened species, which include 90 per cent of all lemurs and species such as the blue-tongued forest giraffe and the spoon-billed sandpiper: “The average risk of extinction for birds, mammals, amphibians and corals shows no sign of decreasing.”
• Only five of the 20 targets, which are broken down into 56 elements, are on track for 2020. Thirty-three show progress albeit at an insufficient rate, 10 show no progress; five show deterioration and three have not been evaluated.

Business & Economy

Railways decided to allow PPP in sale of tickets

• With a view to expand the facilities for purchase of tickets, the Indian Railways have decided to allow public-private partnership in the establishment and operation of computerised Passenger Reservation System-cum-Unreserved Ticketing System terminals.
• At present, only authorised travel agents are allowed to sell e-tickets while all the PRS counters across the country are operated by the Commercial Department of the Ministry. These new reservation centres, as per the proposal cleared by the Railway Board, would be called Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendras.
• Sources said Director (Finance), Railway Board, has issued a circular to all zonal general managers to work out the modalities for implementing the scheme. A circular has also been issued to the Centre for Railway Information Systems to make necessary modification in the software.
• However, only authorised agents providing railway ticketing services of the Indian Railways for at least five years would be able to become a part of the scheme.