Daily News Reader

April 29, 2022

Top Headlines

● Sedition: Section 124A of IPC

● Hattis of Himachal
● Mission Antyodaya
● Subsidy for Non-Urea Fertilizers
● The freedom movement in Balochistan
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1. Sedition: Section 124A of IPC

Theme: Indian Polity

Context: SC will hear pleas to scrap the sedition law on May 5. The court, last year, was
also considering defining the limits of sedition on a petition asking to quash all pending
cases of sedition.

Prelims Analysis
❖ What is sedition?
➢ Sedition is the act of encouraging rebellion against the government or action that
promotes such rebellion, such as speech or writing.
➢ It is a crime as per Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. It also lays down the
punishment for committing it.
➢ As per Section 124A of IPC, Sedition is committed when “any person by words,
either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise,
brings or attempts to bring hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite
disaffection towards the government established by law in India."
➢ It is a non-bailable, non-compoundable (can be resolved by mutual agreement),
and cognizable offense (arrest can be made without violence).

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➢ Punishment ranges from imprisonment of three years to a life term with/without a

fine.
❖ Sedition: A colonial legacy
➢ The law was introduced by the British in 1870.
➢ The rise of religious reformers and movements like the Wahabi/Waliullah
Movement that turned into armed resistance against the British, made the British
introduce such a law.
➢ It was often used to suppress activists like Mahatma Gandhi and Tilak.
❖ Recent data on sedition cases
➢ 326 sedition cases were filed in India from 2014 to 2019. Only 6 were convicted.
➢ In recent years, frequent cases of activists, cartoonists, and intellectuals arrested
under sedition, have invited criticism from liberals that it is being used to suppress
dissent and silence critics.
➢ News channels in Andhra Pradesh were tried under sedition for media coverage of
the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
➢ A Lakshadweep-based filmmaker faced charges under sedition for her
controversial comments against the central government.

Mains Analysis
❖ Views on sedition
➢ Mahatma Gandhi: “If one has no affection, one is free to give the fullest expression
of his disaffection, so long as he does not contemplate, promote or incite violence.”
➢ Voltaire: “I totally disagree with you but still I defend your right of freedom of
speech & expression even at the cost of my life.”
➢ Tilak: Dissent with the government cannot be equated with being anti-national.
There is a difference between speaking against the government of the day
(‘raajdroh’) and speaking against the country (‘deshdroh’).”
❖ Famous cases on sedition
➢ In the Kedarnath vs State of Bihar case (1962), the Supreme court held that
sedition is not unconstitutional but must be narrowly interpreted.

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➢ In the Balwant Singh vs State of Punjab case (1995), the court held that even
raising casual slogans and advocating violence is not sedition unless it results in
real incitement to offense.
➢ In the Indradas vs State of Assam (2011), the court held that only when it results
in incitement to imminent lawless action, it can be treated as a crime.
❖ Why should there be a punishment for sedition?
➢ It is important to combat anti-national, secessionist, and terrorist elements.
➢ It protects the elected government from attempts to overthrow it by violent means.
➢ It is important to keep in check the insurgent groups and parallel non-state
governments like Maoists.
❖ Why should sedition be de-criminalized?
➢ Terms used under Section 124A like ‘disaffection’ are vague and often narrowly
interpreted by the executive.
➢ The right to question, criticize and change rulers is very fundamental to the idea of
democracy.
➢ The law has an ill effect on free speech and constructive criticism.
➢ The punishments under the law make it draconian.
➢ There are other existing laws like UAPA, National Security Act, etc. to prevent
public disorder and anti-national activities.

Prelims Questions
Q1. Concerning the Wahabi/Waliullah Movement, which of the following
statements is/are correct?

1. The movement originated around Patna.

2. It was against the dilution of Islam and turned into armed resistance against the
British.
3. The movement started with the revolt of 1857 and continued till the formation of
Congress.

Select the correct answer code:

a) 1 and 2

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b) 2 and 3

c) 2 only

d) All of the above

Ans. a

Explanation: The British termed Wahabis as traitors who were carrying out a ‘Jihad
against the British’. They were led by Syed Ahmed Barelvi. The movement started in
the 1830s and intensified with the revolt of 1857. It was completely suppressed by the
1870s when sedition charges were introduced.

Q2.Which of the following best describes bail?

a. It is money paid to be released from custody

b. It is a conditional release from pre-trial detention
c. It is a temporary release of a culprit from custody
d. None of the above

Ans. b

Explanation: Bail involves a bail bond (deposit) in return for the release from pre-trial
detention. It is a conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court
when required.

Mains Practise Questions:

Q.1 The Sedition Law has often been misused by the government in India to curb
dissent. Elaborate.

Q.2 Critically evaluate the usefulness of Section 124 A of IPC today.

2. Hattis of Himachal
Theme: Indian Polity

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Context: The central government has assured the Hatti community of their inclusion in
the list of Scheduled Tribes in Himachal Pradesh.

Prelims Analysis
❖ About the Hattis
➢ They sell homegrown vegetables, crops, meat, wool, etc. at small markets called
‘haat’ in towns. This gave them the name ‘hattis’.
➢ Men generally wear a distinctive white headgear during ceremonies.
➢ They are a close-knit community. A traditional council called Khumbli governs the
affairs of the community.
➢ They follow a rigid caste system with upper castes like Khash and the Bhats, and
Badhois below them in the social strata.
➢ They are mostly concentrated in Simla and Sirmaur regions. Two parts of the
community are geographically segregated by River Giri and River Tons between
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
➢ These two clans have similar traditions but the Hattis living in Himachal lag
behind in education and employment due to topographical disadvantages.
➢ They have been demanding tribal status since 1967.
➢ They are a 3 lakh-strong politically relevant community.
❖ How is a tribal status given?
➢ As per the constitution (under Article 342), Scheduled Tribes are specified by the
President after consultation with the Governor for each state. The Constitution has
not defined any criterion for the same.

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➢ They are included in Schedule 5 of the constitution.

➢ After this, the notification can be modified by the Parliament. Parliament may by
law include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled tribes, any tribe or tribal
community.
➢ The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has given broad eligibility criteria: (i) indications of
primitive traits, (ii) distinctive culture, (iii) geographical isolation, (iv) shyness of
contact with the community at large, and (v) backwardness
➢ A Task Force constituted by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is examining the
existing criteria and procedures.

Prelims Question
Q1. Consider the following about scheduled tribes-

1. There is a central list of scheduled tribes that have reserved status in every state.
2. The definition of Schedules Tribes is contained in Article 342 of the Indian
Constitution.
3. There is a separate class called Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) that
receive an additional reservation.

Select the correct answer code:

a. 1 and 3

b. 2 and 3

c. Only 3

d. None of the above

Ans. d

Explanation: Article 366(25) defines scheduled tribes as those communities that are
deemed scheduled as per Article 342. The listing of scheduled tribes is done
State/Union Territory-wise and not on an all-India basis. PVTGs receive extra
protection through welfare schemes, and not through additional reservations.

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3. Mission Antyodaya
Theme: Government Schemes

Context: Increasing inflation and decreasing purchasing power of the rural poor have
brought the focus on poverty alleviation schemes like Mission Antodaya.

Prelims Analysis
❖ About Mission Antyodaya
➢ The project was launched by the Government in a mission mode in 2017-18.
➢ It is just a convergence of various schemes that address poverty, with the aim of
optimum utilization of resources. Kt includes schemes like:
■ MGNREGA
■ National Rural Livelihood Mission,
■ National Social Assistance Programme
■ Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, etc.
➢ It aims for bottom-up planning using Gram Panchayats as the center of planning.
➢ It is a State-led initiative with Gram Panchayat as the basic unit for monitoring
transformation and for ranking based on objective criteria.
➢ Implementation is ensured through a convergence of frontline worker teams,
cluster resource persons (CRPs), Self-help groups, etc.
➢ It is overseen by:
■ Ministry of Panchayati Raj

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■ Ministry of Rural Development

➢ An annual survey identifies the development gaps at the gram panchayat level. The
first survey was conducted in 2019-20.
❖ Scoring under the composite index
➢ The development gaps in each gram panchayat are mapped on a Composite Index.
➢ Scoring in class intervals of 10 is done. These scores are then added in such a way
that the maximum score will add up to 100.
➢ Not a single state in India falls in the top score bracket of 90 to 100.
➢ 1,484 gram panchayats fall in the bottom bracket.
➢ Kerala tops the scoring but that too appears in the score range of 70-80 and just
34.69% of gram panchayats of Kerala have that score.
➢ Country-wide, only 109% of the gram panchayats are in the score range of 70-80.

Mains Analysis
❖ Issues identified with the above data
➢ The data highlights that there is no serious effort to converge resources.
➢ It highlights the gaps in the devolution of funds and powers to panchayats and
raises question marks on federalism.
➢ Even after 30 years of the decentralization reforms and nearly 75 years of
independence, ‘economic development and social justice remains a distant goal.
➢ The gaps identified in Mission Antyodaya Survey are not addressed in the majority
of the Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs).

Mains Practise Questions:

Q.1 Even after 30 years of the decentralization reforms, the Panchayati raj system
remains weak. Elaborate.

Q.2 Suggest measures to strengthen the rural Panchayati raj institutions in India.

4. Subsidy for Non-Urea Fertilizers

Theme: Economy, Agriculture

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Context: In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, fertilizer prices are shooting up in India.
To contain this, the government has approved an enhancement in subsidies on non-urea
fertilizers for the upcoming Kharif crop, amounting to ₹60,939 crores.

❖ Fertilizers used in India fulfill the demand of N-P-K () in a specified ratio. All three
nutrients are necessary for plant growth. Other than this, plants need carbon, hydrogen,
and oxygen which are present in the soil.
❖ Nitrogen is needed for leaf growth and for making plants greener, Phosphorus (P)
promotes root development, and Potassium fights off diseases.
❖ Indian farmers majorly use nitrogen-based fertilizers, mostly in excess because of the
urea subsidy. This contaminates the groundwater as well.
❖ The cost of non-urea-based fertilizers has recently gone up by almost 80%.
❖ The government has therefore introduced a fertilizer subsidy for non-urea-based
fertilizers now.
❖ Fertilizer subsidies are given to the fertilizer companies through a direct-benefit-transfer
system by the government. These companies pass on the benefit to the farmers.
❖ For a transparent implementation, each fertilizer retailer has a point-of-sale (PoS)
machine linked to the Department of Fertilizers’ e-Urvarak portal.
❖ Unlike the MRP of urea-based fertilizers which are fixed by the government, the price of
other fertilizers is fixed by the companies. The government pays a flat per tonne subsidy
on these.

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Prelims Practise Question

Q1.Concerning the excess urea-based fertilizers used in India, which of the
following is correct?

1. It results in nitrate-contaminated water.

2. Excess nitrogen leaches into the water as ammonia or oxides of nitrogen.
3. Blue-baby syndrome is associated with this.

Select the correct answer code:

a. 2 only
b. 1 and 2
c. 3 and 4
d. All of the above

Ans. d

Explanation: All the above-mentioned statements are correct. Blue baby syndrome is
the name given to abnormalities in the heart or lungs that prevents oxygen from
entering the blood supply. It is caused by nitrate-contaminated water.

5. Freedom movement in Balochistan

Theme: International Relations

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Context: The Baloch Liberation Army, a militant group in Pakistan, has claimed a
suicidal attack on Chinese citizens in Karachi.

❖ It is an insurgent group fighting for self-determination and a separate homeland for the
Baloch people.
❖ Although the threats of secession of Balochistan date back to 1947, the insurgent group
gained momentum in 2006, after the Pakistan Army killed a Baloch tribal sardar, who
was a former chief minister and governor of the Balochistan province.
❖ A sudden influx of jihadist groups in their area recently and human rights violations has
aggravated the demand for secession.
❖ The Baloch people are secular and admire ties with India. The province borders
Afghanistan and Iran. Its liberation would be in India’s interest. It is also the most
resource rich region with gas, oil, copper, and gold deposits.
❖ Baloch people see China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a neo-colonist agenda
of China, and a project that undermines their sovereignty.

Prelims Practise Question

Q1. Consider the following about the administrative units in Pakistan:

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1. Pakistan has four provinces Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh

2. The capital city is federally administered.
3. There are two autonomous regions administered by Pakistan.

Which of the above is/are correct?

a. 1 and 2
b. 2 and 3
c. 2 only
d. All of the above

Ans. d

Explanation: All the above-mentioned statements about the provinces and

administrative units of Pakistan are correct. Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan are the
autonomous territories disputed with India.

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