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com Page 1 of 9
 MOST IMPORTANT ARTICLES OF THE | DAY – 28/07/2022

SC UPHOLDS POWERS OF ARREST, RAID UNDER PMLA

‘Money Laundering Is No Less Heinous Than Terrorism’
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the core
amendments made to the Prevention of Money Laundering
Act (PMLA), which gives the government and the
Enforcement Directorate (ED) virtually unbridled powers of
summons, arrest, and raids, and makes bail nearly impossible
while shifting the burden of proof of innocence on to the
accused rather than the prosecution. The top court called the
PMLA a law against the “scourge of money laundering” and
not a hatchet wielded against rival politicians and dissenters.
“This is a sui generis (unique) legislation… Parliament
enacted the Act as a result of international commitment to
sternly deal with the menace of money laundering of
proceeds of crime having transnational consequences and on
the financial systems of the countries,” a Special Bench of
Justices A.M. Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and C.T.
Ravikumar observed in a 545¬page judgment. Extensive
challenge The verdict came on an extensive challenge raised
against the amendments introduced to the 2002 Act by way
of Finance Acts. The three-judge Bench said the method of
introduction of the amendments through Money Bills would
be separately examined by a larger Bench of the top court.
“Money laundering is an offence against the sovereignty and
integrity of the country,” the court noted. “It is no less a
heinous offence than the offence of terrorism,” Justice
Khanwilkar, who authored the judgment, said. Over 240 petitions were filed against the amendments, which the challengers
claimed would violate personal liberty, procedures of law and the constitutional mandate. The petitioners included former
Ministers Mehbooba Mufti, Anil Deshmukh and Karti Chidambaram, who all claimed that the “process itself was the
punishment”. The court’s stamp of approval comes at a crucial time when Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi are being
summoned by the ED and put to several rounds of questioning spanning hours. Justice Khanwilkar underscored how illegitimate
money could disappear abroad with a click of the mouse. “Once this money leaves the country, it is almost impossible to get it
back,” he said. Submissions rejected The apex court rejected submissions by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for petitioners, that the
accused’s right against self-incrimination suffered when the ED summoned them and made them sign statements on threats of
arrest. But the court said these statements were recorded as part of an “inquiry” into the proceeds of crime. A person cannot claim
right against self-incrimination at a summons stage.

‘REPLACEMENT LEVEL FERTILITY ACHIEVED’

31 States And Uts Have Reached A Total Fertility Rate Of 2.1 Or Less, Says Minister
India has achieved replacement level fertility, with 31 States and Union Territories reaching a Total
Fertility Rate (an average number of children per woman) of 2.1 or less, Union Minister of State for
Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar said on Wednesday. Speaking at the National Family
Planning Summit 2022, the Union Minister said between 2012 and 2020, the country added more than
1.5 crore additional users for modern contraceptives, thereby increasing their use substantially. She said
government data showed an overall positive shift towards spacing methods that would be instrumental in
impacting positively maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. ‘A paradigm shift’ Union Health
Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the Family Planning Programme in India was now over seven decades
old, and in this period, the country had witnessed a paradigm shift from the concept of population control to population
stabilisation to interventions being embedded toward ensuring harmony of continuum care. “Although India has achieved
replacement level fertility, there is still a significant population in the reproductive age group that must remain at the centre of
our intervention efforts. India’s focus has traditionally been on the supply side, the providers and delivery systems but now it’s
time to focus on the demand side which includes family, community and society. Significant change is possible with this focus,
instead of an incremental change,” Mr. Bhushan noted.
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 FOREST RIGHTS ACT: WELL BEGUN, READY FOR THE HOME RUN
While Many States Are Nowhere Near Completing Implementation Of The Historic Act, Odisha
Is Aiming For A Full Rollout By 2024
Tucked away in a forested region of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, Juguni
Ho had long nursed a dream of owning a piece of land. The resident of
Budhabalanga village can now not only boast of possessing 5.15 acres in the
forests of the Similipal Biosphere Reserve but also log on to a website and
show the land records. Jasai Soren and his forefathers have lived in the
Khuribhanga forest village in Dhenkanal district from times immemorial,
but the village did not exist in government records for years. Khuribhanga is
now recognised as a revenue village and government welfare programmes
have started to flow seamlessly. Pramilla Pradhan of Sinduria village in
Nayagarh district always believed the residents had first right to forest
resources in the adjoining areas. The village has secured community forest
rights on 760 acres of Sulia forest; the villagers’ annual income from cashew
harvesting alone now touches ₹4 lakh. Juguni Ho, Jasai Soren and Pramilla
Pradhan are among the 2.59 lakh beneficiaries of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, which has entered its 16th year of
implementation in Odisha. Tricky affair The implementation, which involves raising awareness among the largely uninformed
population, rummaging through voluminous government records, ground truthing and further vetting by government departments,
has been a knotty affair. But while many States are nowhere near completing implementation of the historic Act, Odisha is aiming
for a full rollout by 2024. It is the first State in the country to make budgetary provision for implementation of the Central Act –
₹8 crore for 168 FRA cells in 2021¬22. Till last year, forest rights committees were functioning in Tribal Sub Plan areas. Now,
they have been extended to the entire State. The State is not only ensuring tenurial security and entitlement over land but also
addressing livelihood and food security under the Act. “We are confident about launching Mission 2024 for FRA by granting all
kinds of forest rights whether it is for the individual, community or habitat,” says Odisha’s ST and SC Development Secretary
Ranjana Chopra. The mission, currently under Finance Department and Planning and Convergence Department scrutiny, aims at
granting the tribal people their rightful ownership. As of March 2022, a total of 6,27,998 claims had been received by gram sabhas
of which 4,52,164 claims were upheld and titles distributed. As many as 1,31,062 claims were rejected. According to the
Bhubaneswarbased Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI), Odisha has an estimated
7.32 lakh potential claimants, which indicates that around 3 lakh eligible families are still left out. “Though the gap appears to be
huge, the platform is ready for the government to expedite FRA implementation on mission mode,” says Y. Giri Rao, who has
been involved in the Act’s implementation for over a decade. “Most processes are already halfway through. The government
needs to bring all departments on one platform for its completion by 2024,” he adds. Nodal agency While ST and SC Development
Department remains the nodal agency for the Act’s implementation, forest rights cells would function from the State level right
down to the tahasil level. Besides, district-level nodal officers, civil society organisations, Panchayati Raj Institution members,
revenue inspectors and local youth will work in tandem for faster implementation of the Act. The State government has also set
up a dedicated project management unit only for FRA implementation. Empirical studies carried out from time to time by the
SCSTRTI have helped the government plug the gaps in implementation of the Act. “Granting of habitat rights to Particularly
Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) has been a non-starter in the entire country. However, habitat right proposals have been duly
approved by gram sabhas and many of those proposals are under active consideration of subdivisional-level committees,” says
SCSTRTI director A.B. Ota. Of the 13 PVTGs identified in Odisha, habitat rights are being processed for 11 groups. Mr. Ota says
the Lodhas and Lanjia Sauras, who do not believe in the concept of habitat, and could apply for individual forest rights. Mr. Rao
says FRA implementation remained virtually static in almost all States except Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Madhya
Pradesh in the past year. While neighbouring Chhattisgarh has been in the forefront on reporting and settling individual forest
rights and community forest rights claims, Odisha’s new push could close the gap in the months ahead.

DEATH BY HOOCH
India Needs A More Honest Discussion On The Risks And Benefits Of Prohibition
hooch tragedy that claimed over 40 lives in Gujarat’s Botad district brings to the fore, yet again, the contentious question

A of prohibition. Gujarat is one of the four States in India that prohibits alcohol. The victims consumed poisonous methyl
alcohol sold in plastic pouches by bootleggers. Twenty-four people have been named as accused in the FIRs and 14 have
been arrested. Police action that follows every such tragedy barely inspires public confidence; indeed, it conceals the complicity
of the administration in protecting the black market for alcohol, wherever prohibition exists. It is difficult to assume that vast
networks of illegal manufacturing and sale of liquor could exist without the patronage of the police and politicians. Reports
suggest that in this case, specific complaints were made to the police, who continued to look the other way. Prohibition makes

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liquor illegal, but it hides in the black market. By driving sales and production underground, the State loses tax revenues while
consumers are exposed to huge health risks. Though prohibition is listed among the Directive Principles of state policy in the
Constitution, no State has been able to achieve it with any enduring effectiveness. Globally, it is a similar experience. Prohibition
has, however, remained a potent slogan for some politicians. Alcohol damages health, family finances, and human relationships,
and the call to ban it altogether has a certain moral, even if not practical, appeal. But using the sledgehammer of the law to stop
alcohol use can be counterproductive, as experience shows. The Gujarat High Court is considering five petitions that challenge
the constitutional validity of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, 1949 on grounds that it violates fundamental rights including privacy.
The law is being questioned for its alleged arbitrariness as it allows tourists from outside the State to consume alcohol in the State.
The prohibition laws give sweeping and intrusive powers to the police, who, at least in one case in the recent past in Gujarat, used
them against political protesters. On the one hand, prohibition offers the opportunity for rent collection and on the other it lets the
police free to selectively apply the law. There is a moral burden that several political parties in India try to carry on their shoulders
to discourage or bar alcohol consumption — several parties bar members from consuming alcohol — but in practice this turns
out to be comical hypocrisy. With Gujarat already in campaign mode for the Assembly election that is only months away, the
tragedy has prompted the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party to train their guns on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Rather than
clinging on to dogmas and impossible goals of social reform through coercive law, there must be a more honest discussion on
prohibition.

IN SEARCH OF RELEVANCE
The Commonwealth Games Will Get Off To A Quiet Start In Birmingham

T he 2022 Commonwealth Games organisers will feel fortunate that the third largest multi-sport event is all set to take off
in Birmingham without being affected by the pandemic, on Thursday. The Games — representing 2.5 billion people from
72 nations and territories which were once ruled by the erstwhile British Empire — have been staged over the years amid
anti¬colonial sentiments and huge costs involved in hosting such an event. But the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has
asserted that the Games — with its diversity that includes India with 1.3 billion people and Niue with a population of around
2,000 – have entered an era of renewed relevance. Underlining this, Birmingham, which replaced Durban as the host city and is
ready to accommodate 6,500 athletes and officials by integrating 19 sports and eight para-sports, has highlighted the uniqueness
of this latest edition. The debut of women’s T20 cricket, 3x3 basketball and mixed synchronised swimming will be among the
new features for the first carbon neutral games being held at an estimated budget of nearly £800 million. India, which has not
finished outside the top five since 2002, has fielded more than 200 athletes across 19 different sports and para-sports. Still, the
country, which gathered 66 medals in the previous edition in Gold Coast, may witness a sharp dip in its collection as there is no
shooting, which contributed 16 medals in 2018. The removal of shooting from the 2022 edition and the absence of wrestling
(another discipline that earned many medals for India) from the 2026 edition have not gone down well with the Indian sports
fraternity. When shooting was left out of the 2022 programme, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had threatened to boycott
the event. A compromise formula, under which shooting and archery were to be held in Chandigarh separately, could not be
implemented due to the pandemic. In a recent meeting with the CGF president, Dame Louise Martin, top IOA officials made a
request to include shooting and wrestling in the 2026 edition. At present, India will depend on its wrestlers, weightlifters, shuttlers,
boxers, paddlers and squash players to win medals. In the absence of Olympic champion and World championships silver
medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, India will look forward to the likes of steeplechaser Avinash Sable, long jumper M.
Sreeshankar and javelin thrower Annu Rani to deliver the goods. A good showing in athletics will redeem some pride for India,
which faced embarrassment following three athletes testing positive for banned substances. The hockey players, who won plaudits
for their impressive showing in the Tokyo Olympics, and women cricketers will also provide hope to sports lovers.

AAP LEADER IS 20TH MP TO BE SUSPENDED FROM RS

House Witnesses Disruptions For Eighth Day; Venkaiah Says Adjournment Motions On GST
To Be Heard In Normal Course
As the Rajya Sabha witnessed disruptions and repeated adjournments for the eighth consecutive day, one more MP was suspended
for a week on Wednesday. As the House passed a motion to suspend senior Aam Aadmi Party member Sanjay Singh, he became
the 20th Opposition MP to be face similar action. “Singh brought disrespect to the Chair through his behaviour,” Deputy Chairman
Harivansh said. The members suspended from the Rajya Sabha and the four suspended for the rest of the session in the Lok Sabha
started a 50¬hour protest at the Gandhi statue in Parliament. Earlier in the day, Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu told
the House that the adjournment motions moved by MPs such as Tiruchi Siva, Binoy Viswam and K.C. Venugopal on the Goods
and Services Tax (GST) can be taken up in the normal course. “I have already admitted some of them under other motions so I
am not admitting them,” he said. The Opposition protested, and Mr. Naidu adjourned the House till noon. At noon, Mr. Harivansh
invoked Rule 256 and named AAP member Mr. Singh. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V. Muraleedharan moved a
motion to suspend Mr. Singh from the House for the remainder of the week and it was adopted by voice vote. Mr. Harivansh
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urged Mr. Singh to leave the House but the ruckus continued and he adjourned the House for 15 minutes. When the House met
again, Mr. Singh remained in the Well of the House. Mr. Harivansh asked him again to move out and adjourned the House till 2
p.m. When the House resumed at 2 p.m., MPs continued to raise slogans. Some raised the high death toll due to the hooch tragedy
in Gujarat. Bhubaneswar Kalita, the Chair of the House, appealed to the
MPs to allow the House to conduct business, and repeatedly asked the AAP
MP to leave the House since he had been suspended and requested other
protesting MPs in the Well of the House to go back to raise their issues. As
the Opposition MPs refused to relent, the House was adjourned for the
day within three minutes. On Tuesday, the House had suspended 19
Opposition MPs — seven from the Trinamool Congress, six from the
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), three from the Telangana
Rashtra Samithi (TRS), two from the Communist Party of IndiaMarxist
(CPI¬M), and one from the Communist Party of India (CPI). Mr.
Singh said he was trying to raise the Gujarat hooch tragedy, and was
“repeatedly requesting the Chair and the government” for an answer. “I
had raised the issue yesterday also. Today, I gave notice under Rule 267 and
was repeatedly requesting the Chair and the government for an answer,”
Mr. Singh said. While Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge urged the
Chairman to reconsider the suspensions, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said it could be revoked if the members
apologised and promised that they would not show placards in the House. “We have been maintaining that the government is
ready for discussion on price rise,” Mr. Joshi said. The CPI(M) termed the suspensions an assault on the basic rights of freedom
of expression of MPs.

THOUSANDS OF VILLAGES SET TO GET 4G COVERAGE

24,680 Uncovered Areas To Get High-Speed Internet
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved a project for
providing 4G mobile services in uncovered villages across the country at a total cost of ₹26,316 crore.
Under the project, 4G mobile services, which provide high-speed data, will be provided in 24,680
uncovered villages in remote and difficult areas. Additionally, 6,279 villages that currently have only
2G/3G connectivity will also be upgraded to receive 4G connectivity. The project has a provision to include
20% additional villages on account of rehabilitation, new-settlements, withdrawal of services by existing
operators etc, an official statement said here. The project will be executed by the public sector Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) using a Atmanirbhar Bharat (Made in India) 4G technology stack and
will be funded through Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). The project cost of ₹26,316 crore
includes capital expenditure (capex) and also five-year operating expense (opex), the government said.
“The project is a significant step towards the vision of the government to provide mobile connectivity in rural areas. This project
will promote delivery of various egovernance services, banking services, tele-medicine, tele-education etc. through mobile
broadband and generate employment in rural areas,” the government added.

CENTRE TO AMEND WAREHOUSING ACT

However, The SKM Fears It Will Help Corporate Houses Gain More Control
The Union Food and Public Distribution Ministry has suggested
major amendments to the Warehousing (Development and
Regulation) Act of 2007. While the Ministry says that the aim is to
help farmers get access to the services of quality warehouses, the
Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) fears that the amendments are for
bringing back certain provisions of the repealed Farmers’ Produce
Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act through the
backdoors. An official in the Ministry said the amendment is to
make registration of godowns compulsory, to raise the penalty for
various offences and to do away the jail term as a punishment for
the offences. At present, registration with the Warehousing
Development and Regulation Authority (WDRA) is optional. After
the proposed amendment, which is yet to be cleared by the Cabinet,
registration of all third party warehouses throughout the country,
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will be undertaken in a phased manner. “Central government will have powers to exempt any class of warehouses from registration
with the Authority. This will ensure a gradual and non-disruptive change to a regulated warehousing system,” the official said on
Wednesday. The WDRA was established in 2010 to ensure scientific storage by prescribing infrastructural and procedural
standards. Captive warehouses such as the FCI are excluded from the ambit of the Act. The Act wants to establish a system of
negotiable and non-negotiable warehouse receipt (NWR), which is now in electronic form. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha said the
repealed Act had also talked about similar provisions such as electronic trading in transaction platform and freedom for trading
at farmgate, cold storage, warehouse and processing units. “This time, too, the purpose should be to help some big corporate
houses so that they gain even more control over the warehousing and cold storage sector. The direction of every policy of this
government is towards that,” said SKM leader Ashok Dhawale.

CHINA WARNS U.S. OVER PELOSI’S TAIWAN TRIP

‘If Washington Pushes Ahead And Challenges China’s Bottom Line, It Will Bear All The
Consequences’
China warned on Wednesday that Washington would “bear the consequences”
if U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan, with tensions soaring ahead
of an expected phone call between the two countries’ leaders. Beijing has hit
back hard against the United States after reports emerged last week that Ms.
Pelosi, a Democrat who is second in line to the presidency, could visit the self-
ruled island of Taiwan in August. Ties between the two global superpowers
have continued to deteriorate under Joe Biden’s presidency, over issues
including Taiwan, human rights and technology sector competition. Beijing this
week warned that it was “getting ready” for a possible visit by Mr. Pelosi, which
would be the first to Taiwan by a sitting U.S. House speaker since 1997. “We
are firmly opposed to Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan,” Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on
Wednesday. “If the U.S. pushes ahead and challenges China’s bottom line... the
U.S. side will bear all the consequences,” he added. A possible visit by Ms.
Pelosi — yet to be confirmed by the senior Democrat — has stirred alarm in Mr. Biden’s administration, which fears the trip may
cross red lines for China. It also comes at an especially fraught time as Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares to cement his rule
later this year at a major party meeting amid economic headwinds. Last week Mr. Biden said the U.S. military thought a visit was
“not a good idea right now”. Democratic Taiwan lives under constant threat of being invaded by China, which views it as part of
its territory to be seized by force if necessary. China’s air incursions near Taiwan have risen sharply this year as Beijing works to
isolate the island on the international stage. Ms. Pelosi told reporters last week it was “important for us to show support for
Taiwan”, while denying Congress was pushing for independence for the island. In 1979, Washington switched relations from
Taipei to Beijing, and successive administrations have been careful to recognise only “one China” by not sending top-ranking
officials to Taiwan.

WELLFARE. NOT FREEBIES

Pm's Remarks On ‘Revdi Culture’ Should Be Heeded By Those Promising Imprudent
Unsustainable Subsidies
In a recent address, the prime minister shared his anguish on what he called the “revdi” or the freebies
culture. This comes immediately on the back of widespread concerns among domain economists,
including a recent report of the RBI on states’ finances. The report highlighted the perilous condition
of states’ finances and enhanced debt stress on account of these flawed policies. Earlier, speaking at
the annual day lecture of the Delhi School of Economics on April 19, I had mentioned that these
freebies are “something that is given to you without having to pay for them, especially as a way of
attracting your support for or interest in something.” Is it ironic that much earlier, Albert Einstein had
said, “sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing.” What Einstein said is embedded
with deeper meaning. The PM’s anguish emanates from the serious consequences of this malaise. Nothing undercuts more
irresponsibly India’s abiding international and national commitments than the perils of this reckless populism. Consider the
following: First and foremost, is the issue of upsetting India’s quest for sustainable development. The initiatives undertaken at
COP21 in Paris, the International Solar Alliance and subsequently at the COP26 in Glasgow represent India’s national consensus
to forge a path of growth geared towards intergenerational equity and to exponentially increase development. Our ability to adhere
to this commitment inter alia is predicated on two other commitments. To begin with, an increase in the percentage of renewable
energy in our energy consumption. While subsidies are being promised in one form or the other by way of free electricity, the
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deteriorating health of state distribution companies seriously undercuts their financial viability. Isn’t it somewhat ironic that while
free power sometimes becomes universal, then optional, then a halfway house through surcharges, these promises are only valid
till incumbents face fiscal constraints and are forced to withdraw benefits? The Delhi government’s decision to make the electricity
subsidy optional was largely due to rising costs. In Punjab, as pointed out by the RBI, the free power promised undercuts its
ability to move to a more sustainable pattern of growth. Lowering the price for some consumers, offset through overcharging
industrial and commercial contracts, reduces competitiveness, ushers slower growth both in incomes and employment. Equally,
the inability of discoms to actively encourage solar power is stymied by their financial condition and the inability to evolve tariff
structures. India’s inability to meet an orderly and socially-cohesive transition to an era of non-fossil fuel energy critically depends
on the health of state electricity boards, which is undercut by the freebie culture. Regulatory capture, a fixation on unrealistic
tariffs and cross-subsidy in energy utilisation prevent a credible coal plan, which is central to our energy planning. Therefore, it
is not how cheap the freebies are, but how expensive they are for the economy, life quality and social cohesion in the long run.
Second, the Modi government seeks to address the challenge of inequity by ensuring access to a wide range of basic facilities.
These include banking, electricity, housing, insurance, water and clean cooking fuel, to mention a few. Removing this inequity to
access helps boost the productivity of our population. Third, the issue of access. Benefits under various welfare schemes such as
PM Awas Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission have eliminated the biggest barrier for citizens — the exorbitant
upfront cost of access. Moreover, they are leading to irreversible empowerment and self-reliance. For instance, a house built under
the PM Awas Yojana is a lifelong asset for the beneficiary household that cannot be taken back by any government. Fourth is the
use of technology in direct transfer benefits. Identification of beneficiaries through the SECC and prioritisation based on
deprivation criteria has enabled the government to assist those who need it the most. Governments that end up taking the shortcut
of universal subsidies or freebies often end up ignoring the poor and transferring public resources to the affluent. In Delhi,
innumerable households from the lower strata continue to remain dependent on expensive tankers for water due to a lack of water
connections and the Delhi Jal Board’s limited supply. The free water policy has no value for these households. Fifth is the issue
of expenditure prioritisation being distorted away from growth-enhancing items, leading to intergenerational inequity. The science
and economics of intergenerational debt swap are at best in a nascent phase. This is true also of changes in governments between
states and nations. Illustratively, one state cannot pass on its debts to another state, nor can a nation pass on its debts to another
nation. Investors, both domestic and foreign, and credit rating agencies look to macro stability in terms of sustainable levels of
debt and fiscal deficit. One of the biggest achievements of the Modi government is that after years of fiscal profligacy, we returned
to the path of fiscal rectitude in 2014. Ironically, it seems the last time such an effort was made was also by an NDA government,
which enacted the first FRBM Act on August 26, 2003, while this government only re-emphasised the need to address this issue.
Sixth is the debilitating effect of freebies on the future of manufacturing and employment. Freebies lower the quality and
competitiveness of the manufacturing sector by detracting from efficient and competitive infrastructure. They stymie growth and,
therefore, gainful employment because there is no substitute for growth if we wish to increase employment. The PM’s recent
remarks about the perils of freebie culture should serve as a timely reminder to those promising fiscally imprudent and
unsustainable subsidies. His opposition to this culture should not be misconstrued as an objection to extending state support to
citizens, especially the lower strata. Rather, PM Modi has demonstrated a successful model of welfare provisioning and
governance that provides balanced development without creating avoidable fiscal constraints. It was Aristotle who said, “the
worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” The freebie culture is not a road to prosperity, but a quick passport
to fiscal disaster.

EXPLAINED: WHO'S REPRESENTING INDIA AT CWG, AND FORM WHICH

STATE
A total of 215 athletes will represent India in 15 disciplines at the Commonwealth Games (CWG),
which begin on Thursday in Birmingham. The Indian contingent is represented by almost every state
and Union Territory, among which Haryana with 39 athletes has the highest representation — much
like at the Tokyo Olympics last year. Haryana is followed by Punjab (26), Tamil Nadu (17), and Delhi
and Maharashtra (14 each). Who’s from Haryana
Over the years, Haryana has produced some of India’s top athletes across events such as boxing, track
& field, wrestling, and cycling. In the current contingent, the state is well represented by both men and
women. According to the list of athletes compiled by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), 19 of the 39
athletes from Haryana are women. The women’s hockey team, which narrowly missed out on an
Olympic medal last year, has contributed a lot to that. Eight women in the squad of 18 are from Haryana.
The state also has several boxers and wrestlers, many of whom, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik
and Jaismine Lamboriya, are seen as strong contenders for a medal. Geography of sport
India’s medal prospects come in a wide range of sports, each of which enjoys popularity in a different
region. Contact sports such as judo, wrestling, and boxing have heavy representation from the northern
states of Delhi and Haryana. Racquet sports such as badminton, squash and table tennis, in which India
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has had recent success, are well represented in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Kerala. The country’s wrestling
contingent is expected to bring in plenty of medals, and each of the 12 wrestlers come from either Haryana or Delhi, the list
released by SAI shows. Six of India’s 12 boxers, too, are from Haryana. On the other hand, badminton stars P V Sindhu and
Kidambi Srikanth come from Telangana, and at least seven squash players and five table tennis players come from Tamil Nadu.
Assam’s representatives
Assam has just the 15th highest population in India, and a fraction of the resources boasted by states such as Haryana and Tamil
Nadu. Yet the state is sending as many as seven athletes to Birmingham. Of these, three are from the Lawn Bowls contingent, and
all the other four are seen as medal contenders. Boxer Lovlina Borgohain, fresh off a bronze in Tokyo, is one of the big favourites
for a medal, and so is 59-kg weightlifter Popy Hazarika, while Shiva Thapa could be a dark horse in boxing. Hima Das, meanwhile,
may not have many big recent international results under her belt, but she is the 400m national record holder and one of India’s
biggest track stars. Andaman cyclists
Andaman & Nicobar Islands, with an estimated population of just over 4 lakh, has done remarkably well in cycling, featuring
India’s best ever performance at the Asian Track Championships in New Delhi last month. The Union Territory may have a medal
hopeful in Esow Alben, the first Indian cyclist to reach the top 10 of the world rankings. However, he will have to punch several
notches above his weight to finish on the podium. Esow finished fifth in the keirin event and eighth in the sprint event in Delhi
last month. He has a teammate from Andaman & Nicobar in David Beckham — a cyclist, not the footballer.

EXPLAINED: LION'S FUTURE, CHEETAH'S PAST

The Jury Is Still Out On The Project's Merit But Kuno, Where The Arrival Of Asiatic Lion Is
Long Pending Awaits The First Batch Of African Cheetahs In August. What Are The Project
Plans, And Why Does It Divide Opinion?
The deals have been inked. Starting in
August, four male and four female
African cheetahs will be imported
from Namibia, and another 12 from
South Africa, for soft release in a
compartmentalised enclosure ready at
Kuno National Park in Madhya
Pradesh to establish the cheetah into
its “historical range”. However, as
underlined by the Supreme Court,
introduction, and not reintroduction,
would be the right term for the project
since African cheetahs could not have
ever roamed Kuno. Phased releases
Once cheetahs arrive in Kuno, the
plan is to keep male coalitions
(groups) and individual females in
separate but adjoining compartments
“so that they are able to know each
other” before release. The enclosure
will be stocked with natural prey to ensure that the animals get accustomed to hunting Indian prey species before their release.
Radio-collared male coalitions will be released first after 1-2 months. The presence of females in the enclosure, the project’s
Action Plan says, will ensure that the males do not wander too far away “after their exploration instinct is satiated”. In the next
phase, the radio-collared females will be released, 1-4 weeks after the males, depending on how the males settle down in the new
environment. If any animal tends to get into an undesirable environment, it will be brought back. Target milestones
If all goes well, the population should reach its limit of 21 within Kuno in about 15 years. During this period, a few other smaller
cheetah reserves will be created in Rajasthan and elsewhere in MP. For at least five years and up to 10 years, fresh supply of
cheetahs will continue from Africa. The hard boundaries of Kuno National Park abutting human habitation will be secured through
proper fencing, if needed, at least during the initial years. Once the greater Kuno landscape is secured and restored, the largest
population is projected to go up to 36 cheetahs in 30-40 years.
Is that enough?
Not really. The project’s Population Viability Analysis has shown “high probability of long-term cheetah persistence” within
populations that exceed 50 individuals, or when smaller populations are managed as a (inter-connected) meta-population. Even
the largest projected population falls short of that viability threshold, and there is not much natural connectivity to speak of for

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cheetahs to travel from one habitat to another. The solution is to borrow the South African model that periodically translocates
individual animals from one fenced-off reserve to another for maintaining genetic diversity. So, what’s the problem
Creating and maintaining a few small “island populations” is not quite the same as the popular idea of bringing back the cheetah
that once roamed free in the Indian wild. The biggest challenge facing conservation in India is how to maintain habitat connectivity
that keeps meta-populations self-sufficient (genetically viable) to perform their ecological roles. On the other hand, the model of
establishing populations that will depend on human intervention for survival effectively reduces protected areas to glorified open
zoos. The cheetah model, worry experts, may pave the way for wider acceptance of such compromises. The cheetah project also
promises to benefit endangered grassland species, such as the endangered Indian wolf and the near-extinct great Indian bustard
(GIB). In the umbrella-approach of conservation, multiple species in a forest (tiger reserve, for instance) are protected in the name
of a flagship species (ie tiger). There has been no justification, though, as to why one must introduce an exotic replacement for
an extinct species to save indigenous species. Wolves, for example, are the keystone species in Nauradehi and would have to
compete with cheetahs. The majestic GIB is a potential prey for the cheetah. In fact, the project excluded Jaisalmer’s Desert
National Park because “putting the cheetah in with the bustard cannot be contemplated at all, because of the threat to this most
gravely endangered bird”. And yet, it recommended erstwhile GIB habitats for the cheetah, in effect denying the bird any chance
of habitat recovery. Ultimately, any experiment to build any wild population, experts note, is fraught with uncertainties and must
have compelling conservation imperatives, such as building a backup stock of Asiatic lions, long isolated in Gir national park
where epidemics or natural calamities may send them the cheetah way. Not lion vs cheetah
A number of conservationists are riled by what they term “wilful contempt of the Supreme Court” that in April 2013 set a six-
month deadline for shifting lions to Kuno. In fact, a contempt case was dismissed in 2018 after the government assured the
Supreme Court that its order would be followed. Many blame the Gujarat government for stubbornly refusing to share lions even
after its review and curative petitions were dismissed by the SC. Instead, Kuno is getting cheetahs ostensibly to serve a host of
grassland ecosystem services, all of which could be served by lions, an apex species. In fact, the cheetah project is open to
introduction of lions to Kuno after the cheetah population settles down. But the government’s draft 25-year plan for Project Lion
focuses on assisted natural dispersal with no scope for relocation outside Gujarat. Yet, it is not about the competing interests of
two wild species but India’s misplaced conservation priorities. The critics of the cheetah project concede that introducing even
an exotic subspecies of the long extinct Asiatic cheetah in India evokes powerful nostalgia. But, they caution, India’s conservation
priority should be saving what can still be saved. The longing to relive the cheetah’s past should not jeopardise the lion’s future.

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