CURRENT AFFAIRS

02-07-2023 TO 08-07-2023
INDEX
• World Competitiveness Index
• Google versus NCLAT in SC
• National Sickle Cell Anaemia Mission
• Khasi Autonomous District Council
• Meira Paibis
• Nuclear Armaments in the World
• Report on Children & Conflict: Indian Perspective
• Global Environment Facility
• National Research Foundation
• PM PRANAM
• Greedflation
• TN Governor dismisses Minister
• Open Market Sale Scheme
• 23rd SCO Summit
 WORLD COMPETITIVENESS INDEX
Recently, the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) published the World
Competitiveness Index.
ABOUT THE INDEX:
• The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY), was first published in 1989.
• It is a comprehensive annual report and worldwide reference point on the
competitiveness of countries.
• It analyses and ranks countries according to how they manage their competencies to
achieve long-term value creation.
• It is based on 336 competitiveness criteria and four factors, namely Economic
performance, Government efficiency, Business efficiency, and Infrastructure.
KEY FINDINGS
• Denmark, Ireland, and Switzerland have been named the top three among 64 economies
measured for their global competitiveness.
• India fell three rungs to finish 40th but is still in a better position than it was between
2019-2021 when it was placed 43rd three years in a row.
• India improved in government efficiency but fared slightly poorer than other countries in
business efficiency, infrastructure, and economic performance.
• Specifically, the top three measures that helped India in its score are exchange rate
stability, compensation levels, and improvements in pollution control.
 GOOGLE V/S NCLAT IN SC
• Google has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against a verdict by the National
Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).
• In March 2023, NCLAT had partially upheld Competition Commission of India’s (CCI)
Android dominance order against Google.
o CCI is a statutory body established in March 2009 under the Competition Act, 2002
with an aim to eliminate practices having adverse effect on competition.
COMPETITION COMMISSION OF INDIA FINES GOOGLE (OCTOBER 2022)
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore on
Google for abusing its dominant position in the Android mobile device ecosystem.
WHY CCI HAS FINED GOOGLE?
CCI said that Google used its dominant position to make it mandatory that OEMs pre-install its
entire Google Mobile Suite on their phones and place them prominently.
The Mobile Suite includes Search, Chrome, YouTube, Google Play store, Maps, and Photos
among others.
The CCI found that this mandate amounts to imposition of unfair conditions on the device
manufacturers and thus was in contravention of the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002.
ABOUT COMPETITION COMMISSION OF INDIA
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is a statutory body established fully in March 2009
under the Competition Act, 2002.
The Commission consists of one Chairperson and six members who shall be appointed by the
Central Government.
The commission is a quasi-judicial body who also gives opinions to statutory authorities.
It is also mandated to undertake competition advocacy, create public awareness and impart
training on competition issues.
POWERS OF CCI
• It has the power to inquire into a certain kinds of agreement as well as the dominant
position of enterprises.
• It has the power to inquire into any acquisition or combination if it determines that such
acquisition or combination may adversely affect competition in the Indian market.
• It has the power to regulate its own procedures. It also determines whether an agreement
has AAEC (Appreciable Adverse Effects on Competition).
• It has the power to impose monetary penalties upon violation of the Competition Act,
2002.
• It has the power to pass an interim order for any act where there has been anti-
competition agreements or abuse of position by dominant parties which adversely affects
the competition in the market.
WHAT CCI WANTS GOOGLE TO DO NOW?
• Apart from imposing monetary penalty, the commission has issued cease and desist
orders against Google from indulging in the found anti-competitive practices.
• It also says that OEMs should not be mandated to choose Google’s proprietary
applications and services to be pre-installed
• It is also told to not restrict uninstalling of its pre-installed apps by the users.
• The Commission also said that Google will have to allow users to choose their default
search engine during the initial device setup.
WHY HAS GOOGLE APPEALED THE NCLAT ORDER?
• Google acknowledged that the NCLAT made a correct decision by stating that harm
resulting from anti-competitive behaviour must be proven.
• However, Google also pointed out that the NCLAT failed to apply this requirement to
some of the directions given by the CCI that were upheld.
• Hence, Google decided to present its case before the Supreme Court demonstrating how
Android has benefitted Indian users, developers, and OEMs, and powered India’s digital
transformation.
THE NCLAT ORDER
• No confirmation bias in CCI’s order
o NCLAT held that the CCI's order does not suffer from any confirmation bias.
o Hence, it upheld the penalty of ₹1,337 crore imposed on Google by the CCI for its
anti-competitive conduct in the Android ecosystem.
• Anti-competitive practices by google
o Furthermore, NCLAT has held that Google asking the OEMs to pre-install the entire
Google Suite of 11 applications amounts to imposition of unfair conditions.
• Directions by NCLAT that were in Google's favour
o Google was fair in sending warnings (Side loading) to users when they download
applications directly from the website or from an unknown source.
o Google need not share its proprietary Application Program Interface (API) with
third parties.
o Google was right in not permitting third party application stores on its play stores
to avoid malware.
o Google can restrict uninstallation of Google suite apps on Android phones.
 NATIONAL SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA MISSION
Prime Minister will launch the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission at a public
programme in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh.

WHAT IS SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA?

• It is an inherited blood disorder.
• It affects haemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells
throughout the body.
• People with this disease have atypical haemoglobin molecules called haemoglobin S,
which can distort red blood cells into a sickle, or crescent, shape.
• These sickle cells also become rigid and sticky, which can slow or block blood flow.
• What causes it?
o The cause of Sickle cell disease is a defective gene called a sickle cell gene.
o A person will be born with sickle cell disease only if two genes are inherited—one
from the mother and one from the father.
• Symptoms:
o Early stage: Extreme tiredness or fussiness from anaemia, painfully swollen hands
and feet, and jaundice.
o Later stage: Severe pain, anaemia, organ damage, and infections.
• Treatments:
o The only cure for this disease is bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.
o However, there are treatments that can help relieve symptoms, lessen
complications, and prolong life.
THE MISSION
• It was announced as part of the Union Budget 2023.
• Vision: Eliminate sickle cell disease (SCD) as a public health problem in India before 2047.
• The overall aim is to enable access to affordable and quality health care for all SCD
patients and to lower the prevalence through awareness, change of practices and
screening interventions.
• The mission will entail awareness creation, universal screening of seven crore people in
the 0-40 years age group in affected tribal areas and counselling through collaborative
efforts of central ministries and state governments.
• Initially, the focus shall be on 17 states with higher prevalence of SCD, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal,
Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh,
Kerala, Bihar and Uttarakhand.
 KHASI AUTONOMOUS DISTRICT COUNCIL
The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) recently flagged the “mass migration” of
people from ethnic strife-torn Manipur to the State’s capital Shillong and adjoining areas.
AUTONOMOUS DISTRICT COUNCILS (ADC)
• The Sixth Schedule provides a list of ten tribal areas in Assam (3), Meghalaya (3), Tripura
(1) and Mizoram (3).
• Each of these tribal areas constitutes an autonomous district. Each autonomous district
has an Autonomous District Council (ADC).
• Membership: ADCs have up to 30 members with a term of five years, of whom four are
nominated by the governor and the remaining 26 are elected on the basis of adult
franchise.
• Tenure: The term of the District Councils is for five years from the date of their
constitution.
FUNCTIONS
• making laws on land,
• management of forests, except reserved forests,
• appointment of traditional chiefs and headmen,
• making rules regulating the inheritance of property, marriage, divorce, the constitution
of village courts,
• It can establish, construct or manage primary schools, dispensaries, markets, ferries,
fisheries, roads and so on in the district.
• It can also make regulations for the control of money lending and trading by non-tribals.
But such regulations require the assent of the governor.
SOURCES OF REVENUE
The main Revenue Sources of ADCs, as specified in the Sixth Schedule, were:
• taxes on professions, trades, callings and employment;
• taxes on animals, vehicles and boats;
• taxes on the entry of goods into a market and sale therein, and tolls on passenger and
goods carried on ferries; and
• taxes for the maintenance of schools, dispensaries or roads.
VIOLENCE IN MANIPUR
Violence between Manipur’s Kuki tribe and the majority Meitei community continued to rage
in several parts of the Manipur.

THE BACKGROUND
• Manipur was boiling since February 2023
o Manipur has been restive since February when the state government launched an
eviction drive seen as targeting a specific tribal group.
o The drive led to protests but not on the scale of the one seen recently.
• High Court’s order as a trigger point
o The recent protests were triggered by the Manipur High Court’s direction to the
State to pursue a 10-year-old recommendation to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST)
status to the non-tribal Meitei community.
 o The Court’s order has brought the historical tensions between the valley-dwelling
Meitei community and the state’s hill tribes to a boil.
• Violence started
o A ‘tribal solidarity march’ was organised by the All Tribal Students’ Union of
Manipur (ATSUM) against the order of the High Court.
o Violent clashes broke out at various places in Manipur during the course of this
march.
MAJOR COMMUNITIES OF MANIPUR
• The State is like a football stadium with the Imphal Valley representing the playfield at
the centre and the surrounding hills the galleries.
• The valley, which comprises about 10% of Manipur’s landmass, is dominated by the non-
tribal Meitei.
o This area yields 40 of the State’s 60 MLAs.
• The hills comprising 90% of the geographical area are inhabited by more than 35%
recognised tribes.
o This area sends only 20 MLAs to the Assembly.
WHY DOES MEITI WANT ST STATUS?
• There has been an organised push in support of this demand since 2012, led by the
Scheduled Tribes Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM).
• Recognised as tribe before merger with India
o In their plea before the High Court, it was argued that the Meitei community was
recognised as a tribe before the merger of the princely state of Manipur with the
Union of India in 1949. It lost its identity as a tribe after the merger.
• Need to preserve tradition and culture
o The demand for ST status arose from the need to preserve the community, and
save the ancestral land, tradition, culture and language of the Meiteis.
o As per the arguments forwarded by the community in the court:
▪ The community has been victimised without any constitutional safeguards
to date.
▪ The Meitein/Meetei have been gradually marginalised in their ancestral
land.
▪ Their population which was 59% of the total population of Manipur in 1951
has now been reduced to 44% as per 2011 Census data.
WHY ARE OTHER TRIBAL GROUPS AGAINST ST STATUS FOR MEITIS?
• The tribal groups say the Meiteis have a demographic and political advantage besides
being more advanced than them academically and in other aspects.
o The Meiteis are a dominant group controlling the state and its apparatuses.
o Hence, the claim that Meiteis need ST status to protect their culture and identity is
self-defeating.
• They feel the ST status to the Meiteis would lead to loss of job opportunities and allow
them to acquire land in the hills and push the tribals out.
• The Manipuri language of the Meiteis is included in the Eighth Schedule of the
Constitution.
• Sections of the Meitei community — which is predominantly Hindu — are already
classified under Scheduled Castes (SC) or Other Backward Classes (OBC).
ARE THERE ANY OTHER CONFLICT LINES?
• Unrest has been brewing among the hill tribes of the state for a number of reasons.
• Pro-government groups in Manipur claim that some tribal groups with vested interests
are trying to scuttle Chief Minister’s crusade against drugs.
• The anti-drug drive began with destroying poppy fields and the theory that illegal settlers
from Myanmar are behind clearing forests and government lands to grow opium and
cannabis.
o These settlers are ethnically related to the Kuki-Zomi people of Manipur.
• The first violent protest in March was against the eviction of the residents of a Kuki village.
o Kuki groups have claimed that the survey and eviction is a violation of Article 371C,
which confers some administrative autonomy to the tribal-dominated hill areas of
Manipur.
 MEIRA PAIBIS
Recently, the Indian Army's Spear Corps accused women activist Meira Paibis in Manipur of
deliberately blocking routes and interfering in the Operations of Security Forces as the state
struggles to contain weeks of rioting and unrest.

WHO ARE THEY?

• The most visible organised face of civil society activists have been the Meira Paibis or
“women torch bearers”, so called because of the flaming torches that they hold aloft
while marching in the streets, often at night.
• They, also known as Imas or Mothers of Manipur, are Meitei women who come from all
sections of society in Manipur.
• Members of this group are widely respected and represent a powerful moral force.
• The Meira Paibis are loosely organised, usually led by groups of senior women, but have
no rigid hierarchy or structure or any overt political leanings.
SOCIAL ROLES PLAYED BY THEM
• The Meira Paibi was formed in 1977; presently, it is one of the largest grassroots
movements in the world.
• Its initial focus on fighting alcoholism and drug abuse has now expanded to countering
human rights violations and the development of society at large.
 NUCLEAR ARMAMENTS IN THE WORLD
According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) annual assessment of
the ‘state of armaments, disarmament and international security’, the global inventory of
nuclear warheads has increased over the past year.
It is an annual assessment of the Sweden-based think tank Stockholm International Peace
Research Institute (SIPRI).
HIGHLIGHTS
• As on January 2023, the world has 9,576 nuclear weapons in military stockpiles for
potential use.
• That is 86 more than the number in January 2022.
• Of this stockpile, an estimated 3,844 warheads were ‘deployed’ with missiles and
aircraft.
• Around 2,000 of these ‘deployed’ weapons — nearly all of which belonged to Russia or
the USA—were kept in a state of high operational alert, meaning that they were fitted
to missiles or held at airbases hosting nuclear bombers.
• Nine nuclear-armed states — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France,
China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — continue to modernise their nuclear
arsenals and have deployed several new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable weapon
systems in 2022.
• The estimate of the size of China’s nuclear arsenal increased from 350 warheads in
January 2022 to 410 in January 2023.
• India was estimated to have a growing stockpile of about 164 nuclear weapons, up from
160 the previous year. These weapons were assigned to a maturing nuclear triad of
aircraft, land-based missiles and nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).
• Pakistan possessed approximately 170 nuclear warheads as of January 2023 — up from
165 from the previous year.
 REPORT ON CHILDREN & CONFLICT : INDIAN
PERSPECTIVE
• Recently, the annual report of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Children and
Armed Conflict was published.
• The report has dropped India’s name from the list in view of measures taken by the
Government, specifically in Jammu and Kashmir, to better protect children.
• For the first time since 2010, India has not been named in the report alongside countries
like Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Lake Chad basin, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines.
• The report said India has been “removed from the report in 2023” in view of measures
taken by the Government, specifically in Jammu and Kashmir, to “better protect
children”.
• Ministry of Women and Child Development said that this became possible due to the
introduction of various policies and institutional changes since 2019.
o Earlier, India was used to be in the list due to the use of boys by armed groups in
Jammu and Kashmir and detention of boys by security forces.
ABOUT THE REPORT
• The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
serves as the leading UN advocate for the protection and well-being of children affected
by armed conflict.
• The annual report presents a comprehensive picture of child soldiers, highlights the
disproportionate impact of war on children and identifies them as the primary victims
of armed conflict.
• The first Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict was named in 1997 by
the Secretary-General to help enhance the protection of children affected by armed
conflict, and foster international cooperation to that end.
• The Special Representative must also raise awareness about the plight of these children,
and promote the monitoring and reporting of abuses.
• In accordance with the mandate, the Special Representative reports annually to the
General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.
MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS
• The report includes trends regarding the impact of armed conflict on children and
information on violations committed.
 • In 2022, children continued to be disproportionately affected by armed conflict, and the
number of children verified as affected by grave violations increased compared with
2021.
• Violations affected 18,890 children (13,469 boys, 4,638 girls, 783 sex unknown) in 24
situations.
• The highest numbers of violations were the killing (2,985) and maiming (5,655) of 8,631
children, followed by the recruitment and use of 7,622 children and the abduction of
3,985 children.
• The highest numbers of grave violations were verified in the –
o Democratic Republic of the Congo, Israel and the State of Palestine, Somalia, the
Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Yemen.
• Hostilities spreading into new areas contributed to an increase in grave violations of 140
per cent in Myanmar.
MEASURES TAKEN BY THE INDIAN GOVT.
• An official statement said a road map for cooperation and collaboration on child
protection issues was developed by the Ministry.
• Some of the measures taken by the Government –
o Training of security forces in protection of children;
o Suspension of use of pellet guns by security forces;
o Juvenile Justice Act (Care and Protection of Children), 2015;
o Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
• In view of the measures taken by the Government to better protect children, India has
been removed from the report in 2023, the Ministry stated.
 GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY
Recently, at the 64th Global Environment Facility (GEF) council meeting in Brazil, the governing
body approved the disbursement of $1.4 billion to accelerate efforts to tackle the climate,
biodiversity and pollution crises.
ABOUT GEF
• It was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit of UNFCCC to help tackle our
planet’s most pressing environmental problems.
• It is a family of funds dedicated to confronting biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution,
and strains on land and ocean health.
• It has 184 member countries, including India.
• The governing council is the main governing body of GEF which comprises 32 members
appointed by constituencies of GEF member countries (14 from developed countries, 16
from developing countries, and two from economies in transition).
• Its secretariat is based in Washington, D.C.
CONVENTIONS FUNDED BT GEF
• It provides financial assistance for five major international environmental conventions:
o The Minamata Convention on Mercury.
o The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
o The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD).
o The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
o The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
 NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION
• The Union Cabinet approved the National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill 2023, which
will establish NRF as an apex body to provide high-level strategic direction to scientific
research in the country.
• The Bill was necessary because current laws made it hard for private research
organisations to contribute to a funding body such as the NRF.

SALIENT FEATURES
• It will pave the way to establish NRF that will seed, grow and promote R&D and foster a
culture of research and innovation throughout India’s universities, colleges, research
institutions and R&D laboratories.
• The proposed Bill also repeals the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)
established by Parliament in 2008 and subsumes it into the NRF.
o The SERB is the Department of Science and Technology’s (DST) main funding body
and is responsible for funding S&T start-ups, setting up incubators and funding
science-related projects in central and state universities
WHAT IS NRF?
• As per the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP), NRF will be
established at a total estimated cost of ₹50,000 crore from 2023-28.
o The government will contribute ₹10,000 crore over five years and close to ₹36,000
crore is expected to come from the private sector (as investments into research).
• The DST would be an “administrative” department of NRF that would be governed by a
Governing Board.
o The Prime Minister will be the ex-officio President of the Board and the Union
Minister of Science & Technology and Union Minister of Education will be the ex-
officio Vice-Presidents.
 o The Governing Board will also consist of eminent researchers and professionals
across disciplines.
• NRF’s functioning will be governed by an Executive Council chaired by the Principal
Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
• The NRF will prioritise research funding and the Executive Council will decide on what
areas need support.
• NRF will forge collaborations among the industry, academia, and government
departments and research institutions.
• It will focus on creating a policy framework and putting in place regulatory processes that
can encourage collaboration and increased spending by the industry on R&D.
SIGNIFICANCE
• Democratisation of science funding: NRF will emphasise the funding of projects in
peripheral, rural and semi-urban areas, which are neglected and never receive funding
for science projects.
• Finding solutions to the big problems facing Indian society: The NRF would promote
research not just in the natural sciences and engineering, but also in social sciences, arts
and humanities.
• Provides an efficient and integrated management system: For the implementation of
the missions such as the supercomputer mission or the quantum mission.
 PM PRANAM
Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the PM Programme for
Restoration, Awareness, Generation, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth (PM-
PRANAM) scheme.
THE PROPOSED SCHEME
• The proposed scheme intends to reduce the subsidy burden on chemical fertilisers,
which is expected to increase to Rs 2.25 lakh crore in 2022-2023, which is 39% higher
than the previous year’s figure of Rs 1.62 lakh crore.
• The scheme will not have a separate budget and will be financed by the “savings of
existing fertiliser subsidy” under schemes run by the Department of fertilisers.
• Further, 50% subsidy savings will be passed on as a grant to the state that saves the
money and that 70% of the grant provided under the scheme can be used for asset
creation related to technological adoption of alternate fertilisers and alternate fertiliser
production units at village, block and district levels.
• The remaining 30% grant money can be used for incentivising farmers, panchayats,
farmer producer organisations and self-help groups that are involved in the reduction of
fertiliser use and awareness generation.
 GREEDFLATION
There is a growing consensus across the world that corporate greed is causing inflation and
workers are being doubly penalised by low wage increases and higher interest rates.
It is important to understand the policy implications and whether India is also witnessing
‘Greedflation.’
WHAT IS INFLATION?
• Inflation (or the inflation rate) is the rate at which the general price level rises.
• For example, when it is reported that the inflation rate was 5% in June 2023 it implies
that the general price level of the economy (as measured by a representative basket of
goods and services) was 5% more than what it was in June 2022.
CAUSES & TYPES OF INFLATION:
• Either price gets pushed up because input costs have risen — this is called cost-push
inflation.
o For example, if crude oil prices went up by 10% overnight because of a supply
disruption then the general price level will be pushed up because energy costs have
gone up.
• Prices are pulled up due to excess demand- this is called demand-pull inflation.
o For example, if RBI cuts interest rates sharply and the public finds that buying a
house is now quite affordable, since EMIs have fallen, then the sudden surge in
demand for new houses will pull up home prices because new houses cannot be
made immediately.
WHAT IS GREEDFLATION?
• Greedflation simply means (corporate) greed is fuelling inflation.
• In other words, instead of the wage-price spiral, it is the profit-price spiral that is in play.
• In essence, greedflation implies that companies exploited the inflation that people were
experiencing by putting up their prices way beyond just covering their increased costs
and then used that to maximise their profit margins. That, in turn, further fuelled
inflation.
• In Europe and the US there is a growing consensus that greedflation is the real culprit.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN US & EUROPE?

• The corporate profits (as a proportion • Chief Economist of the European

of the national income) have spiked to Central Bank, recently stated that while
the highest level in the past 100 years. the biggest driver of high inflation that
• The price of almost everything in the Europe witnessed in 2022 (since the
U.S. economy can be broken down into start of the war) was the spike in
the three main components of cost: energy costs but there was very little
labour costs, non-labour inputs, and contribution of higher wages.
the “mark-up” of profits over the first • There was, however, an extra and
two components. significant injection of inflation from
• Since the COVID-19 recession in the rising profits of firms.
second quarter of 2020, overall prices
in the NFC (Non-Financial Corporate)
sector have risen at an annualized rate
of 6.1.
• Over half of this increase (53.9%) can
be attributed to fatter profit margins,
with labour costs contributing less
than 8% of this increase.
 TN GOVERNOR DISMISSES MINISTER
Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi’s decision dismissing arrested minister V Senthil Balaji tests the
constitutional limitations on the role of the Governor and pushes the Raj Bhavan into uncharted
political territory.
• Balaji was arrested earlier this month by the Enforcement Directorate for an alleged job
scam in 2015. He is currently in a judicial custody.
• Governor’s Reason for Dismissing the Minister –
o Continuation V Senthil Balaji in the Council of Ministers will adversely impact the
due process of law including fair investigation that may eventually lead to
breakdown of the Constitutional machinery in the State.
o The Raj Bhavan said the minister is facing serious criminal proceedings in a number
of cases of corruption including taking cash for jobs and money laundering.
o Further, the Governor’s office said some more criminal cases against him (Balaji)
under Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code are being
investigated by the State Police.
GOVERNOR’S ROLE
• The position, role, powers, and conditions of office of the Governor are described in
Articles 153-161 of the Constitution.
• The Governor is the chief executive head of the state. But, like the President, he is a
nominal executive head (titular or constitutional head).
• Being the head of the state’s executive power, he acts on the advice of the council of
ministers, barring some matters.
o The council of ministers, in turn, are responsible to the state legislature.
• Being appointed by the President, the Governor acts as a vital link between the Union
and the state governments.
• The Governor appoints the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers.
DOES A GOVERNOR HAS THE POWER TO DISMISS A MINISTER?
• Article 164(1) says state “Ministers shall hold office during the pleasure of the
Governor”.
• However, as per the constitutional experts the Governor cannot remove a minister in
their own capacity without obtaining the sanction of the Chief Minister or consulting with
the latter.
• If a Governor removes a minister in their own capacity, that will result in ‘parallel
governance’.
• Only when the Chief Minister allows it, then the Governor is empowered to remove the
minister.
JUDICIAL INTERPRETATIONS
• Shamsher Singh & Anr vs State Of Punjab (1974) –
o The Supreme Court held that the President and Governor shall exercise their
formal constitutional powers only upon and in accordance with the advice of
their Ministers except in a few well known exceptional situations.
o The Court also added that even in case of the Prime Minister/Chief Minister cease
to command majority in the House OR the government loses majority but refuses
to quit office OR for “the dissolution of the House where an appeal to the country
is necessitous” –
▪ The Head of the State (President/Governor) should avoid getting involved
in politics and must be advised by his Prime Minister (Chief Minister) who
will eventually take the responsibility for the step.
• Nabam Rebia And Etc. vs Deputy Speaker And Ors (2016) –
o The Supreme Court cited the observations of B R Ambedkar –
▪ “The Governor under the Constitution has no function which he can
discharge by himself; no functions at all. While he has no functions, he has
certain duties to perform, and I think the House will do well to bear in mind
this distinction.”
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Sarkaria Commission (1983) –
o The Commission was set-up to look into Centre-state relations.
o The Commission proposed that the Vice President and Speaker of Lok Sabha
should be consulted by the Prime Minister in the selection of Governors.
• National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2000) –
o The Commission recommended significant changes in the selection of Governors.
o The Commission suggested that the “Governor of a State should be appointed by
the President, after consultation with the Chief Minister of that State”.
• Punnchi Commission (2007) –
o The Commission proposed that a committee comprising the Prime Minister,
Home Minister, Vice President, Speaker, and the concerned Chief Minister should
choose the Governor.
o The Commission recommended deleting the “Doctrine of Pleasure” from the
Constitution, but backed the right of the Governor to sanction the prosecution of
ministers against the advice of the state government.
o It also argued for a provision for impeachment of the Governor by the state
legislature.
 OPEN MARKET SALE SCHEME (OMSS)
After the Food Corporation of India (FCI) placed quantity restrictions and refused to permit
States to procure the two food grains through its OMSS, the states have been considering
alternative methods of obtaining wheat and rice.
ABOUT FCI
• It is a statutory body set up in 1965 (under the Food Corporation Act, 1964) under the
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.
• It was set up against the backdrop of a major shortage of grains, especially wheat, in the
country.
• Currently, FCI is mandated with three basic objectives:
o To provide effective price support to farmers;
o To procure and supply grains to PDS for distributing subsidised staples to
economically vulnerable sections of society; and
o Keep a strategic reserve to stabilise markets for basic foodgrains.
WHAT IS OMSS?
• Under the OMSS, the FCI from time to time sells surplus food grains from the central
pool, especially wheat and rice in the open market to traders, bulk consumers, retail
chains, etc., at pre determined prices.
• The FCI does this through e- auctions where open market bidders can buy specified
quantities.
• States are also allowed to procure food grains through the OMSS without participating
in the auctions, for their needs.
o This will be beyond what they get from the central pool to distribute to NFSA
(National Food Security Act) beneficiaries.
• The OMSS aims to enhance the supply of food grains (ensuring food security) during the
lean season and thereby moderate the open market prices (controlling inflation),
especially in the deficit regions.
• In this year’s OMMS, a total quantity of 33.7 LMT wheat was offloaded and the prices of
wheat came down by 19%.
THE REVISED OMSS
• The Centre decided to restrict the quantity that a single bidder can purchase in a single
bid under the OMSS.
• While the maximum quantity allowed earlier was 3,000 metric tonnes (MT) per bid for a
buyer, it will now range from 10 -100 metric tonnes.
 • The FCI claims that the quantities have been reduced this time to accommodate more
small and marginal buyers and to ensure wider reach of the scheme.
• The objective behind the move is also to curb retail prices as allowing smaller bids should
ideally break monopolies of bulk buyers, allowing more competitive bids by small buyers.
• Through a new notification, the Centre stopped the sale of rice and wheat from the
Central pool under the OMSS to State governments, also disallowing private bidders to
sell their OMSS supplies to state governments.
THE ARGUMENTS (STATES V/S CENTRE)
STATES CENTRE
• States such as Karnataka and Tamil • The reason for restricting supplies per
Nadu have criticised the government bidder and eventually excluding states
for engaging in “politics” at the from procuring through auctions was
expense of marginalised beneficiaries to curb inflation and regulate supply.
of State welfare schemes. • The Centre was already meeting its
• In Karnataka, the Anna Bhagya scheme obligations to distribute grains to 80
to give rice to marginalised families was crore marginalised beneficiaries under
a part of the Congress government’s the NFSA.
poll promise.
o The leaders have accused Centre
of conspiring to “fail” the State
government’s poll guarantee by
ensuring the State did not
receive the required amount of
rice to implement the scheme.
 23RD SCO SUMMIT
Under India’s first-ever Chairmanship, the 23rd Summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State
was held in the virtual format.
At the end of summit, India handed over the presidency of the bloc to Kazakhstan at the
summit.
President Xi of China, PM Sharif of Pakistan and President Vladimir Putin of Russia attended the
summit.
India, as a chair of the summit, welcomed Iran as the newest member of the SCO.
ABOUT SCO:
SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation, created in June 2001 in
Shanghai (China).
Founding members included Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
In 2017, India & Pakistan joined. In 2021, Iran joined. (formal induction in 2023)
This organization represents approximately 42% of the world’s population, 22% of its land area
and 20% of global GDP.

THE CHANGING GEOPOLITICAL LANDSCAPE

• Increasing influence of China
o The chaotic exit of the US from Afghanistan has opened up space for Chinese
influence and investments in the Central Asian region.
 o China has drawn Pakistan more tightly in its strategic embrace, and grown ever
more assertive on the global stage.
o As the war in Ukraine has raged on, and the West’s relations with Russia have
plummeted to their worst-ever levels, Beijing has declared a “no-limits” friendship
with Moscow.
• Iran reaching out to non-traditional ally
o Iran has reached out beyond traditional ally Russia.
o In March 2023, it signed a China-brokered deal to re-establish diplomatic relations
with its old regional rival, Saudi Arabia.
o A border market was opened at Iran’s border with Pakistan in 2023, despite the
fact that they have not shared close ties over the years.
HOW INDIA IS CRUISING THROUGH THE CHANGING GEOPOLITICAL LANDSCAPE?
• India faces the task of maintaining a delicate balance as the dynamics of the SCO change.
• India and the US have elevated their partnership to unprecedented levels of
cooperation and trust.
o PM Modi has recently returned from an Official State Visit to the US during which
the two countries signed important technology and defence agreements.
• India has also had historical ties with Iran. Commercial ties between India and Iran have
been traditionally dominated by Indian imports of Iranian crude oil.
o Iran was among India’s top energy suppliers until May 2019.
▪ Following the end of the US waiver on sanctions in May, 2019, India
suspended the import of crude from Iran.
o India and Iran are working towards maximising the utilisation of the Chabahar port.
o India and Iran are important players in International North-South Transport
Corridor.
▪ The corridor can serve as a secure and efficient route for landlocked
countries in Central Asia to access the Indian Ocean.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PM’S SPEECH
• Issue of cross-border terrorism
o In remarks targeting China and Pakistan, PM Modi said that some countries use
cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies.
o The SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations because there can be no place
for double standards on such serious matters.
▪ Delhi has been repeatedly pointing out that Islamabad uses terrorist groups
as instruments of state policy.
 ▪ Beijing has been blocking the listing of Pakistan-based terrorists at the UN
Security Council (UNSC).
• On China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
o He said that while executing connectivity projects, it is essential to respect the
sovereignty and regional integrity of member countries of the SCO.
• Highlighted important role played by RATS (regional anti-terrorist structure)
mechanism
o We need to enhance mutual cooperation in dealing with terror financing as well.
o The RATS mechanism of SCO has played a significant role in this regard. We should
also take proactive steps to prevent the spread of radicalisation among our youth.
• Referred to the Russia-Ukraine war
o The Prime Minister also referred to the Russia-Ukraine war, without mentioning it
explicitly, and its impact on the world.
o The present times mark a crucial phase in global affairs. In a world surrounded by
conflicts, tensions and pandemics, food, fuel, and fertiliser crises are a significant
challenge for all nations.
• Raised the situation in Afghanistan
o Humanitarian assistance to Afghan citizens, the formation of an inclusive
government, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, and ensuring the
rights of women, children and minorities are our shared priorities.
o He also emphasised that the Afghanistan’s territory must not be used to spread
instability in neighbouring countries or to encourage extremist ideologies.