1.Genetic screening

News

Athletes worldwide are increasingly turning to genetic screening to enhance their performance.

• This emerging science offers valuable insights into personal traits like food allergies, vitamin and mineral needs, and other physiological factors.
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India has been using genetic tests since 2017 to improve players’ physical capabilities, including speed, endurance, recovery time, and muscle-building.

 Genetic screening is a tool used to identify individuals at higher risk for developing certain disorders or carrying specific genes for these disorders.

It involves testing genetic material—chromosomes, genes, or proteins—to detect changes that might increase disease risk.

By identifying altered genes, genetic screening helps determine risk and offers preventive measures and early treatment options.

2.RANSOMEWARE ATTACK

C-Edge Technologies Ltd., a technology service provider for cooperative and regional rural banks in India, was likely hit by a ransom  attack.

• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced this and temporarily suspended all retail payments in the affected banks.
• The attack primarily impacts UPI operations and Aadhaar-enabled payment systems (AePS), affecting around 200 cooperative banks and regional rural banks (RRBs).

About Ransomware:

Ransomware is a type of malware that locks users or organizations out of their files by encrypting them and demanding a ransom for the decryption key.

This forces victims to pay the ransom to regain access, with some variants also stealing data to increase pressure.

Ransomware has become a major threat, significantly disrupting hospitals, public services, and various organizations

3.SUB CATEGORIZATION OF SC AND ST

News

August 1, 2024, the Supreme Court of India ruled in the case of STATE OF PUNJAB AND ORS VS DEVINDER SINGH  AND ORSthat states can sub-classify Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) to grant additional quotas for the more disadvantaged within these categories.

Timeline of the case:

Supreme Court in EV Chinnaiah case (2005)	The court held that Scheduled Castes (SCs) under Article 341(1) formed a homogeneous group and could not be subdivided
	Under Article 341(1), the President designates SCs in states and union territories.
Punjab Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes Act, 2006	It mandated that 50% of vacancies reserved for SCs in direct recruitment be offered to Balmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs, contingent on their availability.
Punjab High Court Ruling (2010)	The Punjab and Haryana High Court (2010) struck down the provision of the Punjab act based on the EV Chinniah ruling, which relied on Article 341, stating that only the President can classify SCs.
SC in State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh (2020)	The sub-classification issue of Scheduled Castes (SCs) was referred to a seven-judge bench from a five-judge bench

Historical Context:

1. Indra Sawhney Case (1992): Established the ‘creamy layer’ concept for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to ensure benefits reach the most disadvantaged.
2. Differences from SC/ST: The creamy layer concept has traditionally been applied to OBCs, and its adaptation to SC/ST groups is complex due to historical caste injustices.

1. Judgment Overview:

1. 1. Sub-Classification Allowed: States can now create sub-categories within SCs and STs for more targeted reservations.
   2. Creamy Layer Inclusion: The Court emphasized the need to exclude the ‘creamy layer’—more advantaged members—within SC and ST groups from affirmative action benefits.
   3. Empirical Study Requirement: States must conduct studies before implementing sub-classification, and their decisions are subject to judicial review.
2. Potential Criteria for SC/ST Creamy Layer:
   1. Educational and Socio-Economic Factors: The criteria may include educational background, similar to the OBC model but adjusted for SC/ST contexts

3. The state cannot earmark 100% reservation for a sub-class while allowing sub-classification
4. The State’s power to sub-classify is subject to judicial review.
5. Sub-classification does not violate the principle of equality enshrined under Article 14 and  the President’s exclusive authority under Article 341 to identify SCs.

Sub-categorize Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are needed: 

1. Addressing Intra-Group Inequalities: E.g., In Telangana, the Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) is advocating for the internal reclassification of Scheduled Caste reservations. Despite constituting around 50% of the SC population in the state, Madigas feel their representation is being overshadowed by the dominance of another SC community, the Malas.
2. Equitable Distribution of Benefits: It prevents the concentration of benefits in the hands of a few dominant groups and promotes broader social inclusion.
3. Constitutional Mandate: Articles 15(4), 16(4), 341(1), and 342(1) of the Constitution empower states to create special arrangements and provisions for the welfare of socially and educationally backward classes, including SCs and STs
4. Empowerment of State Governments: Sub-categorization grants autonomy to state governments to tailor reservation policies according to the specific socio-economic conditions and needs of different sub-groups within SCs and STs, promoting localized and targeted affirmative action measures.
5. Enhancing Social Mobility: Sub-categorization enables targeted measures to empower disadvantaged groups, fostering social mobility through education, employment, and political representation.

Committee Recommendations:

1. Justice P. Ramachandra Raju Commission (1996): Recommended sub-categorization of Scheduled Castes in Andhra Pradesh
2. National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC): Advocated for measures to address intra-group disparities and
3. National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST): Highlighted the need to prioritize existing schemes and government benefits to reach the most backward sections of Scheduled Tribes before considering sub-categorization.
4. Usha Mehra Committee (2008): Proposed the inclusion of Clause (3) in Article 341 through a constitutional amendment, empowering state legislatures to enact reclassification of the Scheduled Caste category, subject to Presidential confirmation.
5. JUSTICE ROSHINI COMMISSION for the Sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBC): Report submitted in August 2023.

4. Right of states to tax mineral-rich lands’

● A nine-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, held that Parliament cannot limit the power of State legislatures to tax mineral-bearing lands and quarries.

● The judgment, freeing States from the restrictions imposed by the Centre, is in tune with the federalist principles of governance.

● “Any dilution in the taxing powers of the State legislatures will necessarily impact their ability to raise revenues, which in turn will impede their ability to deliver welfare schemes and services to the people.

The ability of the State governments to invest in physical infrastructure, health, education, human capacity, and research and development is directly correlated to the raising of government revenues…

● Fiscal federalism entails that the power of the States to levy taxes within the legislative domain carved out to them and subject to the limitations laid down by the Constitution must be secured from unconstitutional interference by Parliament,

● The judgment said Parliament, through the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957 cannot restrict the States from legislating on the taxation of mining lands and quarries.

● The court further held that royalty paid to the States by mining lease holders is not a tax.

● State legislatures derive their power to tax mines and quarries under Article 246 read with Entry 49 (tax on lands and buildings) in the State List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.

The Centre had argued that Entry 50 in the State List had allowed the Parliament to impose “any limitations” on taxes on minerals rights through laws relating to mineral development, in this case, the MMDR Act .

● The Mines and Minerals Act is an Act of the Parliament of Indiaenacted to regulate the mining sector in India. It was amendedin 2015 and 2016.

● This act forms the basic framework of mining regulation inIndia.

● This act is applicable to all mineral except minor minerals andatomic minerals

5.Fin Whale

  News

• Japan has expanded its commercial whaling to include fin whales.

About Fin whale

• It gets its name from an easy-to-spot fin on its back, near its tail.
• It has sleek, streamlined bodies with V-shaped heads.
• It is the second-largest whale species on earth, second only to the blue whale. 
• It is a fast swimmer and is often found in social groups of two to seven individuals. 
• Habitat and Distribution :It is  typically found in deep, offshore waters of all major oceans, primarily in temperate to polar latitudes. They are less common in the tropics.
  • They occur year-round in a wide range of locations, but the density of individuals in any one area changes seasonally. 
  • Most migrate from the Arctic and Antarctic feeding areas in the summer to tropical breeding and calving areas in the winter. 
• IUCN Status : Vulnerable 
• Threats : Hunted by commercial whalers, which severely lowered their populations.