Context:Kumartuli in North Kolkata Is renowned worldwide for its centuries-old tradition of crafting clay idols, particularly the ten-armed goddess for the vibrant Durga Puja festival. However, the idol artisans of Kumartuli are facing hurdles due to enduring infrastructural challenges.
About Kumartuli:
Kumartuli or Coomartolly is famous for its sculpting expertise.
The area produces clay idols for various festivals and exports them globally.
How did this area come into being?
British colonization of Bengal and India (especially after Battle of Plassey) and the construction of Fort William at Gobindapur, prompted the relocation of most residents to Sutanuti.
Under orders from the directors of the British East India Company, specific districts were assigned to the company’s artisans.
These areas were named based on their trades, such as Suriparah (wine sellers), Collotollah (oil men), and Coomartolly (potters).
While many artisans in North Kolkata diminished or disappeared, the potters of Kumartuli survived.
Initially crafting pots sold at Sutanuti Bazar (later Burrabazar), they gradually started
Creating idols of gods and goddesses for local mansions and community pujas.
Dhakeswari temple in Kumartuli:
It is a Hindu temple in Kolkata, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River.
The temple's presiding deity is Devi Durga, whose idol was brought from the Dhakeswari Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Bengali Hindus regard Dhakeswari as the presiding deity of Dhaka. The idol was evacuated to Calcutta during the Partition of India in 1947 and has remained there since.
Context: Ulihatu, the birthplace of Birsa Munda and a village in Jharkhand, has seen noticeable development in recent years. The Prime Minister launched the Rs 24,000 crore Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) Development Mission from this place. The Central government has designated Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary on November 15 as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’.
Who was Birsa Munda?
Born in 1875.
Between 1886 and 1890, Birsa spent time at a place which was near the centre of the Sardari agitation, a peaceful movement led by the Oraon and Munda tribes against British rule. This experience inspired him to join the anti-missionary and anti-colonial cause.
By 1890, Birsa was deeply involved in the movement against British oppression of tribal communities.
He emerged as a prominent tribal leader, uniting people to fight for their rights. He founded the Birsait faith and became a God-like figure to his followers.
His movement attracted members from the Munda and Oraon communities, challenging British conversion efforts and reinforcing tribal unity and resistance.
The Mundas, a tribe of former nomadic hunters turned farmers in the Chota-nagpur region of present-day Jharkhand, faced significant challenges due to adverse policies and events.
Before colonial rule, they practiced 'khuntkatti’, a land ownership system based on customary rights that excluded landlords.
However, the Permanent Settlement Act of 1793 ended this system, enabling colonial exploitation.
The East India Company introduced the zamindari system for land revenue collection, creating a dual class system of land-owning zamindars, viewed as outsiders or ‘dikus’ by the indigenous people, and tenant farmers or ‘ryots’.
This Act allowed the dikus to claim ownership through deeds specifying precise areas,displacing the indigenous inhabitants from their ancestral lands.
Additionally, the community suffered from exploitative practices like the ‘begar’ system of forced labor, dependence on moneylenders for credit, and the replacement of traditional clan councils with colonial courts.
Famines in 1896-97 and 1899-1900 further exacerbated their plight, leading to mass starvation.
The Ulgulan movement (1899-1900) and aftermath:
The Munda Ulgulan (rebellion) stands as one of the most notable tribal revolts in the history of Indian Independence.
The main cause of the Munda revolt was the 'unfair land grabbing practices’ by colonial and local authorities that demolished the tribal conventional land system.
Their exploitation included high-interest loans and withheld receipts, leading to conflict with the dikus (outsiders).
Additionally, large forest areas were declared protected, stripping the Mundas of their rights.
The Mundas desperately needed a leader to guide their struggle for justice.
Course of the rebellion:
Birsa Munda emerged as a leader of the tribal movement.
Birsa aimed for both religious and political independence, advocating for the Mundas' rights as the true landowners and visioned an agrarian order free from European influence.
Birsa called on the Mundas to reject superstitions, abandon animal sacrifice, abstain from intoxicants, wear the sacred thread, and maintain traditional worship in the sarna (sacred grove).
He wanted Munda society to get rid of foreign elements and restore its original character.
By the 1890s, Birsa had mobilized the tribes, inciting rebellion.
In 1894, he declared a revolt against the British and the dikus, aiming to establish a 'Munda Raj'.
Under his leadership, villagers attacked police stations, churches, and government properties in 1899.
However, in 1900, the rebels were defeated.
Birsa was captured and died in jail, while nearly 350 Mundas were tried.
Aftermath:
Demonstrated the tribal people's ability to protest against injustice and colonial rule.
The British enacted the Chota-nagpur Tenancy Act of 1908, which restricted the transfer of tribal land to non-tribal people, recognized Khuntkatti rights, and banned begari.
Consequently, tribals gained legal protection for their land rights.
Context: About 49 Indian migrant workers died in a fire in a six-storey building in Kuwait where they lived. This accident has again brought attention to the deplorable living condition and lack of safety of Indian migrant workers in destination countries.
Kerala Migration Survey 2023 estimates that 2.2 million people from the state have migrated with 80% of them residing in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Benefits of migrant workers
Migrants workers are a large source of foreign remittances contributing more than $100 bn to Indian economy every year.
Migrants’ workers experience social mobility and the contributions they send allow their families to live a life of dignity.
Migrant workers allow India to harness its demographic dividend and leads to address the issue of unemployment of large youth population in India.
Migration allows India workers to get higher wages as compared to what they get when they can garner in India leading to higher productivity.
The advanced skills that migrant workers learn in while working abroad also come to India when they come back leading to increased productivity in India as well.
International allows India to emerge as the important source of human capital for the world, particularly for countries undergoing rapid ageing. This will increase India's strategic, soft and hard power at the world level.
Reasons for Vulnerability of Migrant Workers in Gulf Countries
Lack of data on migrants - both at their origin and destination countries especially for those employed in the low-skill, low-paying job profiles leading to grave invisibilisation of the migrants.
Majority of the migrant workers work in the un-organised sector such as construction sites and factories often facing dangerous working conditions.
Migrants in Gulf countries do not have option of permanent residency, they are not given adequately protected and have few rights leading to exploitation of migrant workers in these countries
Live in dingy living spaces and cramped dormitories
Lack of any social security for the migrant community.
Migrant workers employed in low end jobs lack savings, have limited resources and lack any social connections of family and friends accentuating their vulnerability.
Often there are complaints of employers in foreign countries capture the passports of migrant workers.
Lack of regulation of agencies involved in the supply chain of migration of workers to gulf countries.
Enacting the revamped Emigration Act, 1983 on the lines of draft Emigration Bill, 2021 to modernise the foreign migration ecosystem of India.
Way Forward
There is a need for study the conditions of Indian migrant workers in India and their destination country and establish a national level database to understand the various sections from India. Thus, a survey like the Kerala Migration Survey should be done on a national level.
India should enter into bilateral social security agreements with the major destination countries migrant workers from India, this will ensure adequate social security and dignified life for Indian migrant workers.
Indian embassies in major destination countries should actively try to map and educate the Indian migrant workers particularly those employed in low end jobs.
Mapping of skills and demand for various skills and train Indian workforce in those skills.
Context:The National Testing Agency (NTA) submitted to the Supreme Court that the score cards of 1,563 candidates who were given compensatory marks in the common undergraduate medical entrance examination, NEET-UG 2024, will be cancelled.
About National Testing Agency
Charges against NEET 2024 conducted by NTA:
There have been charges, including the slow distribution of question papers;providing the wrong question paper;wrong OMR sheets; and technical delays.
There have been complaints about the unusually high number of students (67) who hit the perfect score, 720/720.
Other cases pertaining to the question paper leak are still to be heard by the Supreme Court.
Experts and students pointed to how the very idea of starting NEET as a common entrance exam to regulate medical admissions in the country and ensure quality-control of the process would be defeated in the light of all the reported violations.
Need for National Testing Agency
Entrance exams play a key role in admission(s) criteria of various bodies.
Previously, all national entrance exams were conducted by different boards with different members and sometimes there were problems with question paper leakage etc., and therefore, the need was to have one body which organizes all the entrance exams.
To assess competence of candidates for admissions and recruitment has always been a challenge in terms of matching with research based international standards, efficiency, transparency and error free delivery.
The National Testing Agency is entrusted to address all such issues using best in every field, from test preparation, to test delivery and to test marking.
It was established to improve the equity and quality in education by administering research based valid, reliable, efficient, transparent, fair and international level assessments.
The best subject matter experts, psychometricians and IT delivery and security professionals will ensure that the current gaps in existing assessment systems are properly identified and bridged.
NTA is established to create a system which will promote teaching (by teachers), learning (by students) and assessment (by parents and institutions).
To practice these values, NTA will constantly engage with its stakeholders, viz. students, parents, teachers, experts and partner institutions.
National Testing Agency details
An autonomous agency under the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education of India.
Established: 2017
It is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
It is responsible for conducting numerous national-level exams for admission and fellowship in higher educational institutions related to engineering, medicine, management and pharmacy.
Origin:
The roots of the agency can be traced to the Programme of Action 1992, related to the National Policy of Education 1986, which mentioned conducting national-level common entrance tests to professional and non-professional programmes of study.
In 2017, an announcement about the NTA was made in the budget speech, and this was followed by Cabinet approval.
The agency is administered by a governing body which includes a chairperson,a secretary and eight or more officials representing different national level institutes.
The Governing Body is chaired by the Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education.
The Governing Body is responsible for the overall policy and direction of the NTA.
Some of the exams conducted by the NTA every year:
NTA NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test)
CMAT (Common Management Admission Test)
Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT)
IGNOU PHD OPENMAT (MBA) Exam
Objectives of National Testing Agency:
To conduct efficient, transparent and international standards tests in order to assess the competency of candidates for admission, and recruitment purposes.
To undertake research on educational, professional and testing systems to identify gaps in the knowledge systems and take steps for bridging them.
To identify experts and institutions in setting examination questions.
To produce and disseminate information and research on education and professional development standards.
Functions of National Testing Agency:
To identify partner institutions with adequate infrastructure from the existing schools and higher education institutions which would facilitate conduct of online examinations without adversely impacting their academic routine.
To create a question bank for all subjects using the modern techniques
To establish a strong R&D culture as well as a pool of experts in different aspects of testing
To help individual colleges and universities in the field of testing and to provide training and advisory services to the institutions in India. To provide quality testing services to the academic institutions in India.
To develop a State of Art culture of testing in India by using domestic and international expertise.
To undertake any other examination that is entrusted to it by the Ministries/Departments of Government of India/State Governments.
To undertake the reforms and training of school boards as well as other bodies where the testing standards should be comparable with the entrance examinations.
Context: President of India Droupadi Murmu has rejected the mercy petition of Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq who is a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba and a citizen of Pakistan. He was sentenced to death in the December 2000 Red Fort attack where three Army personnel were killed.
Constitutional Provisions related to Mercy Petitions to the President
Article 72 of the Constitution empowers the President to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence –
In all cases where the punishment or sentence is by a Court Martial.
In all cases where the punishment or sentence is for an offence against any law relating to a matter to which the executive power of the Union extends.
In all cases where the sentence is a sentence of death.
Pardoning power of President includes the following:
Pardon: Removes both the sentence and the conviction and completely absolves the convict from all sentences, punishments and disqualifications.
Commutation: Denotes the substitution of one form of punishment for a lighter form. For example, a death sentence may be commuted to rigorous imprisonment, which in turn may be commuted to a simple imprisonment.
Remission: Implies reducing the period of sentence without changing the character. For example, a sentence of rigorous imprisonment for two years may be remitted to rigorous imprisonment for one year.
Respite: Denotes awarding a lesser sentence in place of one originally awarded due to some special fact, such as the physical disability of a convict or the pregnancy of a woman offender.
Reprieve: Implies a stay of the execution of a sentence (especially that of death) for a temporary period. Its purpose is to enable the convict to have time to seek pardon or commutation from the President.
Some more points:
President must act based on the advice of Council of Ministers in mercy petititons (Maru Ram vs UOI case ,1981).
In Kehar Singh case(1988), the Supreme Court examined the pardoning power of the President and laid down the following principles:
The petitioner for mercy has no right to an oral hearing by the President:
The President Can examine the evidence afresh and take a view different from the view taken by the court.
The power is to be exercised by the President on the advice of the union cabinet.
There is no need for the Supreme Court to lay down specific guidelines for the exercise of power by the President.
The exercise of power by the President is not subject to judicial review except where the presidential decision is arbitrary, irrational, mala fide or discriminatory.
Context: Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have outlined two nanoparticle-based vaccine candidates: N332-GT5 and eOD-GT8. These novel vaccines could help the body make two classes of broadly neutralising antibodies to attack HIV.
HIV and AIDS:
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is an RNA virus. It belongs to the retrovirus family, which is characterised by the presence of RNA as its genetic material.
HIV damages the immune system and attacks cells that help the body fight infection, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases. If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
HIV primarily targets CD4 cells, which are a type of white blood cell essential for the proper functioning of the immune system.
Transmission:
Contact with certain bodily fluids (infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids) of a person with HIV, most commonly during unprotected sex or sharing injection drug equipment.
Can also transmit from an HIV-positive mother to her child during childbirth, breastfeeding, or pregnancy.
Mosquitoes or any other insect vector cannot transmit HIV, unlike malaria (HIV can only survive in human blood).
Treatment: Human body cannot get rid of HIV and no effective HIV cure exists. Medications like antiretroviral therapy or ART can control the infection and prevent disease progression.
No vaccine for AIDS:
AIDS still has no vaccine or cure. The reason is that the replication of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an incredibly error-prone process that results in multiple variants of the virus circulating.
HIV has more variants circulating in a single patient at any given point of time than influenza cumulatively generates in one year in all influenza patients around the world combined. And influenza is the second-best virus in terms of genetic variation.
Starring role for B-cells:
When the immune system encounters a virus, one of its responses is to produce antibodies highly specific to proteins on the virions’ surface.
The immune system does this with the help of a pool of specialised cells (B-cells) that produce antibodies. Each B-cell produces an antibody unique to one protein fragment.
These antibodies then bind to corresponding proteins on the viral surface, rendering them incapable of further infection.
The body then retains some of these specific antibody-producing cells in case of a future infection.
A vaccine aims to generate these antibodies prior to viral infection so that whenever a virus enters the body, the antibodies can neutralise the virus and prevent it from initiating an infection.
Broadly neutralising antibodies(bNAb):
However, when multiple variants of the same virus exist, generating antibodies against all the different variants simultaneously becomes very difficult.
Incase of HIV, the sheer volume of different variants of the virus circulating overwhelms the immune system’s ability to generate new antibodies.
Additionally, by the time the immune system makes antibodies against a few strains, the virus will have produced hundreds more variants.
Broadly neutralising antibodies (bNAb) are a kind of antibody that can neutralise a large number of circulating viral strains. These antibodies (bNAb) worked by targeting areas of the viral proteins that the virus could not afford to change, since doing so would make it lose infectivity. Scientists have discovered many bNAbs, and they are classified into different groups based on the region of HIV they target.
The challenge and the way forward:
A body usually takes years to make bNAbs, and by then the virus has already evolved to escape them. It takes years because the parental B-cells that make the bNAbs are incredibly rare.
The immune system can produce these bNAbs in large numbers in response to a vaccine by germline targeting. It has three steps.
In the first step, those B-cells that can mature into cells that can produce bNAb are identified and engaged to increase their population.
In the second-step, a booster dose will guide these cells into generating stronger bNAbs against HIV.
The final step is to refine these bNAbs such that they can neutralise a wide range of HIV strains.
Progress:
Researchers have developed two promising nanoparticle-based vaccine candidates: N332-GT5 and eOD-GT8. Using these novel vaccines, it may be possible to engage B-cells to make two different classes of bNAbs.
The antibodies generated in response to the vaccines bind to the HIV proteins in a manner similar to that of established bNAbs. The candidate vaccines are currently being evaluated in a phase-1 clinical trial to assess their performance in humans.
Context: Recently, National Commission for Indian System of Medicine is celebrated its fourth foundation day.
The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine ensures availability of adequate and high-quality medical professionals of Indian System of Medicine (ISM); adoption of the latest medical research by medical professionals of Indian System of Medicine; and periodic assessment of ISM medical institutions.
About National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM)
NCISM is a statutory body constituted under the NCISM Act, 2020 to be created by Central Government by notification.
Indian System of Medicine to be regulated under the NCISM means Ashtang Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa system of medicine
Composition of Commission: (i) Chairperson (ii) Fifteen ex-officio members (iii) 23 part-time members.
Qualification of Chairperson of NCISM: A person of outstanding ability, proven administrative capacity and integrity and possessing a post-graduate degree in any of the disciplines of Indian System of Medicine from a recognised University.
Functions of NCISM
Lay down policies of maintaining a high quality and high standards in education of Indian System of Medicine and make necessary regulations.
Lay down policies for regulating medical institutions, medical researches and medical professionals and make necessary regulations.
Assess the requirements in healthcare, including human resources for health and healthcare infrastructure and develop a roadmap for meeting such requirements.
Frame guidelines and policies by making such regulations as may be necessary for proper functioning of NCISM, Autonomous Boards and State Medical Councils of Indian System of Medicine.
Ensure coordination among Autonomous Boards.
Take such measures to ensure compliance by State Medical Councils of Indian System of Medicine of the guidelines framed and regulations for their effective functioning.
Exercise appellate jurisdiction with respect to decisions of Autonomous Boards.
Ensure observance of professional ethics in Medical profession and to promote ethical conduct during the provision of care by medical practitioners.
Frame guidelines for determination of fees and all other charges in respect of 50% of seats in private medical institutions and deemed to be universities which are governed by the Act.
Exercise such other functions as may be prescribed.
Context: Researchers have developed an miniaturised Optical Atomic Clock which can be placed in a ship. This Optical Atomic Clock is considered to be more accurate as compared to Caesium based Atomic clocks.
About Atomic Clock
Optical atomic clocks are a cutting-edge technology in precise timekeeping, offering superior accuracy compared to traditional atomic clocks.
They utilize optical frequencies (visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light) for time measurement, leading to higher precision.
Principle of Operation
Atomic Transitions: Operate on the same principle as traditional atomic clocks, but with transitions stimulated by lasers.
Resonance Frequency: In the optical range, leading to more precise and stable measurements.
Lasers: Coherent light sources used to stimulate atomic transitions with high precision.
Coherent Light: Emitted light waves have the same frequency and stable wavelength relationships.
Higher Frequency: Optical clocks operate at much higher frequencies than microwave-based atomic clocks, enabling finer time resolution.
Common Atoms Used
Strontium (Sr): Preferred for its stable optical transitions and narrow linewidths.
Ytterbium (Yb): Also used for its similar properties to strontium.
Iodine (I2): Used in the new portable optical atomic clock for its robustness and relatively high accuracy.
Caesium (Cs-133): Traditional atomic clocks often use caesium for its stability and natural occurrence.
Advantages of Optical Atomic Clocks
Accuracy: Optical atomic clocks can lose or gain only one second over 300 billion years, compared to traditional atomic clocks' 1.4 million years.
Stability: Higher operating frequencies and narrower linewidths lead to exceptional long-term stability.
Precision: Ability to measure smaller time increments more accurately.
Development and Application of a New Portable Optical Atomic Clock
New Portable Design: Recent study published in Nature introduces a portable optical atomic clock that uses molecular iodine as the frequency standard.
Miniaturization: The clock's components were miniaturized to fit within a standardized rack (35 liters, 26 kg, 85 W power consumption).
Spectrometer: Volume reduced to 2.5 liters.
Laser System: Constructed using optical fibers, reducing volume to 1 liter.
Frequency Comb: Occupies 0.5 liters.
Autonomous Operation: Equipped with a software control system for autonomous initialization and monitoring.
Testing and Performance: Conducted initial tests at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), operating autonomously for 34 days.
Accuracy: Outperformed NIST’s hydrogen maser ST05 in short-term accuracy and had 10x lower long-term drift compared to rubidium atomic clocks.
Field Tests: Deployed on a ship at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, maintaining stability despite environmental fluctuations (motion, temperature, humidity).
Applications
Maritime and Navigation: Enhances navigation and communication at sea.
Scientific Research: Facilitates precise monitoring of underwater seismic and volcanic activity.
Space Exploration: Aids in conducting experiments on the theories of relativity and can potentially reduce satellite-based navigation costs.
Challenges and Future Prospects
Portability: Continued efforts to make optical atomic clocks more portable without compromising accuracy.
Cost: Reducing the cost of optical atomic clocks to make them more accessible for widespread use.
Integration: Integrating optical atomic clocks into existing infrastructure for navigation, communication, and scientific applications.
Conclusion
Optical atomic clocks represent a significant advancement in timekeeping technology, offering unparalleled accuracy and stability.
The development of portable optical atomic clocks opens up new possibilities for practical applications in navigation, scientific research, and space exploration.
Ongoing research and development aim to further enhance their portability, reduce costs, and expand their applications, making them a vital tool for the future.
Context: After 10 years in power, the ruling BJP was not able to gain a majority in the Lok Sabha but is set to form a government with the help of coalition partners under National Democratic Alliance.In this context, let us understand the meaning of coalition politics.
About coalition politics:
The term coalition is derived from the Latin word coalitio meaning to grow together.
When several political parties join hands to form a government and exercise political power based on a common agreed programme/agenda, we describe the system as coalition politics or coalition government.
Coalitions usually Occur in modern parliaments when no single political party can muster a majority of votes. 'Two or more parties, who have enough elected members, between them to form a majority, may then be able to agree on a common manifesto that does not require too many drastic compromises with their individual policies, and can proceed to form a government.
Coalition denotes a co-operative arrangement under which distinct political parties, or at all events members of such parties, unite to form a government or ministry.
Features of coalition politics: The features or implications of coalition politics or coalition government are summarized by J.C. Johari in the following ways:
It is a phenomenon of a multi-party government where several minority parties join hands for the purpose of running the government. A coalition is formed when many splinter groups in a House agree to join hands on a common platform by sinking their broad differences and form a majority.
Coalitions are formed for the sake of some reward, material, or psychic motive. A coalition implies the existence of at least two partners.
The underlying principle of a coalition system stands on the simple fact of temporary conjunction of specific interest.
Coalition politics is not a static but a dynamic affair as coalition players and groups dissolve and form new ones.
The keynote of coalition politics is compromise, and rigid dogma has no place in it.
A coalition government works based on a minimum programme, which may not be ideal for each partner of the coalition.
Pragmatism and not ideology is the mark of coalition politics. In making political adjustments, principles may have to be set aside.
The purpose of coalition adjustment is to seize power.
Coalitions are of two types:
Pre-Poll Coalition: A pre-poll alliance is a political arrangement where two or more political parties agree to cooperate and support each other before an election. This alliance is typically formed with the aim of improving their chances of winning by consolidating votes, avoiding vote splitting, and presenting a united front against common opponents. - The pre-poll coalition is considerably advantageous because it provides a common platform to the parties to woo the electorate based on a joint manifesto.
Post Poll Coalition: A post-poll alliance is a political arrangement where two or more political parties agree to cooperate and form a coalition after the election results have been announced. This type of alliance is typically formed when no single party secures an outright majority, necessitating collaboration to achieve the numbers required to govern. -The post-election union is intended to enable constituents to share political power and run the government.
Coalition Politics in India:
Phase 1: 1947-67
Indian politics in the period between 1947 to 1967 was coalitional in nature. Political scientists like Rajni Kothari, Morris Jones and Myron Weiner developed a theoretical model for this level in the late sixties through the idea of a one-party dominant system or Congress system.
Rajni Kothari has also highlighted the consensual politics based on pluralism, accommodation and bargaining followed by Congress party.
Phase 2: 1967-77 Coalition at state level
Coalition by non-congress opposition parties, and formation of government in 9 states.
Morris Jones calls that coalition led to the emergence of a 'market polity' leading to a 'pretty regular and continuous defectors market'.
Divergent ideologies helped in winning elections by providing a mass base, but also led to crisis in governance.
Phase 3: 1977-79
Defeat of the Congress in 1977 parliamentary as well as assembly elections (in six States).
The introduction of populist, bureaucratic and authoritarian mode of politics in the party had led to the emergency imposed by the Congress government. Which became the reason for the debacle of congress.
Phase 4: Decline of coalition Politics (1980-89)
The failure of coalition experiment (failure of Janata coalition government to complete its full term) gave an opportunity to Congress-recovering from a split in 1978 under the leadership of Indira Gandhi to capture power in the 1980 elections.
Congress received a massive victory in 1984 general elections also. Thus, for a decade the coalition politics came to an end at the center. It however continued at the state level.
Phase 5: 1989-99
Further decline of coalition politics, immature coalitions leading to hung assemblies and minority government at the Centre and rise of bipolar regional politics at state assemblies.
Phase 6: 1999-2014
Mature coalitions that are stable.
Phase 7: 2014-24
Return of single party dominant system, the coalition exists, but since BJP had a majority on floor, it was not dependent on coalition partners to fulfill its manifesto commitments, and not committed to a common minimum programme.
Merits and demerits of coalition form of government:
Merits of coalition
Demerits of coalition
There is an accommodation of diverse interests in the functioning of the government. A coalition government acts as a channel to meet the expectations and redress the grievances of different groups.
They are unstable or prone to instability. The difference of opinion among the coalition partners on policy issues leads to the collapse of the government.
India is a highly diversified country. There are different cultures, languages, castes, religions, and ethnic groups, and all these get represented in the coalition governments. This means that a coalition government is more representative in nature, and it better reflects the popular opinion of the electorate. In other words, it represents a much broader spectrum of public opinion than the single-party government.
Leadership of the Prime Minister is a principle of parliamentary form of government. This principle is curtailed in a coalition government as the Prime Minister is required to consult the coalition partners before taking any major decision. The critics have called them 'Super Prime Ministers' or 'Ultra Prime Ministers'.
A coalition government comprises different political parties having their own ideologies or agendas. But the governmental policy requires the concurrence of all the coalition partners. Therefore, a coalition government leads to consensus-based politics. In other words, there is consensual decision-making in the coalition governments
The Steering Committee or the Co-ordination Committee of the coalition partners acts as the 'Super-Cabinet', and thereby undermines the role and position of the cabinet in the functioning of the governmental machinery.
Coalition politics strengthens the federal fabric of the Indian political system. This is because a coalition government is more sensitive and responsive to the regional demands and concerns than the single-party government.
There is a possibility of the smaller constituents of the coalition government playing the role of a 'King-maker'. They demand more than their strength in the Parliament.
A coalition government reduces the tyranny of government (despotic rule). This is due to the reduced domination of a single political party in the functioning of the government. All the members of the coalition participate in the political decision-making. In short, the decisions made are more balanced.
The leaders of regional parties bring in the regional factors in the national decision-making. They pressurize the central executive to act on their lines; otherwise, they would threaten to with- draw from the coalition.
The size of the Council of Ministers in a coalition government is generally quite large. This is because the ministry has to reflect all the constituents of the coalition. For example, the A.B. Vajpayee ministry of 1999 had 70-plus ministers and it was called as 'Jumbo Ministry'. This creates the problem of distribution of portfolios as well as the proper coordination among the members.
The members of coalition governments do not assume responsibility for the administrative failures and lapses. They play blame games and thereby escape from both collective responsibility as well as individual responsibility.
Context: International Fatty Liver Day (13th June) emphasises "Act Now, Screen Today," underscoring the urgent need for awareness and action against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
About Fatty liver disease epidemic:
Liver diseases were predominantly associated with excessive alcohol use. However, in recent years, there is an emergence of a silently growing threat to liver health — non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Risks: Fatty liver is closely linked to metabolic health, cardiac health, and a risk for developing cancers. This disorder has now been appropriately classified as ‘Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease’ (MASLD).
MASH (Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis), a progressive form that causes liver inflammation and scarring. It is expected to become the most common cause of chronic liver disease and the leading indication for liver transplantation.
Consuming excessive carbohydrates, especially refined carbs and sugars, worsens these conditions by causing metabolic problems.
When the body has too much glucose, it increases insulin production to help cells absorb the glucose. However, constantly eating too many carbs causes persistently high insulin levels, leading to insulin resistance, where cells become less responsive to insulin.
Insulin resistance disrupts normal metabolism and promotes the conversion of excess glucose into fatty acids, which are then stored in the liver.
The liver cells fill up with fat, leading to fatty liver. Over time, this continuous damage affects the liver’s ability to function properly, progressing from simple fatty liver to more severe conditions such as steatohepatitis and cirrhosis, which are hallmarks of MASLD, and may require a liver transplant.
Symptoms: Despite the growing burden, the disease often goes undetected as there is usually no warning or symptoms in the early stages. Diagnosis is usually made at an advanced stage, often when significant liver damage has already occurred.
Prevalence: The global prevalence of MASLD is estimated at 25-30%. In 2022, a meta-analysis revealed that in India, the pooled prevalence of fatty liver was 38.6% among adults, while among obese children, it was around 36%.
Techniques for Diagnosis:
Physical examination includes height, weight, body mass index (BMI), abdominal girth, and waist-to-hip ratio to assess visceral fat which is an important marker of metabolic health.
Blood tests to cover cardio-metabolic risk factors include a blood count, sugar profile, blood lipid profile, liver function tests, and kidney tests.
Ultrasound of the abdomen is an important test to screen for liver disease and an important first step to diagnose fatty liver.
Advanced liver tests will include liver fibrosis assessment to look for liver scarring, most accurately done by using newer technologies such as vibration-controlled transient elastography. This is a simple non-invasive tool and it measures liver stiffness to assess early stages of liver fibrosis.
Context: Recent research has unveiled fascinating insights into the communication patterns of wild African savannah elephants in Kenya. By examining 469 calls, referred to as ‘rumbles,’ researchers focused on interactions where both the caller and receiver elephants were identified. This discovery, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, adds a new dimension to our understanding of elephant communication.
Behaviour Explained
Name like sounds known as Rumbles in Elephants:
Given the complexity of these rumbles, which often escape human auditory detection,artificial intelligence played a crucial role in the analysis.
The AI-assisted study revealed that these rumbles contain a distinctive ‘name-like’ component, enabling elephants to recognize and respond to individual calls.
The researchers analysed vocalisations, mostly rumbles generated by elephants using their vocal cords, similar to how people speak, made by elephants in Amboseli National Park (Southern Kenya) and Samburu National Reserve (Northern Kenya).
While dolphins and parrots have been observed addressing each other by mimicking the sound of others from their species, elephants are the first non-human animals known to use names that do not involve imitation.
Social and cognitive sophistication:
Elephants learn to associate specific sounds with individual elephants.
This capability allows them to address each other directly, capturing the attention of particular individuals through unique vocalizations.
This underscores the importance of social bonds among elephants and their ability to maintain numerous relationships within their groups.
Elephants are renowned for their intelligence, which includes remarkable memory, problem-solving skills, and intricate communication methods.
They employ a variety of behaviours, including visual, acoustic (to do with sound), and tactile gestures (connected with sense of touch), to interact with each other.
Previous research has documented these complex interactions, especially during greetings.
About Elephants:
Keystone species: Important role in maintaining forest ecosystem balance and health.
They have the largest brain size among land animals.
As important grazers and browsers, elephants consume large quantities of vegetation daily and disperse seeds, aiding in plant reproduction and growth.
They shape the dense vegetation of the Asian landscape by creating clearings in forests, allowing sunlight to reach seedlings and promoting natural forest regeneration.
Elephants also dig for water during dry periods, providing access to water for other wildlife as well as themselves.
India:
India is home to the largest population of wild Asian elephants, with an estimated 29,964 individuals according to the 2017 census by Project Elephant.
This constitutes approximately 60% of the global population of the species.
Karnataka has the highest number of elephants in India, followed by Assam and Kerala.
Conservation Status:
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species:
African Forest Elephant: Critically Endangered.
African Savanna: Endangered.
Asian Elephant: Endangered.
In India, the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 includes elephants in Schedule I.
