Context: Maharashtra to become the first Indian state to purchase land in Jammu and Kashmir.

Land purchases in Jammu & Kashmir:

• The Jammu and Kashmir government approved the land transfer to Maharashtra..
• Before the abrogation of Article 370, only Jammu and Kashmir residents could buy land, but now the government can lease land to outsiders.

 Prelims Connect (Article in News):

Source: Mint

Context: Nationwide cashless medical treatment for accident victims launched under Motor Vehicle Act 2019.

 About the project: 

1. Collaboration between the Ministry of Roads Transport & Highways and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
2. Aim: Reduce road accident fatalities by 50% by 2030.
3. Initiative ensures prompt treatment during critical ‘golden hour’.
4. The Road safety strategy includes education, engineering, enforcement, and emergency care.

Prelims Connect: Top of Form

Source: The Hindu

Context: A fact-finding committee found mixed implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in five states.

Findings:

• Overall, inadequate focus on community rights.
• FRA neglects shifting cultivation (Jhum) in hill areas.
• Confusion over categorizing tribe’s hampers implementation.
• Some traditional forest dwellers left out of FRA recognition process.
• Unclear distinction between individual and community rights.

Prelims Connect (Acts/Bills/Guidelines)

Source: The Hindu

 Context: Recently the High Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections has submitted its report

     Brief details of the recommendation:

• Recommends simultaneous elections for all three tiers.
• Suggests synchronizing local body elections within 100 days of state and national elections.
• 15 amendments to the Constitution of India are proposed.
• Two Constitution Amendment Bills are recommended to implement the transition.

 Details of the First Constitution Amendment Bill:

• Can be passed by Parliament without ratification by state assemblies.
• Suggests inserting a new article, 82A, into the Constitution to establish the transition to simultaneous elections.
• Suggests amending Article 327 to expand Parliament’s power to include the conduct of simultaneous elections.

Details of second Constitution Amendment bill:

• Requires ratification by states due to its focus on municipal and panchayat elections falling under the State List.
• A new Article 324A is proposed to empower Parliament to enact laws for simultaneous municipality and panchayat elections with General Elections.

New sub-clauses are recommended for Article 325, introducing a “Single Electoral Roll” for territorial constituencies covering elections at various levels.

Source: Indian Express

Context: the High Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections has submitted its report

• The High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections has recommended holding polls to various levels of government concurrently.

 Concerns with the committee report:

• The committee’s composition: the absence of some opposition members, suggests alignment with the government’s stance on simultaneous elections.
• Argues for simultaneous elections citing resource efficiency and voter fatigue but overlooks the potential threat to federalism.
• Opposition from political parties and dissenting voices like Tamil Nadu Election Commissioner. Concerns are mentioned but not adequately addressed.
• Suggestions like state funding of elections and concerns about political accountability raised by former Chief Justices are briefly mentioned but dismissed.
• The report’s dismissal of dissenting views as “misplaced” raises questions about its impartiality and thoroughness.

Conclusion:

• Critics argue that simultaneous elections could diminish political diversity and disadvantage regional parties.
• The report’s conclusions does not adequately address the multifaceted implications of simultaneous elections.
• This necessitate further discussion and consideration of dissenting views.

Source: Indian Express

Corruption in electoral funding:

• Corruption in elections has been a longstanding issue.
• Past attempts at reform like the Indrajit Gupta committee’s recommendations falling short due to lack of internal party democracy.
• State funding of elections is not favored due to difficulty in monitoring expenses and potential for abuse by non-serious candidates.

The way to ensure clean electoral funding:

• Funding political parties based on electoral performance, to promote transparency and reduce dependence on corporate donations.
• Total ban on corporate donations and independent audit of party accounts to curb crony capitalism.
• Establish a National Election Fund to replace electoral trusts.
• allowing private entities to donate with tax concessions, and reducing fear of reprisal.
• Many countries worldwide already provide state funds to political parties based on vote share, suggesting feasibility for India.

Source: Indian Express

Context: NITI Aayog claimed that less than 5% of Indians now live below the poverty line

• The Claim relies on data from the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022-23.

Argument against reduction poverty:

• Real wages have stagnated, growing by less than 1% annually since 2017.
• Increase in employment is largely due to unpaid family helpers, with a significant portion of women workers remaining unpaid.
• Overall increase in consumption is primarily driven by the higher economic class
• GDP growth is primarily fueled by capital expenditure.
• United Nations report indicating that 74% of Indians cannot afford the minimum nutritious diet prescribed by the FAO, highlighting persistent challenges.

 Issue in poverty calculation in India:

• The Tendulkar poverty line, which is currently used, lacks a conceptual basis.
• Issues with accuracy and comparability of data including base years

Data in India has become highly politicized Egg.- scrapping of the 2017-18 consumer expenditure survey and delays in releasing the PLFS until 2019 Lok Sabha elections

Context: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) issued an advisory to several large platforms for the regulation of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).

 Key issue with the advisory:

• Lack clear legal basis, as the term “advisory” is undefined in relevant legislation like the IT Act.
• Despite lacking residual powers like regulatory bodies, MEITY issues vague advisories demanding censorship on social media platforms.
• Imply compliance without specifying penalties: leading to a compliance charade rather than seeking official rules.
• Lacks clarity on terms like “bias prevention” and “under testing” or “unreliable” AI.
• Lacks transparency and accountability, reflecting a decline in administrative standards.

Prelims Connect (Terminology in News):

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence technology that can produce various types of content, including text, imagery, audio and synthetic data.

Source: The Hindu

Context: Bhutan is planning to build “Gelephu Mindfulness City” (GMC) near Assam border.

Key feature of GMC:

• Operate as a special administrative zone with investor-friendly laws.
• Aims to be a carbon-neutral city, hosting non-polluting industries.
• Resembles planned cities like Neom in Saudi Arabia and Nusantara in Indonesia.

Significance:

• For India-, Strategic location aligns with India’s “Act East” plans and India-Japan connectivity initiatives.
• Complements India’s broader regional connectivity plans.
• Address Bhutan’s challenges -need to diversify from hydropower and tourism, youth outmigration and geopolitical concerns, including pressure from China.

 Concerns:

• Tough terrain and geographical challenge.
• Insurgencies in Assam, other northeastern States and in Myanmar.
• Landlocked character and dependence on other countries
• Represents a significant investment with uncertain immediate returns.

 Conclusion:

• In an increasingly polarized global setting, India must strengthen ties with its South Asian neighbors.
• Exploring new avenues for cooperation could benefit regional stability and development.
• Gelephu project offers an opportunity for regional transformation with India’s assistance.

Source: The Hindu