GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

In relation to the Maharashtra political crisis, the Supreme Court held that decision taken by the Governor to call for a floor test based on the rebellion of Eknath Shinde-led faction and to direct then CM Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority on the floor of the House, was wrong.

• The former Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyati had sought a floor test following a rebellion by a section of Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde in June 2022.

Key-points made by the Supreme Court

• No solution to resolve disputes: In its judgement, the Supreme Court said the “floor test cannot be used as a medium to resolve internal party disputes or intra party disputes”.
  • The court noted that “dissent and disagreement within a political party must be resolved in accordance with the remedies prescribed under the party constitution, or through any other methods that the party chooses to opt for”.
• The Supreme Court has now ruled that the Governor's decision was incorrect as it was based on the rebellion of a faction led by Eknath Shinde and not on any material suggesting that Uddhav Thackeray had lost the majority in the assembly.

What are the implications of the development?

• The ruling by the Supreme Court is a significant development in the Maharashtra political crisis, which had led to uncertainty and instability in the state's governance.
• It is expected to have far-reaching implications for the functioning of democratic institutions in the country.
• Overall, the decision by the Supreme Court serves as a reminder that constitutional principles and democratic norms must be upheld at all times, even in the midst of political crises and upheavals.
• It is hoped that the ruling will help to restore public confidence in the functioning of the political system and strengthen the rule of law in the country.

India has achieved another major sanitation milestone, as 50% of villages are now ODF Plus under Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase-II.

Key-highlights

• Till date, more than 2.96 lakh villages have declared themselves ODF Plus, which is a significant step towards achieving the SBM-G Phase-II goals by 2024-25.
  • Telangana (100%), Karnataka (99.5%), Tamil Nadu (97.8%), and Uttar Pradesh (95.2%) among the big states, and Goa (95.3%) and Sikkim (69.2%) among the small states, are the best performers in terms of the proportion of ODF Plus villages.
  • Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Daman & Diu, and Lakshadweep are UTs with 100% ODF Plus Model villages.
  • These States and UTs have made outstanding progress towards obtaining ODF Plus designation, and this accomplishment would not have been possible without their efforts.
• Out of the 296,928 ODF Plus villages,
  • 56,285 are ODF Plus Model villages
  • 208,613 are ODF Plus Aspiring villages with arrangements for either solid waste management or liquid waste management
  • 32,030 are ODF Plus Rising villages with arrangements for both solid waste management and liquid waste management
  • the remaining 208,613 are ODF Plus Aspiring villages with arrangements for only solid waste management

What is Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase-II?

• SBM (G) Phase-II was launched in February, 2020 with the focus to sustain the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status.
• Eligibility: This scheme is for any rural household that does not have access to an individual household toilet.
• Major Components: The major components of the Phase-II of SBM (G) are:
  • Sustaining Open Defecation Free Status (ODF-S)
  • Solid (Bio-degradable) Waste Management
  • Plastic Waste Management (PWM)
  • Liquid Waste Management (LWM)
  • Faecal Sludge Management (FSM)
  • GOBARdhan
  • Information Education and Communication/Behaviour Change Communication (IEC/BCC)
  • Capacity Building

India has identified 11 potential sites for exploration of hydrogen sulfide and a dedicated multi-purpose vessel was being acquired to carry out detailed surveys as part of the Deep Ocean Mission

What is Deep Ocean Mission?

• Launched in: June 2021
• The Deep Ocean Mission is a high-level multi-ministerial, multi-disciplinary programme for better understanding of the deep sea living and non-living resources of the Indian Ocean.
• It aims to aid in India's efforts to attain the Blue Economy status.
• Nodal ministry: Ministry of Earth Science 
• The Mission Steering Committee (MSC) is the highest Policy making body constituted under the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM).
• Themes: The Deep Ocean Mission consists of 6 themes:
  • Development of Technology for deep sea mining, manned submersible and underwater robotics
  • Development of Ocean and climate change Advisory services
  • Technology innovations for exploration and conservation of deep sea biodiversity
  • Deep Ocean survey and exploration
  • Energy and Freshwater from the Ocean
  • Advanced marine station for Ocean Biology

A groundbreaking IVF procedure has been successfully performed in the United Kingdom, resulting in the birth of the first baby with genetic material from three persons, with the help of Mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT).

What is Mitochondrial Donation Treatment (MDT)?

• Mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT) is a medical procedure aimed at preventing inherited diseases caused by mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).
• The treatment involves replacing the faulty mitochondria in a woman's egg or embryo with healthy mitochondria from a donor.
• Inherited mutations in mtDNA can cause mitochondrial disease, which is incurable and can lead to severe health problems.

How Does MDT Work?

• MDT involves the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF) to create an embryo with genetic material from three people: the mother, the father, and the mitochondrial donor. The process can be done in two ways:

• Pronuclear transfer: This involves transferring the nucleus of the mother's fertilized egg or embryo into the cytoplasm of a donor egg or embryo with healthy mitochondria. The resulting embryo has nuclear DNA from the mother and father and healthy mtDNA from the donor.
• Maternal spindle transfer: This involves transferring the nucleus of the mother's egg into a donor egg with healthy mitochondria before fertilization. The resulting embryo has nuclear DNA from the mother and father and healthy mtDNA from the donor.
  

What is the legal Status of MDT?

• The United Kingdom was the first country to legalize MDT in 2015.
  • The law allows the procedure to be used in cases where there is a high risk of transmitting a severe mitochondrial disease. The first baby born using MDT in the UK was in 2016.
• Since then, a few other countries, including the United States, have also approved the use of MDT under strict regulations.

What are the potential Benefits of MDT?

• MDT could prevent the transmission of mitochondrial disease to future generations and potentially eradicate it altogether.
• It could also provide families with a much-needed option to have a healthy child without passing on a debilitating genetic condition.

Ethical Concerns with MDT

• Questionable consequences of designer babies: One of the main ethical concerns with MDT is the creation of genetically modified babies. The procedure involves altering the genetic material of an embryo, which raises ethical questions about the creation of designer babies and the potential for unintended consequences.
• Exploitation of vulnerable: Another concern is that MDT could lead to the exploitation of vulnerable women who donate their eggs. It is essential to ensure that MDT is regulated and used only for medical purposes.