GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

The Supreme Court termed Jallikattu a “type of bovine sport” existing in Tamil Nadu for at least a century, and did not interfere with the State legislature’s finding that the bull-taming event is part of the cultural heritage and tradition of the people of Tamil Nadu.

Key-highlights

• The Supreme Court upheld the validity of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act of 2017 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules of 2017.
• The apex court also upheld the validity of laws passed by Maharashtra and Karnataka to allow the bullock-cart races and buffalo racing sport Kambala in their respective regions.

What is Jallikattu?

• Jallikattu is a 2,000 years old competitive bull taming sport in which contestants attempt to tame a bull for a prize, wherein if they fail, the bull owner wins the prize.
• Jallikattu belt: It is revered across the Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Theni, Pudukkottai and Dindigul districts of Tamil Nadu.
• It is celebrated in the second week of January at the time of the Pongal (harvest) festival, and also represents a symbolic event to honor bull owners who rear them for mating.
• Preservation of pure-breed native bulls: Kangayam, Pulikulam, Umbalachery, Bargur and Malai Maadu are among some native cattle breeds reared for Jallikattu in the state.
• Cultural significance:
  • Sport cultivates and represents a cordial man-animal relationship, wherein the owner strives to develop an “emotional connect” with the bull through the long process of rearing.  

The Andhra Pradesh government has started removing “dotted lands” in the state from the prohibited list, restoring full rights of selling or pledging these lands to the farmers who own them. 

What are dotted lands?

• Dotted lands are disputed lands for which there are no clear ownership documents. Typically, one or more individuals as well as the government’s Revenue Department lay claim over the land.
• During the British era, land ownership surveys and resettlement of land records were taken up, local revenue officials who were tasked with identifying government-owned and privately-owned lands put dots in the ownership column if more than one person claimed ownership, or if ownership could not be clearly established.
• The dots on the land documents indicated their disputed status.

What are the reasons behind high incidence of disputes over land? 

• Legislative factors: existence of numerous, conflicting laws arising from historical narratives and current policies governing property rights
• Administrative factors:administration’s failure to comply with these laws.
• Judicial factors: There are legal and evidentiary barriers in bringing land dispute cases to court, and then lack of judicial capacity prevents quick resolution.

Traditionally, diamonds have been assessed based on the four Cs: cut, color, clarity, and carat. However, a fifth C, Climate Neutrality, is now emerging as a factor for judging diamonds

What are Lab-grown diamonds?

• Naturally-formed diamonds are pure carbon, crystalised in the isometric cubic form beneath the earth’s crust. 
• Method: Lab-grown diamonds (LGDs), on the other hand, are manufactured in laboratories with either of the two methods — chemical vapour deposition (CVD) or high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) using a chemical composition. 
• Duration: It takes less than a month to make a distinctively-shaped crystal.

How environment-friendly are Lab-grown diamonds?

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) came up with a regulatory framework for banks to accept green deposits from customers. 

What are Green deposits?

• Green deposits, although similar to regular deposits accepted by banks, have a notable distinction.
• Banks commit to allocating the funds obtained from green deposits specifically for environmentally friendly initiatives.
• This could involve utilizing the funds to finance renewable energy projects aimed at combatting climate change.
• Green deposits represent a single offering among various financial products, including green bonds, designed to enable investors to contribute funds to promote ecological sustainability.

What does the RBI’s regulatory framework say?

• Bank’s own rules: Banks need to come up with a set of rules or policies approved by their respective Boards that need to be followed while investing green deposits from customers.
• Major sectors: The RBI has come up with a list of sectors that can be classified as sustainable and thus eligible to receive green deposits. These include renewable energy, waste management, clean transportation, energy efficiency, and afforestation.
  • Banks will be barred from investing green deposits in business projects involving fossil fuels, nuclear power, tobacco, etc.
• Prevention of greenwashing: The new rules prevent greenwashing.
  • Greenwashing refers to making misleading claims about the positive environmental impact of an activity.