GS Analyst: Daily Current Affairs

Freedom of speech is one of the most cherished freedoms and the Constitution of India, too, declares that Indians possess this freedom, but make it subject to the interest of public order, or the sovereignty and integrity of India.

• There is still exists a sense of insecurity and aggression which is a sign of an adolescent stage of freedom of speech.

• The Indian Constitution, under Article 19(1)(a) provides the Right to freedom of speech and expression.
• However, under Article 19(2), the constitution also provides for the ‘reasonable restrictions’ against free speech in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.

Is controlling the freedom of Speech of officials against Constitutional Provision?

• No, according to the Apex Court, the Fundamental right for freedom of speech is exposed to reasonable restrictions based on ‘Public order’ and ‘Security of the Nation’.

Why a constitutional restriction is important?

• The original purpose of establishing formal or constitutional limits on government was to check the arbitrary actions of hereditary monarchs or rulers who abused their power, imposed unwanted taxes, or launched unpopular wars.
• In this case, it relates to the ‘duty-based order’ amongst the people in a higher position and a responsibility towards a welfare society.

Other provisions restricting freedom of speech:

• Section 153A IPCpenalizes 'the promotion of enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.
• Section 295(A)of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), punishes any speech, writings, or signs that “with premeditated and malicious intent” insult citizens’ religion or religious beliefs with a fine and imprisonment for up to three years.

Freedom of Speech and dignity:

• Freedom of speech and expression is a much-needed right so that citizens are well-informed and educated on governance.
• The word ‘fraternity’ in the Preamble of the Constitution, ensures that the dignity of individuals cannot be harmed by an unwarranted speech by fellow citizens, including public officials.

Concluding point:

• Hence, Hate speech strikes at the foundational values of society. However, common law remedies are present to address those issues and creating another set of guidelines or laws is a matter for Parliament to deliberate (the dissenting opinion).

While chairing the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on LWE, the Home Minister highlighted that the number of deaths of civilians and security forces was less than 100 as compared to the year 2021.

• Since a crackdown on Maoists started in 2005in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected states, many states have largely tackled the problem.
• The implementation of a socio-economic agenda, coupled with effective police action and field-level intelligence, led to the decline in Maoist activity in those states.
• The number of districts declared LWE-affected today is just 90, down from over 200 in the early 2000s.
• However, Naxals still have a stronghold in many tribal areas of Chhattisgarh.

Government Interventions:

• As part of the goal to ensure all-around development in the affected areas, several special schemes were being implemented apart from the flagship programmes of the Central government.
• Construction of 17,462 km of roadways had been sanctioned to improve road connectivity, of which work on about 11,811 km had been completed.
• 142 Eklavya Residential Model Schools were sanctioned in 21 years prior to 2019, while in the past three years, 103 have been sanctioned.
• So far, 245 Eklavya schools had been sanctioned in 90 LWE-affected districts and 121 of them were now functional.
• The government also facilitated the opening of 1,258 bank branches and 1,348 ATMs in the worst-hit districts, besides 4,903 post offices.
• The skill development scheme’s scope was increased from 34 to 47 districts.

Steps were taken for Soft Approach

• Interaction: Bridge the gaps between security forces and locals through personal interaction.
• Aspirational District Program: Monitoring of Aspirational districts in 35 LWE-affected districts.
• Media Plan: Activities like Tribal Youth Exchange programs are organized and radio jingles, documentaries, pamphlet distribution, etc. are being conducted.
• Schemes & Policies: Various schemes like Roshni have been used to improve skill development.
  • Universal Service Obligation Fund supported the Scheme of Mobile Services to increase mobile connectivity.
  • Effective implementation of provisions of PESA, 1996 on priority.
  • Surrender and Rehabilitation policy for Naxalites in affected areas.
  • Facilities of residential schools for children – (e.g. Choolo Aasman, Pota Cabins, Nanhe Parinde) as well as focus on sports infrastructure.
  • National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGA) is being implemented in 330 districts affected by Naxalism for demand-driven wage employment.

Steps were taken for Hard Approach:

• Police Modernization Scheme and fortification of police stations in areas affected by Naxal movements. Central assistance in the training of State Police.
• National Policy and Action Plan 2015: a multi-dimensional strategy in the areas of development, security, upholding rights & entitlement of local communities, etc
• Special Infrastructure Fund Scheme to the States of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Odisha to set up a Special Task Force to combat LWE.
• The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, of 1967 was amended recently to strengthen the punitive measures.
• Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme: Under the scheme, the Central Government reimburses any expenditure related to LWE-affected areas to the State Governments.

The Budget has announced Rs.2,516 crores for the computerisation of 63,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) over the next five years.

What are Primary Agriculture credit societies (PACS)?

• PACS are village-level cooperative credit societies that serve as the last link in a three-tier cooperative credit structure headed by the State Cooperative Banks (SCB) at the state level.
• Credit from the SCBs is transferred to the district central cooperative banks, or DCCBs, that operate at the district level.

Why are they significant?

• Since these are cooperative bodies, individual farmers are members of the PACS, and office-bearers are elected from within them. A village can have multiple PACS.
• PACS are involved in short-term lending — or what is known as crop loans.
• At the start of the cropping cycle, farmers avail credit to finance their requirement of seeds, fertilisers etc.
• Banks extend this credit at 7 per cent interest, of which 3 per cent is subsidised by the Centre, and 2 per cent by the state government.
• Effectively, farmers avail the crop loans at 2 per cent interest

Functions of PACS

• Maintaining the supply of the hired light machinery for agricultural purposes.
• To arrange for supplying agricultural inputs. Examples -are seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, kerosene, etc.
• It will carry out activities like the sale of gas and petrol and the storage and marketing of dairy and farm products to alleviate poverty and empower women.
• It helps its members by providing marketing facilities that could enhance the sale of their agricultural products in the market at the proper prices.
• Generating optimum financial benefits for people engaged in animal husbandry and allied sectors.

Importance of Digitisation:

• While SCBs and DCCBs are connected to the Core Banking Software (CBS), PACS are not.
• Some PACS use their own software, but a compatible platform is necessary to bring about uniformity in the system.
• The computerisation of PACS has already been taken up by a few states, including Maharashtra.

Recently, the Joint project of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), called NISAR, got a send-off ceremony at the American space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California.

• NISAR has been built by space agencies of the US and India under a partnership agreement signed in 2014.
• NISAR is expected to be launched in January 2024 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre into a near-polar orbit.
• The satellite will operate for a minimum of three years.

• NISAR stands for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar.
• It is an Earth observation satellite
• The 2,800 kilograms satellite consists of both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instruments, which makes it a dual-frequency imaging radar satellite.
• NASA has provided the L-band radar, GPS, a high-capacity solid-state recorder to store data, and a payload data subsystem.
• And the ISRO has provided the S-band radar, the GSLV launch system and spacecraft.
• Another important component of the satellite is its large 39-foot stationary antenna reflector
• It is made of a gold-plated wire mesh, the reflector will be used to focus the radar signals emitted and received by the upward-facing feed on the instrument structure.
  
  

Additional features:

• By using  (SAR), NISAR will produce high-resolution images.
• SAR is capable of penetrating clouds and can collect data day and night regardless of the weather conditions.

What is the mission?

• NISAR will observe subtle changes in Earth’s surfaces, helping researchers better understand the causes and consequences of such phenomena.
• It will spot warning signs of natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and landslides.
• The satellite will also;
  • Measure groundwater levels,
  • Track flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets, and
  • Monitor the planet’s forest and agricultural regions, which can improve our understanding of carbon exchange.
• ISRO will use NISAR for a variety of purposes including agricultural mapping, and monitoring of glaciers in the Himalayas, landslide-prone areas and changes in the coastline.

The Prime Minister is going to launch 20% ethanol gasoline named ‘E20’, unveiling a solar and conventional energy-powered cooking system to celebrate the India Energy Week in Bengaluru.

India energy week:

• E20 or flex-fuel vehicles are an excellent way to reduce pollution without breaking the bank.
• Furthermore, the Prime Minister will launch the Green Mobility Rally to raise public awareness of green fuels and showcase vehicles powered by green energy.

• The number "20" in "E20" refers to the percentage of ethanol in the gasoline blend.
• Simply put, the higher the number, the higher the percentage of Ethanol in the gasoline.
• India's current ethanol-to-petroleum mix is 10%, the highest it has ever been.
• Because it is made from biomass, ethanol does not require crude oil.
• Ethanol is primarily produced from crops such as corn and sugarcane.
• India already produces significant quantities of grain and sugarcane. It may allow automobiles to use a higher proportion of Ethanol.

What is ethanol blending? 

• Naturally Produced- Ethanol is a biofuel, naturally produced by the fermentation of sugars by yeasts or by petrochemical processes like ethylene hydration.
• Derived from agricultural products- In ethanol blending, a blended motor fuel containing ethyl alcohol derived from agricultural products is blended with petrol specifically.
• High in oxygen content- Ethanol is high in oxygen content, allowing an engine to more thoroughly combust fuel.

Advantages of E20 fuel:

• Biofuel is gaining popularity because it has the potential to significantly reduce pollution if used on a large enough scale.
• Imports meet approximately 85% of India's fuel needs. In India, using petrol with a 20% ethanol blend would result in significant cost savings for the country.
• New jobs will be created in the original equipment manufacturing (OEM), component supplier, and aftermarket service provider sectors.
• The Indian government believes achieving its 20% ethanol in gasoline target will benefit the country's agricultural industry. The government claims that these measures will increase farmer income.

Present utilisation of E20 Fuels in India:

• India's Creta, Venue, and Alcazar SUVs from Hyundai Motor are said to be capable of running on E20 gasoline as of the 2023 MY model year.
• Tata Motors debuted two new turbocharged petrol engines at the Auto Expo 2023. (1.2-litre and 1.5-litre).

• By April 2023, similar developments are planned for vehicles manufactured by Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Kia, and others.