Current Affairs 21-September-2023 (The Hindu)

Delimitation and Delimitation Commission

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Delimitation

Act of redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies. It is carried out to ensure each constituency seat has almost equal number of voters.

Delimitation Commission

• Constituted by President from time to time.
• It works in collaboration with the ECI.
• It was set up 4 times in the past - 1952, 1963, 1973, and 2002.
• 2001 census - current boundaries.
• 1971 census - current number of seats.
• Number of seats remain frozen until 2026.
• Orders have the force of law and cannot be questioned in any court of law.

Composition

• Retired judge of the Supreme Court.
• The Chief Election Commissioner.
• State Election Commissioners of the respective states.

Process of Delimitation

• Article 82 - Parliament shall enact delimitation act after every census.
• Article-170 - Delimitation of the states and classification into territorial constituencies.
• GoI sets up a Delimitation Commission, and it performs the delimitation exercise.

Functions of the Commission

• Determine the number of constituencies and boundaries, they should be the same.
• Identify the seats to be reserved for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
• Releases draft proposals - public through the Gazette and in regional newspapers.
• Conducts public sittings to hear opinions.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

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Establishment and Membership

• Established in 1966 at Manila.
• Currently, it has 68 member nations.
• India is one of the founding members.

Objectives

• To achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific.
• To eradicate extreme poverty.

Functions

The Asian Development Bank promotes social and economic development by:

• Providing loans.
• Offering technical assistance.
• Granting funds.
• Investing in equity.

Organizational Structure

Board of Governors

• Highest policy-making body.
• Consists of one representative from each member nation.
• Meets once a year during the Annual Meeting.

Board of Directors

• Comprises 12 members elected by the Board of Governors.
• They perform full-time duties at the ADB.

Shareholders

Section 6A of the Citizenship Act

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Introduction

Section 6A of the Citizenship Act was introduced through an amendment in 1985. It contains provisions related to the citizenship of individuals covered by the Assam Accord.

Assam Accord

The Assam Accord is a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) between the Government of India (GOI) and the leaders of the Assam Movement. It was prompted by the increase in illegal immigration due to the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. AASU (All Assam Students' Union) demanded the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants in Assam.

1985: Assam Accord signed

Key Provisions - Section 6A of CA, 1955

Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, contains special provisions as to citizenship of persons covered by the Assam Accord:

Section 6A - Special provisions as to citizenship of persons covered by the Assam Accord

(2) All persons of Indian origin who came before the 1st day of January 1966 to Assam from the specified territory (including those whose names were included in the electoral rolls used for the purposes of the General Election to the House of the People held in 1967) and who have been ordinarily resident in Assam since the dates of their entry into Assam shall be deemed to be citizens of India as from the 1st day of January 1966.

Section 6A - Special provisions as to citizenship of persons covered by the Assam Accord

(3) Every person of Indian origin who:

a)  came to Assam on or after the 1st day of January 1966 but before the 25th day of March 1971 from the specified territory; and

b)  has, since the date of his entry into Assam, been ordinarily resident in Assam; and

c)  has been detected to be a foreigner, shall register himself in accordance with the rules made by the Central Government in this behalf under section 18 with such authority (thereafter in this sub-section referred to as the registering authority) as may be specified in such rules. If his name is included in any electoral roll for any Assembly or Parliamentary constituency in force on the date of such detection, his name shall be deleted therefrom.

Section 6A - Special provisions as to citizenship of persons covered by the Assam Accord

(4) A person registered under sub-section (3) shall have, as from the date on which he has been detected to be a foreigner and till the expiry of a period of ten years from that date, the same rights and obligations as a citizen of India (including the right to obtain a passport under the Passports Act, 1967 (15 of 1967) and the obligations connected therewith), but shall not be entitled to have his name included in any electoral roll for any assembly or Parliamentary Constituency at any time before the expiry of the period of ten years.

Section 6A - Special provisions as to citizenship of persons covered by the Assam Accord

(5) A person registered under sub-section (3) shall be deemed to be a citizen of India for all purposes as of the date of expiry of a period of ten years from the date on which he has been detected to be a foreigner.

Article 6 - Rights of citizenship of certain persons who have migrated to India from Pakistan

Notwithstanding anything in Article 5, a person who has migrated to the territory of India from the territory now included in Pakistan shall be deemed to be a citizen of India at the commencement of this Constitution if:

a) He or either of his parents or any of his grandparents was born in India as defined in the Government of India Act, 1935 (as originally enacted); and

b) (i)In the case where such person has so migrated before the nineteenth day of July 1948, he has been ordinarily resident in the territory of India since the date of his migration, or

(ii) In the case where such person has so migrated on or after the nineteenth day of July 1948, he has been registered as a citizen of India by an officer appointed in that behalf by the Government of the Dominion of India on an application made by him therefor to such officer before the commencement of this Constitution in the form and manner prescribed by that Government. Provided that no person shall be so registered unless he has been resident in the territory of India for at least six months immediately preceding the date of his application.

National Mineral Exploration Trust(NMET)

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Background

• Established in 2015 under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.
• An autonomous body under the Ministry of Mines.
• Objective: To boost mineral exploration in India.

Funding

• Funded through contributions from mining leaseholders.
• Leaseholders contribute a portion of their royalty payments.

Functions

• Support mineral exploration activities in under-explored areas.
• Support geophysical and geochemical surveys and drilling.
• Provide financial incentives to state governments to encourage exploration activities in their respective regions.
• Support research and development activities.
• Operate with transparency and accountability.

Organizational Setup

Governing Body

• Chaired by the Union Minister of Mines.
• Members include Union Ministries of Coal, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Atomic Energy, and the Minister In-charge of the Department of Mines & Geology from 6 State Governments.

Executive Committee

• Chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Mines.
• Members include the Ministry of Coal, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Atomic Energy, and 4 State governments on a rotation basis.

Technical-cum-Cost Committee (TCC)

• Provides technical and cost support to mineral exploration project proposals submitted by Exploration Agencies.
• Comprises domain experts from various central/State Government organizations.
• Recommends suitable proposals to the executive committee for approval.

Outer Space

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Outer space starts where Earth's atmosphere ends and extends till the end of the universe. It has near-vacuum conditions.

Outer Space Treaty

• International agreement to regulate outer space.
• Came into force on October 10, 1967.
• Originated during the Cold War between the USA and USSR.

Important Provisions

• Outer space should be used for peaceful purposes.
• Military activities are allowed in space but should be for defensive purposes only.
• Outer space is not subject to national appropriation.
• Promotes freedom of exploration and scientific research.
• Contains provisions for liability.
• Countries must prevent harmful contamination of celestial bodies.
• Encourages international consultation and cooperation in outer space activities.

Limitations of Outer Space Treaty

• Lack of enforcement mechanisms.
• Ambiguous provisions with no clear definition.
• Limited coverage, does not cover commercial space activities.
• No provision to address space debris.

For All Humanity - The Future of Outer Space Governance

There is a need for a new space treaty due to:

• Exponential increase in satellite launches:
• 2013 (210), 2019 (600), 2020 (1200), and 2022 (2470)
• Space debris management:
• 24,000 debris - 10 centimeters or larger
• 1 million debris - smaller than 10 cm
• 130 million debris - smaller than one cm
• Absence of an international framework for the exploration of resources from outer space, such as helium-3 on the Moon and valuable minerals on asteroids.
• Lack of international Space Traffic Management as each nation follows its own set of rules, requiring international coordination due to increased traffic.