Special Category Status (SCS)

Context: The Central government filed a counter affidavit in the Supreme Court on Wednesday expressing its inability to give Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh and said all commitments under the A.P. Reorganisation Act (APRA), 2014 had been addressed.

What is SCS?

• The Constitution does not include any provision for categorisation of any State in India as a Special Category Status (SCS) State.
• But, recognising that some regions in the country were historically disadvantaged in contrast to others, Central plan assistance to SCS States has been granted in the past by the erstwhile Planning Commission body, National Development Council (NDC).
• The NDC granted this status based on a number of features of the States which included: hilly and difficult terrain, low population density or the presence of sizeable tribal population, strategic location along international borders, economic and infrastructural backwardness and non-viable nature of State finances.

What kind of assistance do SCS States receive?

• The SCS States used to receive block grants based on the Gadgil-Mukherjee formula, which effectively allowed for nearly 30 per cent of the Total Central Assistance to be transferred to SCS States as late as 2009-10.
• Following the constitution of the NITI Aayog (after the dissolution of the Planning Commission) and the recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC), Central plan assistance to SCS States has been subsumed in an increased devolution of the divisible pool to all States (from 32% in the 13th FC recommendations to 42%) and do not any longer appear in plan expenditure.
• The FFC also recommended variables such as “forest cover” to be included in devolution, with a weightage of 7.5 in the criteria and which could benefit north-eastern States that were previously given SCS assistance. Besides, assistance to Centrally Sponsored Schemes for SCS States was given with 90% Central share and 10% State share.

What is the basis of A.P.’s claim for SCS status?

Following the bifurcation of A.P., Andhra lost a large volume of its revenue due to Hyderabad remaining the capital of Telangana. In a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the A.P. Reorganisation Act on February 20, 2014, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that SCS would be “extended to the successor State of Andhra Pradesh … for a period of five years.” This oral submission by the then PM has been the basis for A.P.’s claim to the status.

Gambling

Context: The Law Commission of India submitted a report to the government, saying that since it is impossible to stop illegal gambling, the only viable option left is to “regulate” gambling in sports.

The commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice B.S. Chauhan, recommended “cashless” gambling in sports as a means to increase revenue and deal a blow to unlawful gambling.

Recommendations

• Transactions between gamblers and operators should be linked to their Aadhaar and PAN cards so that the government could keep an eye on them.
• The commission recommended a classification of ‘proper gambling’ and ‘small gambling.’ ‘Proper gambling’ would be for the rich who play for high stakes, while ‘small gambling’ would be for the low income groups.
• The panel wanted the government to introduce a cap on the number of gambling transactions for each individual, that is, monthly, half-yearly and annual.
• Restrictions on amount should be prescribed while using electronic money facilities like credit cards, debit cards, and net banking. Gambling websites should not solicit pornography.

Pros

• The money generated can be used for public welfare activities. For that the revenue from gambling should be taxable under laws like the Income Tax Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act.
• The economy can always use a boost, and legalized gambling could provide that. Offering places to gamble also increases tourism, as indicated by the number of annual visitors to Las Vegas and other gambling havens. Generating billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs worldwide, legal gambling is an exciting way to stimulate the troubled global economy.
• When a population is told that they aren’t allowed to gamble, it’s the first thing that they want to do. Studies of human behavior indicate that people always want what they can’t have, and gambling is no different. It stands to reason that increasing the number of people who are allowed to gamble legally will reduce illegal gaming behaviors.
• Those who are lucky enough to have a successful professional gambler in their household can attest to the realities of a society that embraces gambling as a legal choice. In a time of economic uncertainty, many families are learning to rely on non-traditional means of support; legalized gambling would make it easier for a professional online poker player to support those that he loves the most.
• Finally, a benefit of legalized gambling is to provide a safe, exciting way to relieve stress. The online gambler who knows that his activities are legal will be far more likely to be less stressed than those who have to ponder the murky legal status of their gaming. Furthermore, legalized gambling as a stress reducer could create an environment where players are happier and more productive in their personal and professional lives.

Cons

• The act of wagering on the outcome of any given game is a risky one, and the gambler may be spending funds that could be better used elsewhere. Ideally, gamblers will only bet what they can afford to lose, but this often isn’t the case. Instead, those who like to wager often try to compensate for a big loss by betting more and losing again.
• Winning a large amount of cash on a wager can be intoxicating; like alcohol and other drugs, the feeling of winning can become addictive. Some gambling addicts firmly believe that they wouldn’t have lost their homes, cars, and families if gambling had been illegal. It’s important to remember to balance this information with personal experience; if you know you’re a responsible gamer, you have nothing to worry about.
• Cities that have legalized gambling tend to also experience an increase in crime rates. Some argue that increased crime is a result of people losing too much money, but others feel that the large amounts of cash associated with gambling lead to an increase in illegal activity. In order to successfully legalize gambling, officials should consider an increased law enforcement presence.
• There is some indication that those communities with legal gambling see a loss in the amount of revenue garnered by small businesses. In addition to providing exciting recreation opportunities, casinos and other gambling establishments tend to support restaurants, bars, and other businesses. When casino visitors come to gamble, they stay for dinner; over time, this tendency can decrease the amount of customers that smaller businesses serve.

BS-VI engine certificate

Context: ICAT releases First BS-VI engine certificate

ICAT has completed the first BS-VI certification for a heavy duty engine model for M/s Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicle Limited. The engine has been developed and manufactured indigenously by Volvo Eicher in India. The successful completion of the compliance test of the engine, much ahead of the implementation date of 1 April, 2020, gives sufficient time for product stabilization in terms of making it more robust and cost competitive for the end consumers.

Benefits

• The pro-active approach from the Government of India has made the country leapfrog from the conventional BS-IV to directly adopt BS-VI emission norms as the next level for regulatory framework in India.
• The BS-VI emission standards are much more elaborate in their scope and integrate substantial changes to existing emission standards ensuring cleaner products to the consumer.
• Besides the more stringent limits on the gaseous emission components, the particulate matter (PM) limits have also been significantly reduced along with the introduction of particle number (PN) limits.

International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT)

• The International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) is a division of NATRiP implementation society (NATIS), under the administrative control of Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India.
• ICAT is the first of new world class centers established under the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP).
• ICAT is one of the prime testing agencies recognized by the Government of India as one of the accredited ‘Type Approval and Homologation’ agencies in India under Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) and has also been recognized as Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), since Feb 2010, by BIS for Tyre Testing, Safety Glasses and by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for emission and noise testing of generator sets.

Objective  

• Carrying out Research & Development besides extending homologation facilities in the field of Automotive Engineering.

Pad abort test

Context: The first ‘pad abort’ test critical for a future human space mission was conducted successfully by ISRO. The test was conducted at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

The Pad Abort Test demonstrated the safe recovery of the crew module in case of any exigency at the launch pad

Describing it as a major technology demonstrator the space agency said the PAT (pad abort test) is the first in a series of tests to qualify a crew escape system technology of a manned mission in the future.

What is Crew Escape System?

• The Crew Escape System is an emergency escape measure to quickly pull the crew module — the astronaut cabin — along with astronauts out to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch abort.
• The rockets are solid-fuel powered and specially designed for quickly ejecting the crew module and astronauts to a safe distance without exceeding the safe G-levels.

Critically Endangered Species

Context: The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) recently added four species- the Northern River Terrapin, Clouded Leopard, Arabian Sea Humpback Whale, Red Panda– to a Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species on the recommendation of a Standing Committee.

The progamme is one of the three components of the centrally funded scheme, Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH).

Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH)

• Started in 2008-09, IDWH is meant for providing support to protected areas (national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves and community reserves except tiger reserves), protection of wildlife outside protected areas and recovery programmes for saving critically endangered species and habitats.
• So far, 17 species have been identified under the recovery programme. These are the Snow Leopard, Bustard (including Floricans), Dolphin, Hangul, Nilgiri Tahr, Marine Turtles, Dugongs, Edible Nest Swiftlet, Asian Wild Buffalo, Nicobar Megapode, Manipur Brow-antlered Deer, Vultures, Malabar Civet, Indian Rhinoceros, Asiatic Lion, Swamp Deer and Jerdon’s Courser.

Wild Buffalo population increased in Chhattisgarh

• Once found in abundance across northeast India, northern and central India, the Wild Buffalo now has its last bastions in some pockets in northeast India and Chhattisgarh.
• According to a survey by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), not more than 50 individuals of the Wild Buffalo remain in three sub-populations in Indravati National Park, Pamed and Udanti Wildlife Sanctuaries in Chhattisgarh.
• According to the WTI, the number of wild buffalo in Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, Chhattisgarh increased from 7 to 11 under the Central India Wild Buffalo Recovery Project, a joint venture between the state forest department and WTI.

National Board for Wild Life

• National Board for Wild Life is a “Statutory Organization” constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Theoretically, the board is “advisory” in nature and advises the Central Government on framing policies and measures for conservation of wildlife in the country.
• It has power to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries. No alternation of boundaries in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries can be done without approval of the NBWL.
• The NBWL is chaired by the Prime Minister. It has 47 members including the Prime Minister. Among these, 19 members are ex-officio members. Other members include three Members of Parliament (two from Lok Sabha and one from Rajya Sabha), five NGOs and 10 eminent ecologists, conservationists and environmentalists.

Northern River Terrapin

• The northern river terrapin is one of Asia’s largest freshwater and brackish water turtles (West Bengal & Odisha in india).
• It is strongly aquatic but uses terrestrial nesting sites, frequenting the tidal areas of estuaries, large rivers, and mangrove forests.
• The northern river terrapin is omnivorous, taking waterside plants and small animals such as clams.The species prefers freshwater habitats and moves to brackish river mouths or estuaries in the breeding season (December–March), returning after laying their eggs.
• The species is considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN, principally due to exploitation as a food item (including egg harvesting).
• Threat: Previously, immense numbers were shipped into the fish markets of Calcutta from throughout India; among the Bengali Hindus, the river terrapin was considered the most delectable of all turtles. It is still illegally exported from Indonesia and traded in large numbers in China. Loss of nesting beaches and pollution are also impacting the species.

Clouded leopard

• The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is a wild cat occurring from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China. Since 2008, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
• It is the state animal of the Indian state of Meghalaya.
• It is also known as the mainland clouded leopard, to distinguish it from the Sunda clouded leopard
• In India, it occurs in Assam, northern West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. In Pakke Tiger Reserve, a clouded leopard was photographed for the first time in India. In Sikkim, clouded leopards were camera-trapped in the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve. In Manas National Park, 16 individuals were recorded during a survey in November 2010 to February 2011.

Threat

• Many of the remaining forest areas are too small to ensure the long-term persistence of clouded leopard populations.
• They are threatened by habitat loss following large–scale deforestation and commercial poaching for the wildlife trade.
• Skins, claws, and teeth are offered for decoration and clothing, bones and meat as substitute for tiger in traditional Asian medicines and tonics, and live animals for the pet trade. Few poaching incidents have been documented, but all range states are believed to have some degree of commercial poaching.

Arabean humpback whale

• The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale
• Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 km each year. They feed in polar waters, and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth, fasting and living off their fat reserves.
• Threat: While whaling no longer threatens the species, individuals are vulnerable to collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing gear and noise pollution.Like other cetaceans, humpbacks can be injured by excessive noise
• In August 2008, the IUCN changed humpback’s status from Vulnerable to Least Concern, although two subpopulations remain endangered.

Red panda

• The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), also called the lesser panda, the red bear-cat, and the red cat-bear, is a mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.
• It is arboreal, feeds mainly on bamboo, but also eats eggs, birds, and insects.
• The red panda has been classified as endangered by the IUCN, because its wild population is estimated at less than 10,000 mature individuals and continues to decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression