States can pass resolutions against Central laws: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Friday prima facie found no harm in State Legislative Assemblies, such as those in Kerala and West Bengal, passing resolutions against Central laws like the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act or the controversial new farm laws.
- A Bench, led by Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde, said these resolutions are merely “opinions” of the majority members of a Legislative Assembly and do not have the force of law.
- “It is the opinion of the majority in the Kerala Assembly… They have not told people to disobey the law, they have only told Parliament to abrogate the law. It is only an opinion and does not have the force of law,” Chief Justice Bobde addressed Mr. Chakraborty.
- But the petitioner said that the Kerala Assembly should not be having an opinion whether the law is “good, bad or indifferent”.
- “Since they (State Assemblies) cannot make laws on the subjects in the Union List, they cannot also have a casual opinion on them,” Mr. Chakraborty argued.
7th Schedule
Centre State Relations
-Focus for Prelims
Lok Sabha passes bill to place seven castes under Devendrakula Vellalars in Tamil Nadu
The Lok Sabha on Friday passed The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021, that seeks to put seven castes under one nomenclature of “Devendrakula Vellalars” with some exceptions for some of the castes in certain districts of Tamil Nadu. The castes include Devendrakulathan, Kadaiyan, Kalladi, Kudumban, Pallan, Pannadi and Vathiriyan.
- Not a single MP from Tamil Nadu was present in the Lok Sabha when the Bill was debated and passed.
- The Tamil Nadu government had earlier accepted a recommendation of a committee to reclassify the seven sub sects under the generic name ‘Devendrakula Velalar’ and forwarded it to the Centre.
- Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot said that the change in nomenclature was a long pending demand of the community and did not involve either the deletion or addition of any community in its ambit.
- He also said that the reason why a whole new addition wasn’t made to the Scheduled Castes list and specific caste names previously given to these seven castes were being mentioned in the bracket was to ensure that old caste certificates issued to these communities under the old name not be rejected.
Power to include/modify SC categories
Whether Constitution Amendment needed
-Focus for Prelims
Lok Sabha passes bill to amend the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act
The Lok Sabha on Friday passed a Bill to amend the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) through a voice vote, with Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi stating that the amendments will create jobs and allow private players with enhanced technology into the mining sector.
- “The reform in the mining sector would generate 55 lakh direct and indirect jobs. To enhance mining activity, we will allow the private sector with enhanced technology in mineral exploration,”Mr. Joshi told the Lok Sabha while moving the Bill.
- He said India produces 95 minerals and has same potential like South Africa and Australia but the mining sector was under-explored and India still had to import minerals like gold and coal.
- The Minister said the mining sector right now contributes 1.75% to the country’s GDP but the proposed reforms will raise the contribution to 2.5% as it seeks to make a large number of mines available for auctions by resolving legacy issues.
- Mr. Joshi said the Bill removes the distinction between captive and non-captive mines and seeks to introduce an index-based mechanism by developing a National Mineral Index (NMI) for statutory payments. The National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET), to see the functioning of the sector, will be made an autonomous body.
Provisions of the Bill
Distinction between Major & Minor minerals
-Focus for Prelims
Six tigers ‘missing’ in Ranthambore
Six tigers — four adults and two sub-adults — have been unaccounted for since March 2020 in the Ranthambore tiger sanctuary, Rajasthan. Independent wildlife groups such as Tiger Watch have alleged that the tigers have been missing for over a year and that “negative human intervention being a cause [poaching]” could not be ruled out.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority, a wing of the Union Environment Ministry, has constituted a committee to ascertain the disappearance of the tigers.
- Ranthambore’s estimated 70 tigers exceeded its carrying capacity, he said, and newer tigers were driving out older ones and so the tigers had possibly branched out of their territories.
- Qamar Qureshi, scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, said the disappearance of tigers was a cause for concern.
- The Ranthambore Reserve is the only source of tigers in the territory with about 53 tigers constituting over 90% of the population in this block, as per the latest census made public last year.
- The Ranthambore forest reserve consists of highly fragmented forest patches, ravines, river streams, and agricultural land.
- The Ranthambore Tiger Reserve is connected to the Kuno-Palpur landscape in Madhya Pradesh through parts of the Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary, the ravine habitats of Chambal and the forest patches of Sheopur.
- Tributaries of river Chambal provide easy passage for tigers to move towards the Kuno National Park.
- India has 2,967 tigers, a third more than in 2014, according to results of a census made public on July 29 last year. Ranthambore, according to this exercise, had 55 tigers.
- Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442). Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in tiger population and all other States saw an increase.
Rathambore TR – Facts
Other Tiger Reserves in Rajasthan
Other important facts & keywords given in the news
-Focus for Prelims
