National
Chairperson of 22nd Law Commission of India
⇒ The President of India has appointed the Chairperson along with other five members for the 22nd Law Commission of India.
Chairperson:
Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Retired Chief Justice, Karnataka High Court has assumed charge as Chairperson of the 22nd Law Commission of India with effect from 9th November, 2022 till the end of the term of the 22nd Law Commission of India.
- Along with him retired judge of Kerala High Court Justice K.T. Sankaran and Shri M. Karunanithi, Advocate, Madurai, Tamil Nadu have also taken over as Member and Part-time Member, respectively, of the Law Commission.
The Five-panel members of the 22nd Law Commission of India are:
- Mr. Justice K. T. Sankaran, Retired Judge of Kerala High Court as full-time Member
- Shri M. Karunanithi, Advocate, Madurai, Tamil Nadu as Part-time Member
- Prof. Anand Paliwal, Academician, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, Rajasthan as full-time Member
- Prof. Raka Arya, Academician, National Law Institute University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh as Part-time Member
- Prof. D.P. Verma, Academician, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh as full-time Member
About Law Commission of India:
- The Central Government is likely aiming at reviving the Indian Law Commission, by appointing a new chairman and five-panel members.
- The last chairman of the committee retired in August 2018 and has not been reconstituted since.
- Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body and is constituted by a notification of the Government of India, Ministry of Law & Justice, Department of Legal Affairs with a definite terms of reference to carry out research in the field of law and the Commission makes recommendations to the Government (in the form of Reports) as per its terms of reference.
Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment Report 2022
⇒ The Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on 09 November 2022 released the Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment Report for the entire country for the year 2022.
Carried out by:
The assessment was carried out jointly by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and States/UTs, which can be used for taking suitable interventions by various stake-holders.
As per the 2022 Assessment Report:
- The total annual ground water recharge for the entire country is 437.60 billion cubic meters (BCM) and annual ground water extraction for the entire country is 239.16 BCM.
- Further, out of the total 7089 assessment units in the country, 1006 units have been categorized as ‘Over-exploited’.
- A detailed analysis of the information collected from the assessment indicates increase in ground water recharge which may mainly be attributed to increase in recharge from canal seepage, return flow of irrigation water and recharges from water bodies/tanks & water conservation structures.
- Further, analysis indicates improvement in ground water conditions in 909 assessment units in the country when compared with 2017 assessment data.
- In addition, overall decrease in number of over-exploited units and decrease in stage of groundwater extraction level have also been observed.
Highlights:
- Total annual ground water recharge for entire country is 437.60 billion cubic meters (BCM).
- Annual ground water extraction for the entire country is 239.16 BCM.
- Out of total 7089 assessment units, 1006 units categorized as ‘Over-exploited’.
- Such joint exercises between CGWB & States/UTs were carried out earlier in 1980, 1995, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2020.
Download Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment Report 2022 (Official Link)
India’s First Sovereign Green Bonds Framework
⇒ Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt Nirmala Sitharaman approves the final Sovereign Green Bonds framework of India.
Significance:
- This approval will further strengthen India’s commitment towards its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) targets, adopted under the Paris Agreement, and help in attracting global and domestic investments in eligible green projects.
- The proceeds generated from issuance of such bonds will be deployed in Public Sector projects which help in reducing carbon intensity of the economy.
» The approval is fulfillment of the announcement in the Union Budget FY 2022-23 by the Union Finance Minister that Sovereign Green Bonds will be issued for mobilising resources for green projects.
About Green bonds:
» Green bonds are financial instruments that generate proceeds for investment in environmentally sustainable and climate-suitable projects.
- By virtue of their indication towards environmental sustainability, green bonds command a relatively lower cost of capital vis-à-vis regular bonds and necessitates credibility and commitments associated with the process of raising bonds.
Background:
- India’s first Sovereign Green Bonds framework was formulated and as per the provisions of the framework, Green Finance Working Committee (GFWC) was constituted to validate key decisions on issuance of Sovereign Green Bonds.
- Further, CICERO, an independent and globally renowned Norway-based Second Party Opinion (SPO) provider, was appointed to evaluate India’s green bonds framework and certify alignment of the framework with ICMA’s Green Bond Principles and international best practices.
- After due deliberation and consideration, CICERO has rated India’s Green Bonds Framework as ‘Medium Green’ with a “Good” governance score.
Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels in India, 2022
⇒ The Union Cabinet has approved the “Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels in India, 2022”.
- The consolidated Guidelines shall ease issue of permissions to the companies/LLPs registered in India for Uplinking and Downlinking of TV Channels, setting up of Teleports/ Teleport Hubs, use of Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG)/ Satellite News Gathering (SNG)/ Electronic News Gathering (ENG) systems, uplinking by Indian News agencies and temporary uplinking of a live event.
Highlights:
- New Guidelines ease compliance for Television Channels.
- No prior Permission for Live Telecast of Events.
- Indian Teleports may uplink Foreign Channels.
- Obligation to telecast content in National/Public Interest.