TOPIC : GS 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment.
What has the Supreme Court ruled on ‘creamy layer’?
- The 105th Constitution Amendment was notified on after it received the assent of President.
- It is aimed at restoring to the States their power to identify socially and educationally backward classes.
- The Opposition and the government and supported the Amendment, which was passed during the monsoon session with the required special majority.
- The Amendment became necessary to undo the effect of a Supreme Court verdict that States had lost their power to include or exclude communities in the ‘Backward Classes’ list after Parliament enacted the 102nd Constitution Amendment.
Why was the Amendment required?
- Through the 102nd Constitution Amendment, Parliament created a National Backward Classes Commission
- It vested it with the power to be consulted by the Centre as well as the States in all matters concerning the ‘socially and educationally backward classes’ (SEBCs).
- In a bid to clothe the Commission with the same powers as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission, Parliament used wording identical to the existing provisions relating to the SC/ST Commission.
- Article 342A, it was laid down that the President shall notify a list of SEBCs in relation to each State and Union Territory in consultation with the Governors.
- This is called the ‘Central List’, and once it is notified, only Parliament alone could make changes to it.
- The Supreme Court, while considering a challenge to the Maratha reservation in Maharashtra on various grounds
What does the 105th Amendment do?
- Parliament adopted fresh legislation to undo the effects of the Supreme Court’s interpretation.
- It contains specific clauses that seek to restore the original intention of having a ‘Central List’ for the purposes of the Union and letting States retain their respective lists.
- It first adds a proviso to the effect that the requirement that the National Backward Classes Commission should be consulted on policy matters will not apply to the State lists of SEBCs.
- It specifies that the list of SEBCs notified by the President shall be only for the purposes of the Central government alone, and that the ‘Central List’ means only the list “prepared and maintained by and for the Central Government”.
- The 105th Amendment clarifies that every State or Union Territory may, by law, prepare and maintain for its own purposes a list of SEBCs and this may be different from the Central List.
Way Forward
- The changes are aimed at undoing the conclusion of three judges on the five Judge Bench in the Maratha reservation case that the term ‘Central List’ applied to all SEBCs notified by the President and that it was the only List “for the purposes of the Constitution”.
- SEBCs are defined, the latest Amendment also changed the definition given in the 102nd Amendment.
- Originally, “socially and educationally backward classes” were described as “such backward classes as are so deemed under Article 342A for the purposes of this Constitution”, that is, those found in the List notified by the President under Article 342A.
- Changed to the effect that SEBCs are those so deemed under the same Article for the purposes of the Central government, or the State or the Union Territory.
Mains Question
What did Parliament do to overcome the SC ruling stripping States of the power to identify BC communities?
PRELIMS PUNCHERS
- A ribonucleic acid (RNA) vaccine
It is a type of vaccine that uses a copy of a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) to produce an immune response. The vaccine transfects molecules of synthetic RNA into immune cells, where the vaccine functions as mRNA, causing the cells to build foreign protein that would normally be produced by a pathogen (such as a virus) or by a cancer cell. These protein molecules stimulate an adaptive immune response which teaches the body to identify and destroy the corresponding pathogen or cancer cells. The mRNA is delivered by a co-formulation of the RNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles which protect the RNA strands and help their absorption into the cells.
The tendency of a vaccine to produce adverse reactions, is similar to that of conventional non-RNA vaccines. People susceptible to an autoimmune response may have an adverse reaction to RNA vaccines. The advantages of RNA vaccines over traditional protein vaccines are ease of design, speed and lower cost of production, and the induction of both cellular and humoral immunity. RNA vaccines, such as the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
- Dadu Dayal
He was a poet-saint from Gujarat, India, a religious reformer who spoke against formalism and priestcraft. Dadu Dayal later moved to Naraina, near Jaipur Rajasthan, where he gathered around himself a group of followers, forming a sect that became known as the Dadupanth
Dadupanthis are one of the 7 martial akharas of Vaishnavite sampradaya of Hindus. His compositions in Braj language were recorded by his disciple Rajjab and are known as the Dadu Anubhav Vani, a compilation of 5,000 verses. Another disciple, Janagopal, wrote the earliest biography of Dadu. Dadu alludes to spontaneous (sahaja) bliss in his songs. Much of the imagery used is similar to that used by Kabir, and to that used by earlier Sahajiya Buddhists and Nath yogis. Dadu believed that devotion to God should transcend religious or sectarian affiliation, and that devotees should become non-sectarian or “Nipakh”
Sources: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dadu-Hindu-saint
- Titlis
It is a mountain of the Uri Alps, located on the border between the cantons of Obwalden and Bern. It is the highest summit of the range north of the Susten Pass, between the Bernese Oberland and Central Switzerland. It is mainly accessed from Engelberg (OW) on the north side and is famous as the site of the world’s first rotating cable car.
The last part of cable car leads above the glacier. At Klein Titlis, it is possible to visit an illuminated glacier cave from an entrance within the cable-car station, which also includes shops and restaurants. The Titlis Cliff Walk, the highest elevation suspension bridge in Europe. Titlis is the highest mountain in the portion of the Uri Alps north of the Susten Pass. This part of the range is located between the valleys of the Hasli (west) and the Reuss (east), thus separating the waters feeding the basins of the Aare and Reuss respectively.
PRELIMS QUESTIONS
- Consider the following statements regarding Dadu Dayal
- He was a poet-saint from Maharashtra, India
- Much of the imagery used is similar to that used by Ramdas
Select the correct answer from the following
- A only
- B only
- Both of them
- None of the above
Answer: B
He was a poet-saint from Gujarat, India, a religious reformer who spoke against formalism and priestcraft. Dadu Dayal later moved to Naraina, near Jaipur Rajasthan, where he gathered around himself a group of followers, forming a sect that became known as the Dadupanth
Dadupanthis are one of the 7 martial akharas of Vaishnavite sampradaya of Hindus. His compositions in Braj language were recorded by his disciple Rajjab and are known as the Dadu Anubhav Vani, a compilation of 5,000 verses. Another disciple, Janagopal, wrote the earliest biography of Dadu. Dadu alludes to spontaneous (sahaja) bliss in his songs. Much of the imagery used is similar to that used by Kabir, and to that used by earlier Sahajiya Buddhists and Nath yogis. Dadu believed that devotion to God should transcend religious or sectarian affiliation, and that devotees should become non-sectarian or “Nipakh”
Qn 2 Consider the following statements regarding Titlis
A.Located on the border between the cantons of Obwalden and Bern
B.It is a mountain of the Uri Alps
Select the correct answer from the following
- A only
- B only
- Both of them
- None of the above
Answer: C
It is a mountain of the Uri Alps, located on the border between the cantons of Obwalden and Bern. It is the highest summit of the range north of the Susten Pass, between the Bernese Oberland and Central Switzerland. It is mainly accessed from Engelberg (OW) on the north side and is famous as the site of the world’s first rotating cable car.
The last part of cable car leads above the glacier. At Klein Titlis, it is possible to visit an illuminated glacier cave from an entrance within the cable-car station, which also includes shops and restaurants. The Titlis Cliff Walk, the highest elevation suspension bridge in Europe. Titlis is the highest mountain in the portion of the Uri Alps north of the Susten Pass. This part of the range is located between the valleys of the Hasli (west) and the Reuss (east), thus separating the waters feeding the basins of the Aare and Reuss respectively.