. No.	Topic Name	Prelims/Mains
1.	About the Review Petition	Prelims & Mains
2.	Details of the United Nations Security Council	Prelims & Mains
3.	About the Organic Farming	Prelims & Mains
4.	Details of the Chabahar Port	Prelims & Mains

 

1 – About the Review Petition:GS II

Topic à Judiciary Related Issues

·       Constitutional provision:

·       Under Article 137 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court’s decisions or orders may be challenged.

·       Overview of the Review’s Petition:

·       The Court may review its rulings only to correct a “patent error” and not “minor faults of small importance.” A review is in no way an underhanded appeal.

·       This suggests that the Court is allowed to correct major errors that resulted in a miscarriage of justice rather than reexamining the case from the beginning.

 

·       submitting a petition for review:

·       In accordance with the Civil Procedure Code and the Supreme Court Rules, anyone who considers that a decision is incorrect may ask for it to be reviewed. This implies that not every party to a lawsuit needs to ask for a review of the judgement.

·       The review petition must be submitted within 30 days of the ruling or order’s date.

·       The court may occasionally grant a petitioner’s request for an extension of time to file a review petition if they can provide convincing justifications for the delay.

 

·       Motives for Considering the Review Petition

·       It should be emphasised that the Court does not evaluate each review petition that is submitted. Once the justification for the request has been proved, it solely utilises its discretion to grant a review petition.

 

·       The Supreme Court has established three grounds for requesting a review of a judgement it has rendered:

·       the discovery of fresh, pertinent facts or proof that, after reasonable diligence, the petitioner was unaware of or unable to provide;

·       mistake or error that is evident from the surface of the record; or

·       any additional sufficient defence that is comparable to the other two defences.

·       Judicial procedure:

·       Review petitions are typically decided without the oral arguments of counsel. The judges hear it “through circulation” in their hearing rooms.

·       However, in exceptional cases, the court will allow an oral hearing. A panel of three judges must evaluate review petitions in all cases involving the death penalty in front of the public, the Supreme Court declared in a 2014 decision.

·       Review petitions are heard by the same judges who made the original order or judgement that is being appealed.

 

·       Alternatives if Review Petition is denied:

·       In the Roopa Hurra v. Ashok Hurra case, the court introduced the idea of a curative petition, which may be heard after a review petition is denied (2002). Whatever the case, the Supreme Court’s ruling cannot be considered unjust.

·       A curative petition is comparable to a review petition in that it is often not given an oral hearing and is only reviewed on a very small number of reasons.

 

Source à The Hindu

2 – Details of the United Nations Security Council:GS II

Topic à International Relations

·       About:

·       The Security Council was established by the UN Charter in 1945. It is one of the six main organisations of the UN.

·       The UN’s remaining 5 institutions are the General Assembly (UNGA), Trusteeship Council, Economic and Social Council, International Court of Justice, and Secretariat.

·       Its main responsibility is to support the maintenance of global peace and security.

·       The council’s headquarters are in New York.

 

·       Members:

·       The fifteen members of the council are composed of five permanent members and ten non-permanent members appointed for two-year terms.

·       The five permanent members are the United States, the Russian Federation, France, China, and the United Kingdom.

·       India became a non-permanent member of the UNSC last year (2021), joining for the ninth time. It will be a council member from 2021 to 2022.

·       The General Assembly elects five of the 10 non-permanent members annually for tenure of two years. According to regions, the 10 non-permanent seats are distributed.

·       Each month, the 15 council members that make up the body rotate holding the presidency.

 

·       Power to vote:

·       Each member of the Security Council has one vote. Decisions are made by the Security Council by a majority vote of nine members, including the permanent members. In the event that one of the five permanent members votes “no,” the resolution cannot be approved.

·       Whenever the Security Council deems that a member’s interests are particularly harmed, any UN member who is not a member of the Security Council is allowed to participate in discussions without having a vote.

 

·       India and UNSC:

·       India significantly contributed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ (UDHR) writing in 1947–1948 and passionately denounced apartheid in South Africa.

·       India has helped shape policies on a variety of issues, including as the UN’s admission of former colonies, resolving deadly conflicts in the Middle East, and maintaining peace in Africa.

·       It has significantly aided the UN, particularly in maintaining world peace and security.

·       India has sent more than 160,000 soldiers and many police officers to 43 peacekeeping missions.

·       Given its population, geography, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), economic potential, civilisational legacy, cultural diversity, political system, and historical and current contributions to UN activities, India’s demand for a permanent seat on the UNSC is absolutely reasonable.

 

·       UNSC issues include the following:

·       Lack of meeting records and minutes:

·       The UNSC doesn’t follow the same rules as the rest of the UN, and none of its meetings are ever recorded.

·       Additionally, there isn’t a “text” of the meeting available for discussion, correction, or opposition.

 

·       UNSC power struggle:

·       The veto authority of the UNSC’s five permanent members is out of date in today’s world.

·       The UNSC is now making it difficult to understand the global dynamics and advancements in the area of human security and peace.

 

·       Disagreements Among the P5 Nations:

·       Due to the significant polarisation among UN members, decisions are either not made or are made with little thought.

·       The UNSC P-5 separates regularly, which hinders it from reaching crucial decisions.

·       For instance, the UN, UNSC, and World Health Organization were powerless to help states successfully stop the spread of the coronavirus when it first appeared.

 

·       Underrepresentation in the Organization:

·       The UNSC’s lack of representation from the four most important countries in the world—South Africa, Germany, Brazil, and India—is disturbing.

 

·       How to Proceed Ahead:

·       The power imbalances between the P5 and the rest of the world must be addressed immediately.

·       The UN organisation must overhaul the Security Council by adding more permanent and non-permanent seats in order to adequately address the “ever-complex and expanding issues” to upholding international peace and security.

·       One of the current non-permanent members of the UNSC, India, can start by drafting a resolution that outlines a comprehensive list of suggestions for modernising the body.

·       It can also reach out to other countries that share its viewpoints (like the G4: India, Germany, Japan, and Brazil) and broaden its network of allies until enough countries band together to address the UNGA as a whole and present a resolution that has a decent chance of passing.

 

Source à The Indian Express

3 – About the Organic Farming:GS III

Topic à Agriculture Related Issues

·       About:

·       Agroecosystem health, biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity are all promoted and improved by organic farming, according to the FAO, which describes it as a specific type of production management.

·       The FSSAI defines “organic farming” as a method of farm management and design that forgoes the use of synthetic external inputs such chemical fertilisers, pesticides, synthetic hormones, or genetically engineered organisms to create an ecosystem for agricultural production.

·       Food produced in accordance with organic production standards is referred to as organic food, while products from organic farming is referred to as organic farm produce.

 

·       Principles of Indian Organic Agriculture:

·       These ideas aid the development and success of organic agriculture. These could support the growth of organic farming throughout the world.

 

·       The fundamentals of organic farming are as follows:

·       The wellness of people, groups, and communities is one of the tenets of health.

·       One of ecology’s fundamentals is the proper balance between an ecosystem and its surroundings or nature.

·       Healthy interpersonal relationships and a decent level of life are the cornerstones of fairness.

 

·       Organic farming in India:

·       India took first place in both the quantity of organic growers and the geographic region that has received certification.

·       India ranks sixth in the world in terms of the total area of organic agricultural land.

·       From 2020 to 21 more organic goods were produced, a 51% rise.

·       Currently, Sikkim is the only state that is fully organic. Additionally, the states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir are leading in the promotion and implementation of organic farming.

·       North East India uses significantly fewer chemicals than the rest of the country due to a long tradition of organic farming.

·       Organic farming has long been practised in island nations, much like it is in tribal communities.

·       India’s top organic exports include flax seeds, sesame, soybeans, tea, medicinal plants, rice, and pulses.

·       Exports of organic products were Rs. 5151 crore in 2018–19, a growth of more than 50%.

·       The commencement of exports from Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland to the UK, USA, Eswatini, and Italy have shown the potential by increasing in volume and reaching new markets as the demand for health foods develops.

 

·       Governmental programmes that are crucial:

·       promotes PGS (Participatory Guarantee System)-certified cluster-based organic farming under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana. The programme promotes marketing, certification, training, and cluster building.

·       the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana Assistance for boosting organic farming on several components is also available with the approval of the State Level Sanctioning Committee.

·       One City, One Product The programme aims to increase consumer awareness of and demand for locally manufactured, specialised items in Uttar Pradesh, generating employment at the district level.

·       A lot of the National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm’s components, such as bio-fertilizers, the delivery of Rhizobium culture, Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB), Zinc Solubilizing Bacteria (ZSB), Azatobacter, Mycorrhiza, and vermin-compost, are receiving financial support.

·       Through prioritised activities, the Organic Farming Action Programme seeks to significantly advance and promote organic farming.

·       The nation’s imports and domestic sales of organic food are regulated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

·       PGS (Participatory Guarantee System) is a certification process for organic products that ensures production meets predetermined quality standards. Throughout the three-year journey to “organic,” PGS Green is applied to vegetables grown without chemicals. It mostly meets domestic needs.

·       The National Program for Organic Production (NPOP) provides certification for organic farming for export through a third party certification process.

·       Agri-Export Policy for 2018:

·       Focus on groups and cut spending Natural farming is a method of chemical-free agriculture that is based on customs from India. Organic farming in India has profited from marketing and promotion of “Produce of India.”

 

·       Organic farming challenges:

·       Lack of biomass: Scientists aren’t sure if organic materials can supply all the nutrients in the right amounts. They contend that even if this problem can be remedied, the current supply of organic matter is insufficient to meet the demands.

·       Unbalanced supply and demand: Unlike non-perishable cereals, which can be grown anywhere, fruits and vegetables cannot be transported or grown in any location.

·       Time: Organic farming necessitates a farmer’s greater involvement with his crop, including weed management, prompt response, and observation.

·       Premium MRP: Guarantee the extreme care taken to support organic farming, it is essentially a given that the results will be preserved at a high price.

·       Lack of specialised infrastructure: The majority of sizable organic farms still engage in industrialised farming practises, including the movement of their produce from the field to the table. Sadly, they do so while passing themselves off as organic, utilising the same harmful environmental practises as factory farms.

·       Furthermore, organic vegetable marketing may use some work. As a result of the farmers’ convictions or purely for financial reasons, many farms in India have either never utilised chemicals to manage or cultivate them or have returned to organic farming.

 

·       The following are some of the benefits of organic farming:

·       They are not pumped with artificial ingredients and given a lot more time to mature, which results in superior flavour and more nutrition.

·       reduces the amount of pesticide and chemical residue in soil while ensuring the health of the soil, water, air, and flora and fauna.

·       Biodiversity, which is enhanced by raising animals naturally and rotating crops to increase soil fertility, promotes better health for all living things. By providing wildlife with safe havens, organic farms improve the local ecosystems.

·       Less Energy Consumed: This is because it takes a lot of energy to produce synthetic fertilisers.

·       In the long run, sustainability: Instead of treating problems after they occur, which may be too late, organic farming uses a proactive, preventative approach.

·       better control of the water supply and less corrosive circumstances

·       Understanding the techniques: Organic farming is like going back in time to when the landscape was dominated by machinery. As a result, farmers may readily understand and apply organic farming techniques that are based on conventional thinking.

 

·       Upcoming steps to take:

·       Experts predict that the development of organic farming will be accelerated by technological advancements and enabling agricultural research.

·       By ensuring income generation, this would lessen reliance on external commodities.

·       The experts advocate integrating the natural approach into the farming system because nature is the best model to be scaled and copied through active international engagement and appropriate government initiatives.

·       This would enable the connection of organic farmers to the global supply chain.

·       The experts envisioned a plan for fully using the domestic organic goods market.

·       With more knowledge and the development of producer capacity in accordance with international criteria, Indian organic farmers will soon reaffirm their rightful position in the global agri-trade.

·       In order to make organic farming viable, resilient, and sustainable, India must pursue structural reforms through changes to the law.

·       The emphasis on natural and organic farming should be increased, and young people should be encouraged to participate in innovation and agri-entrepreneurship in universities of agriculture.

 

Source à The Hindu

4 – Details of the Chabahar Port:

Prelims Specific Topic

·       About:

·       Southeast Iran’s port city of Chabahar is situated on the Gulf of Oman.

·       This is the only port in Iran that has direct access to the ocean.

·       It is located in the energy-rich southern Iranian province of Sistan-Balochistan.

·       The port of Chabahar is seen by India, Iran, and Afghanistan as a pathway to significant business opportunities with central Asian countries.

 

·       Significance:

·       Chabahar has never been the subject of the same amount of interest and fervour from India as other international ports.

·       It will make it possible for India to go from the sea to Afghanistan without passing through Pakistan.

·       India is now prohibited by Pakistan from expanding its borders into Afghanistan.

·       As a result, the International North-South Transport Corridor, to which both countries were early signatories alongside Russia, would gain momentum.

·       Iran serves as the main point of entry for this programme.

·       In the Arabian Peninsula, it would counteract Chinese influence.

 

Source à The Indian Express