1 July 2023 : Daily Current Affairs
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1-July-2023
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1. Excessive groundwater extraction has shifted the Earth’s axis, finds study
Syllabus – GS III
Recent Context – The excessive extraction of groundwater for drinking and irrigation has shifted the Earth’s axis of rotation.
Between 1993 and 2010, humans pumped out around 2,150 giga tonnes of groundwater, which moved the planet’s axis about 80 cm towards the east.
Earth’s axis keeps shifting
- Earth spins around an imaginary axis passing through the north and south poles via its centre of mass. Scientists have known that the poles and the axis keep shifting naturally as the mass distribution in and on the planet changes. This phenomenon is known as “polar motion”.
- Rocks slowly circulating inside the Earth’s mantle causes the planet’s mass to shift, leading to polar motion. Ocean currents and hurricanes also cause polar motion. But this phenomenon is also impacted by human activities.
- Previous studies have shown that global warming has accelerated the melting of glaciers and ice in Greenland and has caused the Earth’s axis to drift more than usual since the 1990s.
Findings of the new study
- The study, ‘Drift of Earth’s Pole’ Confirms Groundwater Depletion as a Significant Contributor to Global Sea Level Rise 1993–2010.
- Although the shift isn’t significant enough to have real-life consequences, the study illustrates the enormous amounts of water taken out of the ground.
- The study also noted that groundwater extraction in North America and northwestern India, both located at the Earth’s mid-latitudes, had an outsized impact on the polar motion compared to the extraction in poles or equators.
2. 1st century BC plaque among 105 antiquities to be returned by the US
Syllabus – GS I
Recent Context – A terracotta Yakshi plaque from 1st century BC which was stolen from “eastern India”; a 9th-century red sandstone Dancing Ganesha from central India; a 10th-century Kubera, also from central India—these are among the 105 antiquities that are set to be returned by the United States to India.
How did they reach there?
- These antiquities may have gotten to the international market differently— some legal, some illegal.
- Most of these antiquities are suspected to have been smuggled abroad through jailed antique dealer Subhash Kapoor.
- Some of the 105 antiquities that are set to be returned to India have already been verified by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is the custodian of all repatriated artefacts.
- The antiquities, in different mediums such as marble, terracotta and sandstone, span a period of 1,600 years, from the 1st century BC to the 15th century AD, and hold significant historical and market value.
- These include a 12th-13th century miniature Jain shrine made of marble from Gujarat/ Maharashtra; an 11th-century sculpture of Vishnu and Lakshmi made of sandstone; two 14th-century sandstone Apsara figures from central India; and an 11th-century standing Surya sculptures.
Procedure ahead
- Once the antiquities reach India, the ASI, which functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, will decide whether the object should be returned to its original place and handed over to the respective state government or whether it should be displayed at a museum dedicated to repatriated antiquities at Delhi’s Purana Qila.
- When any artefact of Indian origin is located in a foreign country, it is first verified by ASI in that country or on its arrival in India. Experts verify it on the basis of their knowledge, iconography and wear-and-tear marks. However, there is no time limit for this process.
- During Modi’s last visit to the US in 2021, 157 artefacts and antiquities were handed over to India, mostly dating back to the 11th – 14th
- As mentioned in the India-US joint statement, the Ministry of Culture is expected to sign a cultural property agreement with the US for the “smooth repatriation” of all such antiquities found to be smuggled out of the country. India is also looking to sign such an agreement with the United Kingdom.
3. In phone call, Putin, Modi discuss failed mutiny by Wagner chief
Syllabus – GS II
Recent Context – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the failed armed mutiny by the Wagner group, among other issues.
Highlights
- The two leaders have reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
- Both leaders agreed to remain in touch and continue to make efforts to strengthen further the special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia.
- The conversation comes ahead of the virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit being hosted by India in July.
- They underscored the importance of further consistent implementation of the major joint projects in various areas. They noted with satisfaction substantial growth in trade throughout 2022 and in the first quarter of this year.
- Particular attention was paid to interaction within the SCO and the G20, where India currently holds the presidency, and in the BRICS format.
- In addition, Modi informed on his international contacts, including those during his recent visit to Washington.
Wagner Group
- Officially known as the PMC Wagner, the mercenary organisation was first identified in 2014 during Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
- It’s essentially a network of contractors that supply soldiers for hire, and the group got registered as a company in 2022 and opened a new headquarters in St Petersburg, as per the BBC.
- Reports suggest that 80 per cent of its troops in Ukraine have been recruited from prison.
- The organisation’s owner and head is Prigozhin.
- Close links to prominent people helped Prigozhin expand his business. And after Putin became president, he was awarded several government contracts. Prigozhin subsequently earned the nickname “Putin’s Chef”.
- The lucrative earnings in the food industry weren’t enough for the businessman, though, and he eventually got into the sector of providing private military service.
- Besides Ukraine, Wagner Group has reportedly been active in many African and West Asian countries. According to media reports, it provides its services to different governments, often in exchange for access to gold and diamond mines.
4. Delhi government moves apex court to quash Centre’s ordinance on services.
News: The Delhi government on Friday urged the Supreme Court to quash the ordinance which slips control over civil servants back into the hands of the Lieutenant Governor (L-G).
Context: Recently, the central government passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, commonly known as the Delhi Services Ordinance, which slips control over civil servants back into the hands of the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) in Delhi.
- It also mandates the formation of a “permanent” National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA) with the Chief Minister as chairperson and the Chief Secretary and Principal Home Secretary as Member and Member-Secretary, respectively. It exercises authority over civil service officers working in all Delhi government departments except those in public order, police and land.
- Powers of NCCSA
- It would decide transfers and postings of civil service officers deputed to Delhi government departments by the majority of votes of the members present and voting.
- It would also decide on prosecution sanctions, disciplinary proceedings, vigilance issues, etc., of civil service officers deputed to Delhi government departments by the majority of votes
- The Lieutenant Governor’s decision, in case of a difference of opinion, would be final.
5. The Constitutional Bench Judgement:
- It was promulgated within just eight days of the Supreme Court’s May 11 Constitutional bench verdict in favour of the authority of the Delhi government, which allowed the Delhi legislature to make laws and the Delhi government to administer civil services in the national capital.
- Case before the SC: In 2015, the Home Ministry issued a notification which gave L-G the power over the services. It required the L-G to consult the Chief Minister only at his “discretion”. It had excluded Entry 41 (services) of the State List from the scope of powers of the Delhi government. The SC set aside this notification on May 11.
- The judgment of a Constitution Bench was led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud. It gave limited the role to the L-G, which is an arm of the Centre, over bureaucrats in three specific areas — public order, police and land.
6. Problems with Delhi Services Ordinance:
- Curbing the power of elected government: It has overturned the Supreme Court’s verdict and has now wrested control over civil servants serving in Delhi from the elected Delhi Government to the LG of Delhi.
- Done without making an amendment in the constitution: Article 239AA is not amended. All changes are done to the NCT of Delhi Act.
- It still violates Article 239AA: Under Article 239AA, the L-G enjoys discretion only in matters falling outside the Delhi government’s legislative and executive domain. In all other issues, L-G is bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.
- Violation of Federation principle
- Delhi Government’s petition also challenges the provisions in the ordinance, which form a “permanent” National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA), as it is designed in such a way that the Delhi government becomes a minority.
The stance of the Central Government:
- The court’s decision to give the authority over services to the elected government is wrong in law, as Delhi being the capital of the country, should be controlled by the Centre.
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