No union, but Centre ready to ease living of gay couples.

Topic: GS1 – Society.

Context:

• The government is reportedly prepared to make life easier for homosexual couples, despite not supporting their union.

Issue:

• The government has proposed the formation of a panel to address the “genuine, human concerns” of same-sex couples.
• The Supreme Court has called this move a “big, big positive” step towards social acceptance of the right of same-sex couples to cohabit.
• The committee would only focus on banking and insurance if they addressed the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.
• The court is now expected to examine whether same-sex couples have the right to cohabit without discrimination.
• The government’s proposal to form a committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary indicates its readiness to recognise cohabitors relationships among same-sex couples.
  

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April PMI shows services sector had the best expansion in 13 years

Topic: GS3 – Economy.

Context:

• India’s services sector had a substantial uptick in April, with the S&P Global India Services PMI Business Activity Index rebounding to 62, its highest level since June 2010.

Issue:

• The finance and insurance segment led the growth, while new export orders expanded for the third month in a row.
• However, job creation remained negligible, and input cost inflation rose to a three-month high due to rising costs of food, fuel, medicine, transportation, and wages.
• Services firms also raised their selling prices faster in 2023, with the most acute price hikes in transport, information, and communication businesses.

What is PMI?

• PMI stands for Purchasing Managers’ Index. It is released by IHS Markit Ltd.
• It is an economic indicator that measures the health of a country’s manufacturing or services sector.
• It is a survey-based measurethat asks the respondents (who are business managers) about changes in their perception of key business variables compared with the previous
• Each month, Data is collectedthrough a survey of 400 purchasing managers/private companies in the manufacturing sector on different fields, such as production level, new orders, speed of deliveries, order backlogs, inventories and employment level etc.
• A PMI reading above 50 indicates growth in the sector, while a reading below 50 indicates contraction.
  

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Odisha revises compensation for loss in man-animal conflict

Topic: GS3 – Environment and ecology

Context:

• The Odisha government has increased the compensation for people affected by wild animal attacks.
• Additionally, the amount of assistance in case of permanent injury has also been increased.
• This decision comes in response to growing public anger over the loss of life and property due to such attacks.

Issue: Reasons for man-animal conflict:

• Habitat loss: due to human activities, such as deforestation and urbanisation, leading to animals encroaching into human settlements
• Fragmentation and degradation of natural habitats: disrupting the ecological balance and forcing animals to venture into human-populated areas
• Human encroachment: into wildlife areas, such as forests, reserves and parks, displacing animals from their natural habitat and pushing them towards human settlements
• Poaching and hunting: causing a decline in natural prey populations and forcing animals to seek alternate food sources in human-populated areas
• Climate change: leading to changes in animal behaviour and migratory patterns, causing them to move towards human settlements in search of food and water
• Agricultural expansion: destroying natural habitats, reducing forest cover, and leaving less space for wildlife to inhabit and forage, leading to human-wildlife conflicts.

Ways to reduce man-animal conflict:

• Educating people about the dangers of entering forested areas and how to behave when encountering wild animals.
• Encouraging the use of non-lethal deterrents such as electric fences and loudspeakers to keep animals away from populated areas.
• Promoting the use of eco-friendly and non-toxic pest control methods to prevent wild animals from raiding crops and gardens.
• Creating and maintaining buffer zones around protected areas to limit the interaction between humans and wildlife.
• Providing compensation and insurance to people who have suffered losses or injuries due to human-wildlife conflict.
• Conducting research to understand the behaviour of wild animals and their interactions with humans, which can help in developing effective conservation and management strategies.
  

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A rise in the number of candidates with criminal cases contesting in the Karnataka polls compared to the previous election.

Topic: GS2 – Indian polity and governance, criminalisation of politics.

Context:

• According to reports, there is an increase in the number of candidates with criminal records participating in the Karnataka elections than in the previous polls.

Issue: Data about criminalisation of politics in India:

• As of the 2019 General Election, 43% of newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) had criminal cases against them.
• In the 2014 General Election, 34% of MPs had criminal cases against them.
• The most common types of criminal cases against politicians include murder, attempt to murder, and crimes against women.

Reasons for the criminalisation of politics:

• Money and muscle power: Politics in India requires a significant amount of funding, which some candidates may not have through legitimate means. They may resort to illegal sources of funding, such as black money or donations from criminal elements, in exchange for political patronage.
• Weak laws and enforcement: India’s legal system is slow and often ineffective in prosecuting those accused of crimes. This can embolden criminals to enter politics, as they may feel that they can avoid punishment or delay the legal process.
• Lack of internal democracy within political parties: Many political parties in India are run like family-owned businesses, with power being concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. These leaders may nominate candidates with criminal backgrounds who are loyal to them rather than those with clean records who may be a threat to their authority.
• Voter preferences: Voters may choose candidates with criminal backgrounds due to factors such as caste or community affiliations or because they believe that these candidates can better protect their interests.
• Poor governance: Corruption and poor governance can create a breeding ground for criminalisation of politics, as politicians may collude with criminals to maintain their hold on power.
• Low awareness among voters: Many voters may not be aware of the criminal backgrounds of the candidates they are voting for or may not consider criminal records as a disqualification for political office.

Ways forward to address the issue of criminalisation of politics in India:

• Stringent laws: The government can bring in more stringent laws to curb the entry of criminals into politics. This can include laws that prevent candidates with criminal backgrounds from contesting elections.
• Fast-track courts: Special fast-track courts can be established to ensure speedy trials of politicians with criminal charges against them.
• Transparency and accountability: The political parties can take steps to ensure transparency and accountability in their functioning. They can make it mandatory for candidates to declare their criminal backgrounds, assets, and liabilities before contesting elections.
• Public awareness: The civil society and media can play a significant role in creating public awareness about the negative impact of criminalisation of politics on the democratic process.
• Empowering the election commission: The Election Commission of India can be empowered with more legal and administrative powers to regulate the functioning of political parties and ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.
• Political will: Political leaders need to show the political will to address the issue of criminalisation of politics. They can take steps to cleanse their parties of criminal elements and work towards promoting ethical and honest politics.
  

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The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act

Topic: GS2 – legal developments in the world.

Issue and highlights of the article:

• As AI technologies become more advanced and ubiquitous, the risks and uncertainties associated with them have also increased.
• Many AI tools are essentially black boxes, meaning even their creators cannot explain what goes on inside them to generate a particular output.
• Complex and unexplainable AI tools have already led to wrongful arrests, discrimination, and societal biases seeping into AI outputs.
• Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable.
• Regulating AI can help to bring transparency, trust, and accountability to AI systems and create a framework to mitigate risks to the safety, health, fundamental rights, and democratic values of societies.
• The aim of regulating AI is to strike a balance between promoting the uptake of AI and mitigating or preventing harms associated with certain uses of the technology.
• Regulating AI can help address ethical questions and implementation challenges in various sectors ranging from healthcare and education to finance and energy.
• AI regulation can help strengthen Europe’s position as a global hub of excellence in AI from the lab to the market and ensure that AI in Europe respects the 27-country bloc’s values and rules.
• The AI Act aims to classify AI tech based on the level of risk they pose to the “health and safety or fundamental rights” of a person and lays out pre-and post-market requirements for developers and users of such systems.