Kesavananda Bharati

Why in NEWS ?

• Kesavananda Bharati Swamiji, the sole unwitting petitioner in the historic Fundamental Rights case which prevented the nation from slipping into a totalitarian regime, died on 06 th September 2020. He was 80.

About

• Though the judgment is a landmark, Kesavananda Bharati did not win any relief in the case. The amendments in the Kerala land reforms law which he had challenged were upheld by the Supreme Court in 1973.
• It was senior advocate Nani Palkhivala, representing Swamiji, who extended the ambit of the case. Mr. Palkhivala saw an opportunity through Swamiji's case to challenge a series of constitutional amendments introduced by the Indira Gandhi government granting unlimited power to Parliament to alter the Constitution.
• “Kesavananda Bharati versus State of Kerala” case was unique as the case was heard by a Bench of 13 judges — the largest formed in the Supreme Court. It was heard over 68 working days from October 1972 to March 1973. The judgment was a mammoth 703 pages.
• The Kesavananda Bharati judgment introduced the Basic Structure doctrine which limited Parliament’s power to make drastic amendments that may affect the core values enshrined in the Constitution like secularism and federalism.
• The verdict upheld the power of the Supreme Court to judicially review laws of Parliament. It evolved the concept of separation of powers among the three branches of governance — legislative, executive and the judiciary.
• Democracy won that day on a wafer-thin 7:6 majority. The judges were split down the middle until the 13th judge, Justice H.R. Khanna, supported the view that constitutional amendments should not alter the “basic structure” of the Constitution.
• The aftermath of the judgment also saw the supersession of three judges of the Supreme Court — J.M. Shelat, A.N. Grover and K.S. Hegde — for Chief Justiceship. All three were part of the majority verdict on the Bench. They resigned in protest amidst public furore.
• The Emergency was proclaimed shortly after the judgment was delivered on April 24, 1973. The Kesavananda Bharati judgment proved timely and thwarted many an attempt on democracy and dignity of individual during those dark years.

What constitutes the Basic Structure?

• The Constitutional Bench ruled by a 7-6 verdict that Parliament should be restrained from altering the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution.
• The court held that under Article 368, which provides Parliament amending powers, something must remain of the original Constitution that the new amendment would change.
• The court did not define the ‘basic structure’, and only listed a few principles — federalism, secularism, democracy — as being its part. Since then, the court has been adding new features to this concept.

‘Basic structure’ since Kesavananda

• The ‘basic structure’ doctrine has since been interpreted to include the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law, Independence of the judiciary, doctrine of separation of powers, federalism, secularism, sovereign democratic republic, the parliamentary system of government, the principle of free and fair elections, welfare state, etc.

Thailand Scraps Kra Canal Project

IN NEWS

• In a big blow to China, Thailand announced it will scrap a Chinese led-KRA canal project under which Beijing wanted to build a bypass to the Strait of Malacca.

About

• The Thai Canal, also known as Kra Canal or Kra Isthmus Canal, refers to proposals for a canal that would connect the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea across the Kra Isthmus in southern Thailand.
• It is envisaged that such a canal would improve transportation in the region, similar to the Panama Canal and Suez Canal.

About Diabetes

• It is a metabolic disease that causes high blood sugar. The hormone insulin moves sugar from the blood to cells to be stored or used for energy.
• Diabetes is a Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar, or glucose), or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.
• Untreated high blood sugar from diabetes can damage nerves, eyes, kidneys, and other organs.

INDIAN POSITION

• After the the Galwan Valley clash in Ladakh, the Indian Navy had deployed its frontline vessels along the Malacca Straits, a strategic chokepoint between the Indonesian island of Sumatra that divides the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the Malay Peninsula.

CONCLUSION

• Thailand took the step after facing intense pressure from its arch-rival Pheu Thai Party and the public who had raised concerns that the proposed 120-kilometre mega canal would undermine the independence of poor Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar and Cambodia, which have comparatively weak civil societies that are highly vulnerable to Chinese interference.

Chandrayaan-3 to be Launched in 2021

IN NEWS

• Chandrayaan-3 is likely to be launched in early 2021 instead of the second half of 2020 as suggested by the government. India's mission to Moon will include a rover and a lander but not an orbiter like its predecessor.

About

• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had mentioned its plans of launching another mission to the moon by the end of 2020. However, the novel coronavirus pandemic has led to a delay in the launch of Chandrayaan-3.
• Chandrayaan-3 will be mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2 and will only include a lander and a rover similar to that of Chandrayaan-2 and will not have an orbiter.Realization within schedule will make ISRO the world's fourth space agency to conduct soft lunar landing after the administration of former USSR, NASA and CNSA.
• Subsequent failure of Vikram lander led to the pursuit of another mission to demonstrate the landing capabilities needed for the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission proposed in partnership with Japan for 2024.

ISRO

• The Indian Space Research Organisation is the space agency of the Government of India and has its headquarters in the city of Bangalore.
• Its vision is to "harness space technology for national development while pursuing space science research & planetary exploration
• In 1972, the Government of India had set up a Space Commission and the Department of Space (DOS), bringing ISRO under the DOS. The establishment of ISRO thus institutionalised space research activities in India.It is managed by the DOS, which reports to the Prime Minister of India.

The ‘Rice of Diabetes’

Context

• A study finds that Higher consumption of white rice regularly is associated with an increased risk of diabetes.

About

• Findings were observed by a paper published after studying 1,32,373 individuals from 21 countries over 9.5 years. 6,129 individual newly developed diabetes in this period.
• The paper published in the recent edition of the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes Care, indicates that the higher the consumption of white rice, the greater the risk of developing diabetes.
• The highest risk, according to the paper, was seen in South Asia, which had the highest consumption of white rice at 630gm a day. In Southeast Asia, it was 239 gm a day, and in China, which the paper says has no significant association, 200 gm a day.
• The observations form part of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study anchored by the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
• It is known that excess rice consumption leads to postprandial glucose spikes that, in turn, lead to compensatory hyperinsulinemia [excess secretion of insulin] to maintain euglycemia [normal blood sugar levels]. Over time, the b-cells become exhausted, leading to b-cell failure and diabetes.
• The study acknowledges the role of reduced physical activity as a contributing factor, as also increase in obesity rates, while it does adjust for various other diabetogenic factors, including family history

About Diabetes

• It is a metabolic disease that causes high blood sugar. The hormone insulin moves sugar from the blood to cells to be stored or used for energy.
• Diabetes is a Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar, or glucose), or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.
• Untreated high blood sugar from diabetes can damage nerves, eyes, kidneys, and other organs.

Diabetes in India

• India currently represents 49 % of the world’s diabetes patient burden, with an estimated 72 million cases in 2017 alone. And this figure expected to almost double to 134 million by 2025.

Steps taken by Government of India for control and prevention of Diabetes

• mDiabetes mobile application- The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India in collaboration with the WHO Country Office for India and other partners, has launched a mobile health initiative for the prevention and care of diabetes
• National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke* (NPCDCS) was launched in 2010 by MoHFW in order to prevent and control the major NCDs. The main focus of the programme is on health promotion, early diagnosis, management and referral of cases, besides strengthening the infrastructure and capacity building. Population based screening is also started in 2017 for diabetes, hypertension and common cancers (oral, breast and cervical cancers).
• India’s National Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Target is to prevent the rise in obesity and diabetes prevalence.